"A Journey to the Centre of the Earth " by Jules Verne is a science fiction novel written in the mid-19th century. The story follows the protagonist, Professor Otto Lidenbrock, and his nephew, Axel, as they embark on an extraordinary expedition to explore the depths of the Earth , spurred by an ancient manuscript that hints at the path to the ... LitCharts offers a comprehensive and interactive guide to Jules Verne's classic science fiction novel. Find summaries, analysis, themes, quotes, characters, symbols, and more. Get all the key plot points of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes. A Journey to the Center of the Earth , novel by prolific French author Jules Verne, published in 1864. It is the second book in his popular series Voyages extraordinaires, which contains novels that combine scientific facts with adventure fiction and laid the groundwork for science fiction.