Showing results by narrator "Tom Fria" in All Categories

Moby Dick by Herman Melville is one of the most celebrated works of fiction in the English language, a cornerstone of American literature, and an unflinching exploration of the human spirit. First published in 1851, this timeless classic has captivated generations with its daring narrative and profound themes, earning its place as a touchstone of literary excellence.

Dr. Van Helsing and his accomplices begin the chase to track down the infamous vampire Count Dracula before he completes his quest of moving into England and further spreading the undead disease. Even with the garlic, the crosses, and the holy water, the Count manages to entrance a fellow lady vampire hunter and bring her to the undead side. An invincible foe Dracula may appear to be, but Van Helsing and his group will stop short not even to death itself until they have conquered the most notorious villain of all time.

A chance to delve into the minds of children and adults among the ruined streets of post-war London. The streets were our playground with not a car in sight, where we played all day.

His legacy trashed, Fredrick took up the gauntlet. Full of resentment and a desire to get even, his step into stock market investments reaped far more than dollars. Never trust a certainty, someone in the dark is untrustworthy, his father's words unheeded as Fredrick forged on. Not wishing to fall into the same trap as his father, moving in circles unimagined, his close association with Sheikh Akeem reaped further dividends.

Back then, hot-headed gangsters, not-so-gentle dames and bullet-riddled corpses filled the newspaper headlines. And some of the stories below the headlines were even true. The 1920s was a period in American history when even the respectable were unwilling to stay sober. And not-so-fast cars carried assassins across Chicago, a city that for many captures the essence of the USA. In Tough Guys in the Room, the story of Al Capone and his rivals is told in separate and stand-alone topics that cover key figures and events.

Chester Bryers knows a secret. He has kept it for decades but now, as he nears his final days, he is finally telling his tale. A tale of what really happened to the lost Franklin Expedition. A tale of cold vengeance, long planned and of the adventurer George Greener, who discovered a terrible truth. It is a truth that must not be known and by breaking his long silence, Bryers’ life may be coming to a swifter and more violent end than he imagined; because some secrets must be kept, and The Thin man is watching.

In Irish Mythology, Otherworld is a happy land and Underworld is a foul land. These worlds exist alongside Earth. Wizard Drowe is sentenced to be a swan, but he escapes. He has tricked Ciarán, his apprentice, into becoming the swan. Granny and Aoife pursue the swan because Granny believes it will lead her to her lost village. Hunted by Wizard Drowe and the vampire Dearg-due, Ciarán and Aoife move from initial dislike to romance. These, in turn, are pursued by Venus and the Drimnagh Witches, servants of the Faerie Queen.

This book tells of a young woman who was found to have killed as a child. She was detained in various mental institutes, and then on to prison. It shows how she learned to control herself and whether or not prison reformed her.

After Owen throws the funeral ashes of Hailey over a stone circle in the Lake District, odd and disturbing events soon occur inside his home. An unexpected ally helps Owen face what or who is now inside his home and creating chaos. Before Owen can prevail and return to the stone circle for revelation, he or someone will have to decide just how much he needs to know about the past, his family and himself.

Return to Eden speaks of a pilgrimage. A journey from the horrors and pain, inhumanity and fear of the now to what once was. That place from whence we were exiled to wander through a million wildernesses seeking redemption, seeking forgiveness, seeking love, and unable to endure any longer, where we wish to return. To go home. This is the pilgrimage of Suzanne and Jackie.

England in the time of his boyhood was a cold and colourless country. They had seen to that, the Autumn Men. They who had been lifted high, the old men of his country and other countries, who in the autumn of their years, reflecting on the unfulfilled promise of their youth, and their failures as yet unredeemed, feeling as any old man adrift alone on a small boat, sails broken, oars lost, swept hopelessly onward towards the deafening roar of the approaching weir, might feel, decided that too few had sweetly and honourably been called.

Some children still spent summer hopping in Kent. Our class went camping in Ashdown Forest, a change from the bomb sites. We had the cubs and brownies where we earned proficiency badges in a number of skills. On Sundays, the Lido was a short bus ride away. More of our relations now came from Ireland and our Christmas parties were exciting. Passing the scholarship meant losing friends but gaining new ones. Among my friends in the streets of Paddington, this meant I was an outsider once more - a mixed blessed.

A chance to delve into the minds of children and adults among the ruined streets of post-war London. The streets were our playground with not a car in sight, where we played all day.

One day seven-year-old Ruby was walking in the woods and saw a glow. The glow was three eggs. After one of the eggs hatched, Ruby found himself with a pet Christmas dragon, which he named Reindeer. Can Ruby, his sister, and their five cousins take care of Reindeer and entertain him? What kind of magic does a Christmas dragon have during the holidays?

It is London in the early 1960s and Teddy Bean is making a name for himself as a private detective. However, his personal problems are taking over, with his brother, John, only slowly recovering from a heart attack and his wife, Pearl, dying in a car accident. Added to this, he takes on a difficult case involving a woman presumably drowned at sea by her husband. Teddy needs help while his brother is incapacitated and finds it in his friend, ex-Detective Inspector Tony Halliday. With the added support of their secretary Muriel, the Bean Detective Agency is open for business once more!

Their lives are blighted by a local crime family—a teenage girl raped, pregnant; a young man bullied and coerced; a prison officer threatened with his life for the murder of one their own. The young man they’ve controlled all his life has had enough when they threaten the girl he loves. He knows about their gun running to Irish paramilitaries. They make a mistake. It’s his chance to bring them down. It’s a dangerous plan which puts all their lives at risk.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic novel set in Puritanical Boston in the mid-17th century. It tells the story of Hester Prynne, a young woman who is publicly shamed and ostracized for having a child out of wedlock. Hester is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her clothing to signify her status as an adulterer.

When news of an electrical disturbance reaches the Millers Fall Police Department, no one imagined the fate of the officers sent to investigate. Unable to contact their colleagues, the remaining officers plan their own search, but stop as the night sky turns to an amber haze. With five officers missing, Sheriff Mason Palmer is forced to investigate. Anomalies befall the town, worrying its residents. With no explanation of these events, Palmer’s only lead appears with Mitchum Hoyt, the leader of a backwoods cult living in isolation.

Lucy and her young family have moved to a cottage on a quiet lane in a peaceful coastal town. Her husband is moving work but she is running away from the memory of the son she lost. She wants a fresh start, but the house is not going to let her look to the future, not when the past has so much it wants to show her. The first night in the house will confuse her. The second night will terrify her. The third will change everything, because a door to the other side has opened and they are coming…

Daniel is the poster boy for wasted talent and finds himself at rock bottom. One despairing suicide later, and he is about to discover that death is not as final as he had thought it might be, and that his troubles are only just beginning.