Showing results by narrator "Chris Coxon" in All Categories

There are stories about people who want to live forever. This is not one of those stories.... Alfie Monk is like any other nearly teenage boy - except he's 1,000 years old and can remember the last Viking invasion of England. Obviously no-one believes him. So when everything Alfie knows and loves is destroyed in a fire and the modern world comes crashing in, Alfie embarks on a mission to find friendship, acceptance and a different way to live...which means finding a way to make sure he will eventually die.

Three extraordinary adventures from the bestselling and Costa-shortlisted author Ross Welford. TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER ’My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine and again four years later when he was twelve.’ On Al Chaudhury’s twelfth birthday his beloved Grandpa Byron gives...

Wren just wants a quiet life with no surprises. But one day, when she steps out of a bookshop, a sheet of glass falls from a window above and shatters at her feet. Walking off and not looking back, she doesn’t see the handsome sandy-haired man in the scruffy overalls who dropped it. Little does she know that he could change her life forever.

At a royal wedding celebration, a group of fireworks discuss life, philosophy and politics. One supercilious rocket considers himself to be particularly “remarkable”. A witty fable on the subject of vanity, The Remarkable Rocket was first published in The Happy Prince and Other Tales in 1888.

"The Mass for the Dead" was first published in 1893 in E. Nesbit’s "Grim Tales", a collection of romantic horror stories. Jasper’s true love is to marry another man for the sake of familial wealth. On the eve of the wedding, the two lovers are each haunted by supernatural music, reminiscent of a funeral mass.

This charming collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales includes “The Frog Prince”, “Hans in Luck”, “Jorinda & Jorindel”, “The Dog & the Sparrow” and “The Travelling Musicians”. Grimms’ Fairy Tales was first published in Germany in 1812 as “Kinder und Hausmärchen“. This series of recordings is based on the original 1823 English translation by Edgar Taylor, with subsequent editing by Marian Edwardes.

First published in 1886, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is perhaps the most famous example of the gothic horror novella. Gabriel John Utterson, a sombre London lawyer, becomes concerned for the safety and sanity of his friend and client Dr. Henry Jekyll, after the doctor begins associating with an unseemly young man named Edward Hyde. Following a spate of crimes, including blackmail and murder, and with all fingers pointing at Hyde, the lawyer sets out to free his friend from the dreadful influence of his new acquaintance. Not everything, however, is as it seems.

This collection of three ghost stories, by master of the genre M. R. James, first appeared in “A Warning to the Curious” published in 1925. James wrote “The Haunted Dolls’ House” in 1923 on a commission from Queen Mary who wanted miniature books from the most popular writers of the day to include in the library of her doll’s house at Windsor Castle. Antique dealer Mr. Chittenden has an exquisite example of a doll’s house in his shop. After a little haggling he manages to offload it onto one of his regular customers, a collector called Mr. Dillet.

This charming collection of Grimms’ Fairy Tales includes “Hansel & Gretel”, “The Mouse, the Bird & the Sausage”, “The Golden Bird”, “Old Sultan” and “The Straw, the Coal & the Bean”. Grimms’ Fairy Tales was first published in Germany in 1812 as “Kinder und Hausmärchen“. This series of recordings is based on the original 1823 English translation by Edgar Taylor, with subsequent editing by Marian Edwardes.

Shey Jing is an honourable warrior, Sebastian Schiller a louche, schism touched bounty hunter known as 'the Mosquito'. They are given a simple choice when they cross paths with the Roach King; work together or die together. But simple isn't easy when two people hate each other.

This short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky was first published in 1848. A man walking past a wedding is reminded of a children’s New Year’s Eve party he attended 5 years previously – a party that was clearly an excuse for the parents to make advantageous connections in a casual setting. As an outsider at the party, he was able to observe the guests in greater detail than most, and took particular note of the children playing by the Christmas tree, and the social hierarchy they unwittingly participated in. This recording is based on the 1918 translation by Constance Garnett.

After half-killing Mother Blake's murderer, Breed is obliged to repay a debt to a powerful Prince of the Midnight Court. Armed with little more than a bad attitude, and partnered with a feckless sorcerer and an arrogant, gang enforcer, Breed sets sail for the land of Voskva.

One of the best-known and well-loved Christmas stories of all time, Charles Dickens’ novella "A Christmas Carol” was first published in 1843 as "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas.” Notorious skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from a tormented spirit in the form of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley. Following Marley’s warning that a similar fate awaits him if he does not change his ways, Scrooge is visited by the Spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

One of Dickens’ best loved short stories, "The Signalman" is the mysterious tale of a railway worker haunted by premonitions of disaster. The titular signalman works on a remote and forbidding part of the line, and finds himself with an unexpected visitor in the form of a tourist (the story’s narrator), but the travelling man is not the only stranger the signalman encounters at his post.

Join the critically-acclaimed Pantaloons for a Victorian adventure that's so full of fog it's better heard and not seen... Hilarious, tragic and romantic by turns, Dickens' tale is retold by "The Pantaloons" in their own inimitable style directly into your ears.

They say that no good deed goes unpunished. It turns out, they were right. Breed saved a world, killed a demon, destroyed the gods that made it and then went home. It was time to rest, perchance to die. But as any fool knows, there is no rest for the wicked. No one is going anywhere until an old friend is dead, an old enemy is saved and hot or cold vengeance is served. The battle is over, now the war has begun.

This set of essays discusses the esoteric side of Freemasonry. The Spirit of Masonry has been the essential source for anyone exploring the inner mysteries of the Masonic fraternity for more than 200 years.

Charles John Huffam Dickens is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century critics and scholars had recognized him as a literary genius. The short story "Boots at the Holly-Tree Inn" was first published by in 1855. The tale is told with much affection by a servant, about the eight-year-old Harry and the seven-year-old Norah who tried to elope to Gretna Green, but were stopped and waited at the Holly-Tree Inn for their parents to arrive.

Shreve, a no-hope town beside the UK’s largest landfill. There’s nothing Shreve’s jaded residents won’t stoop to in a bid to liven up their monotonous lives.... Wannabe model Aggie Smithfield plans to escape before Shreve swallows her ambitions along with a million tons of rubbish and filthy little secrets. Desperate for a way out, Aggie makes a macabre pact with reclusive ex-photographer Mason Brand. When the town’s past catches up with it, their agreement might be the only thing that can save her. Beneath everyone’s feet, something stirs.

In Abyrne, a strange town surrounded by a wasteland, the eating of meat is a sacred obligation. The town’s strict laws are brutally enforced by a ruthless Baron and a merciless Bishop. Adored by the townsfolk is Richard Shanti, Abyrne’s famous bolt-gunner – the most efficient slaughterhouse worker in living memory. In private, however, Shanti is a gentle man; a husband, and father to twin girls. The growing guilt about his murderous job weighs him down. Beguiled by a rebellious heretic, Shanti uncovers the harrowing truth behind Abyrne’s history.