Robur, o Conquistador

A science fiction novel published in 1886. When mysterious lights, sounds, and black flags appear worldwide atop famous landmarks, the enigmatic inventor Robur crashes a Philadelphia flight club meeting to challenge their beliefs about aviation. After kidnapping the club's leaders aboard his revolutionary flying machine, the Albatross, he takes them on a globe-spanning journey to prove the superiority of heavier-than-air flight, sparking a dramatic conflict