Things Fall Apart
What if the very traditions that forged your identity could crumble in the blink of an eye? In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo, a warrior clinging to pride in a world shifting beneath his feet, battles to uphold his legacy as colonial shadows encroach on his homeland. But when culture collides with change and defiance dances with despair, will his fire consume him—or light the way for those left behind? Some truths refuse to be buried… and some falls rewrite history.
- Originally Published: 1958
- Publisher: Penguin Books, 1994
- Genre: Novel
- Pages: 209
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780385474542
- Access: Members
The House of the Dead
What if survival demanded surrendering your very soul? In The House of the Dead, Aleksandr Petrovich, a disgraced nobleman, navigates the merciless chaos of a Siberian prison camp—where brutality collides with fleeting humanity, and every act of defiance could cost his sanity. As he teeters between revulsion and unexpected kinship with fellow convicts, one haunting truth emerges: the bars of captivity are not iron, but the shadows within. Will his awakening redeem him… or condemn him to a fate worse than chains?
- Originally Published: 1861
- Publisher: Dover Publications, 2004
- Genre: Fiction
- Pages: 446
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN-13: 978-0486434094
- Access: Members
Frankenstein
What if the spark of life you ignited turned into a nightmare you couldn’t control? In Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but tormented scientist, shatters the boundaries of nature to breathe life into his darkest ambition—only to unleash a haunting force that mirrors humanity’s deepest fears. As obsession twists into terror and creation confronts creator, one question remains: Is the true monster born of flesh… or the ruin of a soul that dared to play God?
- Originally Published: 1818
- Publisher: Wordsworth Classics, 1992
- Genre: Fiction
- Pages: 174
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781853260230
- Access: Members
Macbeth
What if a single prophecy could unravel your soul? Macbeth, a noble warrior, grapples with this torment when a chilling prediction ignites a spiral of ambition and moral decay. As crowns are seized and alliances fracture, his conscience battles a hunger for power—but in a world where fate whispers and blood stains, can any victory outweigh the cost? Will you dare witness how far a man will fall before his own shadow devours him?
- Originally Published: 1606
- Publisher: Wordsworth Classics, 1992
- Genre: Tragedy
- Pages: 128
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781853260353
- Access: Members
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
What if the monster you fear most is the one you’ve locked inside yourself? In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a brilliant but tormented scientist unleashes a dangerous experiment to split his soul—only to find his darkest impulses taking violent, uncontrollable form. But as the line between man and monster dissolves, will his final act save humanity… or prove that the true horror was hiding in the mirror all along?
- Originally Published: 1886
- Publisher: Vintage Classics Library, 2016
- Genre: Gothic, Horror
- Pages: 240
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781784871604
- Access: Members
Hamlet
What if avenging your father’s death meant unraveling your own soul? Prince Hamlet is consumed by grief—until a spectral revelation demands he confront a kingdom’s rot of betrayal and murder. As masks of sanity slip and blades glint in shadows, every choice bleeds into treachery, love, and the crushing weight of existence itself. But in a court where lies taste like truth, can vengeance ever heal—or will it devour the avenger alive?
- Originally Published: 1623
- Publisher: Wordsworth Classics, 1992
- Genre: Tragedy, Shakespearean tragedy
- Pages: 200
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781853260094
- Access: Members
The Picture of Dorian Gray
What if your reflection held all your sins while you stayed forever young? In Oscar Wilde’s tale of gothic horror, the dazzling Dorian Gray trades his soul for ageless beauty, his portrait decaying with every indulgence as he remains untouched by time. But as hedonism spirals into horror and the canvas whispers his darkest truths, one question remains: when the final brushstroke falls, will salvation—or damnation—stare back?
- Originally Published: 1890
- Publisher: SF Classic, 2020
- Genre: Gothic fiction
- Pages: 254
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1774378359
- Access: Members
Notes From Underground
What if the most dangerous prison wasn’t around you—but inside your own mind? Notes From Underground plunges into the fractured psyche of a nameless outcast whose razor-sharp intellect dissects society’s illusions, even as his self-loathing traps him in a spiral of spite and despair. As he oscilliates between rebellion and paralysis, mocking the world and himself, one chilling question remains: Will enlightenment save him… or devour what’s left of his soul?
- Originally Published: April 1864
- Publisher: Wordsworth Classics, 2015
- Genre: Fiction, Novella
- Pages: 168
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9781840225778
- Access: Members
Heart of Darkness
What if the greatest darkness you must face isn’t the wilderness—but the abyss inside yourself? In Heart of Darkness, a steamboat captain’s quest to find a rogue ivory trader spirals into a harrowing voyage upriver, where the jungle’s suffocating grip mirrors the rot of greed and imperialism. As whispers of the enigmatic Kurtz unravel into a nightmare, one chilling truth emerges: the line between civilization and savagery is as thin as a shadow… and what stares back from the void might wear your own face.
