Results narrated by "B.J. Harrison" in All categories

In this story, John Buchan explores Africa together with his friend Lawson. During their expedition, they find an astonishing place and they decide to settle there. But after a while John decides to leave Africa, while Lawson decides to stay. When Buchan returns, after some years, he finds Lawson in terrible condition and not willing to tell him why. However, Lawson’s warden, Mr. Jobson, believes that the problem comes from the grove of trees in their property.

William Dyer is a geologist who embarks on a long expedition to the Antarctic continent. The journey is dangerous but the strange things he and his group witness and find are far from what they had expected. The discovery mission turns into a fantastical and supernatural experience. Things get out of control when Dyer finds one of his colleagues’ camp demolished. The bigger part of the group is slaughtered, another man and his dog are missing.

"The Man Who Knew Too Much" tells the story of Horne Fisher and the burden he had to carry throughout his whole life. He knew too much about politicians and aristocracy, about corruption and covered crimes. The prime minister of England was a friend of his father, the foreign minister married his sister. Without even intending to, he found out many things about the private life of politicians, which is very different from what is presented to the people. The question is, what is Fisher going to do with all this information? B. J.

David Balfour is a young Scottish man whose parents have recently died. The seventeen-year-old orphan decides that the time has come for him to seek his fortune. Right before Balfour departs for Edinburgh, he meets with his guardian Mr Campbell. Campbell tells the young boy that he has a wealthy uncle living in Cramond.

Zorro is a mysterious man who always wears a large sombrero and a long black cloak. He covers his face with a black mask with two holes through which his sharp gaze follows everything that goes on around him. Zorro has some problems with the Californian governor, who thinks that the man is a thief. The governor is ready to pay a lot of money to the one who kills Zorro. This is where real problems begin for the mysterious man.

The swineherd John spots a tree outside the palace that it is so high it reaches the sky. It blossoms in the morning, by noon it bears fruits and by midnight they are ripe. However someone steals each and every apple and the king does not get to taste it. Furious, hr decides to find out who the culprit is. Find out the end of this Hungarian fairy tale in "The Tree That Reached the Sky". B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.

Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini is a scientist who grows poisonous plants in his garden. The only person who can tend to the plants is his own daughter Beatrice who has not only become resistant to poison but is also poisonous herself. Rappaccini and his daughter lead a secluded life, distanced from other people and reality. However, one day the young student Giovanni Guasconti sees Beatrice and immediately falls in love with her. Giovanni’s mentor Baglioni warns the poor boy but Giovanni’s feelings are stronger than anything.

"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." In the winter of 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a home in Northern England. When he meets his unfriendly landlord, Heathcliff, who lives in the old nearby manor Wurthering Heights, Lockwood is curious to know why he seems so troubled. By asking his housekeeper, Lockwood finds out much more than he bargained for. One of the most controversial and debated love stories of all times, 'Wuthering Heights' is one of those classics you just have to read.

In "MS. Found in a Bottle", one harrowing event seems to take place after another. Our narrator is a man who has become alienated from others and his country. He steps aboard a cargo ship from Batavia, which crashes into stormy conditions that send most passengers into the water. Surprisingly, the narrator stays on board, only to find himself face to face with a new disaster. During his struggles, he logs his experiences into a journal, which he casts off to sea.

Dr. James Mortimer asks Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for advice, after finding his friend Sir Baskerville dead. According to the official version, Baskerville died from a heart attack, but Mortimer thinks that something terrible happened to his friend. He believes the supernatural hound that has been chasing the Baskerville family down for many years is responsible for his death. Sherlock Holmes takes on the difficult task of solving the mystery surrounding Sir Baskerville’s death.

B.J. Harrison reads "The Purloined Letter" by Edgar Allan Poe, which is a story of an unusual mystery that needs to be solved. A sensitive letter has been stolen from the queen's boudoir, and the famous amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin has been called to the rescue. The guilty one is the lover himself, Minister D-. What ensues is a match between the detective and the thief, two equally brilliant minds.

Ali Baba and Cassim are two Persian brothers. Ali Baba barely manages to put food on the table for his family, while his brother lives an easy life thanks to his rich wife. One day, while chopping wood in the forest, Ali Baba sees a band of thieves laden with treasures approaching. They stop in front of a rock and the captain shouts "Open Sesame!". What happens next is pure magic. The giant rock moves to the sides and opens a portal which the thieves enter.

For Mr and Mrs Thackenbury it seems like there are too many holidays. They start talking about the hypocrisy behind all these holidays, such as Christmas for example. Yet, they love listing some of the people they would like to honor on that day and discuss what they would give to them as a present. After all, they really enjoy having a good time together. If you want to find out what else Mr and Mrs Thackenbury are talking about, read Saki’s short story "The Feast of Nemesis" from 1914. B. J.

"I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." When Benjamin Button is born he looks oddly like an old man. He's not interested in playing with other kids and he's too low on energy to participate anyway. When Benjamin turns 20 it dawns on his family that he is aging backwards. The younger he grows, the more he learns to embrace life.

Helen Stoner goes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. She is afraid that her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, may be trying to kill her. Helen’s sister died mysteriously two years earlier, right before her own wedding. Her last words, which Helen never managed to decipher were "The speckled band". Dr. Roylott’s best friends are a band of gypsies. He also owns two dangerous animals, a cheetah and a baboon, as pets. He simply scares people, and everyone avoids him.

"You won't know till afterward. You won't know till long, long afterward." When Ned and Mary Boyne hear that their new house is haunted, they laugh it off and joke that every good house in the countryside must have a ghost for it to be worth purchasing. They move in and forget all about its supposed supernatural quirks. But when Mary notices a strange change in her husband's behaviour, she begins to suspect a not so friendly ghost is indeed at play.

B.J. Harrison reads the classic "The Man with Two Left Feet" by P. G. Wodehouse. Henry Wallace Mills from New York goes on vacation and meets a dancer called Minnie. The two fall in love and get married. They have very different tastes: Minnie loves to dance, while Henry is an avid encyclopaedia reader. One day, Henry decides to get out of his comfort zone and impress Minnie, but things do not go as planned. The short story from the early 20th century offers humor for readers of all tastes. B. J.

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a short story by Washington Irving, tackling the theme of making a deal with the devil. The greedy and easily-corruptible Tom sells his soul in exchange for power and riches, but soon regrets his foolish, though absolutely irreversible choice. A typical cautionary and moral tale, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a central story in Irving’s fiction, emphasizing the problems of human condition, family issues, and decision making.

"The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu" is the second novel in the Fu-Manchu series, in which the villainous doctor returns to Britain in order to undermine the country's power. He has survived the previous novel’s deadly attackand is now on the move against the forces of good, embodied by detective Smith and Dr. Petrie, who always disrupt his plans. Fu-Manchu’s fanatical devotion to world domination and all things evil make Rohmer’s novel a joyride through the actions and thoughts of his superbly-crafted villain.

The infamous Baron Munchausen is capable of everything and anything. Escaping from a hungry lion’s jaws, shooting a male red deer with cherry stones or climbing a beanstalk all the way to the moon are but a small part of his adventures. Every new one is more surprising and exciting than the previous one. If you want to learn more about Baron Munchausen, do not hesitate to embark on this journey. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories.