Showing results by narrator "BJ Harrison" in All Categories

George Roberts of Virginia is a captain without a ship. But when he meets his charismatic friend Ned Low, and they share a glass or two, he realizes the next day that he’s signed on as first mate for a voyage to retrieve a fortune in gold.

Jacques Futrelle created a sleuth named Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen, known as The Thinking Machine. He’s American, and has many similarities with Sherlock Holmes. For example, he isn’t a policeman, but he works with them on occasion, and he handily summarizes his deductions once the case is solved.

Frederick is freed of his indentures to the ferociously temperate Pirates of Penzance. What will he do with his newfound freedom?

In Roadhouse Blues, Bob Batchelor presents an epic tale of one of rock's (and America's) most significant periods, as the "Age of Aquarius" gave way to a new age of mayhem, presidential misdeeds, and murder. Batchelor combines cultural history, musical and lyrical analysis, and a broad stroke of pop-culture mythos to give fresh perspective on a pivotal time. Candid, authoritative, and utterly absorbing, Roadhouse Blues is a biography of a man, a band, and an era that set the tone for the contemporary world.

When young, penniless Bellarion finds himself thrust into a murderous intrigue, his sharp wit and scholarly background allow him to see things invisible to others. Set in 15th century Italy, and cast with a rogues’ gallery of colorful villains, Bellarion adroitly navigates the complicated world of dukes, counts, and countesses to rise to unusual prominence and serve a purpose all his own.

In the novel Who's Who When Everyone Is Someone Else, the character "C. D. Rose" searches an unnamed middle-European city for the long-lost manuscript of a little-known writer named Maxim Guyavitch. That search was fruitless, but in The Blind Accordionist, "C. D. Rose" has found the manuscript—nine sparkling, fable-like short stories—and he presents them here with an (hilarious) introduction explaining the discovery, and an afterword providing (hilarious) critical commentary on the stories, and what they might reveal about the mysterious Guyavitch.

This book is a collection of short stories directly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and his writing. Each new story is coupled with an original work that inspired or influenced it. These stories were written for those who have experienced tragedy, loss, love, and beauty. For those not appreciated in their lifetime. For those with an incomplete story in their heart. This is For Edgar.

Time is growing short for Kathleen Dal Sundi. Her title of Sunshine Bride means little if matrimony continues to elude her. If she is honest with herself, she is glad of not having a husband—at least not yet. Her Sīhalt Guardian has not deserted her. He is bold and brave and still holds a piece of her heart, even if he refuses to admit his true feelings. Kathleen relies on her betrothed, Prince Heathron, to help repel the Sulian pirates and protect her people. Is it too much to ask—given her wavering commitment?

Dr. Amir Hadad is being stalked. A stranger, hiding in the dark crevices of his home, whispers, “I can’t rest.” Alarmed and unwilling to risk his family’s safety, Amir contacts the police. Only there is no trace of an intruder, no marks of forced entry. If there is a prowler afoot, the police cannot find him. As the days wear on and Amir continues to hear the same disembodied voice speaking to him, he begins to worry about his health and sanity. The Irish lilt has escalated from pleas for help to threats against Amir’s family unless Amir does precisely as he says.

Looking Glass Friends is a story about finding your soul's reflection, the ideal person put on this earth just for you. But what if you are already married? What if you have kids? This quest for happiness lies at the heart of all our lives. Many of us face the choice that advances this story. Many of us know that our life will be utterly different in 20 years depending on the choice we make today. It is an intersection that changes everything forever.

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.

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.

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.

A novel that imagines a future in which sweeping civil conflict has forced America's young people to flee its borders into an unwelcoming world. One such American is Ron Patterson, who finds himself on distant shores, working as a repairman and sharing a room with other refugees. In an unnamed city wedged between ocean and lush mountainous forest, Ron can almost imagine a stable life for himself. Especially when he makes the first friend he has had in years—a mysterious migrant named Marlise, who bears a striking resemblance to a onetime classmate.

A Christmas ball sets the plans in motion for the wealthy Julian Mastakovich, for an immensely wealthy business man has just announced that his daughter has a dowry of 300,000 rubles. First published in 1848, and adapted into a motion picture in 2000, Dostoyevsky shines a light on the business end of well-moneyed marriage. It begins when an 11-year-old girl gets an extravagant doll at a Christmas ball.

“Have you seen the Yellow Sign?” mumbles a cadaverous hearse driver with a soft, squishy head. He’s been skulking about Scott’s painting studio, where he and Tessie have been developing a tangled relationship between artist and model. But as this ever-present watchman resembling a coffin worm begins to distract Scott, his portrait of Tessie takes on a deathlike pallor. How can they forever rid themselves of this hearse stalker? And what precisely does he mean by a “Yellow Sign”?

A wife’s indiscretion is answered with cruel estrangement. Yet when the couple meets again six years later in a train car, as two strangers traveling together, the Baron discovers the magnitude of his loss. Guy de Maupassant was a master of the short story, using every literary device and turn of phrase with masterful effect. A Meeting is an elegant tale that explores the consequences of unbridled, and bridled, passion.

A country doctor visits the spacious house of a Baron. But when he arrives, he draws up in shock. Everything inside and outside of the house, down to the clothing of the inhabitants, is all the same color—white. Why is everything about the house eerily bloodless? Mary Fortune was one of the earliest female writers of crime fiction, and likely the first to write from the point of view of the detective. She enjoyed a prolific career in Australia, where she also wrote under the pseudonyms Waif Wanderer and W.W.

Everett’s brother rocked the world with his incredible musical talent. And Everett is…fine. But he’s okay with that. He’s a member of “a certain lovable class of men who never accomplish anything in particular”. But when traveling in the West, Everett meets a remarkable woman who is dying, and discovers that she has a history her brother, he gives her the greatest gift of all during her final days—the gift of understanding.