Showing results by publisher "Saga Egmont" in Fantasy

Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman who wakes up one morning to realize that he been transformed from a human being to a "monstrous vermin". He reflects back on his life, his work, his relationship with his family and his employer, and he realizes that each relationship he has been a part of has been fake. He feels responsible for his family but he does not receive any gratitude from them. The alienation is unbearable and irreversible. His life will either have to change drastically or he will stay victim of his own existential anxiety.

Antoine Breguet is an old watchmaker who wants to retire. One of his two apprentices is going to take his place, but which one? Who is better qualified and who will impress the watchmaker’s granddaughter more? The two men are ready to compete. Whoever comes up with the best, most exquisite and intricate creation will inherit Breguet's shop. However friendship and love stand in the way. What will happen with the two friends and their future as watchmakers? Find out in Lydia Child’s "The Rival Mechanicians". 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.

"Far from here, in the land the swallows flee to in winter, lived a king who had eleven sons and one daughter, Elisa." So begins the story of Elisa and her brothers. At the beginning, everything was well, they lived peacefully in the castle and were loved and indulged by their father, the king. But, one day the king decided to remarry and their stepmother did not want them. None of them. Elisa was sent to the country and the eleven boys were turned into swans.

On the death of his father, who was a rich merchant, the son inherited a vast fortune, which he quickly spent. He found himself alone with nothing except the dressing gown on his back and the slippers on his feet. A friend offered him a trunk and advised him to leave. But, this was a special trunk - it could fly! So, the young man decided to go to Turkey, where his dress would not be noticed, but that was just the beginning of his adventure. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

A family of toads lived in a very deep well: it was so deep that, from the top, you could not even see the surface of the water.

In the city of Florence is a bronze statue of a boar, from who’s mouth runs the water that is collected by the people of Florence. One evening, a poor boy came to drink and found a little lettuce and a few chestnuts on the ground, which became his supper. He then fell asleep on the animal’s back, but when midnight sounded, the animal came to life. And so their adventure began! - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

"Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by Washington Irving about a man who drinks some liquor then falls asleep for 20 years amidst the hills. Having missed the American Revolution, Rip Van Winke returns home but finds it completely changed. What he notices is really important, as they possess social and political messages that Irving wanted to stress.

B. J. Harrison reads "She," a fantasy adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard from the late 19th century. Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey are traveling to Eastern Africa. On their way, they are shipwrecked and end up in an unchartered area of the African inland, where they are captured and taken to the feared white queen, Ayesha. The events take a turn to the strange when the queen becomes convinced that one of the unfortunate travellers is the reincarnation of the lover she has been waiting for. "She" is part of the Ayesha series.

At the bottom of the ocean lived the sea king, his old mother and his six daughters. They lived in a beautiful castle, surrounded by a big garden, of which each daughter took care of a small corner. The little mermaid, the youngest and most beautiful of the princesses, liked nothing more than stories of men and in her garden she had a marble statue of a handsome youth, which had sunk below down after a shipwreck.

One day, a diabolical troll made a mirror that showed everything beautiful as ugly and all that was good as evil. Delighted, the trolls decided to carry their mirror to heaven and mock the angels, but on the way the mirror shattered and pieces of the mirror spread across the world. This was how some became windows and others were made into spectacles, but the most unfortunate received tiny pieces in their eyes or in their heart, changing their life for ever.

"What would you have done? Rubbed your eyes and thought you were dreaming? Well, if you had, nothing more would have happened. Nothing ever does when you behave like that." In 'The Aunt and Amabel' a young girl damages a special flower-bed without meaning to, and as a punishment her aunt sends her to the bedroom with the large wardrobe. When Amabel finds a railway timetable naming a station called 'Bigwardrobeinspareroom' in there she is intrigued. And in opening the wardrobe, she finds something very unexpected on the inside. C.S.

By now the sun was up, and through the periscope he minded he could see the stony plateau in front of the position. On the other side of it were the outskirts of the jungle where the enemy was hiding and building his camps, preparing for new attacks. He observed the vastness of the wild jungle stretching north and west, pierced by hundreds of hilltops, each surrounded by a white fog. French Indochina was a gigantic and mysterious place, and he was gradually losing hope that he would ever find what he had come here searching for.

One day a Portuguese duck arrived at the duck house. Some said she came from Spain, but from then on all her descendants were called ‘Portuguese’. Today, there is only one Portuguese duck at the duck house - and it is she who takes care of the song bird who fell from the roof while the cat was chasing it...

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," also known as "Alice in Wonderland," is a story loved by adults and children alike throughout the world. Alice is a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole, only to find herself in a whole new world filled with speaking cats, smoking caterpillars and mad tea parties. This 19th-century novel by Lewis Carroll from has seen countless adaptations on the screen, stage and radio. The Oscar-nominated Disney animation Alice in Wonderland from 1951 is one of its most iconic film adaptations.

In the tallest and poorest house in a very narrow winding street, was an attic with a single window. Behind this window, was a bird in a cage; the state of the house and the cage were so miserable that the bird did not even have a cup for drinking: he had to make do with the neck of a bottle closed with a stopper. The bird had no problem with this and sang joyfully - as for the bottle neck, he remembered the good old days when he was still a bottle...

"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story about love, selflessness, sacrifices and struggles. Della and James are a young married couple who want to surprise each other with a secret gift for Christmas. Unfortunately, neither of them has much money yet still they each hope they'll manage to buy something in time and that it will be appreciated. "The Last Leaf" tells us the story of poor Johnsy, who is so sick that her days are counted.

My friend Ole was an intelligent curious man with a great deal of knowledge. He had never obtained what he wanted from Men so he retired and lived as a hermit, alone at the top of a church tower. I will tell you about some of the visits I made to him and try to recall his words as best I can. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

A woman wanted to have a child, but not knowing how to go about it, asked a witch for help. The witch gave her a barley seed and told her to plant it. No sooner had she done so than a large tulip grew. When it opened, the woman discovered a tiny girl, no bigger than her thumb. She called her Thumbelina. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

Once upon a time, a china shepherdess and a chimney sweep who were placed close to each other decided to marry. However, another doll, who said he was the shepherdess’s grandfather, wanted her to marry the major general engraved on the dresser... - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.