The Young King by Oscar Wilde

The young king is to be crowned tomorrow. He goes to sleep in the royal bed. He gets  three strange dreams. He first dreams that many weavers sit and weave all night long cursing the loom and toaiushhe young king. When the young king asks them what they are weaving for all night, in the dream, they reply that they are weaving the young king’s coronation dress. The young king wakes up with a cry and then sleeps again. This time he gets a dream that a lady is asking more and more workers go inside the mines and bring diamond. When the young king asks one of the workers, in his dream, what they are going inside for, he replies that they are going to take the diamonds for the king’s crown. Once again the young king wakes up with a cry and falls asleep again. This time he gets a dream that many workers go in a wooden boat searching for something in the middle of the night. He asks one of them where they were going in the middle of the night and he answers that they were searching for pearls to fit in the young king’s sword. The king wakes up. This time he sees that it is dawn. While he gets ready to wear his clothes for the coronation he sees that they looked like the clothes that came in his dream and refuses to wear it. Instead he wears a shepherd’s cloth. When he is about to take his sword, he sees the pearl in it and refuses to have that also. Instead he picks up a shepherd’s stick. When the young king goes to accept the crown, he sees the diamonds in the crown and refuses to wear it on his head. Instead he wear's a shepherd's headband. All the others mock at the young king but the king goes straight to the God for his morning prayers and after praying, when he comes out, the shepherd’s clothes look brighter than the gold, the shepherd’s headband looks rich than diamonds and the shepherd’s stick looks like a shinning sword. All the people look at him with awe and respect.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The Alchemist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Main characters: Santiago, the Alchemist, Fatima, Urim, Thummim, Melchizedek – the king of Salem and the English men.

Description of one of the Main characters: Santiago is a sixteen year boy who wants to follow his dream. He has many adventures while trying to follow his dream. At last he meets the alchemist who explains to Santiago about Santiago's dream and shows him where the treasure which came in his dream can be found. Santiago finds his treasure and becomes rich. He goes back to Spain, his home.

Whom I like and why: I like the Alchemist as he teaches Santiago to fight, to talk to nature and also helps him to follow his dream.

Whim I dislike and why: I dislike Urim and Thummim as they sometimes drove Santiago into danger.

Setting/theme of the story: A young boy named Santiago tries to follow his dream and while doing that he has many adventures. He meets the ALchemist who helps him follow his dream. He goes from Spain to Egypt and there, learns the treasure he was seeking was back in Spain. So he goes there again and finds the treasure. He becomes rich and lives happily. 

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Santiago escapes from thieves who try to steal Urim and Thummim.

Gladiator – Street Fighter

Title: Gladiator – Street Fighter

Author: Simon Scarrow

Main Characters: Marcus, Decimus, Pompeius, Gaius Julius Caesar, Portia, Brixus, Ferax, Milo, Bibilious and Festus.

Description of one of the main characters: Marcus is a eleven year old boy. He is the bodyguard of Portia. He earns Gaius Julius Caesar’s, his master’s, respect by saving the life of Portia and Caesar himself. He spies on Milo and his street gangs for Caesar as Milo is Caesar’s sworn enemy. At last, when he saves Caesar from his death, planned carefully by Decimus and Bibilious, Marcus earns his freedom from slavery as a reward. He sets about finding his mother, Amaratis(Livia).

Whom I like and why: I like Gaius Julius Caesar as he is very fair and not very cruel to his loyal servants. He gives them proper rewards. He does things for the welfare of the people. He is Portia’s uncle.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Decimus because he is very cunning. He tries to kill Julius Caesar by giving poison. But Marcus finds that it contains poison and pushes it out of Caesar’s hand in time.

Setting/theme of the story: As Marcus becomes the slave of Caesar and is the bodyguard of Portia, he comes to Caesar’s house in Rome. He is trained by Festus, a soldier in Caesar’s army. Marcus learns to fight with all kinds of weapons quickly. He saves Portia’s life when two kidnappers from Milo’s street gangs try to kidnap her. As Caesar’s spy, he goes to the pit – where Milo and his street gangs live – and works as a house slave in Milo’s house. He hears all the secrets spoken by Milo and Bibilius and tells them to Caesar. He saves Caesar’s life when Decimus tries to give Caesar poison. Later Bibilious challenges Caesar to call a fight, with one of their gladiators versus Marcus, if he dares. So Marcus is sent into the arena and he meets his old enemy Ferax as his opponent again. This time he kills the celt and earns Caesar even more glory from the people. So, Caesar gives him freedom from his slavery as  reward for being loyal and serving him. Marcus sets bout finding his mother, Amaratis(Livia).

