Showing results by narrator "David McCallion" in All Categories

The Talisman revolves around the Third Crusader's camp in the Holy Land whereby there exists a truce between the Christians and the Muslims. The camp, which is led by King Richard I of England (the Lion-heart) who is grievously ill, is being torn apart by tensions between rival leaders.

The young Danish Prince, Hamlet, is vexed by a trip home to Denmark from school in Germany, to attend his father, the king's funeral. Upon arriving at home, Hamlet has discovered that his mother has already become married to the former King's brother, Hamlet's uncle. What's more, the man has declared himself to be King of Denmark even though Hamlet was the true and rightful heir. Hamlet is enraged by this deception, and immediately suspects foul play in his father's murder.

In Denmark, a very prosperous and popular ruler, King Hrothgar, has built a large mead hall and encouraged all of his soldiers to be jubilant and merry. The commotion from the festivities has greatly upset a horrible demon, Grendel, who lives in the swamp. Every night the demon terrorizes the community forcing the Danes to suffer at the hand of the beast for many years until a young Geatish warrior, Beowulf, hears of the plight King Hrothgar has endured.

Ichabod Crane, a lanky and superstitious man and school teacher from the North, is vying for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel who happens to have another suitor named Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt. Crane has ill intentions in winning the hand of Katrina and Brom decides to try to spook the school teacher out of Sleepy Hollow through a series of pranks.

The Last of the Mohicans is a riveting tale set during colonial times, when the French and Indian War is in full swing in the western part of New York. During an attack by the French on a British outpost, two young sisters, Alice and Cora, are guided through the forest by an Indian guide and a British Army Colonel, to find their father. Several strangers they meet along the way join them on their journey which include two Mohican companions, who are the very last of their kind.

His Last Bow is a collection of eight Sherlock Holmes mysteries, including "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge", "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box", "The Adventure of the Red Circle", "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans", "The Adventure of the Dying Detective", "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax", "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot", and "His Last Bow".

Sherlock Holmes receives a mysterious ciphered message from a man using an alias sent to Professor Moriarty. After deciphering the code, more than once, they uncover that a man named John Douglas is in imminent danger, and Holmes believes that Professor Moriarty might be involved. Holmes and Dr. Watson enlist the help of Inspector Alec MacDonald of Scotland Yard. The inspector and Holmes have different theories on who killed John Douglas, who was shot at close range inside his own home, and they go on the hunt for clues.

Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a classic series of 12 short stories about the genius detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his ability to solve any case. With the help of his faithful assistant Dr. Watson, Holmes tackles 12 individual mysteries each with a new victim and a different criminal. The concept behind these stories is that of a man who is serving a more fair form of justice to the everyday victim, regardless of income or social standing.

Stephen Dedalus, a poor boy in Ireland at the end of the 19th century, gives up everything, his family, social ties, and his church, to devote his life to his passion - writing. The novel goes through the boy's life as a student in a very strict, Catholic boarding school in Ireland, and how that upbringing shaped his childhood and family, including an intense, politically charged argument over the Christmas dinner table. The listener follows Stephen through his preteen and teenage years, growing more poor as the years go on.

Aramis, now a Bishop, visits the Bastille where a prisoner named Philippe, said to be the twin brother of Louis, has been held since birth. Aramis, with ambitions to become the Pope, convinces Philippe that they can overthrow King Louis and put Philippe on the thrown instead with the twin ruling the people and Aramis reigning over their souls. Aramis plots and schemes and is able to sneak Philippe out of the Bastille but things do not go as planned and after a very brief reign of Philippe, Aramis, along with Porthos are on the run as enemies of the crown.

The stories revolve around the same character, Horne Fisher, who uncovers mysteries that he can't bring to the public eye. In the first story, The Face in the Target, Fisher and two other men come across a dead man at a park. The dead man is a political figure, and Fisher realizes that uncovering the truth could lead to political trouble for the city. Although Fisher usually finds out who has killed the victim, the different circumstances regarding the murders in each of the eight stories usually prevent him from taking further action.

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped tells the story of a young orphaned 17-year old boy named David living in Scotland during the 18th century. While trying to make his way in the world, David moves in to his uncle's estate, where he soon after finds clues that prove that his father, and thus himself, should have been the rightful heir to the estate, rather than his uncle.

The classic adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne tells the story of Professor Lidenbrock and his journey to the center of the Earth through a volcano. Alongside his nephew, Axel, Lidenbrock finds a secret message hidden in one of the runic notes of a newly acquired manuscript from Iceland.

There may never have been a novel written about love and loss with more irony of poetry than Ethan Frome. Written almost exclusively in flashback, Ethan Frome has continued to draw attention and accolades since its publication in 1911 by famed writer Edith Wharton. When we are introduced to the novel's protagonist, we discover that he is married yet inconveniently in love with his wife's cousin, who is spending time with the family to help care for Ethan's sick wife.

The classic story of Dracula, made and remade again and again, is indeed quite the adventure story filled with dark themes and motifs. Concepts such as love, death, possession, and motivation are present throughout this intense novel. Made famous by Bram Stoker in 1897, Dracula has been relegated to a variety of genres, as it does not seem to fit into just one. This is made immediately clear when the plot begins to unfold and we meet the characters as well as the plot twists that lurk around every corner.

Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a poem, translated by Bayard Taylor, which tells the beautiful and emotional story of a man who has seen and done it all. However, despite all of his learning and education, his life still feels empty and unaccomplished. He believes wholeheartedly that there is something else out there. Faust, having exhausted all other fields of study, turns to magic for fulfillment. He summons the devil and makes a pact - that if the devil can show him something rewarding and fulfilling, he will give the devil his soul.

Set in Medieval England, The Legends of King Arthur and his Knights by Sir James Knowles takes the listener on one adventure after another filled with magic and danger. When King Vortigern, the unrightful king of England plans to kill Merlin, Merlin tells the prophecy of his downfall and also predicts the birth of a new and powerful king, Arthur Pendragon. Merlin's prediction comes true, and Arthur is born and raised in secret by Merlin.

Far from the Madding Crowd, which first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in monthly installments back in the late 19th century, features the love life of the young Bathsheba Everdene who is as poor as she is beautiful. Fortunately, Bathsheba's uncle leaves her his farm, which she goes to manage in the small town of Weatherbury. Before she leaves, however, she has an interesting encounter with a young farmer, Gabriel Oak, for whom she does a tremendous favor ,and he becomes indebted to her....

Beyond Good and Evil gives profound insight into the personal philosophies of one of history's greats, Friedrich Nietzsche. Within the work, first published in 1886, you'll find close to 300 of Nietzsche's aphorisms, organized by theme and spanning nine chapters. Nietzsche begins his work by stating that all philosophies are nothing more than the complex personal opinions by the philosophers that put them forth, and that it's the listener's responsibility to weed out the subjective from the true philosophy.

Following the framework of a tale within a tale, Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, which features the subtitle The Modern Prometheus follows the scientific - and at times horrific - exploits of Victor Frankenstein. Victor studied alchemy in college, and after a mere two years he figures out that he can put human body pieces back together and restore the entire corpse to life.