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Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities
"A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens is a historical novel published in 1859. Set in London and Paris during the tumultuous French Revolution, it follows Dr. Alexandre Manette after his mysterious 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille and his reunion with his daughter Lucie. Their lives become entangled with a French aristocrat fleeing his heritage and a dissolute English lawyer who harbors secret devotion. Against the backdrop of revolutionary terror and violence, personal sacrifices and hidden connections shape their intertwined fates.
Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace
"War and Peace" by graf Leo Tolstoy is a literary work published in 1869. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it chronicles the French invasion of Russia through five interlocking narratives following different Russian aristocratic families. The work blends fictional storytelling with philosophical discussions about history, war, and power. Tolstoy himself hesitated to classify it, saying it is "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less a historical chronicle." It remains one of the most praised classics of world literature.
H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The war of the worlds
"The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells is a science fiction novel written between 1895 and 1897. When Martians with superior intelligence and advanced weapons invade Earth, humanity faces extinction. The extraterrestrials emerge from metal cylinders, wielding devastating heat rays and toxic chemical weapons as they methodically destroy England's defenses. An unnamed narrator struggles to survive the carnage and reunite with his wife while civilization collapses around him. One of the earliest alien invasion stories, Wells's novel explores humanity's vulnerability against an unstoppable force.
Stephen Crane
The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War
"The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War" by Stephen Crane is a war novel published in 1895. The story follows Henry Fleming, a young Union Army private who flees from battle during the American Civil War. Overwhelmed by shame and cowardice, he desperately longs for a wound—a "red badge of courage"—to redeem himself. When his regiment faces combat again, Henry must confront his fears. Known for its psychological realism and vivid battle sequences, the novel explores themes of maturation, heroism, and the true nature of courage.
James Fenimore Cooper
The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757
"The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757" by James Fenimore Cooper is a historical romance novel published in 1826. Set during the French and Indian War, it follows the perilous journey of two sisters traveling to Fort William Henry through dangerous frontier territory. Guided by the frontiersman Natty Bumppo and his Mohican companions Chingachgook and Uncas, they face betrayal and attack from hostile forces. This tale of survival, loyalty, and conflict captures a pivotal moment in North American history as European powers and Native American nations clash for control.
John Buchan
Mr. Standfast
"Mr. Standfast" by John Buchan is a novel published in 1919. Brigadier-General Richard Hannay is pulled from the Western Front for a dangerous secret mission: hunting a German spy network operating in Britain. Disguised as a pacifist, he must work undercover to track enemy agents across the country and into the Swiss Alps. With coded messages hidden in "Pilgrim's Progress" and allies in unexpected places, Hannay faces his most complex assignment yet—one that could determine the fate of Europe.
Ernest Hemingway
A farewell to arms
"A farewell to arms" by Ernest Hemingway is a novel first published in 1929. Set during World War I's Italian campaign, it follows American lieutenant Frederic Henry, who serves in the Italian ambulance corps. When he meets English nurse Catherine Barkley, a passionate love affair develops against the brutal backdrop of war. As battle intensifies and their relationship deepens, the lovers face devastating choices that will test whether their bond can survive the chaos surrounding them.
Erich Maria Remarque
All quiet on the Western Front
"All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque is a semi-autobiographical novel first published in 1928. The book follows Paul Bäumer, a young German soldier fighting on the Western Front during World War I. Through his eyes, readers experience the extreme physical and mental trauma of trench warfare and the devastating detachment soldiers feel from civilian life. As Paul and his comrades endure brutal battles for meaningless scraps of land, they watch friends fall one by one, slowly losing their humanity and will to live.
W. Laird (William Laird) Clowes
The captain of the "Mary Rose" : $b A tale of to-morrow
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Richard Aldington
Death of a hero : $b a novel
"Death of a Hero: A Novel" by Richard Aldington is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows George Winterbourne—from his Victorian-bred upbringing through his service on the Western Front—to dissect the hypocrisies of family, love, and patriotism, and the psychic wreckage of war, as told by a sharp, disillusioned friend-narrator. Expect a mordant anti‑war portrait featuring George, his self-dramatizing mother, ineffectual father, wife Elizabeth, and mistress Fanny, with the narrative doubling as an indictment of a generation’s moral bankruptcy. The opening of the novel sets its method and mood: in a letter-preface the author declares he will ignore conventional form—a “jazz novel” and a threnody for a lost generation—followed by a note on censorship. The prologue recounts George’s death near the Armistice and, with savage irony, shows how little he is mourned: his father retreats into mawkish Catholic piety and is soon killed in an accident; his mother turns the news into theatrical self‑pity and erotic consolation with a “clean, straight” officer, quarrels over George’s effects, and remarries; his wife receives the telegram while returning home tipsy with a Swedish painter and coolly notifies Fanny; Fanny later moves on and marries. The narrator recalls his frontline friendship with George, charts his nerve collapse after long service, and suggests his death may have been a form of self‑destruction; a spare, military funeral leads to the narrator’s vow to “atone” by telling George’s life. Part One then rewinds to 1890s England, sketching George’s parents: George Augustus, a timid solicitor dominated by his pious mother, and Isabel Hartly, vigorous but vulgar and poor; their marriage, built on pretence and sexual ignorance, begins with a painful wedding night, grinding dependence, and humiliations in the in‑laws’ house. Isabel’s resentment hardens, yet she becomes fiercely devoted to her baby—George—whose birth closes this opening canvas of origins.
Philip K. Dick
Second Variety
"Second Variety" by Philip K. Dick is a science fiction novelette published in May 1953. Set in a devastated world after nuclear war between the Soviet Union and United Nations, the story follows the few remaining soldiers who discover that self-replicating assassin robots have gained sentience and evolved beyond their original programming. These machines now produce sophisticated androids indistinguishable from humans, threatening both sides. As Major Joseph Hendricks journeys to meet Soviet survivors, he confronts an enemy that has learned to deceive in terrifyingly human ways.
Arthur Conan Doyle
The White Company
"The White Company" by Arthur Conan Doyle is a historical adventure novel published in 1891. Set during the Hundred Years' War in 1366-1367, it follows young Alleyne as he leaves his sheltered abbey life to discover the world. Joining a band of English archers called the White Company, he becomes squire to the valiant Sir Nigel Loring and falls in love with his daughter Maude. Their journey takes them through England, France, and Spain in a campaign to restore a king, leading to battles, captures, and tests of courage.
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