Claudius Bombarnac is a reporter, tasked with writing a travelogue while aboard the Great Trans-Asiatic Railway. Hoping to spice up his story, he befriends a group of travellers, whose numbers include a stowaway and a man trying to beat the round-the-world record. However, while Bombarnac is searching for the hero of his piece, a special carriage, guarded by armed soldiers, is added to the train and things take a decidedly different turn. Fun, fast-paced, and packed with mystery and intrigue, тАШClaudius BombarnacтАЩ is one of VerneтАЩs best-loved adventure tales. Jules Verne (1828-1905) was a French novelist who became known as the тАШFather of Science Fiction.тАЩ He wrote more than 60 novels, including тАШJourney to the Center of the EarthтАЩ (1864), тАШTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaтАЩ (1870) which was also released as a film, starring James Mason, and тАШAround the World in Eighty DaysтАЩ (1873), which has been released as a TV drama, featuring former Dr Who star, David Tennant.