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

Mrs. Pratt mysteriously dies in her sleep after a fight with her husband. He thought that she had tried to poison him. But maybe it was the other way around? After a while Mr. Pratt is found dead as well, with a skull next to his head. Those who believe in ghosts think that Mrs. Pratt finally got her revenge. What do you believe? What happened with Mr. Pratt? If you are courageous enough, find the answer in "The Screaming Skull" by Francis Marion Crawford. B. J.

"The Tragedy of Coriolanus" falls into the category of Shakespeares' political tragedies. It tells of the story of the legendary Roman hero Caius Marcius Coriolanus. Coriolanus' military success helps him get forward in Rome's political life, and he soon starts dreaming of a leadership position. Unfortunately, too much power inevitably leads to corruption, and Coriolanus’ fate is no exception.

B.J. Harrison reads one of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short stories "The Masque of the Red Death". Prince Prospero and 1,000 other nobles have taken refuge at a castle-like abbey to escape the Red Death, a horrifying plague that has taken over the land at large. Yet horror finds them one night when Prospero holds a masquerade ball and a guest dressed up as the Red Death itself shows up. The chilling story by Edgar Allan Poe dating back to the 19th century is a Gothic horror tale to its very core, providing frights of the most unimaginable type.

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.

"The Squaw" is not your typical horror story but the brutality of it will take by surprise even the biggest horror fiction fan. Bram Stoker introduces us to a couple on a honeymoon and an American tourist whom they meet in Nuremberg, Germany. The story however does not unfold around those three characters, but between the American lady and a kitten ... which she kills. What is the reason for it and what follows after that? Find out in "The Squaw". B. J.

Henry Adams is a poor American who ends up penniless in London after a boating accident swept him out to sea. One day he stumbles upon two brothers who hand him a suspicious envelope. What Henry does not know is that it contains a million pound bank note and that he is the subject of a bet. One of the brothers thinks that the bank note is completely useless since it cannot be exchanged for cash. The other brother has the opposite opinion. They are giving Henry one month to prove them right or wrong.

"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is perhaps the most influential and widely acclaimed play by William Shakespeare. The tragedy follows Prince Hamlet as he concocts a plan to avenge the death of his father, who was murdered by his uncle Claudius in order to take the throne. Suspenseful, supernatural, moody, and full of twists, Hamlet is an exploration of the human condition, of the troubled psyche of the prince and his relationship with his mother and lover, as well as of pity, horror, and vengeance.

B. J. Harrison does not tire of the adventurous and mysterious settings in his choice of narratives. This time, the horror element is a bit subdued, though Edgar Allan Poe makes up for the lost thrills with his haunting poems "The Raven", "Annabel Lee", and "The Sleeper". P. G. Wodehouse appears with four works, scoring points for his humor.

Owen Warland is a genius who wants to create things and break the limitations set by the society and the people surrounding him. He is deeply misunderstood and he often quits his innovative projects when people advise him to take up something more "practical". After many failed attempts to fit in, he finally breaks away from society and finds peace in nature. Will he finally get to finish the creation of his lifetime and will it all have been in vain? Find out in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Mechanical Butterfly". B. J.

Jerome, George and Harris are three hypochondriacal friends who like to spend time comparing their illnesses, although none of them is ill. One day they decide to go on a vacation by sailing down the Thames river towards Oxford. The three friends prepare a long list of things they will need and even take the dog Montmorency with them. During the journey they visit many different places and fall into various and interesting situations.

"You won't know till afterward. You won't know till long, long afterward." When Ned and Mary Boyne hear that their new house is haunted, they laugh it off and joke that every good house in the countryside must have a ghost for it to be worth purchasing. They move in and forget all about its supposed supernatural quirks. But when Mary notices a strange change in her husband's behaviour, she begins to suspect a not so friendly ghost is indeed at play.

"I will not suffer thee, ungrateful girl, to rule my people according to thine own capricious will!" The king of Denmark is extremely frustrated with his daughter. Not only does she reject every suitor who asks for her hand - she does it so rudely that her reputation has become horrible in the neighboring countries. When the King orders her to marry one of her cousins, she does so only begrudgingly, and instantly starts planning her father's murder with her new husband.

After Olenka Plemyannikova’s father dies, she marries Ivan Kukin - the owner of the local theater. She soon takes over some of his paperwork-related roles and becomes more involved in the business. Unfortunately, Kukin dies in Moscow during one of his work-related travels. Olenka’s grief does not last too long and she soon gets married to a timber yard worker named Vasily Pustovalov. They live a happily and comfortable life together, until one day Pustovalov gets sick and dies a few days later.

A man named Manton killed his wife and his two children and managed to get away with it. Ten years later he returns to the house where the crime was committed. He is recognized by the locals and he is provoked into a duel which is to be held in the haunted house where Manton killed his family. The locals were aiming to scare Manton away. However, the day after the duel Manton was found dead.

"King" Wallace is a lion-tamer, who has been viciously murdered by a man who hated him. Now everyone wants to know who the murderer is. The "Leopard Man" is a leopard trainer with mysterious scars on his arms. He finds out that the murderer attended every performance of the lion-tamer in hope of seeing the lion tear his trainer apart.

Buck is a 140-pound dog, a mix of St. Bernard and sheepdog, and lives in Santa Clara Valley with his owner, Judge Miller. However, Buck’s happy and comfortable life comes to an end when he is kidnapped from Miller’s estate and forced to pull sleds in the Klondike region of Canada. The poor dog does not want to obey his new owner and as a result he is beaten and tortured. After Buck arrives in the cold North, he meets another dog named Curly, that is mercilessly killed by a pack of huskies.

The infamous Baron Munchausen is capable of everything and anything. Escaping from a hungry lion’s jaws, shooting a male red deer with cherry stones or climbing a beanstalk all the way to the moon are but a small part of his adventures. Every new one is more surprising and exciting than the previous one. If you want to learn more about Baron Munchausen, do not hesitate to embark on this journey. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Holroyd is an unpleasant man who is in charge of a power station supporting an underground electric railway. Azuma-zi is a stranger who arrives from the East and soon finds a job at this power station. Holroyd starts to pick on Azuma-zi, lecturing him against religion and describing the dynamo as the only god. Soon enough, Azuma-zi begins to worship the dynamo, with disastrous consequences. H. G. Wells’ short story "The Lord of the Dynamos" describes a clash of cultures in a hard, industrial setting.

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.

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.