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Books > Fiction > Special features > Classic fiction
Under the feckless husbandry of Mr Jones, the Manor Farm has fallen
into disrepair. Pushed into hardship, the animals decide to stage a
revolt, and, led by two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, they
overthrow Mr Jones and drive him away from the farm. In the
subsequent struggle for power, it is Napoleon who emerges as a
victor: he renames the place "Animal Farm", gets rid of his enemies
and, by the way he behaves - expecting to be glorifi ed above the
others and turning the screw on his fellow beasts in order to keep
them subjugated - begins to resemble more and more the former
rulers of the farm, the hated humans. Written during the Second
World War and published in 1945, this allegorical novel is a
carefully constructed critique of the Russian Revolution and a
sharp satire on the abuse of power. It remains unsurpassed both as
a document of its time and as a testament to the versatility and
creative genius of George Orwell.
'"The purpose, the illusion, the spirit of a waxworks. It is an
atmosphere of death. It is soundless and motionless... Do you
see?"' Last night Mademoiselle Duchene was seen heading into the
Gallery of Horrors at the Musee Augustin waxworks, alive. Today she
was found in the Seine, murdered. The museum's proprietor, long
perturbed by the unnatural vitality of his figures, claims that he
saw one of them following the victim into the dark - a lead that
Henri Bencolin, head of the Paris police and expert of 'impossible'
crimes, cannot possibly resist. Surrounded by the eerie noises of
the night, Bencolin prepares to enter the ill-fated waxworks, his
associate Jeff Marle and the victim's fiance in tow. Waiting
within, beneath the glass-eyed gaze of a leering waxen satyr, is a
gruesome discovery and the first clues of a twisted and ingenious
mystery. First published in 1932 at the height of crime fiction's
Golden Age, this macabre and atmospheric dive into the murky
underground of Parisian society presents an intelligent puzzle
delivered at a stunning pace. This new edition also includes 'The
Murder in Number Four', a rare Inspector Bencolin short story.
Translated by Constance Garnett with an Introduction and Notes by
Dr Keith Carabine, University of Kent at Canterbury. Crime and
Punishment is one of the greatest and most readable novels ever
written. From the beginning we are locked into the frenzied
consciousness of Raskolnikov who, against his better instincts, is
inexorably drawn to commit a brutal double murder. From that moment
on, we share his conflicting feelings of self-loathing and pride,
of contempt for and need of others, and of terrible despair and
hope of redemption: and, in a remarkable transformation of the
detective novel, we follow his agonised efforts to probe and
confront both his own motives for, and the consequences of, his
crime. The result is a tragic novel built out of a series of
supremely dramatic scenes that illuminate the eternal conflicts at
the heart of human existence: most especially our desire for
self-expression and self-fulfilment, as against the constraints of
morality and human laws; and our agonised awareness of the world's
harsh injustices and of our own mortality, as against the mysteries
of divine justice and immortality.
HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of
best-loved, essential classics. ' "...Take thy beak from out my
heart, and take thy form from off my door!" Quoth the Raven,
"Nevermore." ' This selection of Edgar Allan Poe's poetical works
includes some of his best-known pieces, including the triumphant,
gleeful 'The Bells', the tragic ode 'Annabel Lee' and his famous
gothic tour de force, 'The Raven'. Some present powerful,
nightmarish images of the macabre and bizarre, while others have at
their heart a profound sense of love, beauty and loss. All are
linguistic masterpieces that demonstrate Poe's gift for marrying
rhythm, form and meaning. An American writer of primarily prose and
literary criticism, Edgar Allen Poe never ceased writing poetry
throughout his turbulent life, and is today regarded as a central
figure of American literary romanticism. He died in 1849.
'A masterpiece of the genre' If you mess with the Glass family,
don't expect to live to tell the tale... What was meant to be a
straightforward jewellery heist goes horribly wrong, and the
thieves are forced to take a hostage to make their escape. But when
they discover their prisoner is the infamous Nina Glass - one of
the bosses of the most dangerous criminal dynasty in London - they
soon realise they have made a terrible mistake. Greed wins out over
good sense and the gang decide to make the best of a bad situation.
They send Luke Glass a ransom note, but they're messing with the
wrong people. The Glass family have other problems. The crooked cop
they have on their payroll - DCI Oliver Stanford - makes an
unwelcome discovery. The insider they had all presumed dead, may in
fact have survived, and still be feeding information to the police.
Under attack from all sides, and desperate to save his sister, Luke
has the reputation and survival of the Glass family in his hands -
is this the end of their empire? Three people can keep a secret -
if two of them are dead... Pacey, explosive and unforgettable,
Hustle is perfect for fans of Martina Cole, Kimberley Chambers and
Mandasue Heller. What readers say about Owen Mullen: 'Owen Mullen
knows how to ramp up the action just when it's needed... he never
fails to give you hard-hitting thrillers that have moments that
will stay with you forever...' 'One of the very best thriller
writers I have ever read.' 'Owen Mullen writes a good story, he
really brings his characters to life and the endings are hard to
guess and never what you expected.'
A new translation of one of the classics of Spanish literature.
This story of lovers, Calisto and Melibea, and their go-between,
Celestina, became the first-ever Spanish bestseller after its
publication in Burgos in 1499.
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