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Cattle Brands by Andy Adams
Cattle Brands is a collection of 14 entertaining short stories depicting not only the life of cowboys in the wild, wild West, but also the harrowing skirmishes with banditos, thrilling shoot-outs, attempt at and the recapture of stolen chattel from fierce desperados, and much, much more exciting accounts that make one think it all actually happened.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
One of the greatest American novels and a popular culture sensation, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz depicts the adventures of the young Dorothy Gale, who is swept away from her colorless farm home in Kansas by a cyclone, and winds up in the magical Land of Oz. Trapped in an unknown land, Dorothy must find a way back home and subsequently embarks on an adventure and meets a group of colorful characters along the way. Serving as an inspiration throughout generations, the children’s novel has been represented through various cinema adaptations and musicals. The novel commences with the introduction of Dorothy, a young orphan girl who is taken in and raised by her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in their dreary farm home in Kansas. One day, however, a treacherous cyclone sweeps across the prairie and catches hold of the house while Dorothy and her beloved pet dog Toto are still inside. Afraid and bewildered, Dorothy and Toto are eventually set down in a mysterious land which they later identify as the Land of Oz. Greeted and commended by the small Munchkins, Dorothy is declared to be a good witch, because her house had accidentally landed on the evil ruler of the Munchkins – the Wicked Witch of the East and consequently resulted in her death. Subsequently, the Good Witch of the North also arrives to greet Dorothy and presents her with a pair of silver shoes believed to contain magical properties. In addition, she instructs Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City and ask the almighty Wizard of Oz to help her get back to Kansas. On her way across the land she is accompanied by the Scarecrow, the rusted Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion. Entertaining and intelligently written, Baum has effectively created a modern fairy tale forever embedded in the imagination of both young and old readers. Exploring the prominent and universal theme of “There’s no place like home”, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz does not seize to delight and captivate long after its finish.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare’s most well-known play is more than most people realize. While it is the story of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, it is also the story of two families in the middle of a bitter feud. Many people avoid the story because they believe it will be too difficult to read, but this is not true at all. Within a few paragraphs, the play captures your imagination and attention. Juliet is 13 years old and is love with the son of her father’s enemy. Her father has promised that she will marry another boy when it is time, but she refuses to accept the suit. One night, Romeo sneaks into a ball in Juliet’s home (in hopes of seeing a girl he is in love with) when he overhears Juliet speaking of her love for him. He steps out of the shadows and they decide to marry. They are married the next day in secret. It is discovered that Romeo snuck into the ball and Juliet’s cousin is angry and challenges him to a duel. When Romeo refuses to fight, a man is killed and Romeo is banished from the country. Juliet is thrown into a depression and her father decides she needs to get married right away. However, the Friar who helped Juliet marry Romeo comes up with a plan to get Romeo back and to unite the families. The plan unravels quickly, though. The story of Romeo and Juliet has everything that a reader could want. Like many of Shakespeare’s works, it has comedy and tragedy, but it also has love, family, duals, good and evil. Do not pick up the book assuming that knowing about the tragedy will ruin the story. The tale of how both families got to this point is one that will not soon be forgotten. The lessons of love and forgiveness are ones that are just as important more than 400 years after the play was written.
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
A lovely young woman gambling at a casino in Leubronn, Germany. A young man watches, fascinated from afar. She begins to lose heavily and leaves the casino. Thus opens the last and probably the most controversial of George Eliot's novels. Published in 1876, Daniel Deronda is also the only one in which the great Victorian novelist portrays contemporary society of her own time. There were only a few murmurs when it first came out, but later, they became a full fledged outpouring of resentment against what many readers felt was an extremely controversial stand on Jewish, proto-Zionist and Kabbalistic ideas. However, it was not just the non-Jewish people who were offended. In 1889, many Jewish people also called for a revision of the book. Whatever the controversies and difficulties that readers had and perhaps still have with the book, it remains one of the most hard hitting and objective portrayals of race, identity, politics, Imperialism, gender bias, religious tolerance and prejudice. The novel actually brings two separate streams of narrative together and they are connected by means of the character of Daniel Deronda, a wealthy young man whose altruistic nature leads him into all manner of troubles. He is the ward of an aristocratic millionaire and knows little about his own birth. Once he comes in contact with the Jewish people, he begins to suspect that he is indeed one of them. Though the title of the story would give the impression that the tale's focus is its eponymous hero, Daniel Deronda, the reader is taken by surprise to find that Gwendolen Harleth shares the limelight in equal measure. She is one of the least lovable of heroines in literature, yet her shallow snobbery, wit, the depth of her despair and her overwhelming narcissism (in one scene we find her kissing her own image in the mirror!) make her an unforgettable character. For her, marriage is a ticket to the higher echelons of society. Caught in an abusive marriage which she entered into for her own ends, she begins to depend on Daniel Deronda whose generous nature makes him ever willing to extend a helping hand. Scholars have noted that George Eliot (or Mary Ann Evans to give her real name) was probably influenced to write Daniel Deronda after meeting Emmanuel Deutsch, a Jewish scholar and Zionist. The character of Mordecai Cohen in the novel is presumed to be based on Deutsch. As the brilliant final work of Daniel Deronda, this book retains its appeal due to its gripping plot, the depth of social issues being raised in it and the remarkable characters.
