Modern Classics Literature

Mary Shelley's classic gothic horror novel. The scientific young genius, Frankenstein, discovers a method for creating life in inanimate objects and sets about a project to build a human in his laboratory. He is successful in his aim, but in so doing, unleashes on the world a creature whose physical deformities make him repulsive to everyone who sets eyes on him.

When the Countess Narona meets Agnes Lockwood, the woman jilted by her husband-to-be, she feels a great sense of foreboding. After the marriage, she moves with her husband, Lord Montbarry, to Venice. As much as Agnes tries to forget the episode of her broken engagement, her fate and that of the Countess seem to be inextricably woven. Both are relentlessly drawn to the Palace Hotel in Venice for a final and dramatic encounter, in the room where more than past emotions resurface to haunt them.

Mimei Ogawa, a prolific author of short stories nearly 100 years ago, is considered to be one of the founding figures of modern Japanese children’s literature. He has also been called the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan because of how his works were influenced by Andersen. This collection contains a fresh, modern translation of one of Mimei Ogawa’s most famous works, "The Mermaid and the Red Candles", as well as several other stories that have never been translated and published in English before.

Victor Frankenstein is a driven man. His single-minded scientific drive has controlled his life from childhood. It has driven him to do the unthinkable, to carry out fiendish, craven tasks, to do that which only God has done before. His goal of creating life - a living, thinking being, a man - has come to pass. Little did he expect that his zeal would forge a monster, an intelligent being set upon Victor's complete destruction.

Fantasy author Ken Altabef lends his unique voice talents to a modern reading of 13 classic tales (and six poems) by Edgar Allan Poe.

Featuring 12 short stories where each one takes a well-known fairy tale and propels them into uncharted territories, creating surprising perspectives that challenge the very essence of the original tales.

During the rainy summer of 1816, the "Year Without a Summer", the world was locked in a long cold volcanic winter caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815. Mary Shelley, aged 18, and her lover (and later husband) Percy Bysshe Shelley, visited Lord Byron at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The weather was consistently too cold and dreary that summer to enjoy the outdoor holiday activities they had planned, so the group retired indoors until dawn.

Frankenstein is infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement and is also considered to be one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Includes introduction and commentary by Mary Shelley. Required reading for any fan of science fiction and horror genres. A classic.

Victor Frankenstein learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger and more powerful than the average man. Frankenstein rejects the creature, and lives to regret his desire to create life, after it kills his brother William. Frankenstein is a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus.

Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, or simply Three Dialogues, is a 1713 book on metaphysics and idealism by George Berkeley. The book was written as a response to the criticism of his work A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge. Berkeley faced opposition from many philosophers who held to the Platonic view. He argues that sensible qualities like color, sound, temperature and even shape are not inherent in matter, but are ascribed and understood by the mind.

Die Geschichte der Zimmerwirtinstochter Thilde und des Referendars Großmann scheint zunächst überaschend nüchtern...

Jack London's 1903 novel The Call of the Wild is a brilliant tale of resilience and adaptability, but some of the language (which includes words such as brumal, ferine, obdurate, remonstrance, and pertinacity) puts a handbrake on the flow of the story. To counter that, Rob Redenbach edited London's original work and recorded an audiobook that lets you sit back and enjoy the story - without needing a dictionary on your lap.

In the summer of 1816, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley - the two great poets of their age - and a lovely 17-year-old named Mary Shelley were partying and reading ghost stories on the shores of Lake Geneva. They dared each other to come up with the scariest story. Young Mary was the only one to rise to the challenge, and she gave birth to the entire horror and science fiction genres by crafting a brilliant and chilling account of what it means to be human, what responsibilities we have to each other, and how far we can go in tampering with nature.

The story concerns a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who conducts a great experiment to see if he can create a living being from the body parts of corpses. Only whe the experiment is successful does he begin to think of the ethics and consequences of what he has done. The creature he created becomes embittered when he finds that no one will love him becuase of his appearance.

Few creatures of horror have seized imaginations and held them for so long as the anguished monster of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The story of Victor Frankenstein's terrible creation and the havoc it caused has enthralled generations of readers and listeners and inspired countless writers of horror and suspense.

Her changeling friends are imprisoned. To free them, she’ll have to break the laws of magic. Ember Wright managed to save her friends’ lives, only to see them locked up and tormented. With each passing day, the changelings weaken and submit to their interrogators. Secrets start to slip. Running out of options and allies, Ember turns to an ancient, forbidden form of advanced magic. Her reluctant teacher’s warning echoes in her head: Almost all mages who attempt the spell become corrupted by it.

The odds are never in her favor. Good thing this mage doesn’t play by the rules. She once passed as an obedient servant. Now, Senior Investigator Ember Wright shines a light on corruption wherever she finds it. But the corrupt are hitting back. They’re hitting back hard. Her cover blown, they’ve branded her as public enemy number one. With a target painted on her back and on anyone who dares help her, Ember leads a global uprising. When her changeling friends get caught in the crossfire, she learns the true cost of freedom.

As the result of Victor Frankenstein's creation of a monster out of the remains of human corpses, a series of horrifying events occur. But who is responsible: the creature or his creator?

Earth was being watched from afar...by creatures far greater than man...and which coveted what man possessed. The War of the Worlds is invasion literature at its finest. H.G. Wells' popular classic has never been out of print, and is presented here in a stunning new, modern edition. Bonnem's insightful narration runs the gamut of emotions, simultaneously communicating both the horror of events and the innate humanity of this timeless tale.

Each of the best-selling writers represented in these selections from Legends II returns to the fantasy universe he or she made famous throughout the world. Whether set before or after events already recounted elsewhere, whether featuring beloved characters or compelling new creations, these masterful short novels are both mesmerizing standalones - perfect introductions to the work of their authors - and indispensable additions to the epics on which they are based.