Showing results by narrator "Adriel Brandt" in All Categories

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in the UK in 1945. It is the tale of farm animals that rebel against the farmer, intending to establish a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. With stirring slogans, they set out to create utopia. However, the rebellion is betrayed and the farm ends up in a state worse than it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. This is the setting for one of the most revealing satiric fables of all time.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy novels by the English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic C. S. Lewis. Set in the fictional realm of Narnia, the series takes place in a fantasy world of magic, myth, and talking animals. It deals with the adventures of various children who play a part in the unfolding history of Narnia. The books cover the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.

The Lesser Key of Solomon is a “grimoire” or guide to magic, consisting of materials and texts from ancient sources. Parts of the content can be traced back to the 16th century when manuscripts like The Office of Spirits appeared and when occult researchers such as Cornelius Agrippa and Johannes Trithemius wrote about their discoveries. The Lesser Key of Solomon has seen several editions by various authors.

This collection includes A Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, The Mysterious Island, The Master of the World, and In the Year 2889.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis is a fantasy children's novel by C. S. Lewis, and the sixth published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia, to which it serves as a prequel. Set in England, the narrative’s frame story features two children involved in experimental travel through a wood between the worlds which gives access to a multiverse.

1984 is a novel by the British author George Orwell in 1949. The narrative unfolds in an imagined future when most of the world has fallen prey to omnipresent government surveillance, propaganda, and endless war. Great Britain has become a province of the super state Oceania, which is ruled by the Party, whose leader is called Big Brother. The Party employs the Thought Police to persecute individuality and independent thinking. Winston Smith, the protagonist, is an ordinary worker who secretly despises the Party and dreams of rebellion. 

Parzival is a romantic poem written by Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the romance was the most popular vernacular verse narrative in medieval Germany. Dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, the poem tells the story of the Arthurian hero Parzival and his quest for the Holy Grail. The most notable elements of the work are an emphasis on the importance of humility, compassion, and sympathy. Richard Wagner based his famous opera Parsifal on Parzival.

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 Greater Key of Solomon is a compilation of Solomonic magic drawn from various manuscripts of the 15th to 17th centuries. The Lesser Key of Solomon includes step- by-step guides for invocation, evocations in the Enochian language as well as definitions and explanations for the ancient terms used in the work. The Testament of Solomon is a pseudoepigraphical work in a first-person narrative, which tells the story of the creation of the magical ring of King Solomon that he used to bind and control various demons. 

The Stranger, also titled The Outsider, is an acclaimed novella by the French author, journalist, and philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960). Published in 1946, the book tells of a disaffected young man, Meursault, getting involved in petty crime which leads to murder and a trial. The themes include alienation, the fear of anonymity, and the lack of meaning. 

After chasing a “monster", the protagonists find themselves prisoners on a futuristic submarine called the Nautilus. Their captor is Captain Nemo, and the prisoners enjoy a wild ride on the Nautilus. Visiting far-flung regions of the ocean, they see amazing coral formations, sunken vessels, the Antarctic ice barrier, the South Pole, the transatlantic telegraph cable, and Atlantis, the legendary underwater kingdom. In the underwater forests off Crespo Island, they hunt sharks, but when the submarine returns to the Atlantic Ocean, giant squid attacks them.... 

Set in 2540 CE, Brave New World is a dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley that was published in 1932. The novel takes place in a futuristic society called The World State, where life revolves around science and efficiency. Emotions and individuality are conditioned out of children, and citizens are socially engineered into an intelligence-based hierarchy. People are kept in a passive state through their consumption of a soothing drug called soma, and trouble-makers are exiled to various islands.  

To Have or to Be? is one of the seminal books of the second half of the 20th century. Fromm's thesis is that two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity.

George Orwell was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic, best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel 1984 (1949). Animal Farm is Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution. The farm animals rise up against Farmer Jones and transform the Manor Farm into Animal Farm, an egalitarian society built on the credo that All Animals Are Created Equal. In 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith ,wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a state where the Party scrutinizes every human action with Big Brother.

Distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View from Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems - knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words.  

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.

"Reanimator" follows Herbert West on his mission to fulfill his theory - that the human body can be restarted after death. The series follows through many close misses, zombies, and demon summonings as West tries unsuccessfully to reanimate bodies.  

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

 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.  

Wallace D. Wattles was a metaphysician and motivational author in the New Thought tradition who wrote about various aspects of success, health, and fulfilment. His vision was of a complete human being who was healthy, purposeful, living in harmony with family and society, and wealthy enough to enjoy all that is good in life.