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

Sunday Wells comes from a long line of powerful witches, but that doesn’t explain why she’s plagued by dark shadows everywhere she looks. It’s not a great way to live, especially for a preschool teacher with young, impressionable minds to watch over. Desperate to get control of her questionable powers, she gets help from the only reliable source she can think of: her very powerful great-aunt Alice Bishop. But what Sunni finds out about herself will change everything.

Bertie’s friends are stepping it up. In order to de-sticky their wickets, they are asking him to impersonate themselves to country relatives, adopt a wayward infant, and even steal a marginally libelous manuscript. And to top it all off, Jeeves himself details his surreptitious plans for the young master to make an impromptu speech at a girl’s school. What’s a spirited cove to do?

America is fat and prosperous. We’ve warred with the world and come out on top. We’ve gotten rid of the riff-raff. A new era is arising, change is in the air, and to top it all off, the first Government Lethal Chamber is now open and ready for its first occupant. The future looks bright in 1895.

An assassin is sent back in time to prevent the ravings of a religious zealot which, if left unchecked, will lead to absolute catastrophe. A master of the “Silver Age” of science fiction, Philip K. Dick won the Hugo Award in 1963, and the John W. Campbell Memorial award in 1975. Though he lived most of his life in near poverty, he is behind some of the most recognizable science fiction stories to date, penning the stories behind the films Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck, and The Adjustment Bureau.

After a meteorite strikes near a farmhouse outside of Arkham, livestock and plants begin to die. While the scientifically minded speak of discovering a new element, locals sense something more sinister is in the air. A pioneer of cosmic horror, Lovecraft had the ability to sharpen the intellect while causing chills to run down your spine.

When an aged watchmaker pits his two protégés against each other, the result is magnificent imperfection. The Rival Mechanicians has been lauded as one of the finest science fiction tales from the first half of the nineteenth century. The Western Literary Messenger declared it to be “above praise” when it was first published in 1847.

Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini is a scientist who grows poisonous plants in his garden. The only person who can tend to the plants is his own daughter Beatrice who has not only become resistant to poison but is also poisonous herself. Rappaccini and his daughter lead a secluded life, distanced from other people and reality. However, one day the young student Giovanni Guasconti sees Beatrice and immediately falls in love with her. Giovanni’s mentor Baglioni warns the poor boy but Giovanni’s feelings are stronger than anything.

B.J. Harrison reads one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories, "The Snow Queen". The devil, who has taken the shape of an evil troll, has created a mirror that freezes the heart and turns everything ugly. But the mirror breaks and shard spread out throughout the world. Years later, two children named Kai and Gerda hear the story of a terrible Snow Queen. Soon Kai and Gerda are drawn into the world of the mirror and the Snow Queen, who has the power to make everyone forget all that is good.

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a short story by Washington Irving, tackling the theme of making a deal with the devil. The greedy and easily-corruptible Tom sells his soul in exchange for power and riches, but soon regrets his foolish, though absolutely irreversible choice. A typical cautionary and moral tale, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a central story in Irving’s fiction, emphasizing the problems of human condition, family issues, and decision making.

When a young teacher decides to come work in a secluded Dutch village, little does he know that his stay there will change his life forever. Set among tales of ghosts and supernatural beings, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story whose setting soon begins to play tricks on the protagonist. The chilling story of the Headless horseman is a perfect reading for Halloween or a dark and stormy night. What is more, Irving’s tale inspired many big and small screen adaptations, the most popular one being Tim Burton’s movie from 1999.

"The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu" is the second novel in the Fu-Manchu series, in which the villainous doctor returns to Britain in order to undermine the country's power. He has survived the previous novel’s deadly attackand is now on the move against the forces of good, embodied by detective Smith and Dr. Petrie, who always disrupt his plans. Fu-Manchu’s fanatical devotion to world domination and all things evil make Rohmer’s novel a joyride through the actions and thoughts of his superbly-crafted villain.

In "MS. Found in a Bottle", one harrowing event seems to take place after another. Our narrator is a man who has become alienated from others and his country. He steps aboard a cargo ship from Batavia, which crashes into stormy conditions that send most passengers into the water. Surprisingly, the narrator stays on board, only to find himself face to face with a new disaster. During his struggles, he logs his experiences into a journal, which he casts off to sea.

"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." In the winter of 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a home in Northern England. When he meets his unfriendly landlord, Heathcliff, who lives in the old nearby manor Wurthering Heights, Lockwood is curious to know why he seems so troubled. By asking his housekeeper, Lockwood finds out much more than he bargained for. One of the most controversial and debated love stories of all times, 'Wuthering Heights' is one of those classics you just have to read.

It is Thanksgiving day. Stuffy Pete has just come out from an unexpected feast but he is now waiting for his companion, "The Old Gentleman". They only ever meet on this one day of the year, and although they do not know that much of each other, they always spend the holiday together. Stuffy Pete follows the tradition although he is so full that he cannot think of eating more food. The Old Gentleman shows up and they head out to a fancy restaurant for a delicious meal. When Stuffy Pete walks out of the restaurant, he collapses on the sidewalk.

Dr. James Mortimer asks Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for advice, after finding his friend Sir Baskerville dead. According to the official version, Baskerville died from a heart attack, but Mortimer thinks that something terrible happened to his friend. He believes the supernatural hound that has been chasing the Baskerville family down for many years is responsible for his death. Sherlock Holmes takes on the difficult task of solving the mystery surrounding Sir Baskerville’s death.

Aristide Valentin holds a dinner party in his secret garden, which only has one main entrance. Many people are invited. Julius K. Brayne, one of Valentin’s rivals, is of the party as well. Everything goes as planned until one group of guests finds a beheaded corpse and the dinner turns into an investigation. Many questions begin to arise: How could someone be killed in a closed back garden without anyone noticing? Who is the victim? Who is the murderer? Where is the head? Find out the answers in "The Secret Garden". B. J.

"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'.

Edith Whittlesey is born in a country district of England, where life flows as per the rule of thumb. She is married to an honest and hardworking miner, who works together with four other men. Usually no unexpected things happen, but one day it all changes. One of the miners bursts into the hut where his partners are sitting together with Edith. The man kills two of them but is stopped and tied up thanks to Whittlesey’s quick reaction.

A meteorite crashes in an area around Arkham, Massachusetts and normally life is interrupted. The earth is poisoned, the animals are driven mad, the products that grow there become tasteless. One man decides to find out what has really happened but the townspeople are not willing to give more details about what they have gone through. The explorer however meets a man named Ammi Pierce. He looks a bit crazy but he is willing to share what he has experienced.

Nicholas Nickleby is a young boy left without a father. Nicholas has to take care of his mother and sister and is forced by his uncle to work as an assistant to the schoolmaster Wackford Squeers. Squeers’ intentions are however not good and his only goal is to make Nicholas’ life miserable. At the same time Squeers’ wife convinces herself that Nicholas loves her and this gets the young boy in even greater trouble. Nicholas’ uncle is colluding with the schoolmaster and it seems like everybody is against him.