Classics
ADVENTURE,
MYSTERY & HORROR
Dracula
by Bram Stoker
Only magic objects -- a
crucifix, garlic, and a wooden stake -- can provide effective weapons against
Count Dracula's appalling power in Bram Stoker's famous, chilling tale.
Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
Swift's classic tale can be
read as a charming children's story or a sharp political allegory. Whether you
are in the mood for a LITTLE entertainment or for some BIG ideas, download this
eBook today.
Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
If you liked the movie but
have never read the original, here is your chance to read it for free! This
story of a scientist who is driven to create a human being in order to
understand the nature of life is particularly interesting in this time of
genetic engineering and cloning. Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in 1816,
but the fears she expresses are fears we are still dealing with today.
Journey to the Center of the
Earth
by Jules Verne
Looking for a little
adventure? Check out Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, a
gripping novel about two men whose trip across Iceland becomes a journey into
the living past.
Moby Dick
by Herman Melville
A rich, complex, highly
symbolic narrative that explores the deepest reaches of our moral and
metaphysical dilemma through the extraordinary tale of Captain Ahab's insane
quest for the great white whale. One of America's greatest novels.
The Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne
A pioneer of the now
immensely popular genre we call science fiction, Jules Verne wrote startling
adventure stories that not only vividly captured the imagination of the
19th-century reading public but are still read avidly today. Filled with
wondrous voyages, marvelous quasi-scientific equipment, and warnings not to
tamper too much with the natural order, Verne's novels are not only universally
popular but have proved to be uncannily prophetic.
Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight/Piers the Plowman
by Anonymous, William
Langland (Translation)
One of the oldest works in
the English language that still survives, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
is still an exciting adventure story. In a world of demons and knights, Gawain
finds that, in his quest to find the Green Knight, he must fight even stronger
forces -- his own temptation and fear. Piers the Plowman is William
Langland's vivid portrait of daily life, religion, and social injustice in
medieval England.
The Adventures and Memoirs
of Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Readers will find themselves
in 19th-century London, with its hansom cabs and foggy nights, in these
delightful stories of the famous detective, told by his friend and foil, Dr.
Watson.
The Life and Surprising
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
Based on a real-life
incident, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of a young man who yearns to
escape the mundane world and sets sail for a life of adventure in faraway
places. Defying his father's wishes he leaves on board a ship, then finds
himself marooned on a tropical island where he wrestles with his fate and
ponders the nature of God and man.
The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories
by Robert Louis Stevenson
Despite its many
adaptations, nothing compares to Stevenson's original short novel, which uses a
strange case of intrigue and murder in 19th-century London to explore the nature
of human character.
The Travels of Marco Polo,
the Venetian
by Marco Polo
One of the first Europeans
to visit Asia, Marco Polo recorded his experiences with the help of an admirer
he met in prison. This account can be read as part adventure story, part
historical documentation. Certainly, it influenced many future explorers,
including Christopher Columbus.
Twenty Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea
by Jules Verne
In Jules Verne's classic
tale, a mysterious sea creature is terrorizing ships. When they are tossed off
of their ship by this beast, three men discover that it is not a beast at all,
but a gigantic submarine. As they travel 20,000 leagues down, they uncover the
secrets of this strange ship and its captain.
White Fang and The Call of
the Wild
by Jack London
The Call of the Wild
is the story of Buck, a domesticated dog forced to become a sled dog during the
Alaska Gold Rush. Living in Alaska, he faces extreme difficulties and cruelty,
but he also discovers the spirit of the wild within him. When he finally meets a
boy who shows him affection, he struggles between the call of nature and the
love of a human.
The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
A mysterious stolen present
lies at the heart of this tale. Sergeant Cuff's search for the thief is
unrelenting, and the story unravels as a great detective novel.