The Village Rector

Honoré de Balzac

Forget the erroneous title, the central figure of this particular slice of Balzacs lifelong gift to literature is a woman of character, Madame Veronique Graslin. Honoré de Balzac (20 May 1799 18 August 1850) is considered to be one of the fathers of realism in fiction and has crafted a vivid picture of Europe during the end of the Bourbon Monarchy. The first characters presented are the shopkeeper Sauviat and his family. The daughter, Veronique, is beautiful and charming, a favorite in the entire quarter. When she is eleven she falls desperately ill with smallpox. Her beauty has been ruined by the disease and her parents love her even more and try to give her everything money can buy in compensation. A marriage to a rich banker is arranged. What causes Veronique to later live a life of penance?

The Vintage. A Romance of the Greek War of Independence

E.F. Benson

This is a historical novel. The plot of the struggle of the Greek people against the Turks for independence. All actions revolve around the clan Maniot, Mavromihalov, who are central to the revolution. The action especially focuses on Nicholas Vidalis, a revolutionary leader, and his nephew, Mitsos, who is 18 years old at the beginning of the book, and becomes a fierce fighter.

The Vintage of Yon Yee

Louise Jordan Miln

The novel is about a young woman of both English and Chinese descent, who must choose between lovers of both races, between East and West. Neither effort, nor suffering, nor experience can give perfection to any person, nor any race. Humanity, individual or herd, can only strive never fully triumph or to fulfill. But there are separate people, there are different people: vintage masculinity, vintage nation.

The Viper

Hulbert Footner

A collection of crime fiction short stories featuring Mme. Rosika Storey and her resourceful assistant Bella Brickley. Mme. Storey unravels complex cases with thorough investigation and an understanding of human nature. Her way to resolve the mystery is original and bring you in a new world. She is Madame Storey, like Sherlock has fantastic powers of deduction and understanding of psychology, and her secretary is like Watson though she doest have a degree in medicine. These short stories are written through Bella Brickleys point-of-view. It is definitely recommended for a wide circle of readers who want to have a couple of hours of fascinating reading.

The Virgin of the Sun

H. Rider Haggard

Haggard explores love, friendship, and women during an adventure across the Atlantic and South America. In The Virgin of the Sun, the author also explores the Inca myth associated with the rise of one of Americas greatest pre-Columbian leaders, Pachacuti. After several small adventures and misfortunes, our hero, Hubert, meets and befriends a strange man from a strange land. This story is filled with murder, intrigue, adventure and betrayal. It will definitely be remembered by readers for a long time.

The Voice of the City. Further Stories of the Four Million

O. Henry

O. Henry is most widely recognized for his stories dry wit, plot twists and surprise ending. But another major element in his fiction is his love of the American urban environment, as well as a keen appreciation of the rapid diversification that occurred in many cities in the early twentieth century. In The Voice of the City, O. Henry uses excellently written short stories and high vocabulary to convey a sense on New York. This collection brings together an array of tales about humble people trying to survive in a major metropolis. The author has created a myriad of heroes and heroines to serve as guides to this large city. It is full of some funny, some far reaching, and some heartwarming stories of life that make you smile.

The Voyage Out

Virginia Woolf

Rachel Vinrace sets out on a voyage from the confines of her home in England, where she is raised by her spinster aunts, to the exotic coast of South America in the early twentieth century. But more than just the physical journey from one shore to another, The Voyage Out is a story of the transformation of this essentially unworldly girl to a more self-possessed woman in love with the seemingly enlightened yet searching young writer, Terence Hewet. Her experiences, from a first kiss to a surprising flowering of real love, may inspire the reader to reflect on gender roles in society, love among intellectuals, and the strivings and sorrows of life. Some of the most lovely and illuminating writing flowed from Virginia Woolfs hand as she wrote the words to describe the conversations as well as the innermost thoughts of her characters. Complex characters, vivid and beautiful descriptions of the exotic surroundings, and very real human internal struggles all make for a brilliant novel that one should savor slowly and thoroughly.

The Voyages and Adventures of Captain Hatteras

Jules Verne

"The Forward Brig" sailed from Liverpool Port with eighteen crew members on board. But neither during the sailing, nor even for a long time after him, none of them knew the purpose of the voyage, nor even the name of the captain. And only having plunged far into the Arctic waters, the sailors learned that the famous navigator John Hatteras, who set the ambitious task of becoming the first person to reach the North Pole, was leading the expedition.

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Hugh Lofting

Tommy learns how to communicate with animals, thanks to Doctor Dolittle. Tommy finds himself with a kind doctor on a thrilling and dangerous journey to find Long Arrow, the native American and son of the Golden Arrow, who is considered the greatest living naturalist in the world. This is both an adventure story and a strong call for compassion for animals. The main character found a man in spirit and now they will travel together.

