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

Christmas is just around the corner. People are cheery and excited, except for Ebenezer Scrooge for whom Christmas is just another day. Ebenezer is an old, bitter miser who has distanced himself from everyone and leads a lonely life by his own choice. He is greedy and selfish and the most important thing for him is hoarding money. However one night he gets a visit by the ghost of his old business partner Marley who is wandering the Earth shackled by heavy chains and money boxes.

Allan Quatermain is a hunter who lives in South Africa. One day, after he returns home from an unsuccessful elephant hunt, he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. The two men are looking for Curtis’ brother, who disappeared whilst trying to find King Solomon’s Mines. Quatermain owns a map that show the way to the mines, so he decides to help Curtis and Good. Allan organizes an expedition that will take them to the edge of the desert.

B. J. Harrison reads a classic science fiction novel from the late 19th century. In "The Island of Doctor Moreau", a man is rescued from death after a shipwreck, only to face something possibly even more frightening. The island he now faces is inhabited by a mad scientist, who is creating a whole new breed of human-like hybrids. What’s more, his methods are far from pleasant. This science fiction classic is one of H. G.

A man visits his friend, a Scandinavian artist who lives in an old Italian villa. They go out on the balcony, enjoying the calm and beautiful night. Then the guest suddenly sees a strange mound of earth with a body next to it. The artist knows the story and it goes way back in time. Angelo and Cristina were a couple in love who did not get the chance to be together. Cristina was killed by two robbers. Since then a strange body appears in the moonlight.

Can you imagine traveling back to the past? What would you find there? Would you like it? Would you find that everything you do has some consequences in the future? Do you want to join the man in our story? Because he is about to "trap" himself in a backwards time warp. If you are not brave enough to come along, but you still want to find out what happened next, just grab "The Man Who Lived Backwards" by Charles F. Hall. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Tales" is a collection of 23 stories by the American author Ambrose Bierce. It consists of some of the author’s best known works such as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", "Chickamauga", "A Horseman in the Sky" and many others. The American Civil War, execution of plantation owner, twist endings, stream of consciousness narration, soldiers who are morally challenged, horses running through the sky, murder and supernatural occurrences.

"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.

Isidore Smythe is in danger. He has received threating letters and he does not see a way out. John Angus offers Smythe his help and Smythe is escorted back to his flat. Angus is determined to find out who has sent the letters and he heads out to the former criminal Flambeau and the private detective Father Brown. Before he leaves Smythe’s apartment, he instructs four people to keep an eye on him. Yet when he comes back Smythe is missing and there's a bloodstain on the floor.

After a long stay in South Africa, Richard Hannay arrives back in London just before the outbreak of World War One. There he meets Franklin Scudder, who claims to be investigating the Black Stone - a German spy organization. Hannay gives a shelter to the man but one day he finds him dead. Now the Scotsman fears that he might be the next one on the Black Stone’s list. Hannay decides to go back to his native Scotland with the notebook Scudder gave him before he was murdered.

Hildred Castaigne is a young man who lives in New York City whose life changes drastically after he falls from his horse and injures his head. Castaigne gets unjustly confined to a mental institution, where Dr. Archer treats him. However, the doctor soon realizes, that this is a mistake and the young man’s condition is not as bad as he was told. During Hildred’s treatment, the United States have prospered and improved their infrastructure, a new aristocratic elite has been formed and suicide has been legalized.

Winter Wedderburn is an amateur collector of orchids, spending his days peacefully with his housekeeper. One day he invites more adventure into his life and buys an unknown species of orchids brought from the Andaman Islands. Little does he know that purchasing this unusual plant will bring him more adventure than he could ever have dreamt of. "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid" is a short horror story by H.G. Wells from the late 19th century, providing the reader with a most unusual enemy.

William Dyer is a geologist who embarks on a long expedition to the Antarctic continent. The journey is dangerous but the strange things he and his group witness and find are far from what they had expected. The discovery mission turns into a fantastical and supernatural experience. Things get out of control when Dyer finds one of his colleagues’ camp demolished. The bigger part of the group is slaughtered, another man and his dog are missing.

Despite his wealth, the rich British gentleman Phileas Fogg lives a simple and humble life. He is a member of the Reform Club, which is one of London’s best gentleman's club. One day at the club, Fogg gets involved in an argument. The gentlemen disagree whether it is possible to travel all the way around the globe in only 80 days. Fogg bets that 80 days is enough and accepts a wager of pound20,000 to complete the journey himself within 80 days.

Hear the beloved children's tale as read by B.J. Harrison. "The Wind in the Willows" follows the eventful adventures of four animals: Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger, as they navigate twists of friendship, dangers and changing surroundings. This 20th-century novel has become known and loved through countless adaptations on the screen and stage alike, including the animated Disney adaptation The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) and the British film The Wind in the Willows (1996) starring Steve Coogan. B. J.

A kaleidoscope of genres, themes, topics, and motifs await the listener here. From comedy and mystery, to horror and children’s stories, Season Four abounds in fairy tales adventures, challenges to the listener’s imagination, and joyrides through the unknown realms of the psyche. One of the most famous short stories in horror fiction, "The Call of Cthulhu" sits next to the funny characters of "Right Ho, Jeeves" by Wodehouse, while the eponymous sleepyhead from "Rip Van Winkle" is very much awake, facing H. G. Wells’ "The Door in the Wall".

Aladdin is a boy, who lives in poverty with his mother. One day, while he is playing outside, an African magician approaches him and claims that he is Aladdin’s uncle. The mysterious man tricks the boy to work for him by promising him wealthy rewards. Aladdin agrees after having gotten his mother's permission. The African man instructs the boy to enter a dark cave and fetch him an oil lamp and Aladdin jumps into the cave to finds it. However, the boy refuses to pass it to the magician before he is helped out of the cave and back into daylight.

Fleete is an Englishman who is traveling to India. Unfortunately, the poor man has no prior understanding or respect for Indian culture and ends up desecrating a holy statue in the local temple. Fleete can give no reasonable explanation for his actions and is declared bewitched by the "Silver Man". Why is Fleete in India? Who is the "Silver Man"? What will happen to Fleete? Find all the answers in Rudyard Kipling’s adventure story "The Mark of the Beast" from 1890. B. J.

One day, a little English boy called Teddy finds a mongoose named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in the family house garden. He thinks that the poor animal is dead, but his mother takes it inside the house and it recovers. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi then begins to explore the garden, which is half-wild and overgrown and crosses the path of two troublesome cobras. This is the moment where Rikki-Tikki-Tavi’s adventure begins.

B.J. Harrison narrates "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" by author Louisa May Alcott. Thanksgiving is here, but the mother and father of seven children are called away to the bedside of an ill grandmother. The farm is left in charge of the eldest child and the children decide to whip up a Thanksgiving dinner that will make their parents proud, but the task turns out to be more difficult than they had imagined.

"Schalken the Painter" is a ghost short story by Sheridan Le Fanu, taking place in the 17th-century Netherlands. An aspiring painter falls in love with his master’s niece but one day, a mysterious man comes to ask for the niece’s hand, and the master agrees. Yet the heartbroken painter can’t help but feel that is something totally wrong with this new suitor. This is a short story of about greedy family relations, and is a psychologically unnerving and ghastly tale that fans of horror fiction will definitely love. B. J.