Showing results by narrator "B J Harrison" in All Categories

Wuthering Heights follows the tumultuous lives of Catherine and Heathcliff, two young playmates who become soul mates. While Catherine's wild childish capriciousness develops, Heathcliff "exemplifies the effects which a life of continued injustice and hard usage may produce on a naturally perverse, vindictive, and inexorable disposition".

The world as we know it is gone. The ice caps have melted and shifted south, devastating the northern territories and eradicating major cities such as New York and London, which are now underwater and frozen. Humans died off during an epidemic prior to the ice disaster, and many more died during the floods at the start of this new ice age. These events have forced vampires out of hiding. In order to ensure that their food source wouldn't completely die off, the vampires have sequestered the remaining humans into farms and taken control of all that remains of civilization.

Empire of Ancient Greece is an informative introduction to this cornerstone of Western civilization. The Greeks invented and developed everything from logic and democracy to rhetoric, drama, and philosophy. Empire of Ancient Greece chronicles the remarkable legacy of the Greeks, as well as the diversity of their societies - from the thriving democracy of Athens to the militarism of Sparta to the oligarchy of Thrace.

"A Chapter in the History of the Tyrone Family" is a Gothic short story by Sheridan Le Fanu focusing on a young woman who marries a Scottish landowner with a dark past. A short story whose haunting and semi-supernatural elements might have influenced Charlotte Bronts "Jane Eyre", Le Fanus tale combines a lot of elements horror, romance, thriller, and drama to create a compelling and sophisticated world from which there is no easy escape.

In this dark story by Robert W. Chambers we are introduced to a detective, who is tasked to uncover a hoax in the Pacific Northwest. There he investigates the possible existence of a terrible porpoise-skinned humanoid with an insatiable hunger for human females. If you like reading dark and weird stories, then "The Harbor Master" from 1904 is the right one for you. Do not hesitate to embark on this journey and solve the mystery of the porpoise-skinned humanoid. B. J.

One of the most haunting short horror stories to date is told to us by B.J. Harrison. Our narrator is invited to visit his acquaintance Roderick, who lives in a remote house with his sister when strange things begin to happen. Neither of the siblings appears to be healthy, and the house itself also seems to have a life of its own. What exactly is taking place, and how much worse can it get? The short story by Edgar Allan Poe from the 19th century is a true gothic horror story and not for the faintest of hearts.

Ahab is the captain of a whaling ship named the Pequod. His great obsession with the giant whale, Moby Dick, makes him embark on a dangerous voyage. Some years before, the captain lost his leg because of the whale and now Ahab’s main desire is to take his revenge on the whale by killing it. He is so obsessed, that Ahab is ready to sacrifice everything he has, including the Pequod and all the members of his crew, and even his own life.

France and Great Britain are waging a fierce war for the control of the North American colonies. Cora and Alice Munro are two sisters who travel through the forest to visit their father - Colonel Munro. Major Duncan Heyward and an Indian named Magua escort the two girls. However, unbeknownst to them, many dangers are lurking in the forest and stand reading to strike unsuspecting travellers.

Alice is pregnant with her husband Sir Richard Trevlyn’s child. One day, she listens to a conversation between her husband and a visitor through a keyhole. What she hears is shocking enough to make her faint, and when she comes to, her husband is found dead. Years later, the sixteen-year-old Paul applies for a job at the estate, and it becomes clear that there is more to him than meets the eye. What happened to Sir Richard Trevlyn, and who is the mysterious Paul? Louisa May Alcott’s mystery novella from the 19th century, read by B.J.

In "Ayesha, The Return of She" (1905) the white queen is feared not to be dead after all. After eighteen years, Horace and Leo once again set out on a journey, this time to Asia, where they encounter Ayesha's reincarnation. What follows is a love story and a tragedy of gigantic proportions. H. Rider Haggard's story is a sequel to his widely popular novel "She" and part of the Ayesha series. The series has inspired countless film adaptations, including the 1935 film version She starring Helen Gahagan, based loosely on the books. B. J.

