Showing results by narrator "Adriel Brandt" in All Categories

Poland, 1940. Moshe and his family flee their hometown of Warsaw in a desperate bid for survival as Nazi forces advance on the city. Hiding under false identities, they hope to wait out the end of the war, which must surely be near. But nowhere is truly safe for Poland’s Jews, and soon Moshe and his brother find themselves en route to Auschwitz, from where no one returns. Separated from the rest of their family, they hold on to each other with everything they have.

This simplistic and ingenious allegory from one of the fathers of Western philosophy casts light on society’s naiveté and ignorance.

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, was the fifth to be published in The Chronicles of Narnia series. The story is set in the period covered by the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during the reign of the four children as monarchs of Narnia. The main characters are two children and two talking horses who escape from Calormen and travel north into Narnia. On their journey, they learn of the Prince of Calormen's plan to invade Archenland, and warn the King of Archenland of the impending attack.

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola are a set of Christian prayers and meditations written by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Society of Jesus. The work is divided into four thematic "weeks" of variable length, designed to assist the worshiper in acts of devotion.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, the younger two of the four English children featured in the first two Narnia books, return to the kingdom. The ship The Dawn Treader was built by King Caspian for a voyage to find the seven lords banished by his evil Uncle Miraz when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands beyond the Silver Sea, en route to Aslan's country at the End of the World. Each island they visit has its own story so the narrative almost reads like a series.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis is the fourth book in the series The Chronicles of Narnia. The old Narnia is gone, and the land is ruled by the tyrant Miraz. The Pevensie children become involved with the fate of a young man known as Prince Caspian, who is fleeing from his uncle, the evil Miraz. Wild adventure follow while a host of new characters appear, like the mouse Reepicheep. With the assistance and guidance of the lion Aslan, Narnia is saved from the clutches of Miraz.

Fans of cosmic horror will have much to sup on in these eight tales. The supernatural intrudes upon a wedding; a pier becomes the site of tragedy; a collapsed building is only the start of the nightmare for those trapped in the ruins; a scientist makes the discovery of a lifetime, only to find out that what he’s unearthed has dire consequences not only for himself, but for all of mankind.

Rene Descartes, mathematician, scientist, and first "modern philosopher", wrote Meditations on First Philosophy, a six-part treatise first published in Latin in 1641, to deconstruct "belief" and, using reason and science, discuss the only things we can truly know for sure. Each of the six parts of this book represents six of Descartes’ meditations that occurred on six subsequent days, making it also, in no small part, an autobiographical piece of work.

A New Christ, the first book by the inspirational author Wallace D. Wattles, is an attempt to ascertain by scientific study what Jesus was, how he lived, and what he taught. Wattles explains that in the common concept of Christ that arose in the Middle Ages, he was held up as a weak and meek figure who was despised. The author quotes from scripture to show that he was educated, that he had a commanding presence, and that he was not humble in the way the church portrays him.

The sun is rising… And it shall raze the world to ash. Astea’s Link is broken. Plague ravages the kingdom. Blood is made stone, and the fate of all life is sealed. Kaido has finally donned the crown. In search of a cure, his army marches into Hecata’s Desert. Will they find his people’s salvation or their destruction? Revolt brews in the west. Maisades and Izelle have rallied the followers, and their eyes are set on the throne. Otto has delivered them Mithras’ Link. Through her power, will they prevail?

Parzival is a medieval epic poem written by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. It is divided into 16 books, each composed of several 30-line stanzas of rhyming couplets. Regarded as one of the literary masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the romantic poem commonly dated to the early part of the 13th century. The verse narrative focuses on the Arthurian hero Parzival and his long quest for the Holy Grail after his initial failure to achieve it.

Wallace Delois Wattles (1860-1911) was a New Thought author who researched the writings of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and recommended the study of their books to those who wished to understand the monistic theory of the cosmos. Wattles’ "The Science of" Trilogy comprises books on attaining and maintaining good health, creating wealth and being the best that you can be.

Flatland, first published in 1884, is classic work of satire. The full title, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, reveals the story's most compelling characteristic, its discussion of multiple dimensions. It is this fascinating examination which has contributed to Flatland's enduring popularity.

Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was originally written for an essay competition run by the Dijon Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1754. The question was, "What is the origin of inequality among men, and is it authorized by the natural law?" Rousseau's text is divided into four main parts: a dedication, preface, an extended inquiry into the nature of the individual, and another inquiry into the evolution of the human species within society.

Jules Verne’s masterpiece, The Mysterious Island, is a fascinating story of five men and a dog who escape the American Civil War in a hot air balloon. A storm takes them far away and they land on an unknown island. One adventure follows another as they cope with pirate attacks and active volcanoes. After receiving a message in a bottle, they rescue another castaway on Tabor Island. In crisis situations, they are assisted by an unseen helper who once supplies medicine and another time beats back the pirates.

Laugh at the ironic jibes and the bumbling Detective Fix, gasp at the high adventure and perilous misadventures, and feel the thrill of haste and ingenuity, but no longer wince at badly aged language and harmful stereotypes. This gentle modernization changes only as much as necessary, retaining everything that has made this novel an immortal classic.

Faust is a tragic play in two parts that reworks the late medieval myth of a brilliant but disillusioned scholar who makes a deal with the devil. Faust is considered by many to be Goethe's masterpiece and the greatest work of German literature. Part I sets out Faust’s despair, his pact with Mephistopheles, and his love for Gretchen. Part II deals with Faust’s life at court, the wooing and winning of Helen of Troy, and his purification and redemption.

Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) was a Scottish author and reformer who advocated for radical causes ranging from women's suffrage to free trade to parliamentary reform. The Huguenots in France, chronicles the persecution of the Protestants in France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. While many of the Huguenots fled the country, others suffered persecution at the hands of the crown, the army, and the church. This work documents many specific incidents of persecution.

The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest standing empires in the world. Started in 1299, the Ottomans would conquer much of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe. This classic by William Deans covers 600 years of Ottoman rule.

The Greater Key of Solomon is a compilation of Solomonic magic drawn from various manuscripts of the 15th to 17th centuries. Book I provides conjurations, invocations, and curses to summon and constrain spirits and demons in order to compel them to do the conjuror's will. It also describes how to find lost items, become invisible, or gain favor with someone. Book II describes purification rituals which the occultist should undergo, how to dress for magical practices, and how to construct the necessary implements used in these rituals.