Technology Fiction

Our screens offer us connection, especially now in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are certain depths of connection our screens can’t offer - to ourselves, to the natural world, and to each other. In this personal exploration of digital life’s impact on how we see the world, Howard Axelrod marshals science, philosophy, art criticism, pop culture, and his own experience of returning from two years of living in solitude in Northern Vermont. The Stars in Our Pockets is a timely reminder of the world around us and the worlds within us.

There lived an old man and an old woman, and they had a hen called Ryaba. One day, the hen hatched an egg - not a simple egg, but a golden one. The old man tried to break it, but could not; the old woman tried to break it, but could not. A mouse was running by, swang its tail, the egg fell and broke. The old man is crying, the old woman is crying. "Don't cry", says Ryaba the hen, "I'll hatch you a new egg, not a golden egg, but a simple one". Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

A fox made friends with a crane and went to call him to visit her: "Do come, crony, do come, dear. I'll treat you the best!"

Zhili muzhik da baba. U nih byla dochka da synok malen'kij. - Dochen'ka, - govorila mat', - my pojdem na rabotu, beregi bratca! Ne hodi so dvora, bud' umnicej - my kupim tebe platochek. Otec s mater'ju ushli, a dochka pozabyla, chto ej prikazyvali: posadila bratca na travke pod okoshko, sama pobezhala na ulicu, zaigralas', zaguljalas'.

Zhili-byli babushka-starushka, vnuchka-hohotushka, kurochka-klohtushka i myshka-norushka. Kazhdyj den' hodili oni za vodoj. U babushki byli vedra bol'shie, u vnuchki - pomen'she, u kurochki - s ogurchik, u myshki - s naperstochek.

Once there was a woman who had both a daughter of her own, whom she loved, and a stepdaughter, whom she hated. One day, the woman ordered her husband to take her stepdaughter out into the winter fields and leave her there to die, and he obeyed. Morozko finds her there; she is polite and kind to him, so he gives her a chest full of beautiful things and fine garments.

Narodnyie skazki - eto zhivoy istochnik mudrosti, lyubvi i dobra. Tak s chego zhe nachat znakomit rebenka s knigoy, kak ne s zamechatelnyih dushevnyih russkih skazok! Eto vsegda interesnyiy syuzhet, yarkie geroi i mudryiy zhiznennyiy urok. Ne mozhet byit skazki bez horoshego finala, gde dobro pobezhdaet zlo. I za eto i vzroslyie, i deti tak lyubyat eti istorii, chudesnyie i serdechnyie. Vklyuchite svoemu malyishu "Zolotuyu kollektsiyu skazok" na noch! Pust emu prisnyatsya volshebnyie, kak skazki, snyi!

Once there lived an old man and old woman. The old man said, "Old woman, bake me a bun." "What can I make it from? I have no flour." "Eh, eh, old woman! Scrape the cupboard, sweep the flour bin, and you will find enough flour." The old woman picked up a duster, scraped the cupboard, swept the flour bin and gathered about two handfuls of flour. She mixed the dough with sour cream, fried it in butter, and put the bun on the window sill to cool.

Zhili-byli kot, drozd da petushok - zolotoj grebeshok. Zhili oni v lesu, v izbushke. Kot da drozd hodjat v les drova rubit', a petushka odnogo ostavljajut....

Stoit v pole teremok. Bezhit mimo myshka-norushka. Uvidela teremok, ostanovilas' i sprashivaet: - Terem-teremok! Kto v tereme zhivjot? Nikto ne otzyvaetsja. Voshla myshka v teremok i stala tam zhit'....

Zhila-byla koza, sdelala sebe v lesu izbushku i narozhala detok. Chasto uhodila koza v bor iskat' kormu. Kak tol'ko ujdet, kozljatki zaprut za neju izbushku, a sami nikuda ne vyhodjat.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate the case. Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

The Governor of Texas, the self-described mortal enemy of the president, directs a legendary Texas Ranger to rescue a Tea Party organizer from the clutches of federal agents. The resulting struggle sets the stage for a cataclysmic power struggle between officials in Austin and Washington, DC, further polarizing the nation. The president orders the vote stopped as he suspends the Second Amendment and declares martial law. Texas is now in A State of Treason.

Plan Serezhi i vora vrode by shel neploho - ljudej na svad'bu v dom samogo opasnogo cheloveka oni sognali, vot tol'ko, kogda hozjain spustilsja, stalo ponjatno - podgotovit'sja k jetoj chasti ograblenija nado bylo by poluchshe... Svad'ba ne uspela nachat'sja, kak tut zhe prevratilas' v paniku gostej. Odnako Serezha nashelsja i v jetoj neprostoj situacii...

Odna devochka ushla iz doma v les. V lesu ona zabludilas' i stala iskat' dorogu domoj, da ne nashla, a prishla v lesu k domiku....

The hit on the head that sends Hank Morgan back through 13 centuries does not affect his natural resourcefulness. Using his knowledge of an upcoming eclipse, Hank escapes a death sentence, and secures an important position at court. Gradually, he introduces 19th century technology and soon has an easy life. He becomes "The Boss" of the Kingdom, second only to the King.

The epic climax of the Magic Time saga finds former lawyer turned visionary leader Cal Griffin continuing his quest across the changed face of America, where machines no longer run and magic holds sway. Accompanied by his loyal band of followers, fierce warrior Colleen Brooks, expatriate Russian physician Doc Lysenko, and bipolar street wizard Herman "Goldie" Goldman, Cal follows a trail of clues he hopes will lead him to the Source of the Change that overthrew the world.

The world has changed forever. Across America, technology has been eclipsed by magic, and people are changing into the embodiments of their darkest desires and deepest fears. In this new time, former lawyer Cal Griffin has united a small group of outcasts to battle the chaos.

There are a few things Cami was sure she’d never do: fall for a city boy and own a business. Now she is rising to the top of her career. When she doesn’t get a promotion, she is devastated. Her loneliness hits an all-time high, and she loses herself in work...until she falls in love with a Labrador puppy she sees on a puppy cam at the local pet store. This novel captures disappointment, tension, suspense, romance, and the magic of everlasting puppy love.

There are a few things Bristol Campton was sure she’d never do: use technology, kiss a puppy, or fall in love. Now Bristol is back at home, working with new and old friends to make her business dreams come true. But when competition moves to town, Bristol and Jace must decide how to run their business. Will Bristol stay true to her and Cami’s old-school vision? Will Jace have bigger opportunities to choose from? Will they realize in time that their love is worth more than their pride?