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part where the street gangs of the pit fight with the street gangs of Rome.

Gladiator – Fight for Freedom

Title : Gladiator – Fight for Freedom

Author: Simom Scarrow.

Main characters: Marcus, Titus, Amaratis (Livia), Decimus, Pompeius, Spartacus, Gaius Julius Caesar, Portia, Porcino, Brixus, Phyrus, Pelleneus, Spiro, Taurus, Amatus and Ferax.

Description of one of the main characters: Titus is a centurian working for Rome under Pompeius, the Great. He pretends to be the father of Marcus. He borrows a lot of money from Decimus that he couldn’t return it. So Titus is killed by Decimus’s men, and Marcus and his mother, Livia, are taken as slaves. Titus is a kind and fair man. He was centurion of the 17^th century. He fought on Rome’s side and during the slave’s revolt. He once saved Pompeius’s life.

Whom I like and why: I like Phyrus. He is strong and bulky. When Phyrus was a little boy he was sold to an Athenian woman as a household slave. He is originally from Rhodes, not Athens. Phyrus is kind and soft. He hates Ferax as Ferax is a bully. Phyrus likes Marcus and Pelleneus very much.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Ferax as he is a bully. Ferax is a huge celt. He is strong. He is the sworn enemy of Marcus. He gets defeated, in front of Gaius Julius Caesar and Caesar’s family, by Marcus. After that he is teased by the class by calling him ‘mouse bait’(he is nicknamed 'mouse bait' as he is spared from death by Marcus).

Setting/theme of the story: A eleven year old boy, named Marcus stays with his father, Titus a centurian who faought under Pompeius in the slave revolt, in a farm. Titus borrows too much money from Decimus, so Decimus's men kill Titus and take Marcus and his mother Livia as slaves. Marcus escapes and his mother gets caught. He travels from Dyrrhacium to Brundicium in a ship named Fairwind. While travelling, a lanista named Porcino buys him as a slave for a hundred and fifty denarii. Marcus is taken to a gladiator school and is trained to be a gadiator. He gets a celt enemy named Ferax. Amatus trains Marcus very well. One day when Gaius Julius Caesar comes with his family to look at the Gladiator school, Ferax and Marcus are in a deadly fight. One of the Caesar’s family members sees it and wants it as a special programme. During the fight in the arena, Marcus defats Ferax. Caesar orders Marcus to fight with wolves. Marcus fights with wolves and while trying to kill them, Caesar’s niece, Portia, falls into the arena. Marcus saves her by killing the wolves. So, Julius Caesar decides to make Marcus as Portia’s body guard. While travelling from the Gladiator’s school to Rome, Brixus, one of the slaves who had escaped from Porcino’s house met Marcus. Brixus had always been Marcus’s favorite. Marcus knew that Brixus had fought in the slave revolt supporting the slaves. While they meet Brixus tells Marcus that Marcus is Spartacus’s son and not Titus’s son. Though Marcus didn't want to believe the news, he knows whatever Brixus said was true. Marcus was born a slave and is a slave.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Marcus fights all the men on the Fairwind single handedly to get a loaf of bread.

Wisha Wozzriter

Title: Wisha Wozzariter

Author: Payal Kapadia

Main Characters: Bookworm, Wisha Wozzariter, Pruforck, Mr. Frugal and Sikes.

Description of one of the main characters: The Bookworm shows Wisha where to get her heroes, where to get a new idea, where to find her own style and finally stop wishing and start writing. He shows her how to end her story. He helps her by giving her observation spectacles and by showing her the thought express.

Whom I dislike and why: I like Prufrock very much. She is a mouse. She saves Wisha when Sikes tries to kill her. She is the hero of Wisha.

Whom I dislike and why: I dislike Sikes because he tries to kill Wisha for the ‘Card of Luck’.

