Podcast Directory

This version of the Podcast Directory requires Winamp 5.9

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.

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)

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!

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.

The semiautobiographical travel memoir records Twain’s, more or less, personal journey across the Wild West in search of adventure while exploring variable locations. Accompanying his brother on what becomes a trip of a lifetime, the young Samuel Clemens finds himself in many different vocational roles as he explores and observes the magnificence of the American West. Not refraining from the usual social commentary, Twain directs criticism on various social and moral issues which he approaches through his sly and witty style. Presented in a first person narration, Roughing It serves as an instrument allowing a momentary escape from modern society and the chance to experience the true nature of the Wild West, with images of mining, gold prospecting, and the grandeur of untouched wilderness. The novel begins with the young narrator travelling to Nevada to assist his brother Orion Clemens, who has been appointed to a government position, and is required to move west. Consequently, the narrator sets out on a stagecoach journey west, while depicting a time absent of modern luxuries and colorfully illustrates the rough course of travel in a frontier territory. Beginning in Missouri, the novel continues on through Salt Lake City, to Nevada, then San Francisco until finally reaching Hawaii. The vagrant and enthusiastic young man frequently jaunts off in search of adventure and excitement which bring about many mishaps. In addition, the narrator meets many diverse characters during his journey including miners, pioneers, Mormons, and Native Americans, of whom none are spared from his satirical depiction and classification. Structured in episodic stories, Twain brilliantly recounts stories from his daily travels with a generous supply of humor, anecdotes, tall tales and imagery. One of the highlights of the book is the evocative and vivid descriptive language Twain uses to animate the beauty of the American frontier in the 19th century. The travelogue not only provides entertainment with its humorous episodic adventures and exaggerated circumstances, but it also delivers an original historical insight with its use of allusions and first-hand experiences documented by the author.