- Originally Published: April, 1899
- Publisher: Collins Classics, 2016
- Genre: Fiction, Novella
- Pages: 130
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780007368624
- Access: Members
Mrs Dalloway
What if the echoes of a single day could unravel the fragile tapestry of your existence? In Mrs Dalloway, Clarissa Dalloway, a society hostess cloaked in poise, navigates a whirlwind of hidden regrets and fleeting connections as she prepares a party that masks decades of silent yearning. Yet when the shadows of war, lost chances, and a tormented stranger’s fate pierce her polished world, will the chime of midnight bring liberation—or unravel the threads binding her to life itself? What truths lie buried beneath the roses and champagne… and who will survive their blooming?
- Originally Published: May 14, 1925
- Publisher: Vintage Classics Library, 2016
- Genre: Novel, Psychological Fiction
- Pages: 172
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1784871697
- Access: Members
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
What if freedom was a thoughtcrime—and your own mind betrayed you? In a suffocating world of perpetual war and omnipresent surveillance, Winston Smith dares to keep a forbidden diary, cling to forbidden love, and whisper the ultimate rebellion: 2 + 2 = 4. But as the Thought Police close in and reality itself bends to the Party’s will, one question chills the bone: If even your memories can be rewritten, what becomes of truth—and does defiance doom you, or make you human?
- Originally Published: June 8, 1949
- Publisher: Penguin Books, 2008
- Genre: Science fiction, Dystopian Fiction, Social science fiction, Political fiction
- Pages: 1231
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0241969694
- Access: Members
Brave New World
What if your deepest desires were manufactured—and your free will, a flaw to be erased? In Brave New World, a society thrives on engineered harmony, its citizens numbed by pleasure and oblivious to the chains of their perfection—until one man dares to question the void behind the smiles. But as his rebellion unearths the rot beneath utopia’s gleaming surface, will awakening to the truth save humanity… or doom it to collapse? Is a world without pain worth living in if it means losing your soul—or have we already surrendered ours?
- Originally Published: 1932
- Publisher: Vintage Classics, 2004
- Genre: Novel, Science fiction, Dystopian Fiction
- Pages: 229
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0099477464
- Access: Members
The Brothers Karamazov
What if the truth could damn your soul as easily as save it? In this searing masterpiece, three brothers—a reckless sensualist, a tormented intellectual, and a devout novice—are ensnared in their father’s murder, a crime that unravels their fragile bonds and forces them to confront faith, freedom, and the darkest corners of human desire. As secrets fester and motives blur, Dostoyevsky whispers: If God is dead, is every sin justified—or does redemption lie in the wreckage of our choices?
- Originally Published: November 1880
- Publisher: Penguin Classic, 2003
- Genre: Novel
- Pages: 1056
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0679410034
- Access: Prime Membership
Little Women
What if the bonds of sisterhood were the only thing standing between you and a world determined to define your destiny? In Little Women, the March sisters defy crumbling fortunes, societal constraints, and their own clashing dreams as they forge paths in a nation torn by war and transformation. But when love and ambition collide with a devastating choice, how much can one family sacrifice before the life they’ve fought for unravels forever?
- Originally Published: 1868
- Publisher: Aladdin, 2019
- Genre: Novel
- Pages: 530
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-1534462205
- Access: Members
Animal Farm
What if freedom became just another cage? When the oppressed animals of Manor Farm overthrow their human masters, they vow to create a world of equality—only to watch their revolution devoured by cunning pigs who rewrite history and enforce tyranny with iron hooves. But as ideals crumble and loyal comrades vanish, one chilling truth echoes: All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others… How far would you go to believe the lie?
- Originally Published: August 1945
- Genre: Novella, Political Satire
- Pages: 101
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 9780451526342
- Access: Members
The Catcher in the Rye
What if everyone is a phony—and you’re the only one who can’t pretend? In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, disillusioned teen Holden Caulfield bolts from his prep school into the labyrinth of 1940s New York, determined to outrun a world drowning in hypocrisy. But as every fleeting encounter sharpens his ache for connection, will his crusade to shield innocence lead to salvation… or shatter the last fragile thread keeping him from the edge? How long can you flee adulthood when it’s the shadow you can’t escape?
- Originally Published: July 1951
- Publisher: Penguin, 1994
- Genre: Novel
- Pages: 192
- Book Type: Hardcopy
- ISBN: 978-0140237504
- Access: Members