Setting/theme of the story: Wisha Wozzariter loves to read books. She always wishes she is a writer. Then she suddenly meets a bookworm. The bookworm takes her on the marketplace of Ideas, to the thrift shop where she gets Prufrock and at last he makes  her eat the Truth Sandwich, which tells her the story she has to write – the story of how she became a writer. Wisha stops wishing and starts writing.

Part I enjoyed the most:

I enjoyed the part when Pruforck bites Spike in the leg when he tries to kill Wisha and steal the 'Card of Luck.'

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde

"He met with a severe fall" from Wallace Goldsmith's illustrations to Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville was still in the Canterville Chase which the Otis family from America had bought from Lord Canterville. The Otis family were sure that there was nothing called ghost. They told Lord Canterville that they would be happy to buy a ghost and have it at home, if there was any. The ghost first tried to make blood stains in the living room. But Washington Otis rubbed the stain off using Pinkerton’s champion stain remover and Paragon Detergent, an American product. Next, the ghost tried to frighten Mr.Otis by rattling his rusty chains. But Mr.Otis advised the ghost to use Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator, another American product and told the ghost not to disturb again. When the Canterville ghost angrily flung the bottle and broke it, the twins woke up and flung pillows at the ghost. Next the ghost tried to frighten Mrs.Otis by laughing its weird loud laughter but Mrs.Otis thought that it was because of indigestion and suggested a product from America. The ghost got tired of trying to frighten the new family from America. Only Virginia Otis did not advise, comment or tease the ghost. So the ghost approached Virginia and asked her to free him from being a ghost. So young Virginia went with the ghost to the place where the ghosts die and let him free there. Virginia came back home and told her family about the death of the Canterville ghost. The Otis family felt sad.


The part I enjoyed the most in ‘The Canterville Ghost’ is when Mr.Otis said that considering the length of time the ghost was there in that house, it was not polite for the twins to throw pillows at the ghost.

Kane Chronicles : The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Djed pillar, and ancient Egyptian symbol meaning 'stability', is the symbolic backbone of the god Osiris. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

bw version of the Eye of Horus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Title: Kane Chronicles : The Red Pyramid

Author: Rick Riordan

Main Characters: Carter Kane, Sadie Kane, Julius Kane, Amos, Zia, Iskander, Isis, Bast, Horus, Set, Nephthys, Khufu, Thoth, Anubis, Osiris, Desjardins, Apophis and Ra.

Description of one the main characters: Julius Kane is a brilliant scientist. He is also a magician of the House of life. He is from the ancient blood of pharohs. He tries to bring back Osiris, but unfortunately brings back all the five major Gods of Egypt including the Set, the evil God of chaos. Set, imprisons Orisis and Julius Kane, in a golden coffin.

Whom I like and why: I like Bast very much. She protects Sadie and Carter when they go on a quest to the old Egyptian king. Bast had fought Apophis when she was younger. She was imprisoned with Apophis, the evil, so that she could always fight him and keep him away from the mortal world.

Setting/Theme of the story: When Sadie, Carter and their father Julius Kane go on a outing to the British museum Julius Kane blows up the old Rosetta stone in the museum and unleashes the five Gods of Egypt including Set, the evil God of chaos. Set traps Julius with Osiris in a golden coffin. Sadie and Carter flee for their lives. They meet their uncle, Amos, and stays with him in the House of Life, Twenty-first Nome in Brooklyn. Muffin turns into Bast, the Goddess of Cats, who protects the two children in their terrifying quest to save their father. During the quest they visit the first Nome where Iskander teaches them some magic. They become friends with Zia. Then, suddenly Iskander dies and Desjardins wants to kill Sadie and Carter. Zia help them escape. Finally Sadie and Carter understands that they are hosts of Horus and Isis. They fight Set and free Osiris. Their father becomes the host of Osiris. They go back to the twenty-first Nome in Brooklyn.

Part I enjoyed the most: I enjoyed the part when Sadie and Carter make Set swear that he will help them and the other Gods. They also make him swear that he will not trouble the mortals. He is sent ack into the Duat, the residence of Gods.

My First Novel : Wizile

I have published my first novel as an ebook and sharing it free for your reading. Please read the novel and share your comments here. My brother Sanjay Varadharajan did the illustrations.