Showing results by narrator "Tomas Riley" in All Categories

"The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea" is a historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The Pathfinder shows Natty at his old habit of guiding delicate damsels through the dangerous forests. His simple and honest nature is severely tested by his love for a young girl. Chattier than ever before, he shows new mental and moral qualities.

"The Mysterious Island" is an adventure novel by Jules Verne. During the American Civil War, five captives of war agree to escape by hijacking a balloon. After flying in a massive storm for quite a few days, the group crash-lands on a cliff-bound, volcanic, unknown island. The five can survive on the island, making fire, pottery, bricks, nitroglycerin, iron, a simple electric telegraph, a home, even a seagoing ship, and they figure out their geographical whereabouts. There is also a brooding mystery on the island in the form of seemingly strange incidents happening.

"The Swiss Family Robinson" is an adventure novel co-authored by Johann David Wyss and Johann Rudolf Wyss. It has a plot that exemplifies family ideals and the use of the natural world to achieve self-reliance. The story begins with the family in the hold of a sailing ship, riding out a huge storm. The passengers abandon ship without them, and William and Elizabeth Robinson and their four children (Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Francis) are left to survive on their own. How will they cope?

The Master of the World is a sci-fi novel by Jules Verne. A string of inexplicable occurrences take place throughout the eastern United States, triggered by objects moving with such great velocity that they are almost imperceptible. Robur, a talented inventor, has completed a new machine, which he has dubbed the Terror. It is a ten-meter long vehicle, capable of functioning as a speedboat, submarine, automobile, or aircraft. It can travel at the (then) unheard of speed of 150 miles per hour on land and at more than 200 mph when flying.

"Around the World in Eighty Days" is an adventure novel by Jules Verne. Phileas Fogg is a wealthy single British gentleman. Despite his fortune, he lives a simple life with his tendencies carried out with scientific accuracy. Fogg hires a Frenchman by the name of Jean Passepartout as his valet. At the Reform Club, he gets embroiled in a disagreement over a news article stating that it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He agrees to a bet of £20,000 from his fellow club members to carry out such a voyage within that time. A classic of adventurous travel fiction!

"Uncle Wiggily and Old Mother Hubbard" is a collection of children's stories by Howard R. Garis. Uncle Wiggily Longears, an old bunny gentleman now suffering from rheumatism and walking around with a cane, is still fairly vigorous. In these 26 connected short tales, he meets a string of characters from Mother Goose's tales. Well suited to a nightly reading for smaller children!

The Man in the Iron Mask is a classic novel by Alexandre Dumas. A mysterious prisoner is held anonymously in the French penal system, required to wear a mask when seen by any but his jailer or his valet. There are rumors that the Man in the Iron Mask is the twin brother of Louis XIV, who had been hidden and incarcerated from birth by his father and mother, "for the good of France". In this, the last of the Three Musketeers novels, we see a world of intrigue and suspense, with politics and espionage making themselves known.

"The Lone Star Ranger" is a Western novel by Zane Grey. The story takes place in Texas, and numerous main characters are Texas Rangers, a famous band of highly adept law enforcement officials. Buck Duane becomes an outlaw and then redeems himself in the eyes of the law. Though an outlaw is not always a crook, if the Rangers say he is an outlaw, it's just as bad - he's a hunted man. After killing a man in self-defense, Duane is compelled to 'go on the dodge'. At an outlaw hideaway, he meets a captured, beautiful young woman and wishes to see her free.

"Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates" is a novel by Mary Mapes Dodge. Poor but hardworking 15-year-old Hans Brinker and his younger sister Gretel want to take part in December's great ice-skating race on the canal. They have little chance of doing well on their handmade wooden skates, but the prospect of the race and the prize of the silver skates motivate them and fuel their ambition. The story takes place in the Netherlands and is a vivid fictional portrait of early 19th century Dutch life, as well as a tale of youthful honor.

