Narrator

Patrick Fraley

Patrick Fraley
  • The most dangerous magical object in the history of the world waits quietly in the treasury of a decaying Arabian palace. It knows your name and home and history and fate: it knows the past and future of the entire human race. It is a carpet, an impossible, dazzling carpet, and though a glance at it can drive a man mad, many will risk their lives to look into its pattern and discover their destinies.

    And when the carpet is stolen, it is up to young King Walid to recover it. Walid bears the scars of a terrible secret, a crime of pride and hatred, and the memory of it drives him on the quest. The search for the carpet will take him across the brilliant deserts of the Middle East, from a tribe of fierce bandits to the riches of Damascus to the love of a beautiful woman. And it will lead him finally to his own surprising destiny, one that even the carpet might never have predicted.

    Inspired by the true story of a real prince of pre-Islamic Arabia, The Legend of the Wandering King is a novel like no other, an original historical fantasy, a thoughtful exploration of our fates and choices, and an utterly thrilling adventure.

  • One of the greatest treats in all world literature, this masterpiece from Mark Twain is revolutionary. It offers both brilliant humor and tragedy as Huck and Jim explore moral dilemmas of slavery and freedom. Huck, the narrator, is shrewd, ingenious, and literal—he reports on everything he sees, which allows the listener to experience the hypocrisy of “sivilization.” This superb reading by Patrick Fraley is rich in the color and adventurous spirit of the Mississippi River. It captures the world and people that Mark Twain knew and loved.

  • The sun shines on Tom Sawyer. The idealized childhood of this fictional hero, based on Mark Twain’s own early life along the banks of the Mississippi, is filled with robust good humor and high-spirited adventures. Yet there is also an in-depth experience of the central South of the 1840s—its dialects, superstitions, and social values. While romping through fun-filled fantasy, Tom Sawyer shows how morally complicated real life can be. 

    This reading of Tom Sawyer is especially notable for the virtuoso performance of actor Patrick Fraley. Crafting thirty-six authentic “voices” to represent the wide range of Twain’s delightful characters, Fraley proves his storytelling mastery. Hear why this is one of the world’s best-known and best-loved books, appealing to all ages.

  • These ten treasured stories from the most influential authors of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries are selected for their literary importance as well as their dramatic, oral qualities. The following stories are included in this collection:

    • “The One-Million-Pound Bank Note” by Mark Twain

    • “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain

    • “A Visit to Niagara” by Mark Twain

    • “Mysterious Visit” by Mark Twain

    • “The Blue Hotel” by Stephen Crane

    • “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” by Stephen Crane

    • “The Eyes of the Panther” by Ambrose Bierce

    • “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce

    • “The Love of Life” by Jack London

    • “To Build a Fire” by Jack London