Publisher: Classica Libris
The Man in Grey is set in Napoleonic France in 1809, and is comprised of nine inter-connected short stories about the mysterious Man in Grey’s adventures in tracking down Royalist criminals for the government.
It is Paris sometime after the Franco-Prussian War (1870--Germany won--the French Second Republic collapsed--France embittered). A French poet and a German composer come to admire one another's work and decide to collaborate on an opera. There are costs to pay.Show book
Howard Phillips Lovecraft is among the greatest American writers of fantasy and the supernatural. Born in 1890, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, his health was uncertain from childhood and he led a sheltered early life. His semi-invalidism enabled him to read omnivorously, and as a shy imaginative child he began to invent what would in his adult life become a whole macabre fantastic world of his own, peopled by creatures out of his own weird imagination. As an adult he was retiring, almost a recluse. Tall, thin and pale, but with bright alert eyes, he was much given to wandering his native city in the dark hours of the night, and he became a devoted student of its antiquities. He began to write early, but had nothing published nationally until he was in his twenties. He set many of his stories around the imaginary town of Arkham, and invented an entire mythology of his own, its core being the demoniac cult of Cthulhu, based on the lore or legend that the world was at one time inhabited by another race who, in practising black magic, lost their foothold or were expelled, yet live outside, ever ready to take possession of this earth again. Since his early death in 1937 his stories have increasingly grown in popularity. He encouraged younger writers, and a number of authors have continued to develop in their own stories the cult of Cthulhu. In this volume our tales are The Lurking Fear and The Thing On The Doorstep. They are read for you by Garrick Hagon who began his acting career as a boy, playing the part of the Prince of Wales to Alec Guiness’s RICHARD III at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario. He Has done much radio drama, and his long list of television appearances include Colditz and Dr Who. Among his many films are Star Wars, Cry Freedom, A Bridge Too Far and Batman.Show book
Manipulation of time is a recurring theme in Stephen Minot’s second collection of stories. The first four stories, subheaded “Time and Memory,” deal with characters whose perception of the world is skewed. Kraft, a social historian, becomes so drawn to a woman from a simpler era that he almost loses his hold on reality; Fern, at fifteen, struggles to cope with sophisticated, alcoholic adults who live in the past; Malvina, a mother of two, finds herself in the midst of a large family gathering without being entirely sure who these people are. The second group, “Time in Exile,” focuses on Americans living in Europe as political and social exiles. These stories offer a vivid glimpse into that world of American expatriates who have been forced to bend both time and place for reasons of conscience or necessity. The stories in the concluding section, “Time in the American City,” all deal with urban survival. Occasionally comic, but always serious in theme, these stories pay tribute to the variety and adaptability of American city dwellers. Mike-O returns to Boston for a visit with his trendy ex-wife and her new lover; Blair, a U.S. Senator in Washington, copes with a long-absent and highly independent son, Dennis, and struggles to make sense of his artistic success in Venice, California. All 12 stories have appeared in major periodicals, one being included in both the O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories collections.Show book
Stepping Stone: Truman Pope has spent his whole life watching the world go by. A gentle, unassuming soul, he has worked in the mailroom of a large corporation for decades without making waves, until the day he spots a mysterious woman in yellow. A woman nobody else can see. Soon Truman's quiet life begins to turn upside-down. Love Machine: The brainchild of an eccentric, possibly deranged scientist, the Love Machine can merge individual psyches and memories into a collective Co-Mind. Tricked into joining the Co-Mind, as part of a master plan to take over the world, Lois Kim struggles to adapt to her new reality and abilities. Is there any way back to the life that was stolen from her, or is she destined to lead humanity into a strange new era??Show book
A story of how individual destiny can be shaped and formed by mentors and friends. Culwin is a modern villain, whose crimes arise from holding his tongue at crucial moments, so that events further entangle themselves.Show book
Synopsis1) Photographer Time plays a pivotal role in this story that unravels in a reclusive guesthouse. As guests come and go, the photographer remains stationed to witness life and time traverse across him.2) Baray Aadmi The innocent and vibrant Zakiya Begum extends her heart to many, but is unable to recognise the manipulative tendencies of those around her.3) Aik Tasveer The author/narrator observes the life span of Damyunti Devi, from a recently widowed young woman to an aging socialite.4) Hasab Nasab Chammi Begum fiercely holds on to her family’s lineage and honour as life takes her through unexpected and trying paths.Show book