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is part of the novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years After, published in serial form between 1857-50. It is also the last of the D'Artagnan stories written by Dumas and the three musketeers are the real heroes of the story, though the title is given to the man in the iron mask. The story opens with Aramis (one of the musketeers who is now a priest) taking the last confession of a prisoner who is condemned to be executed soon. His confession comes as a thunderbolt to the former musketeer. This mysterious person is actually the identical twin brother of Louis XIV. He was ordered to be killed by his own parents, Louis XIII and Anne of Austria, to prevent any future challenge to the throne. However, he is ultimately thrown into prison and has lived there ever since. Now that Louis has ascended the throne, he is condemned to die. Aramis is not one to let such a crime go unpunished. He enlists the help of Porthos. He feels that Phillipe being the older twin and thus entitled to reign should be restored to the throne and along with this, Aramis himself can also become the Cardinal of France. Devious plots are meanwhile underway, launched by the evil Superintendent of Finance, Fouquet. Aramis brings Phillipe to the palace, kidnaps Louis and substitutes one twin for another. And the story races to its gripping climax. In The Man in the Iron Mask, the final moments of some of musketeers is depicted very poignantly. Alexandre Dumas' story is based on some interesting historical facts. A mysterious prisoner called Eustache Daugher was held in several prisons across France and Italy, for 34 years under the custody of the same jailer who moved with him constantly. The French novelist Voltaire was the first to speculate about the possible identity of Daugher. However, nothing has been proven conclusively, though the story provided rich material for many conspiracy theories and novels. As a fast paced Three Musketeers adventure, The Man in the Iron Mask is indeed an exciting and interesting read.
The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Off the coast of Greenland, a man finds a floating thermos bottle. Wedged tightly inside is a sheaf of papers covered with minute handwriting. As he begins to read, a fantastic tale begins to unwind. The writer, on his way to a WWI battlefield was shipwrecked and his entire regiment except for a woman and his faithful dog are killed. The three are rescued by a passing British tug, but fall prey to the schemes of a German spy aboard. They are then captured by the crew of a German U-boat. After many near mishaps, they sail towards Greenland. Stranded, with fuel in short supply, they spot an island that seems washed by a warm-water current. As they sail closer, they spot a decomposing human body. Nevertheless, they decide to disembark. An amazing world greets them – filled with lush tropical vegetation, giant reptiles, exotic species and most frightening of all, a race of sub-human Neanderthals.... First published as a three-part serial in The Blue Book magazine in 1918, The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs is the first in his Caspak Trilogy. These stories are located in the fictitious island of Caprona, which is called Caspak in the native language of its inhabitants. Similar to the “lost world” novels of Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne, the book would certainly appeal to modern-day Jurassic Park enthusiasts. Burroughs, best known for his Tarzan series undeservedly earned the reputation of being a “pulp-fiction writer” although his books are well-researched and explore the dimensions of their characters. For this trilogy, he researched prehistoric studies, geography, biology and human development. The book has been adapted very successfully for film and has also been released in graphic/animation form, to be enjoyed by generations of readers and viewers. A racy thriller, filled with excitement, adventure and fantasy for all ages!
Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
This is the fourth of Burrough’s Tarzan novels. Alexis Paulvitch, a henchman of Tarzan’s now-deceased enemy, Nikolas Rokoff, survived his encounter with Tarzan in the third novel and wants to even the score. (adapted from Wikipedia)
Typee by Herman Melville
A whaling ship stops at a remote Polynesian island. The crew aboard is exhausted after a grueling six-month voyage in which they suffered ill-treatment and drudgery. Two men decide to abandon ship and hide on the island, living off the fruit of the land, until they can get on board a more conducive ship. However, to their consternation they discover that part of the island paradise is peopled by a savage and cannibalistic tribe called the Typees. As destiny would have it, they fall into the hands of the very people they dread. In time, life among the Typees seems very different from their apprehensions, till one day, one of the men mysteriously disappears... Typee by Herman Melville is reputed to have been the inspiration for various South Sea sagas by writers like Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London. Based partially on Melville's own experiences, the book is a blend of fact and fiction. He spent many months on one of the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific as a captive of one of the tribes. The book was received with some skepticism initially though many of the facts were corroborated by a fellow castaway. Today most of us know Herman Melville as the author of Moby Dick, yet in his own lifetime, Typee was his most famous and popular work. Modern-day readers may find some of the propositions about race quite outdated. However, Melville himself was a staunch critic of missionaries who tried to “civilize” the native races. He also decried the unwholesome influence of Western civilization on the people of other cultures. The book was published in 1846 in England and America, though many of the critical references to Christianity and missionaries were removed in the American edition. An interesting book which explores the different aspects of human culture and civilization besides being a tale of adventure on the high seas.
Star Born by Andre Norton
If you've read and enjoyed The Stars Are Ours, you will certainly enjoy this exciting sequel! Star Born by Andre Norton was first published in 1957, two years after the previous book and is in itself a complete and riveting read. The theme depicts an early inter-stellar flight undertaken by people who call themselves the Free Scientists escaping from an oppressive regime on Earth. When Pax, a global authoritarian regime takes over the planet, it deems all space travel illegal. However this small group flees before the rules come into force. Their spaceship runs into trouble while traveling over the remote planet Astra. The people on Astra are welcoming and friendly and the spaceship mission head, Kurbi discovers that they are descendants of Earth people who were once refugees like him. However, after the initial cordial reception, Kurbi discovers a sinister plot aimed at eliminating all human beings regardless of their origin. He meets Dalgard, a humanoid who is desperately seeking a way to counter these diabolical plans and save his people. How the two young men work together and discover their own sense of identity and honor forms the rest of this exciting book. Andre Norton, whose real name was Alice Mary Norton used several other pen names like Andrew North, Allen Weston etc. She started writing when still in her teens and began publishing in 1934. Her extensive body of work won her many awards and today she is known as the Grand Dame of Sci-Fi. Her science fiction writing was mostly published under the name of Andre Norton and she wrote in what is today termed the Golden Age of Sci-Fi, namely the 1950s. Apart from 23 series in sci-fi, she also wrote nearly fifty single titles and many short stories which were published in omnibus editions. Her work has been read and loved by four generations of sci-fi enthusiasts. An extremely prolific writer, she also wrote historical and romantic fiction and collaborated with many other writers in fantasy fiction. Her work is characterized by a clear focus on the characters and their experiences, which prevents her books from becoming dated like many other sci-fi writers, whose focus on technology and experimentation made them look old-fashioned to modern readers. In Star Born, she portrays many different species besides humans and this makes the interaction between them very interesting. Star Born is in many ways a coming-of-age tale, in which two youngsters grow and evolve into adulthood. This short novel (just 157 pages) also explores important themes like slavery, draconian governments, racial prejudice and many other human evils like war and destruction. A great read indeed!
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
It was published in 1893–1894 by Century Magazine in seven installments, and is a detective story with some racial themes. The plot of this novel is a detective story, in which a series of identities — the judge’s murderer, Tom, Chambers — must be sorted out. This structure highlights the problem of identity and one’s ability to determine one’s own identity. Broader issues of identity are the central ideas of this novel. One of Twain’s major goals in this book was to exploit the true nature of Racism at that period. Twain used comic relief as a way to divulge his theme. The purpose of a comic relief is to address his or her opinion in a less serious way, yet persuade the reader into thinking the writers thoughts. Twain’s use of satire is visible throughtout the book. Twain’s use of colloquialism(dialect) and local color as features of Naturalism to convey his theme, is impressive and ahead for his time.