The Arc

From beyond the grave, Fu-Manchu reaches out to destroy the world
When Dr. Petrie saw a bullet enter the skull of the fiendish mastermind Fu-Manchu, he assumed England had nothing more to fear from the evil genius. But Nayland Smith knows that whatever became of the devil doctor, the sinister organization he served will go on trying to conquer the world.
Sir Gregory Hale, erstwhile attaché to the British Embassy in Peking,...

"Nostromo, A Tale of the Seaboard" is set in the South American country of Costaguana, and more specifically in that country's Occidental Province and its port city of Sulaco. Though Costaguana is a fictional nation, its geography as described in the book resembles real-life Colombia. Costaguana has a long history of tyranny, revolution and warfare, but has recently experienced a period of stability under the dictator Ribiera. Charles Gould is a native...

After Vautrin helps Lucien overcome a mental breakdown, the two men decide to align forces in pursuit of social status and wealth. Operating under an alias, Vautrin offers to help Lucien redeem himself and move back to Paris, with the condition that Lucien follows his orders exactly. Happy to comply, the pair return to the capital city, living in excess and racking up a debt as they pretend they can afford this luxurious lifestyle. With a goal of...

Unfinished epistolary novel. According to Wikipedia: "Jane Austen (1775 – 1817) was an English novelist whose realism, biting social commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech, burlesque and irony have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature. Austen lived her entire life as part of a small and close-knit family located on the lower fringes of English gentry. She was educated primarily...

"Jude Fawley, an impoverished stonemason, aspires to the ministry and fails to fulfill the opposite expectations of the two women he loves in Victorian society." *** "Marriage, the Church of England, and the British university system all come under criticism in a story about two cousins who love each other and want to improve their lot in life." *** "In this haunting love story, a couple who have each fled a previous marriage find love and fulfillment...

When Catherine Morland is taken to Bath to "come out" in society, she meets Henry Tilney, a young clergyman, and his sister. They are the children of the eccentric General Tilney, who when he meets Catherine belieces her to be wealthier than she is and arranges for her to visit his house in Gloucestershire -- Northanger Abbey -- to entice her into marriage with Henry. When Catherine learns that the General's wife has been dead for some years, she...

In the realm of classic literature, the name of Leslie Castle often occupies a quieter corner, overshadowed by the towering works of authors such as Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. However, in the rich tapestry of literary history, Leslie Castle by Anne Isabella Thackeray (later known as Mrs. Ritchie) stands as a charming and insightful novella that deserves recognition for its unique narrative style, character development, and themes that resonate...

"Persuasion by Jane Austen. What does persuasion mean - a firm belief, or the action of persuading someone to think something else? Anne Elliot is one of Austen's quietest heroines, but also one of the strongest and the most open to change. She lives at the time of the Napoleonic wars, a time of accident, adventure, the making of new fortunes and alliances. A woman of no importance, she maneuvers in her restricted circumstances as her long-time love...

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of London life and a reckless taste for flirtation. Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine...

Jane Austen's first published novel, sparkling with wit and artistry, captures the inequities of birth, class, and marriage faced by the sisters Dashwood. Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has delighted generations of readers with its masterfully crafted portrait of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Forced to leave their home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne must rely on making good marriages as their means of support....