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Theme: fear of the unknown

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A Journey to the Centre of the Earth / Exploration and Fear

Author: Jules Verne (Gutenberg)  | Themes: exploration, familial bonds, fear of the unknown, ambition, safety  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-03-18

Are you not thinking of getting back to the surface of our beautiful earth?" This was said more as a feeler than with any hope of success. "Go back, n...
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Dracula / Gothic Tension

Author: Bram Stoker (Gutenberg)  | Themes: suspense, fear of the unknown, supernatural, quest for truth, unresolved conflict  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-03-04

We moved to explore the house, all keeping together in case of attack; for we knew we had a strong and wily enemy to deal with, and as yet we did not ...
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A Journey to the Centre of the Earth / Scientific Inquiry

Author: Jules Verne (Gutenberg)  | Themes: knowledge versus ignorance, fear of the unknown, evolution of thought  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-01-05

What would become of us?" "Don't be alarmed at the heat, my boy." "How so?" "Neither you nor anybody else know anything about the real state of the ea...
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A Journey to the Centre of the Earth / Conflict of Knowledge

Author: Jules Verne (Gutenberg)  | Themes: scientific rationality, internal struggle, exploration, fear of the unknown  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-01-03

My uncle had completely defeated me with his scientific arguments. Nevertheless, I had still one hope, and that was, when once we were at the bottom o...
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The War of the Worlds / Martian Physiology

Author: H.G. Wells (Gutenberg)  | Themes: alienation, evolution, perception, imperialism, fear of the unknown  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-01-03

They were huge round bodies—or, rather, heads—about four feet in diameter, each body having in front of it a face. This face had no nostrils—indeed, t...
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Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea / Technological Terror

Author: Jules Verne (Gutenberg)  | Themes: fear of the unknown, human ingenuity, nature's power  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2026-01-03

Just then a bubbling began at the back of this strange thing (which was evidently propelled by a screw), and it began to move. We had only just time t...
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The War of the Worlds / Encounters with the Unknown

Author: H.G. Wells (Gutenberg)  | Themes: fear of the unknown, alien encounters, exploration, existential dread, industrial anxiety  | Source: Project Gutenberg  | Published: 2025-11-20

But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks—like eye...