Three Englishmen depart from London with the aim of traversing Africa from East to West in a balloon. The three have many adventures facing natives, wildlife, storms, deserts and other obstacles.

This is not one of my favorite Verne novels so far. While it still has a sense of adventure, the characters don't seem as well wrought as in some of his other works, and the plot is repetitive due to the construct of balloon travel (travel happily in the balloon for a while, run in obstacle, repeat). I don't know if I would recommend this one, because it's just not as exciting as Around the World in 80 Days or Journey to the Center of the Earth, both of which are also quite funny and fun. But its a good read for Verne lovers to pursue. ( )