2010 July

Mary Shelley’s classic work of horror and science fiction tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist who discovers how to create life. But when he rejects the horrific monster he creates, his spurned creation seeks its revenge.

Although born in the frozen wilds of the Yukon, the part-dog, part-wolf White Fang soon ends up in the world of men. But can the once wild beast put his past behind him and make the journey from wolf pack to human companion?

After meeting the well-to-do Miss Havisham, the young orphan Pip dreams of a better life as a wealthy gentleman. So when a mysterious inheritance comes his way he embraces the life he always dreamt of, but will his dream live up to his great expectations?

A moving tale of a man’s search for enlightenment, Hermann Hesse’s most famous novel follows Siddhartha’s spiritual quest through ancient India. Along the way he tries life as a rich man, poor man, husband and devotee of the Buddha, but only to find the answers he seeks lies elsewhere.

This dark tale set on the dark moors of Yorkshire charts the doomed love affair of childhood friends Heathcliff and Catherine. But when fate, betrayal and the envy of others tears them apart, the intensity of their love consumes them both with horrific consequences.

A dark secret lurks in the attic of the seemingly Dorian Gray: a portrait that ages instead of him. And while his outer appearance remains untarnished, his painted image grows ever older and more hideous reflecting the damage of his wild lifestyle. First published in 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a gothic tale of a man leading a double life that is packed with Oscar Wilde’s trademark wit and aestheticism.

Driven by intellectual arrogance Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov carries out the perfect murder. But while he evades the police, can he escape the torment of his own guilt?

Follow the boyhood exploits of the mischievous Tom Sawyer as he grows up in pre-Civil War Missouri. Tom’s adventures eventually led to him and his best friend Huckleberry Finn witnessing a murder, but will they dare risk revealing the identity of the killer?

Told through the eyes and experiences of one man, HG Wells’ sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds is a first-hand account of the Earth’s invasion by an advanced and seemingly unstoppable alien race intent of wiping out all opposition.

Telling the story of the French Revolution through the eyes of individuals swept up in the epoch-making events that surround them, A Tale of Two Cities is both historical and personal – a tale of love, redemption and sacrifice in one of history’s defining moments.