The Vulnerability Researcher's Handbook. A comprehensive guide to discovering, reporting, and publishing security vulnerabilities

Benjamin Strout

Vulnerability researchers are in increasingly high demand as the number of security incidents related to crime continues to rise with the adoption and use of technology. To begin your journey of becoming a security researcher, you need more than just the technical skills to find vulnerabilities; you’ll need to learn how to adopt research strategies and navigate the complex and frustrating process of sharing your findings. This book provides an easy-to-follow approach that will help you understand the process of discovering, disclosing, and publishing your first zero-day vulnerability through a collection of examples and an in-depth review of the process.You’ll begin by learning the fundamentals of vulnerabilities, exploits, and what makes something a zero-day vulnerability. Then, you'll take a deep dive into the details of planning winning research strategies, navigating the complexities of vulnerability disclosure, and publishing your research with sometimes-less-than-receptive vendors.By the end of the book, you'll be well versed in how researchers discover, disclose, and publish vulnerabilities, navigate complex vendor relationships, receive credit for their work, and ultimately protect users from exploitation. With this knowledge, you’ll be prepared to conduct your own research and publish vulnerabilities.

The Vultures of Whapeton

Robert E. Howard

This is a good book of four Western stories. The title story, however, is the longest. The Vultures of Whapeton suffers from a protagonist who is just a bit too manly and effective to be believed. Everyone who meets Steve Corcoran seems to instantly know hell just prevail in any kind of gunfight, no matter how outnumbered he is -- and then, of course, Corcoran goes on to do use that.

The Wallet of Kai Lung

Ernest Bramah

The Wallet of Kai Lung is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah in which the Chinese Kai Lung tells stories often to stave off some unpleasant fate, like Scheherazade. These tales of an unlikely but marvelous China are classic works of fantasy, with each story holding a story-within-a-story. Ernest Bramahs Kai Lung is a storyteller in an imagined China, telling tales of earnest examination candidates, corrupt mandarins, beautiful maidens, alchemical potions, grasping merchants, and assorted other stereotypes from the Western imagination of China. The China which Kai Lung inhabits has numerous features of the fantasy Land of Fable, and many of the embedded tales are fantasy; all are told in an ornate manner which ironically, often hilariously, exaggerates the old Chinese tradition of understatement and politesse.

The Wanderers Necklace

H. Rider Haggard

The book is full of unforeseen incidents. At the heart of the story is a guy who is much more honest and bolder than he seems. And of course there is love. Love leads this story, love strengthens it, and also corrupts it in a cunning way. This is a power struggle, a story about kindness, true friendship, sacrifice, conspiracy, and so on.

The War in the Air

Herbert George Wells

Bert Smallways is the unlikely protagonist, a kind of Edwardian Mod, not interested in a steady career, always looking for a good time, riding his proto-scooter down to Brighton at the weekends. When Bert is accidentally scooped up by a German fleet, on its way to launch a surprise attack on the United States, he finds himself with a front row seat to the greatest war that has ever been the war in the air! This new war is to be a different sort of war than all the wars that came before it, unprecedented in its ferocity and destructiveness. The art of war has completely changed with the coming of airplanes, which the author very eloquently brings out. The War in the Air is a story of the awful devastation following a conflict between two first-class powers with the resources of the air at their command. It is one of the most brilliant and successful of Mr. Wellss studies in futurity.

The War of the Worlds

Herbert George Wells

One of the most famous science-fiction stories ever written, The War of the Worlds helped launch the entire genre by exploiting the concept of interplanetary travel. Thirty-five million miles into space, a species of Martians sets eyes on planet Earth. With their own planet doomed for destruction, the Martians prepare to invade. Their weapons are ready and their aim is ruthless. The war of the worlds is about to begin. The War of the Worlds describes the fictional 1895 invasion of Earth by aliens from Mars who use laser-like Heat-Rays, chemical weapons, and mechanical three-legged fighting machines that could potentially be viewed as precursors to the tank. After defeating the resistance the Martians devastate much of eastern England, including London... The novel demonstrates Wells typical pessimistic outlook on human nature and offers a good deal of criticism on society and peoples ignorance and vanity.

The War Terror

Arthur B. Reeve

The War Terror is a detective novel by Arthur B. Reeve (October 15, 1880 August 9, 1936), one of his Craig Kennedy series, often regarded as American Sherlock Holmes. Each story features a fascinating look at life in the early 20th century, and even includes some action along the way. A major spy operation is deployed in the heart of Europe in time of World War II. Detective Kennedy lands right in the middle of it and begins his face off with Nazi secret service. But threads of this operation lead across the Atlantics, back in the United States. Where from do the Hydras heads actually grow? Read this enthralling war thriller and find out!