Showing results by narrator "Josh Innerst" in All Categories

Francis Raven awakens on the eve of his birthday, frightened by the appearance of a woman attempting to murder him. He is continually haunted by this woman and years later marries Alicia Warlock, who looks strikingly identical to the figure from his dream. Is this Dream Woman simply an apparition or will her attempts to kill Francis become reality? Also known as The Ostler in earlier versions, The Dream Woman is another of Collins' finest detective stories.

Antonio, a wealthy and popular merchant, is in financial difficulty. He approaches a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who agrees to provide 3000 ducats, with a very curious bond – a pound of the merchant’s flesh, to be levied if Antonio fails to make a timely repayment. Feeling confident that his argosies will arrive in time to cover the debt, Antonio agrees to this bizarre transaction.

These notorious men controlled a large portion of America's wealth in the 19th century and helped to shape America as we know it today. Jay Gould was a railroad developer and speculator. He was arguably the most ruthless robber baron of the Gilded Age and one of the richest men of his era. Andrew Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry and sold his company to what is known today as the US Steel Corporation. At the height of his career, Carnegie was the second richest person in the world.

Duke Vincentino, the ruler of Vienna, fears that under his mild sovereignty, the people may have become lazy and lax. He decides to “go over cover” in the disguise of a monk and appoint his deputy, Angelo, who is a reputed paragon of virtue, as temporary ruler. On assuming power, Angelo inaugurates draconian provisions regarding sexual propriety. One of the first victims of this new regime is young Claudio, who has impregnated his lover Juliet, and is accordingly sentenced to death.

On the run from a detachment of Azkateri soldiers, Draven and his band of aimless rogues stumble across the ruins of an ancient temple complex, hidden within the forests of Istel`dar. Tempted by the prospect of treasure, Draven and his men find themselves deep within the necropolis, only to discover much more than they had bargained for.

"Marta Moran Bishop’s The Between Times is a terrific allegory, until the sucker punch. You think you’re reading a dystopian story set in some future time. Then you suddenly realize Bishop is writing about right now. The Between Times is a period in which we still have a chance save all we hold dear. Fail to marshal our collective powers, and we fail as a society, a culture, as a nation state, and the beacon to the world that America has always been is snuffed, never to be reignited." (Robert Blake Whitehill)

Learn about the history and philosophy of Stoicism - and how to apply its principles to your everyday life.

Six short stories appear in this second addition to the Fear series.