Adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in French in three volumes as L'Ile mysterieuse in 1874 and included in his popular science-fiction series Voyages extraordinaires (1863-1910). The Mysterious Island follows the adventures of a group of castaways who use their survivalist savvy to build a functional community on an uncharted island. A hot-air balloon carrying five passengers and a dog escapes from Richmond, Va., during the American Civil War. It is blown off course and deposited near an obscure island. One of the castaways nearly dies after a skirmish with pirates; he is saved by the unexplained appearance of medicine after the pirates are unexpectedly routed.