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He was a trusted aide of Henry VIII, but when he supposedly opposed the monarch's second marriage, he was thrown into prison and executed for treason. More than two hundred years later, he was canonized as the patron saint of statesmen and politicians by the Catholic Church. Philosopher, writer, diplomat, lawyer, Renaissance man, avid gardener, humanist thinker and statesman are only some of the words used to describe him. A lifelong opponent of Protestantism who was rumored to have had heretics imprisoned, murdered and burned at the stake, Thomas More is even today an enigmatic figure. Published in Latin in 1516, Utopia is Sir Thomas More's best known and most debated work. It begins as an apparently real account of one of More's diplomatic missions on behalf of his king. Some of the characters mentioned in this section are contemporary historical figures. In the course of his sojourn on board a ship to Antwerp, he meets a man called Raphael Hythloday who he assumes is the ship's captain. Hythloday, a much traveled raconteur is glad to share stories of his experiences in various exotic lands. He tells of his voyages with the famous Amerigo Vespucci and one of the strange countries he visited was the Island of Utopia. The book is divided into two parts. Sir Thomas describes in great detail the history, geography, demographics and politics of his fictional country. It is portrayed as the ideal state in all ways. A welfare state, it does not allow its citizens to own private property. Agriculture is the most highly respected job on the island and crime is almost nonexistent. Men and women do the same kind of work. They are trained in at least one trade. However, slavery does exist and is actively practiced in Utopia. Euthanasia is allowed and indeed welcomed by older people and priests are allowed to marry. Though divorce is permitted, premarital relationships are punished under the law. There is a community dining room where every citizen takes meals and travel within the island is permissible only by means of an internal passport. There are no lawyers in Utopia! Religions are many, but atheists are condemned. There are several such interesting aspects in the book. Such is Thomas More's vision of the ideal state. Scholars have attempted to understand his motive behind writing the treatise. Ideas such as euthanasia, noncelibate priesthood, divorce etc seem to have been diametrically opposite to the teachings of the Catholic Church in which he believed so strongly. Paradoxical also is his condemnation of the law and lawyers, since he was a brilliant one himself. In spite of these contradictions Utopia remains one of the most humane and interesting fantasies and a great addition to your repertoire.

Published in 1904, The Master of the World is the penultimate novel in the Voyages Extraordinaires series, by renowned French novelist and pioneer of science fiction, Jules Verne. The novel acts as a sequel to Verne’s novel Robur the Conqueror, and consequently brings back some of its most notable characters, including the brilliant, yet villainous inventor Robur. Set in the summer of 1903, the adventure kicks off when a string of enigmatic events have been reported in the western part of North Carolina, leaving residents in fear of a possible volcanic eruption, even though the Blue Ridge Mountains are known to be non-volcanic . This fear is instigated after residents had reportedly heard a deep rumbling sound and have seen smoke escaping the mountain. Consequently, government agent John Strock is assigned to the case, and duly travels to the site in order to investigate the strange occurrences and assist in the unraveling of the mystery that has left everyone baffled. The phenomena deepens with further sightings of an unidentified object that seems to defy all notions of speed, as the vehicle is seen travelling with an enormous speed that leaves no traces behind but a cloud of dust. Similarly, there is a sighting of a peculiar-looking speedboat moving at an impossible speed in the waters off New England. While on the search for answers, Strock accidentally stumbles upon Robur, the inventor and mastermind of the ingenious creation that is the cause of the widespread confusion. Captured by the somewhat deranged man, Strock joins him on board the strange craft, as Robur goes about his plan to become master of the world. Although some of the technological elements in the novel may appear quite mundane in comparison to modern technology, they nevertheless allow the audience to travel back in time and experience the groundbreaking technology of the early 20th century, and see for themselves just how far technology has advanced in such a considerably short period of time. Generous with his descriptive language, technological inventions, gadgetry, and precise geographical depiction of the United States, The Master of the World additionally fortifies Verne’s status as a highly imaginative and creative novelist in the adventure and science fiction genre.

