The Archipelago on Fire (, 1884) is an adventure novel written by Jules Verne, taking place during the Greek War of Independence.
On the 18th of October, 1827, about five oâÂÂclock in the evening, a small Levantine vessel piloted by Captain Nicholas Starcos of the Karysta returns home to Vitylo, an ancient village in the Peloponnesus, only to be denied entry by his mother, who denounces him for what he has become.
Lt. Henry dâÂÂAlbaret of the French Navy, and other Frenchmen, have joined the Greeks in this war. After recovering from a wound received in battle, dâÂÂAlbaret meets Hadjine Elizundo, his banker's lovely daughter. They fall in love then make plans to marry, but Starcos, who holds a devastating secret against the girl's father, demands her hand in marriageâÂÂor else. The distraught father soon dies, thus freeing Hadjine from her obligation of marrying Starcos, but she breaks off her engagement to dâÂÂAlbaret, who is a respectable and honest man, because of her father's scandalous dealings with Captain Starcos.
While she takes steps to right her father's wrongs, the distraught dâÂÂAlbaret returns to the war until he is given command of the ship Syphanta. He then sails along the archipelago in search of pirates, who are taking advantage of the conflict. Eventually dâÂÂAlbaret tracks Sacratif, a notorious pirate, to Crete, where Verne brings this informative and entertaining novel to a surprise ending.