A Chicago Princess

Robert Barr

The Chicago Princess is a historical novel with a romantic line, written by Robert Barr. Robert Barr (1849-1912) was a British-Canadian short story writer and novelist, who published the first Holmes parody, The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs in 1892. A novel The Chicago Princess first published in 1904. After working several years in foreign affairs, and after winning and then losing a fortune, Rupert Tremorne is stranded in Nagasaki, at the end of his wits and in some debt. His only chance is to take the post as private secretary to the Millionaire Mr. Hemster, and to sail on with him on his yacht. Sailing around Asia is big adventure for anyone, but it is a special one for Tremorne, because besides Mr. Hemster and his staff, there are the beautiful Miss Gertrude Hemster and her companion Hilda Stretton on board. And suddenly, Tremorne has his hands full with those two ladies.

A Daughter of Astrea

E. Phillips Oppenheim

BEHOLD! cried Sabul Ahmid, with an upward sweep of his bare, brown arm, behold the Sacred Temple of the people of Astrea! I stood up in the boat, my portfolio under my arm. High on the mountains side, crowning a thick mass of laurel undergrowth, and flanked by a grove of deep, cool, byana trees, was the building to which my servant was pointing. The material whereof it was fashioned I could not at that distance determine. Only in the broad, tropical sunlight it flashed forth, a glorious and spotless white, as flawless and perfect as the purest marble or alabaster. Little minarets rose from the flat roof; and flowering shrubs, planted along the mountain terrace above, drooped about it, a brilliant scintilla of purple coloring. My fingers began to crave for my pencil. I turned to my guide with beaming face.

Drums of the Sunset

Robert E. Howard

Drums of Sunset was published in eight parts. Steve and Hard Luck, his newfound companion (or is he? The curious should check those back issues linked above!), are hot on the trail of a host of criminals ranging from Navajoes to a ring of counterfeiters. Pieces of the mystery that have plagued Steve for six installments are starting to come together. And oh, the CLIFFHANGER! Steve and Hard Luck are locked in mortal combat with a rowdy group of Native Americans.

The River of Stars

Edgar Wallace

During 1907 Edgar Wallace (1875-1932) travelled to the Congo Free State, to report on atrocities committed against the Congolese under King Leopold II of Belgium and the Belgian rubber companies, in which up to 15 million Congolese were killed. Isabel Thorne of the Weekly Tale-Teller penny magazine, invited Wallace to serialize stories inspired by his experiences. These were published as his first collection Sanders of the River (1911), a best seller. This volume, grouped with the Sanders Africa books of Wallace does not contain the usual Sanders-short stories, but is a novel, Sanders is only a minor character on the edge of the proceedings. Small-time crooks go to Africa to find a diamond river, but before and after this journey, they constantly get in their own way, with sometimes fatal consequences...

Sternentau. Die Pflanze vom Neptunsmond

Kurd Lasswitz

Der Roman Sternentau thematisiert den Besuch von Aliens auf der Erde. Auf einem Spaziergang entdeckt die junge Harda eine unbekannte Pflanze, die nicht von der Erde stammt. Sie reproduziert Elfen, deren Fähigkeiten bis zum Gedankenlesen reichen. Aber sind diese Elfen gut oder böse? Ein im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes fantastischer Roman.

The Man With the Black Feather

Gaston Leroux

There is something psychological about this story. The look of one of the heroes falls on a mysterious man. He was dressed in black, his appearance was the deepest despondency. Leroux did an excellent job of creating the bad guy we all worry about, which is really not that bad when you recognize him.

Better Dead

J.M. Barrie

Scottish-born author and playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM (9 May 1860 19 June 1937) first established himself in the public eye as a writer of childrens books and humorous plays. He is best remembered for creating Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up, whom he based on his friends, the Llewelyn Davies boys. According to historians of Barries life and work, Better Dead is one of his earliest pieces, it is a novel about the challenges of finding ones place in the world. It combines sly humor with a compelling plot with elements of mystery and romance. The main character Andrew is a young Scotsman who heads to London after university because the job prospects are so poor back home. He finds himself as a probationary member of a secret society which engages in the murder of those in society it deems would be, as the title suggests, Better Dead.

Dzieci

Bolesław Prus

Powieść Dzieci to utwór poświęcony rewolucji 1905-07. Autor przedstawił schyłkowy okres rewolucji i towarzyszące przegranej rozprzężenie. Kazimierz Świrski, 18-letni uczeń, organizuje tajny związek Rycerzy Wolności o programie niepodległościowym i niesprecyzowanych celach rewolucyjnych. Związek staje się wkrótce terenem działalności prowokatorów, bandytów i psychopatów. Inicjatorom ruchu pisarz nie odmawia ideowego zaangażowania, oskarża ich jednak o brak orientacji politycznej i działanie pod wpływem impulsu, bez rozeznania w rzeczywistości. Autora interesuje raczej problematyka moralna działań rewolucyjnych niż ich aspekt praktyczny.