The Lost World is a science fiction novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Four explorers go off on a long journey to find the spot shown in a dead man's sketch book - and they are thrown into a war between apes and Indians, lurking dinosaurs, a shimmering treasure concealed in the blue clay - they find the Lost World. Due to betrayal of a local guide, their means of escape is shattered... A captivating adventure!

This Side of Paradise is a three-part romance novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It recounts the lives and decency of post-WW1 youth and their struggles in giving true love a real chance to manifest. Amory Blaine is a young Midwesterner attending Princeton University. He meets Isabelle Borgé, a youthful lady, and starts a romantic relationship with her, but they become dissatisfied after a while. Amory is sent overseas, to serve in the army in World War I. Will he survive? Will he find love again, one day?

"Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest" is a romantic story by William Henry Hudson. Abel, a young man of wealth, settles in a village in Guyana to chill away his life: playing guitar for old Cla-Cla, hunting badly with Kua-kó, telling stories to the youngsters. He eventually finds an enthralling forest where a strange bird-like singing can be heard, that originates from "Rima the Bird Girl". She has dark hair, a smock of spider webs, and can converse with birds in an unknown language. Abel falls in love with Rima, but cannot speak her unknown language...

Tom Swift and the Electronic Hydrolung is a sci-fi adventure novel by Victor Appleton. The US Government is letting Tom Swift Jr. manage the recuperation of its probe to Jupiter. But an unknown missile abruptly intercepts the probe and splashes it in the South Atlantic. Confronted with a massive search task to locate the probe on the ocean bottom, Tom soon understands that the same mysterious group that attacked the probe is racing to find it!

"Captains Courageous" is an adventure novel by Rudyard Kipling. We follow the escapades of fifteen-year-old Harvey Cheyne Jr., pampered son of a railway magnate. Harvey is saved from drowning by a Portuguese fisherman but can neither convince them to take him swiftly to port, nor assure them of his wealth. Disko Troop, captain of the boat We're Here, offers him temporary admission into the crew until they return to port. Eventually, he becomes accustomed to the fishing lifestyle and its rewards in comradeship. A fascinating read!

"The Poison Belt" is a science fiction novella by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Professor Challenger sends telegrams requesting three friends to join him at his home and asks each of them to 'bring oxygen'. They are led into a sealed room, along with Challenger and his wife. During his studies into a variety of phenomena, Challenger has calculated that the Earth is moving into a belt of toxic ether which he believes will suffocate humankind, but not before complete chaos erupts on Earth.

Tom Swift and His War Tank is an adventure novel by Victor Appleton. The United States joins in The Great War, and it seems like everyone has war fever. A military base close to Shopton is instructing soldiers in the art of trench warfare, while pilots are studying aerial combat. Everyone seems to be doing their bit, except for Tom Swift, which raises worries that Tom is a loafer. However, the reason he seems to be idle is that he has secretly been developing a new tank for use in combat.

"The First Battle of Bull Run" is a war memoir by Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. The First Battle of Bull Run was the first main clash of the American Civil War. The thorough description of the event comes from an insider's viewpoint, since the author served there as one of the two generals of the Confederate Army. The battle emphasized many of the problems and shortcomings that were emblematic of the first year of the war on both sides.

"The Point of Honor" is a military tale by Joseph Conrad. Established throughout the Napoleonic Wars, this tale introduces two French Hussar officers, D'Hubert and Feraud. Their dispute over an originally trivial event turns into a nasty, long-drawn out skirmish featuring numerous classic sword duels over the subsequent fifteen years, intertwined with the larger military conflict that provides its backdrop.

Floor Games by H. G. Wells is a children's book about games that can be played on the ground. It describes a number of games that can be played on well-lit and airy floors with different groups of toys: soldiers about two inches high, largish wooden blocks, boards and planks, and an electric railway with rolling stock and rails. The book is based on Wells' experience of playing such games with his two sons.

"Little Wars" is a set of rules for playing with toy soldiers, written by H. G. Wells. It includes quite simple rules for infantry, cavalry, and naval artillery. In addition to being a book about a war game, it hints at the numerous philosophical facets of war. The book is written in a whimsical and funny style.