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

Sir Hugh takes his secret to the grave with a vicious grin on his lips–a devious grin that is somehow contagious.

Frederick is freed of his indentures to the ferociously temperate Pirates of Penzance. What will he do with his newfound freedom?

Sharing and daring, that’s Lainie's new mantra. After keeping her life bottled up for the past 17 years, she’s ready to pop the cork. Lainie confides in her friends about the magical timepiece. At first, they can’t believe it and encourage her to have some fun trying out the magic.

With considerable effort, the young prince Alexander Gorchakov managed to prevent a large-scale war between St. Petersburg’s old royal families. However, he got into a lot of trouble in the process and his actions did not go unnoticed by Her Imperial Majesty. Now, as his punishment, Alexander is forced to put on a uniform and enroll at a military school...and not at the most prestigious one, for that matter.

This book is a collection of short stories directly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and his writing. Each new story is coupled with an original work that inspired or influenced it. These stories were written for those who have experienced tragedy, loss, love, and beauty. For those not appreciated in their lifetime. For those with an incomplete story in their heart. This is For Edgar.

Forty-two-year-old Lainie Cassidy takes her two kids and leaves her abusive husband. She’s determined to face her fears and make it on her own. With an eye on her budget, she digs through boxes for items to use in homemade Halloween costumes and discovers a forgotten pocket watch from her Nana. This beloved treasure thrusts her into a new world where magic is real. As she learns the unpredictable nature of the timepiece plus the mysterious relation it has to books, she struggles to keep this newfound power secret from her kids, friends, and family.

Time is growing short for Kathleen Dal Sundi. Her title of Sunshine Bride means little if matrimony continues to elude her. If she is honest with herself, she is glad of not having a husband—at least not yet. Her Sīhalt Guardian has not deserted her. He is bold and brave and still holds a piece of her heart, even if he refuses to admit his true feelings. Kathleen relies on her betrothed, Prince Heathron, to help repel the Sulian pirates and protect her people. Is it too much to ask—given her wavering commitment?

Dr. Amir Hadad is being stalked. A stranger, hiding in the dark crevices of his home, whispers, “I can’t rest.” Alarmed and unwilling to risk his family’s safety, Amir contacts the police. Only there is no trace of an intruder, no marks of forced entry. If there is a prowler afoot, the police cannot find him. As the days wear on and Amir continues to hear the same disembodied voice speaking to him, he begins to worry about his health and sanity. The Irish lilt has escalated from pleas for help to threats against Amir’s family unless Amir does precisely as he says.

A delightful day in 1910 at the Haxford Spring Fair turns horrifying and deadly when a balloonist plummets to the earth from the blue skies above. However unlikely, it’s soon discovered that this unfortunate corpse was not done in by his precipitous plunge but instead from an arrow fatally lodged in his chest. Unraveling the twisted web of intrigue that took the man’s life requires the expert skills of Haxford’s brilliant and sartorially splendid Chief Inspector Pignon Scorbion. But the quirky detective is not alone. Aiding Scorbion in his dogged pursuit are his chosen deputies.

Evanston, Illinois, 1982. A group of students at a magnet high school meet to audition for the spring play. They are eager for the chance to escape their difficult everyday lives. Declan, an experienced senior, is confident he’ll get his first-choice role, but when the capricious, charismatic drama director casts Franklin, an unknown underclassman—and the two are seen alone at the director’s house—a series of events that will haunt the cast for years begins to unfold.

Looking Glass Friends is a story about finding your soul's reflection, the ideal person put on this earth just for you. But what if you are already married? What if you have kids? This quest for happiness lies at the heart of all our lives. Many of us face the choice that advances this story. Many of us know that our life will be utterly different in 20 years depending on the choice we make today. It is an intersection that changes everything forever.

Bertie’s friends are stepping it up. In order to de-sticky their wickets, they are asking him to impersonate themselves to country relatives, adopt a wayward infant, and even steal a marginally libelous manuscript. And to top it all off, Jeeves himself details his surreptitious plans for the young master to make an impromptu speech at a girl’s school. What’s a spirited cove to do?

When an aged watchmaker pits his two protégés against each other, the result is magnificent imperfection. The Rival Mechanicians has been lauded as one of the finest science fiction tales from the first half of the nineteenth century. The Western Literary Messenger declared it to be “above praise” when it was first published in 1847.

America is fat and prosperous. We’ve warred with the world and come out on top. We’ve gotten rid of the riff-raff. A new era is arising, change is in the air, and to top it all off, the first Government Lethal Chamber is now open and ready for its first occupant. The future looks bright in 1895.

An assassin is sent back in time to prevent the ravings of a religious zealot which, if left unchecked, will lead to absolute catastrophe. A master of the “Silver Age” of science fiction, Philip K. Dick won the Hugo Award in 1963, and the John W. Campbell Memorial award in 1975. Though he lived most of his life in near poverty, he is behind some of the most recognizable science fiction stories to date, penning the stories behind the films Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck, and The Adjustment Bureau.

Tom Sawyer is an orphaned boy who lives together with his kindhearted aunt Polly. Although his poor aunt takes good care of him, Tom grows up to be rebellious who comes up with a new plan for troublemaking every day. He steals snacks, comes home late, lies to his friends, tricks them into giving him various things and each time he manages to get away with it. But when he falls in love with a girl and tries to win her heart, he gets into even bigger trouble.

Allan Quatermain is a hunter who lives in South Africa. One day, after he returns home from an unsuccessful elephant hunt, he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. The two men are looking for Curtis’ brother, who disappeared whilst trying to find King Solomon’s Mines. Quatermain owns a map that show the way to the mines, so he decides to help Curtis and Good. Allan organizes an expedition that will take them to the edge of the desert.

A prisoner arrives at a trial before the Spanish Inquisition and is condemned to death. Upon his conviction, he faints and finds himself in a horrendous cell to fight off death. Still, this prisoner is not giving up that easily and describes his horrendous circumstances to the last detail. "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe is nothing short of grim until the very end.

A meteorite crashes in an area around Arkham, Massachusetts and normally life is interrupted. The earth is poisoned, the animals are driven mad, the products that grow there become tasteless. One man decides to find out what has really happened but the townspeople are not willing to give more details about what they have gone through. The explorer however meets a man named Ammi Pierce. He looks a bit crazy but he is willing to share what he has experienced.

Anodos is a young boy who finds a large and mystical castle with a big and impressive library. The library hides the secret story of the poor Cosmo who was a student at the university of Prague. Cosmo’s life changed forever because of a mirror. But it was no usual mirror; it was an enchanted and a beautiful girl’s soul was kept inside of it. Cosmo was determined to free the girl but was he able to? Read this short story and find out. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.