This is volume 1 of 2. One of the most quirky, eccentric and endearing heroes to ever be depicted in fiction, the chivalrous Don Quixote is sure to capture hearts while bringing tears of laughter to your eyes. If you've never encountered the Knight from La Mancha before, get set for a delightful sojourn through the Spanish countryside, across the fertile countryside of Central Spain. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was an immediate success when it was first published in 1605 and won huge financial and literary success for its creator, an impoverished writer and poet. Cervantes' own life was extremely eventful and colorful. The son of a poor army doctor, young Miguel enlisted in the army and fought in Turkey and Italy. He was captured by Algerian pirates and sold as a slave along with his brother and returned to Spain after three grueling years, when their ransom was finally paid. His aim in writing Don Quixote was, according to his own notes, to describe the manners and mores of the time and to tell the story in a clear and simple way. The character of the tragicomic Knight was apparently based on one of Cervantes' own uncles who lived in the times of troubadours and knights errant. The plot revolves round the elderly gentleman, Don Quixote who is fascinated by the ideas of chivalry and noble deeds he has read about in old books. He sets out with his trusted “squire” Sancho Panza, in reality a simple village yokel. The Don who traverses the land riding a decrepit old horse Rocinante, proceeds to fall into a series of misadventures, but still keeps his lofty ideals intact! The more practical and earthy Sancho tries to bring his master down to earth, but to no avail. His master falls irrevocably and grandly in love with a peasant woman Dulcinea whom he imagines to be a damsel in distress. A series of zany incidents follow, with the Don slipping more and more into his imagined reality. Regarded as the first prototype of the modern novel in Europe, Don Quixote is full of satire, humor, irony and wit. The character of the Man from La Mancha is both endearing and exasperating, while being one of the truly memorable figures in literature. The book appeals to young and old readers alike and is definitely a must read for its literary and humorous qualities.

This story opens with a young woman who voyages alone into the wilds of Alaska to escape her tragic past. It then continues on to a young man who passionately protects the pristine environment, people and way of life in this snowbound country. Finally, a greedy profiteer arrives in the narrative whose only aim is to fill his pockets. When these three characters encounter each other on the stark and snowy plains, it's a clash of ideals and the sparks begin to fly. The Alaskan by James Oliver Curwood is one of his very engaging adventure romance conservationist stories and was an instant bestseller, like most of his books, when it was first published in 1923. Curwood was a highly successful writer in the early part of the twentieth century and was in fact, the best paid writer in the world at his time. His books were wildly popular and have been adapted for screen, stage, television and radio. Though he was a high school drop out, he wrote and passed a university entrance exam that gave him entry into the University of Michigan's English department. He studied journalism and discovered his writing talents when he worked on a Detroit newspaper. He fell in love with Alaska when he traveled there on a story and decided that he would settle there once he'd saved enough. He continued to write and travel often to his dream destination. His books proved extremely successful and allowed him to retire early to devote himself to his writing. From 1903 until his death in 1927, he produced novels, essays, short stories and articles dealing mainly with his favorite subjects: Alaska and adventure. Though he was fond of hunting in his early years, he soon became a conservationist like many before him and died at the young age of 49. His former studio in Ossowo, Michigan is now a museum. Curwood's writing style follows the great adventure story tradition of writers like Jack London who also used the Arctic and Arctic animals as heroes of their tales. His books have been translated into many world languages, including Swedish and Polish. The Alaskan is a typical Curwood tale, with wonderful descriptions of the Alaskan landscape, the wildlife, vegetation and local populations. The plot is studded with exciting twists and turns, memorable characters and is indeed a great read for young and old alike. Recent film adaptations of his 1916 book The Grizzly King and titled The Bear have led to a renewed interest in the work of this writer who was famous in his day, but is little known to modern readers.

If you haven't come across the 200-book series about Tom Swift Jr, this book would be an interesting one to start with. The series is aimed at the young adult readership, probably male, and the young adolescent hero, Tom Swift Jr is the son of Tom Swift Sr. The books portray the perennially 18-year-old Tom, a tall and angular youngster, possessed of a very high intelligence and presence of mind. Regular characters include his parents, younger sister Sandy, best buddy Bud Barclay, his regular date Phyllis Newton, and the comic roly-poly Chow Winkler. This star cast features in almost all the novels. Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X is an exciting sci-fi tale, in which the inventive and scientifically inclined Tom and friends have set up Swift Enterprises, a vast four-mile facility where inventions are conceived and built. They have established contact with intelligent beings on a distant planet and make preparations to welcome the first visitor from there. However, they're unexpectedly drawn into a deadly internecine battle between diabolical forces on the distant planet which aim to sabotage the visit and destroy Earth. Tom's quick thinking and inventiveness come to the fore as he develops a devastating weapon to counter the evil forces. This exciting tale certainly keeps you interested and engaged. The Tom Swift series is the product of a writing syndicate called the Stratemeyer Syndicate which published a range of packaged children's literature in the 1950s. Other series include the famous Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, all of which were penned by a host of writers employed by this syndicate. In fact the syndicate employed three PhDs in science and technology to ensure scientific authenticity. The series is still running and the last set was published between 2006-7.