Showing results by narrator "B.J. Harrison" in All Categories

A man travels through the frozen wasteland bordering the Yukon River, accompanied by his best friend - a large husky dog. The dog tries to dissuade the man from walking farther into the frozen land, but the man pushes on. At some point the man decides to stop and build a fire. Unfortunately, snow falls from one of the trees and extinguishes the fire. This is the moment where the problems truly begin.

In 1888, a young British couple are left behind in an African jungle. Seeing no other way than to make a life for themselves, they've soon built a cabin and had a son. When they die unexpectedly, their young boy ends up in the care of a she-ape, who calls him Tarzan. Growing up, Tarzan struggles with being different. But one day, he finds his parents' cabin and suddenly it all starts to make sense. 'Tarzan of the Apes' (1912) is the first in a series of twenty-four books about Tarzan, which author Edgar Rice Burroughs worked on until the 1940s.

"The Yellow Sign" is considered to be Robert Chambers’ horror masterpiece. He introduces us to Mr. Scott, an artist living in New York City. One day, Scott sees an overweight young man, who looks like a lawn grub to him. The artist’s is working on a painting of a girl named Tessie. When the girl falls ill, Scott tries to cure her, so he can finish his work as fast as possible. However, Tessie’s condition gets worse and she starts having very strange dreams.

B.J. Harrison reads one of Edgar Allan Poe's classic short stories "The Masque of the Red Death". Prince Prospero and 1,000 other nobles have taken refuge at a castle-like abbey to escape the Red Death, a horrifying plague that has taken over the land at large. Yet horror finds them one night when Prospero holds a masquerade ball and a guest dressed up as the Red Death itself shows up. The chilling story by Edgar Allan Poe dating back to the 19th century is a Gothic horror tale to its very core, providing frights of the most unimaginable type.

Sherlock Holmes is at the stables of Colonel Ross in Dartmoor. He has an especially important mission to investigate the disappearance of Silver Blaze, titular horse and a famous winner. It is not enough that the champion is gone, but his trainer, John Straker, has apparently been murdered. After carefully examining the crime scene, Holmes follows the horse’s footprints to the neighbor stables, where he tries to get more information from Silas Brown.

A father and his son visit a magic shop. This is not just any magic shop, but the "genuine" one, as the shop owner points out to the father. The father is not impressed but the boy is mesmerized by what he sees and hears. Yet when one trick turns out to be too real and the father is gripped by something he will not easily forget. H. G.

Mrs. Pratt mysteriously dies in her sleep after a fight with her husband. He thought that she had tried to poison him. But maybe it was the other way around? After a while Mr. Pratt is found dead as well, with a skull next to his head. Those who believe in ghosts think that Mrs. Pratt finally got her revenge. What do you believe? What happened with Mr. Pratt? If you are courageous enough, find the answer in "The Screaming Skull" by Francis Marion Crawford. B. J.

Winter Wedderburn is an amateur collector of orchids, spending his days peacefully with his housekeeper. One day he invites more adventure into his life and buys an unknown species of orchids brought from the Andaman Islands. Little does he know that purchasing this unusual plant will bring him more adventure than he could ever have dreamt of. "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid" is a short horror story by H.G. Wells from the late 19th century, providing the reader with a most unusual enemy.

Alice is pregnant with her husband Sir Richard Trevlyn’s child. One day, she listens to a conversation between her husband and a visitor through a keyhole. What she hears is shocking enough to make her faint, and when she comes to, her husband is found dead. Years later, the sixteen-year-old Paul applies for a job at the estate, and it becomes clear that there is more to him than meets the eye. What happened to Sir Richard Trevlyn, and who is the mysterious Paul? Louisa May Alcott’s mystery novella from the 19th century, read by B.J.

A man named Manton killed his wife and his two children and managed to get away with it. Ten years later he returns to the house where the crime was committed. He is recognized by the locals and he is provoked into a duel which is to be held in the haunted house where Manton killed his family. The locals were aiming to scare Manton away. However, the day after the duel Manton was found dead.

