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

The swineherd John spots a tree outside the palace that it is so high it reaches the sky. It blossoms in the morning, by noon it bears fruits and by midnight they are ripe. However someone steals each and every apple and the king does not get to taste it. Furious, hr decides to find out who the culprit is. Find out the end of this Hungarian fairy tale in "The Tree That Reached the Sky". B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Hungary during the Ottoman wars: Turks attack Buda and set up a siege of Eger. Gergely Bornemissza is a poor half-orphan who is about to become a national hero. "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" follows Gergelys life from the age of eight until his early thirties. His life is a vivid combination of poverty, love, battles and dangers. He is on the front line when the Turks capture Buda and later when they approach Eger. His country is in danger and so is his family. The battle is one of life or death.

Hilton Cubitt visits Sherlock Holmes to show him a sheet of paper with a weird sequence of drawn figures. When these odd messages began to arrive at Cubitt’s house, fear and panic overwhelmed his wife Elsie. She is afraid her past is catching up with her, but she refuses to reveal anything about it. Holmes is tasked with decipher the messages and find out who is sending them.

Sanger Rainsford and Whitney are two friends, who are on their way for a jaguar hunt in the Amazonian rainforest. The two men discuss how the world consists of predators and prey, and that they are from the first type. While debating, the two men hear gunshots. Rainsford climbs onto the yacht’s rail and accidentally falls overboard. Thankfully, he manages to save himself and swims to an island called Ship-Trap, which is famous for its countless shipwrecks. There he meets General Zaroff and his gigantic servant, Ivan.

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.

"The Thing in the Weeds" is a short story by William Hope Hodgson from his "Sargasso Sea Stories" in which he portrays a monster lurking in the darkest recesses of the unfathomable depths of the sea. An example of Lovecraft’s major principle of "fear of the unknown", the terror in this Hodgson story is a mysterious one, despite the fact that it haunts and kills the characters.

Three young men are caught by a storm and are offered shelter by a strange man. Something about him is very disturbing and they are about to find out what it is. Their host claims that he has made a pact with the Devil and can't get himself out of the deal. Is he going crazy or he is telling the truth? If it is the truth, can the three visitors help the poor man? Find out in Leroux’s "In Letters of Fire". B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

B.J. Harrison reads the classic by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Martin Avdeitch is a devoted shoemaker, who works in his basement and meets sorrow in life. His family has died, except for one son. When he faces a crisis, he turns to God to look for an answer to his hardships and find meaning in his life again. The short story "Where Love Is, God Is" from the late 19th century has been adapted to television, including the award-winning television film Winter Thaw (2016) starring John Rhys-Davies. B. J.

Mr. Cave is an antique shop owner with some curious items in his collection. One of these if an extraordinary crystal egg, which he comes across one evening. Indeed, the egg seems to be a gateway to the planet Mars. This science fiction short story by H. G. Wells dating back to the late 19th century has inspired numerous other literary pieces, as well as radio and television adaptations. "The Crystal Egg" is considered to be a precursor to H. G. Wells' famous science fiction novel "The War of the Worlds" from 1898. B. J.

Following the events of the first novel, Tarzan is grieving his beloved Jane, who is about to marry someone else. But he soon finds that there is more love to be had as he sets off to visit France, where he, besides causing some serious problems with Russian blackmailers, encounters several alluring women. But is Tarzan really done with Africa? And Jane? 'The Return of Tarzan' (1913) is the second in a series of twenty-four books about Tarzan, which author Edgar Rice Burroughs worked on until the 1940s.

Francis Thurston finds an old collection of letters and articles from his late uncle. They contain detailed descriptions of the so called Cthulhu cult, which Francis gets more and more interested in. He begins to understand his uncle’s fear and dread but he decides to continue his investigation. Will he keep be able to keep his sanity or will the Cthulhu cult come calling on him? B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Monk Ambrosius arrives at a rural monastery and the last thing he expects to happen is to be drawn into sympathy with a young girl. Her name is Benedicta, the local hangman’s daughter. Ambrosius is not allowed to spend time with Benedicta but he opposes his superiors and stands by her side until a young impetuous man confronts him. The battle between mind and heart is fierce. Find out what will prevail in Ambrose Bierce’s story "The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter".

Pierre Aronnax is a famous marine biologist, who works together with his manservant Conseil and harpoonist Ned Land. The three brave men are tirelessly hunting a mysterious sea monster in the dangerous sea waters. But a great danger loom over them. Why are the three sailors chasing the monster? Why do they want to kill it at any cost? Will they succeed or will the creature attack and kill them? Find out all the answers in Jules Verne’s classic science fiction and adventure novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" from 1870. B. J.

After a passionate affair with Agnes Keith-Wessington, Jack Pansay wearies of her and becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. However, Wessington refuses to accept the rejection and reappears in Jack’s life, trying to make him reconsider. But to her greatest regret, Pansay continues to respond curtly and brutally. Not so long after, Agnes dies of a broken heart. From this moment on, Jack's life will never be the same again.

Joyce-Armstrong is a pilot, whose allies dies while they are trying to break the current height record of 30,00 feet. The man is curious over the mysterious deaths and thinks that his friends have been caught in what he calls "air-jungles". Hay Connor and Myrtle are its two most recent casualties. Connor dies immediately after landing, while Myrtle is found beheaded. Joyce-Armstrong then decides to conduct his own investigation and takes his plane to a height of 40,000 feet.

"The Lost Phoebe" is a short story by Theodore Dreiser. Henry is so devastated by the death of his wife that cannot find peace, he finds himself constantly searching for her. He slowly yet inevitably descends into madness. Dreiser’s vivid descriptions of the couple’s happy days offer a sharp contrast to Henry's gloomy present. Set on a dilapidated Midwestern farm during the Big Depression, it as story about love, death, sanity and social inequality. B. J.

"The Devoted Friend" from the 19th century is an unconventional classic for children and adults alike. The Water-rat tells the story of Big Hugh and his friend Hans, whose friendship is not what it seems, and certainly not easy. This story within the story tells of friendship, its importance and how it can go wrong. This ageless fairy tale is a dark and funny short story created by Oscar Wilde is now read by B.J. Harrison. It was also adapted into an animated TV movie in 2003 called "Wilde Stories: The Devoted Friend." B. J.

The Porte Montmartre is under citizen Bibot’s command and he is determined not to let anybody escape. When he finds out that Scarlet Pimpernel is planning his next rescue mission, he is ready to do whatever it takes to stop the commander of "The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel". Will he manage to do so or will Pimpernel outwit him? Will the Duc and Duchesse de Montreux be saved by Pimpernel or will this mission fail? Find out the answers in the second of eleven short stories, combined in "The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel" from 1919.

"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.

Ralph Orth is an American novelist who decides to move to the English countryside. There he buys a marvellous estate called Chillingsworth. Inside Chillingsworth’s gallery, Orth finds an old portrait of a young girl who takes Orth’s breath away. He is fascinated and is determined to find out who this girl was. His obsession with little lady Blanche gets so strong that one day he sees her walking around in the neighborhood.