Showing results by narrator "Fred Wolinsky" in All Categories

A reminder from Alexei Nikolayevich Tolstoy that one might take great caution when pursuing hidden treasure.

Finn returns to Nesteryia...only to find an ancient evil threatens his friends. What will Finn do when faced with the Wraith King? A computer geek at school, Finn must learn how to harness his magic and unite the holders of the ancient artifacts before the entire world of Nesteryia is destroyed. Saving the world is hard, trying to do it together is even harder. Will Finn be up to the challenge? In a race against time, Finn and Audie must band together with friends both new and old to defeat the Wraith King.

Armed with only his father's sword and an ancient dragon pendant, Dagan, the son of the King, flees into the Highlands, where the dragon, Aurifer, rescues him. But Dagan's relief is quickly shattered when he accidentally injures one of the dragon younglings, Corylus. Faced with the loss of his kingdom and the shame of his act, Dagan vows to heal Corylus and quests for the healing spring of Apenninius. But standing between Dagan and the spring is the 12 kingdoms ruled by the ruthless Praetor Marius.

Alexander Belyaev's rare foray into a bit of mysticism, The Witches' Castle is a reminder how careful must be wandering around the woods, especially when mysterious strangers and spooky buildings might be involved.

One day, a courier who deems himself quite the romantic hero, decides to follow a beautiful stranger...only to be plunged into a nightmare vortex in space and time.

At school, Finn is a typical nerd. He wears glasses, loves fantasy games, and excels at science. But he has one flaw, a selfish streak that sometimes gets him in trouble. Trying to be cool has its price, especially if you make fun of your best friend, Audie, to try to impress the jocks. She is mad and hurt. Audie thought they were BFFs. But friends don't do that.

When a town is left defenseless and is attacked by the enemy, one woman calls on the powers that be to help her protect her people and save her son's life.

A peasant's son leaves his family after being drafter into the army and returns far more different than anyone ever expected.

Scott is devastated when his wife is horrifically struck and killed by a car on their Caribbean honeymoon. In desperation, he gives into his grief and listens to a mysterious suggestion from a morgue janitor that he could have his wife "cured of death". Against all of his reservations and common sense, he feels he has nothing left to lose, but what he finds is that there are unnatural things worse than death.

Another strange and frightening tale by Nikolai Gogol with roots in Ukrainian lore. When a poor peasant falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy farmer, a dark power interferes, promising him the fulfillment of his wishes but neglecting to mention the terrible price.

In the time of paranoia and religious fanaticism, one young woman's life falls into the hands of two very misguided men.

Fourteen-year-old Icabus used to dream about dragons. That was before the nightmares about the man in the well began - before the red ships came. Now, Icabus’ island village is under siege by the Authian King, Furius, and Icabus must abandon everything he knows to the answer the hundred-year-old mystery of what happened to the dragons of Apenninus. But time is against Icabus, and he must act quickly before everyone he loves are transformed into monsters to serve the mad king.

The Wooden Guest is an odd little tale by Prince Vladimir Odoyevsky. It starts off as a kind of fairy tale for grown-ups and develops into a brief lesson in philosophy, with frightening implications when it comes to human nature.

Landon and Broden have been successful in defeating Gage twice. With him safely trapped in the hourglass and locked away, they can go on with their lives without a care in the world. And the first thing they are going to do is enjoy a banquet with Slade and his Ifs where the brothers are the guests of honor. But it doesn’t take long for them to realize that something sinister is buried just beneath the surface of celebration and fun.

In Babbling Brook Society, an old-timer reminds us that our future is linked with the past. A handful of Polar Caves Park staffers learn how climate change, pollution, and friendship influence hidden societies of tiny, ancient residents. Our relationship with the world and biodiversity go hand in hand with good manners and friendship. The Earth is our home, and how we treat it has far-reaching impact.

This lovely and nevertheless rather spooky tale by Nikolai Gogol is rooted in Ukrainian lore. It starts quite ordinary - a young man is in love with a beautiful young girl, but other people and unforeseen circumstances stand in the way of their happiness. Quite unexpectedly, our young hero receives an offer of help from a very unlikely source.

Strange, strange things appear to a man who ventures alone into the night-time woods.

When James fell asleep, he woke up to find himself at an otherworldly library with two other strangers. Upon entering, they learn that they can read the lives and thoughts of those who have died. The catch? They have to review each story but aren't allowed to read their own. When James befriends Penelope, they both realize that the library isn't what it seems. Can James and Penelope unravel the secrets of the afterlife before the afterlife unravels them?

When a young man goes from the demands and rigors of the army to a luxurious and serene country living, his mind is bound to wander where it should not. Such is the fate of Alexei Alexeyevich Fedyashev, who becomes so absorbed in his newfound idleness that he falls in love with an old portrait. When the famous conjurer and medium Count Cagliostro accidentally ends up at Fedyashev's escape, the young man begs him to bring his dream to reality. "Be careful what you wish for" is the lesson young Alexei has yet to learn - and how!

The Queen of Spades is decidedly one of Pushkin's gloomier tales. It inspired several movie adaptations and a magnificent opera by Tchaikovsky. Its determined, but misguided, protagonist stakes his life with dire consequences on a very old secret that might or might not even exist.