'I see Troy in flames years from now - because Paris brings disaster to us,' Queen Hecuba says about her son. Paris's father, King Priam, wants to kills him. But Paris lives, and later loves Helen - King Menelaus's queen - from Greece. When Paris brings Helen to Troy, war begins between the Trojans and Greeks. What happens when Paris's brother Hector and the Greek fighter Achilles meet in battle? Who wins the war, and how? Read Troy and find the answers.
'My name is Victor Frankenstein.' On a ship in the Arctic, Victor Frankenstein - ill and tired - tells the story of his sad life to the British man of science, Robert Walton. He talks of his family and friends in Geneva, and of his love for beautiful Elizabeth Lavenza. He speaks, too, about the terrible creature that he made from dead body parts when he was a university science student. He hates this monster, which has destroyed his life. But how does the monster feel about its maker?
'What's your job?' Yukio asks. 'I'm a sorcerer,' the old man smiles, 'and I need a young apprentice.' One day, Yukio - a young boy from old Japan - leaves his sister in the country and looks for a job in the town. He finds interesting work there, as a sorcerer's apprentice. But why must Yukio wait to learn magic? And what happens after he puts a spell on a broom when the sorcerer is away?
It's a cold winter's day, and a poor little girl can't sell any of her matches to people in the street. She can't go home with no money. But how can she stay warm? That 31st December, the little match girl sees rich people's homes, Christmas trees, and wonderful things to eat. She remembers also her kind grandmother – now sadly dead. Can the New Year make things any better for the poor young girl?
Perseus is the son of Danae, Princess of Argos, and the god Zeus. When he is very young, his mother moves with him to live on the island of Seriphos. Later, Polydectes – the king of Seriphos – wants to marry Danae. Perseus says 'no' to this, so Polydectes sends the young man away for the head of Medusa. Medusa is a she-monster with snakes for hair. Can Perseus find and kill Medusa? And what happens after he goes back to Seriphos?
'It's my garden,' says the Giant, 'People must understand. Nobody can play here – only me!' So the children leave, and the Selfish Giant puts a wall around his garden. After that, it's always winter there. Later, the Giant feels sorry for a young boy in the snow. He knocks down the garden wall – and the children, and the spring, come back. But where is the young boy now? And how can the Giant find him again?
'Senor Zorro is on the road again, they say,' the landlord began. 'Why do I always hear his name?' cried Sergeant Gonzales angrily. Zorro fights to help the poor and weak in California under the Spanish Governor's rule. Sergeant Gonzales has promised to catch and kill him, so how does Zorro always escape? And how will Senorita Lolita - the only daughter of a fine but poor old family - choose between Zorro, the exciting outlaw, and Don Diego, the rich but boring young man who wants to marry her?
King Shahriyar cannot trust women. Every afternoon he marries a wife, but the next morning he always kills her. One day, the Vizier cannot find any more wives for the King. What can he do? 'I can be Shahriyar's new wife!' says Sheherazade, his older daughter. 'God willing I can stay alive, and help the women of our country.' But how can Scheherazade stay alive for a thousand and one nights? And does Shahriyar learn to trust women again in the end? This famous 'story of stories' has the answers.
The year is 1757. The English and the French are at war in North America. Two sisters - Cora and Alice - want to visit their father, General Munro. They begin their dangerous journey with the handsome English officer, Duncan Heyward and the Indian guide, Magua. On the way they meet friends and enemies, and many adventures. Some people will be heroes and some people will die. And what will happen to their friend Uncas, the last of the Mohican Indians?
'He's an intelligent man. He was once rich and is now poor. His wife loved him once, but she doesn't love him now. And he's thirty or forty years old.' One look at an old hat, and Sherlock Holmes can tell you a lot about its owner. He sees - and thinks - a lot more than the people around him, and when a beautiful blue diamond disappears, Sherlock is the only man in London who can find it.
Tristan and Isolde are in love, but Isolde must marry King Mark. So a happy love story seems impossible...The lovers meet every day but then, one night, King Mark finds them together. Now Tristan must leave the castle, but he is badly hurt and dying. Only Isolde can help him. Can Isolde find Tristan in time? Can their love survive?
'Today you can go round the world in eighty days,' says Phileas Fogg. 'Do it, and I pay you 20,000 pounds,' says his friend Stuart. This is the beginning of one of Jules Verne's most exciting stories. Phileas Fogg must get back to London by December 21st or lose all his money. And with the help of his servant, Passepartout, Fogg travels in many ways - from train to elephant - and has some surprising adventures on the way.