Daniel Dravot and Peachey Carnehan are two scruffy adventurers who are planning to conquer Kafiristan - a remote part of Afghanistan. The two men pretend to have signed a contract that neither of them will touch alcohol or women. However, disguised as a priest and his assistant, Dravot and Carnehan depart for Kafiristan, secretly carrying twenty riffles. Why do they want to conquer Kafiristan? Will the make it across the border alive? Find all the answers in Rudyard Kipling’s adventure story "The Man Who Would Be King" from 1888. B. J.

Isidore Smythe is in danger. He has received threating letters and he does not see a way out. John Angus offers Smythe his help and Smythe is escorted back to his flat. Angus is determined to find out who has sent the letters and he heads out to the former criminal Flambeau and the private detective Father Brown. Before he leaves Smythe’s apartment, he instructs four people to keep an eye on him. Yet when he comes back Smythe is missing and there's a bloodstain on the floor.

Have you ever read the story of Creation told in the first person and in a diary form? If not "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" would be the best choice for you. You will find out what the Garden of Eden looked like, see how Adam and Eve lived, and what their perceptions of each other was. You will witness how Eve named the animals and the plants, and what Adam thought of it. This is Mark Twain’s most amusing masterpiece. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

In the timeless shadows of the mines, distant screams glide across rock walls worn by running water and groping hands. Here where the sunlight never reaches, the picking of axes and dragging of chains is met by the wails of new slaves and the dying of the old. The guards' words echo off the walls as if from the dark heart of the mountain itself, crushing any hope of freedom: You are nothing here! You have no power and no chance of escape.

Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin are on a vacation in Florence. The girls are given a room looking into the courtyard, but they would rather have one with a view over the river. George Emerson and his father offer the two girls to change rooms and this is how George and Lucy meet for the first time. George grows fond of Lucy but she is not sure of her feelings towards him. She returns home to England where she accepts to marry Cecil Vyse, a man who had already proposed to her three times.

Guido has lost it all. At rock bottom and wandering the shore, Guido spies a misshapen creature floating toward him in the water, riding on a huge chest. The creature offers Guido a path of revenge – switching bodies for three days in exchange for the untold riches in the chest. Guido unfortunately fails to see a potential downside. Through skillful handling of the gothic motif of the doppelgänger, Shelley’s tale explores concepts that would eventually culminate into her masterpiece – Frankenstein.

Fleeing Germany just before World War I, B. Traven settled in Mexico. His character driven tale of greed is the inspiration of the Academy Award-winning film, directed by John Huston, and starring Humphrey Bogart. Grittier and darker than the film, Traven's book digs deep into the crevices of morality, and in every new situation, each character reveals his brand of integrity as they mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

"He wondered idly whether she was a poor conversationalist because she got no attention or got no attention because she was a poor conversationalist." Bernice is having a difficult summer trying to fit in with her popular cousin Marjorie and her friends. But when Marjorie helps her become a society girl and she wins the affections of a certain young man, a battle of wits and wills ensues between the two cousins. In classic 90s makeover movie style, 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' is the 1920s equivalent of 'She's All That'.

A man with a dark past meets a girl with a bright future. Princess Kathleen is betrothed to the powerful Prince of Tyath. She is duty bound to save her people from starvation and sees the marriage as her only option. Until she meets the Sīhalt Guardian sent to protect her during her dangerous journey to the altar. He steals her first kiss, but will he be able to keep her safe and steal her heart? Jared spent his childhood training to be a Sīhalt Guardian. Seeking revenge for his sister’s death, he sets off a chain of events that endangers the princess.

When a student arrives in a small town, seeking a quiet place where he can study in peace, he rents an old mansion where a notorious hanging judge once lived. But once he begins receiving regular nightly visits by an enormous rat with malevolent eyes, he soon discovers why the locals fear the judge’s house.