Publisher: Fantastica
The novel tells the life story of Roderick Random, who was born to a Scottish gentleman and a lower-class woman and is thus shunned by his father's family. His mother dies soon after giving birth and his father is driven mad with grief. Random's paternal grandfather coerces a local school master into providing free education for the boy, who becomes popular with his classmates.
From the beloved author behind Sherlock Holmes, a collection of fourteen exhilarating tales full of mummies, ghosts, adventure, and more. Best known as the creator of super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle also wrote thrilling tales of the supernatural and the corruption of technology. His sharp wit and chillingly detailed writing are at their peak in this diverse collection of adventures, ranging from the cunning escapades of a wartime strategist extraordinaire in “Danger!” to the gripping story of one explorer’s fatal journey into the skies in “The Horror of the Heights.” Every reader who accepts Conan Doyle’s invitation to “come through the magic door” discovers a world in which the senses are a thin veneer over an unsettling psychological and spiritual realm, a realm in which possibilities have no limits. This volume presents fourteen forgotten masterpieces by one of last century’s most popular writers.Show book
A Whitbread Award–winning novel of Welsh twins and an international bestseller about Aboriginal culture by “the brilliant English writer and stylish nomad” (Los Angeles Times). After his masterpiece of travel writing, In Patagonia, put him on the literary map, Bruce Chatwin penned a novel about twin brothers who never venture far from their Welsh farm. On the Black Hill won the Whitbread Literary Award for Best First Novel and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Following that work of fiction, Chatwin turned his focus to Australia and Aboriginal culture, creating a wholly original hybrid of memoir, travelogue, and novel in the international bestseller, The Songlines. On the Black Hill: For forty-two years, identical twins Lewis and Benjamin Jones have shared a bed, a farm, and a life. But the world has made its mark on them each in different ways. At eighty, Lewis is still strong enough to wield an ax, and though he’s hardly ever ventured outside his little village on the Welsh/English border, he dreams of far-off lands. Benjamin is gentler, a cook whose favorite task is delivering baby lambs, and even in his old age, remains devoted to the memory of their mother. With his delicate attention to detail, Chatwin’s intense and poetic portrait of their shared lives in a little patch of Wales is “beautiful and haunting” (Los Angeles Times). “A brooding pastoral tale full of tender grandeur.” —The New York Times Book Review The Songlines: Long ago, the creators wandered Australia and sang the landscape into being, naming every rock, tree, and watering hole in the great desert. Those songs were passed down to the Aboriginals, and for centuries they have served not only as a shared heritage, but also as a living map. Entranced by this cultural heritage, a narrator named Bruce travels to Australia to probe the deepest meaning of these ancient, living songs, and embarks on a profound exploration of the nomadic instinct. “Extraordinary. A remarkable and satisfying book.” —The ObserverShow book
This story was inspired by a remark of Mark Twain's to the effect that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at the end. By trying the experiment upon only one man in a perfectly normal world I have scarcely given his idea a fair trial. Several weeks after completing it, I discovered an almost identical plot in Samuel Butler's "Note-books."Show book
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole (1884-1941) was a New Zealand-born English novelist, famous for his skill at scene setting and vivid plots. He was a best-selling author in the 1920s and 1930s and remains popular to this day. "The Beard" is the touching and insightful tale of a narcissistic and pompous father who is struggling to raise his pubescent son, who is enraged and embarrassed at his father yet the co-dependency between the two still exercises a magnetic pull. The story explores the development of their relationship and how both of them are forced to grow up.Show book
A magical tale of enchantment, retribution and love. Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, is betrayed by his brother and exiled to a desert island with his daughter Miranda. With the help of Ariel, a spirit, he uses his supernatural powers to shipwreck his brother and others on the same island. With a series of illusions, he regains his rightful place and finds a husband for his daughter.Show book
In the realm of classic adventure literature, few novels have achieved the enduring charm and timeless appeal of Anthony Hope's "Rupert of Hentzau." Originally published in 1898 as a sequel to "The Prisoner of Zenda," this captivating tale of political intrigue, romance, and daring escapades has cemented its place as a literary gem. Head Stories Audio presents Rupert of Hentzau, narrated by Simon Hester. With original music.Show book