B.J. Harrison visits Edgar Allan Poe's grim horror story, "The Cask of Amontillado". Montresor is a man who has been insulted, and he does not take this lightly. Seeking revenge on the person who slighted him, Fortunato, he sets out on a terrible mission to even the score. Yet what follows is far from fair, and Fortunato is far from prepared. "The Cask of Amontillado" is a dark short story by Edgar Allan Poe dating back to the 19th century.

"The Furnished Room" is a short story about love and dedication, about exhaustion and despair. A young man is searching for a girl he fell in love with. He rents a room near the theatre where she could sometimes be seen and he devotes his days to the dream of finding her. When all of a sudden the sweet fragrance of her perfume fills his room... Has he finally found her? Or is this an evil ghost from the past? Will he get to embrace the girl he loves or she will drag him to the verge of madness? B. J.

Set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age, this story introduces us to the legendary Conan the Barbarian. After the death of Vendhya’s emperor, Bunda Chad, Conan kidnaps his sister - Devi Yasmina.

Hadleyburg is a decent American town where all the people are honest, selfless and honorable. At least, that is how they see themselves. One day a stranger arrives in town and somehow the locals manage to offend him so badly that he is determined to get his revenge on them by exposing their true nature, which according to him is far from "incorruptible". How will he tempt the people that are so well trained to avoid temptation? Are they really as honest as they claim to be? B. J.

B.J. Harrison reads "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" which consists of various children’s stories by Oscar Wilde. Originally published in 1888, the work includes five memorable stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend" and "The Remarkable Rocket". It features unforgettable characters, such as the happy prince who has never experienced sorrow and a nightingale who accepts a rose for the ultimate sacrifice.

A young traveler is up on a mountain when night falls and he finds shelter with a family that lives nearby. They make friendly conversation and the visitor shares his dreams and goals to achieve great things in life. Their conversation is however interrupted by the sound of rocks falling from the slope. Are they in danger? Find out in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s "The Ambitious Guest". B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

After their father’s death, the two brothers, Nur al-Din and Shams al-Din, agree to marry two sisters on the same day. The main idea is that Nur wants to have a son, while Shams wants to have a daughter. And so it happens. Shams al-Din has a daughter and Nur al-Din has a son - Badr al-Din. Right before he dies, Nur tells his young boy about his uncle Shams, who is still in Cairo. After the death of his father, Badr al-Din loses the approval of the sultan and must flee away.

From the books that inspired the new Netflix series "Lupin" with Omar Sy. At Chateau de Maupertuis, death shadows Lady Jeanne Darcieux, as she escapes more than one attempted murder. But hero and gentleman burglar, Arsene Lupin is lying in wait and he can't help saving a stranger, especially if she's young and rich. The sixth story in Maurice Leblanc’s collection "The Confessions of Arsène Lupin" about gentleman thief and criminal mastermind, Arsene Lupin.

B.J. Harrison reads the classic that has puzzled and delighted readers for over two centuries. Dorian Gray is a beautiful man, who has been immortalized in a painting. As he comes to the realization that his beauty will eventually fade, he makes a wish to never lose his beauty and retain eternal youth. Meanwhile, his age and sins continue to live on in his portrait. The late-19th-century classic by Oscar Wilde, a charming yet horrifying Gothic novel, has been adapted countless times to the screen.

Aladdin is a boy, who lives in poverty with his mother. One day, while he is playing outside, an African magician approaches him and claims that he is Aladdin’s uncle. The mysterious man tricks the boy to work for him by promising him wealthy rewards. Aladdin agrees after having gotten his mother's permission. The African man instructs the boy to enter a dark cave and fetch him an oil lamp and Aladdin jumps into the cave to finds it. However, the boy refuses to pass it to the magician before he is helped out of the cave and back into daylight.