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  The Man Who Would Be King

  Rudyard Kipling

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  "The Man Who Would Be King" is a novella written by British author Rudyard Kipling. It was first published in 1888 as part of Kipling's collection "The Phantom 'Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales." The novella is known for its adventure, exploration, and themes related to imperialism and cultural clash. 
   
  The story follows the adventures of two British soldiers, Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan, who have become disillusioned with their lives in the British Army stationed in India. They decide to leave the army and embark on a journey to the remote, fictional land of Kafiristan, located in the mountains of Afghanistan. In Kafiristan, they plan to establish themselves as god-like rulers and exploit the region's wealth and resources. 
   
  Their journey is fraught with challenges, but the two men manage to impress the local people with their superior knowledge and advanced weaponry. They are hailed as gods and establish themselves as rulers. However, as time passes, their ambition, arrogance, and desire for power lead to a series of events that result in a dramatic and tragic conclusion. 
   
  "The Man Who Would Be King" explores themes of colonialism, cultural clash, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. It is a cautionary tale that illustrates the dangers of imperialism and the hubris of those who believe they can manipulate foreign cultures for their own gain. 
   
  The novella has been adapted into various forms over the years, including a highly regarded 1975 film directed by John Huston, starring Sean Connery as Daniel Dravot and Michael Caine as Peachey Carnehan. The story's enduring appeal lies in its examination of the human desire for power and the consequences of attempting to subjugate foreign lands and cultures.

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  The Hound of The Baskervilles

  Arthur Conan Doyle

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  A country doctor arrives at 221B Baker Street and presents Sherlock Holmes with an old local legend and a new cryptic mystery. The owner of Baskerville Hall is dead, and his heir, Sir Henry Baskerville arrives from Canada to take over the estate. From the moment he arrives in London, he is warned to stay away from Baskerville Hall by an unknown agent. Sir Henry is unperturbed however, and Holmes decides to send Watson down to Devonshire with him to report on any developments. Is there any truth in the legend of a huge spectral hound that has haunted the family for generations? Or does the truth lie with one of the enigmatic characters in the surrounding area? 
  Perhaps the most well known outing for Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles has all the ingredients of the cosiest of mysteries. Jake Urry brings this head-scratching tale to life in this unabridged telling of a timeless classic. 

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  Rudyard Kipling - Six of the...

  Rudyard Kipling

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  Six has always been a number we group things around – Six of the best, six of one half a dozen of another, six feet under, six pack, six degrees of separation and a sixth sense are but a few of the ways we use this number. 
   
  Such is its popularity that we thought it is also a very good way of challenging and investigating an author’s work to give width, brevity, humour and depth across six of their very best. 
   
  In this series we gather together authors whose short stories both rivet the attention and inspire the imagination to visit their gems in a series of six, to roam across an author’s legacy in a few short hours and gain a greater understanding of their writing and, of course, to be lavishly entertained by their ideas, their narrative and their way with words. 
   
  These stories can be surprising and sometimes at a tangent to what we expected, but each is fully formed and a marvellous adventure into the world and words of a literary master. 
   
  1 - Six of the Best - Rudyard Kipling - An Introduction 
  2 - Rudyard Kipling - An Introduction 
  3 - The Phantom Rickshaw By Rudyard Kipling 
  4 - They by Rudyard Kipling 
  5 - Mary Postgate by Rudyard Kipling 
  6 - Mark Of The Beast By Rudyard Kipling 
  7 - The Maltese Cat by Rudyard Kipling 
  8 - The Man Who Would Be King - Part 1 by Rudyard Kipling 
  9 - The Man Who Would Be King - Part 2 by Rudyard Kipling

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  The Apology of Socrates

  Plato

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  The Apology (of Socrates) is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defends himself against the charges of being a man "who corrupted the young, did not believe in the gods, and created new deities". "Apology" here has its earlier meaning (now usually expressed by the word "apologia") of speaking in defense of a cause or of one's beliefs or actions.

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  A Starry Drive

  Robert Louis Stevenson

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  In our rule at Silverado, there was a melancholy interregnum. The queen and the crown prince with one accord fell sick; and, as I was sick to begin with, our lone position on Mount Saint Helena was no longer tenable, and we had to hurry back to Calistoga and a cottage on the green. By that time we had begun to realize the difficulties of our position. We had found what an amount of labour it cost to support life in our red canyon; and it was the dearest desire of our hearts to get a China-boy to go along with us when we returned. We could have given him a whole house to himself, self-contained, as they say in the advertisements; and on the money question we were prepared to go far. Kong Sam Kee, the Calistoga washerman, was entrusted with the affair; and from day to day it languished on, with protestations on our part and mellifluous excuses on the part of Kong Sam Kee.

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  Fyodor Dostovesky - A Short...

  Fyodor Dostoevsky

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  Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow on 11th November, 1821 to distinguished multi-ethnic parents from a Lithuanian background.   
   
  His childhood years were at the family home in hospital grounds which also contained an orphanage, an insane asylum and a cemetery for criminals.  The young Fyodor often disobeyed his father by talking to the ill in the hospital gardens.   
   
  His health was compromised at age 9 when he experienced his first epileptic fit. By the time he was a teenager both parents had died and he was now enrolled in a military academy where he graduated and eventually became a Lieutenant in 1842.  He left military service the next year. 
   
  In 1846 he published his first novel ‘Poor Cow’ to great literary acclaim.  His next was unable to emulate that success but his short stories helped provide an income.  Life as an author was definitely difficult. As he began his next work he was arrested and incarcerated for treason and participation in the political and literary Petrashevsky Circle. Although the case was weak and unjustified he was sentenced to 4 years of hard labour followed by 5 years of military service in a Siberian regiment.  
   
  Despite the undoubted hardships and setbacks in his life, and whether they helped or hindered his writing, his talents produced many exceptional works of literature including ‘Crime and Punishment’, ‘The Idiot’ and ‘The Brothers Karamazov’.   
   
  Dostoevsky’s ability to get under the skin of his characters and show the inner workings of their mind was hugely influential and ahead of its time.  Interwoven with this was the influence of the broader social, spiritual and political forces at work in a person's psyche.   
   
  Fyodor Dostoevsky struggled financially and remained in poor health for much of his adult life.  He died from a lung haemorrhage on 9th February, 1881. 
   
  1 - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction 
  2 - The Dream of a Ridiculous Man by Fyodor Dostovesky 
  3 - An Honest Thief by Fyodor Dostoyveskey 
  4 - Bobok by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  5 - The Beggar Boy at Christ's Christmas Tree by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  6 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 1 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky 
  7 - The Crocodile. An Extraordinary Incident - Part 2 by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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