Showing results by narrator "Gregory Dwyer" in All Categories

For the Term of His Natural Life can be described as a “ripping yarn.” While it relies on slightly unrealistic coincidences, the story follows the (mis)fortunes of Rufus Dawes, a young man transported for a murder he did not commit. The story also explores the harsh environment and the often inhumane treatment meted out to the convicts in the early penal settlements, some of whom were transported for minor crimes. The appalling conditions experienced by the convicts are graphically described. But the story also involves a heartfelt rescue and its long-term consequences.

Robbery Under Arms, together with Marcus Clarke’s For the Term of His Natural Life, is considered to be one of the seminal Australian novels of the nineteenth century. It is a barnstorming yarn, delivered in the first person by one Dick Marston, a vigorous and basically honourable young man, who is lured into crime due to unfavourable circumstances.

Your kids will love hearing the weird and wonderful facts about Australia in this fun audiobook! Check out this hilarious Australian kids audiobook, chock full of amazing facts, trivia and stories. Learn about Australia in this amusing and entertaining children’s audiobook, which will appeal to the adults too.

A firsthand account of the 1854 Eureka Rebellion in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Carboni, an Italian revolutionary and participant in the uprising, wrote the book to document the miners’ struggle against the colonial authorities. The story captures the miners’ frustrations over oppressive mining licenses, police corruption, and lack of representation. It details the events leading up to the violent clash at the Eureka Stockade, where miners built a makeshift fort and confronted government troops.

This work is a collection of fictional observations by the narrator as he travels around the countryside of southern New South Wales and Victoria in the 1880s. He presents the life of the various rural dwellers, including bullock drivers, squatters and itinerant travelers, and also attempts to convey the accents of Irish, Scottish and Chinese personalities he encounters. This tale provides insight into the stories and hardships of rural dwellers in Australia in the latter half of the nineteenth century, as well as the narrator’s own philosophy of life.

The book is written in the first person, giving a detailed, autobiographical account of Hare’s experiences as a superintendent in the Victorian Mounted Police, particularly during the pursuit and final capture of the Kelly Gang. Hare’s account offers insights into the social and criminal landscape of colonial Victoria, the operations of the police force, and the complexities of pursuing outlaws who were both feared and, by some, romanticized.

Emily Dickinson was one of the most reclusive of all poets. She spent much of her life in seclusion in her father’s house in Amherst, and only a handful of her 1800 poems were published in her lifetime. Credit for the posthumous publication of her work must be given to her editor and friend Thomas W. Higginson, who reported that, in spite of the voluminous correspondence which passed between himself and Dickinson, he only met her twice in person.

Few of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published in her lifetime. Her posthumous fame is largely due to the efforts of her editors and supporters Thomas W. Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd.

The longest major poem by renowned English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge tells of a wedding guest who is intercepted on his way to the ceremony by an old mariner. The mariner engages the guest with an incredible tale of a fateful sea journey, the story of which he is compelled to relate.

While the Billy Boils (1896) is a collection of short stories by Australian writer Henry Lawson, portraying life in the Australian outback during the late 19th century. The stories, written with a real touch of dry humor, focus on the struggles of bush workers, swagmen, shearers, and settlers. Lawson captures the themes of rural life, of isolation, resilience, and mateship. It highlights the everyday hardships and quiet heroism of the ordinary Australians. The collection remains a significant work in Australian literature, shaping national identity and bush storytelling traditions.

The Wombat Ultimatum describes a chaotic societal crisis following the kidnapping of the adverb “Softly” by marsupial revolutionaries. The main conflict pits the prophetic tobacconist and wombat leader Runciman, who champions “blunt grammar” and the rejection of all adverbs, against the spiritual cooks, Frank and Glen, who represent the esoteric faith of “Greasehood” and the necessity of nuance.

This full cast presentation includes Part 1 and Part 2 of Shakespeare’s Henry IV.

Nick isn’t a warrior. He knows some basic karate, but that’s it. So when an assassin turns up to settle a blood debt, Nick narrowly escapes with his life. In his haste, he unwittingly flees to Korelios, a place he thought existed only in his eccentric aunt’s ancient legends. All too soon, he finds himself caught in the middle of a war, and he must make an impossible choice: do his duty or follow his heart. His choice will decide the fate of an entire civilisation.

On Our Selection is a collection of humorous short stories by Australian author Steele Rudd. It follows the trials and tribulations of the Rudd family, pioneers carving out a living in the Australian bush. The book humorously depicts the struggles of farming life, the resilience of the settlers, and the quirks of rural Australian society.

A delightful selection of entertaining poems, short essays, and written conversations involving the people of 20th century rural Australia and some of their working animals. This collection includes “When Dad Drives Home From Town,” “When the Sailor Rode the Brumby,” “The Old Barn School,” and many more.

Pope Blatantly IV wishes to return to the papal autocracy of the Middle Ages. He devises a threefold plan: 1) to enforce universal Catholic geographical supremacy, 2) to criminalize sin, and 3) to ban “grease” in favor of doctrinal “dryness.” The Pope’s outlandish initiatives include annexing Antarctica using a team of bodybuilders and gluing borders, and monetizing salvation through Indulgences 2.0 and Pre-Death Canonizations. In opposition to the Pope’s extravagant claims, the “Grease Underground,” is formed.

Our story begins with the programmer, Allosaurus Triplicate, who inadvertently creates the Realm of the Unwritten—a dimension populated by unfinished and deleted text fragments that achieve sentience, including the letter V. This symbolic dimension soon descends into turmoil through the creation of Antinomy, a paradoxical entity that seeks to monetize and control all expression, leading to a global linguistic crisis where meaning and grammar collapse.

The death of Maxilodimus Cruett, who drowns in a vat of oil, sparks a global controversy. Society becomes divided into Rationalists, Pilgrims, and various new theological groups who debate whether the event was murder, a miracle, or a “merger” of substance and consciousness. Grease itself starts to become sentient—it begins to hum, speak, and eventually organize, eventually forming an international commission. Legal battles ensue, culminating in a global strike where all lubrication ceases, with disastrous results for worldwide infrastructure.

This is the story of a theological conflict concerning the concepts of “grace” versus “grease.” The “cult of Frank,” a religious movement advocating the salvific potential of viscosity, frying, and culinary lubrication is gaining many converts. The story opens with a sermon by Father Anselm Loosespring, a Frankite advocate, who promotes “holy grease” as essential for faith, spirituality, and combating Frank’s opponent, the Adversarial Tobacconist, Runciman.

Johah describes the social atmosphere of many of the working class, and in particular traces the change in the main character of Jonah, a hunchback, from his beginnings in life as a “streetarab” to rising successfully in the world of business with his own street smarts. The narrative reflects many social views of the time, some of which may be considered unacceptable today, but the author’s writing brings a real-life and identifiable cheerfulness in his characters. His expectation that a person’s better qualities will eventually find expression remains engaging to the audience of today.