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"Are we rising again?" "No. On the contrary." "Are we descending?" "Worse than that, captain! We are falling!" Five prisoners of war escape in an air balloon during a siege. They are blown way off course and days later they crash on a seemingly deserted island. In time, they manage to make a decent life for themselves on the island, but one day they see a pirate ship in the horizon. Clearly influenced by 'Robinson Crusoe' Jules Verne does a great job of stringing together an intriguing mystery with great plot twists and surprises scattered throughout. 'The Mysterious Island' has inspired many movie adaptations, lately with Dwayne Johnson in the leading role.

Christopher Newman, a somewhat awkward but well-meaning American businessman traveling in Europe for the first time, meets and falls in love with the aristocratic young widow Claire de Bellegarde. But her French family does not like his American ways and oppose his offer of marriage. When he discovers a dirty family secret, however, the tables are suddenly turned. But what should he do with upper hand? Despite being one of Henry James earliest works, 'The American' (1877) flows more like a contemporary novel than his later work, mixing social comedy and melodrama to perfection.

"I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero; in short, any or everything to rescue her I love." The war between the British and the French is raging in North America. Amidst the chaos, a small party lead by Hawkeye, a white man raised by Natives, is trying to get the British Munro sisters safely to Fort William Henry. But not everyone in their party can be trusted, and their destination is not as save as it once was. A historically profound adventure story of brave and honorable men, 'The Last of the Mohicans' (1826) is not to be missed. In 1993, it was famously made into an award-winning movie of the same name, starring the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis.

After the monumental Futurica Trilogy comes a book that dares to describe individualism as the now defunct religion it always was and describe a reality that is primarily virtual, rather than physical. While the authors do not mind challenging the reader's view of the self and the world, their main intention here is to induce passive receivers of the future to become more active participants. This work offers engaging observations and perceptive interpretations of contemporary society. Alexander Bard and Jan Söderqvist are Swedish philosophers and authors of the internationally successful Futurica Trilogy. They lecture the world over about the current global internet revolution. Bard & Söderqvist are regarded as pioneers in the literary genre futurica, where philosophy, social theory and futurology merge. After joining forces in the late 1990s, Bard & Söderqvist argued that the interactive revolution is the most profound and radical of all technological revolutions in the history of mankind, that it completely transforms society in every aspect: politics, the economy, culture, social power structures, the collective world view and the whole concept of being human. Bard & Söderqvist demonstrated the effects of network dynamics on various levels of a globalised world. They not only made controversial predictions in the early years of the new millennium (and cleverly foresaw both the dot.com crash and the September 11 terror attacks), they have since then been proven right in virtually every aspect and even in the most minute of details. Not only did Bard & Söderqvist foresee revolutionary innovations such as Google, Facebook, Al-Qaida and Wikileaks; they also went deeper and looked into the very power struggle of the on-going revolution itself. Bard & Söderqvist are now back with a proposal for a complete new metaphysics for the digital age, and it is called Syntheism - Creating God in The Internet Age.

"Men act badly sometimes without being much worse than others." Charlie Marlow from Conrad's previous adventure novel, 'Heart of Darkness', is back, and he is trying to piece together and understand the life of Jim, a British seaman with a shameful past. Once a mate aboard a merchant ship carrying hundreds of Muslim pilgrims, Jim and the crew made the mistake of abandoning all the passengers, believing the ship would sink. But it did not, and the passengers lived to tell the tale. Praised by Virginia Wolf, Conrad's writing is ambitious, intriguing and humane. 'Lord Jim' (1900) is a classic tale of redemption.

Don Ignatio and the Englishman, James Strickland, set out on a dangerous and exciting journey in search of the last lost Mayan city in Mexico. On the way, the two friends meet the old Native American chief, Zibalbay, and his beautiful daughter, Maya, who guide them on their mission. Soon, they find themselves involved in a power struggle, which introduces the former fiancé of Maya, Chief Tikal, to the travelers, and a thrilling love triangle starts brewing between Maya, Tikal and James Strickland.

"Please, sir, I want some more," Oliver says, holding out his bowl for more gruel, a Dickens scene recognisable to most. A young orphan, Oliver Twist has only ever seen the tough side of life and having to suddenly live on the streets does not make surviving any easier. But being the sweet and innocent boy he is, Oliver eventually manages to attract the compassion of others, and time will reveal secrets about his past that could radically change his bleak future. Originally published in instalments, Oliver Twist (1839) is Charles Dickens' second – and hugely successful – novel. It introduced the concept of the child protagonist in the Victorian novel, and while doing so, plainly criticised the social injustices in England.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," writes Charles Dickens in the opening of this dark and meaningful classic novel. It is the year 1775 and Jarvis Lorry is tasked with a secret mission for his employer. 17-year-old Lucie Manette joins him on his travels from London to Paris and is shocked to learn that her father is alive and has been released from eighteen years in a Paris prison. Set in the two metropolises just prior (and during) the French Revolution, Dickens paints a distinct picture of the social and political events of the time. 'A Tale of Two Cities' is masterfully written, includes Dickens' perhaps greatest villain, and ties up everything in an especially satisfying ending.

Judge Temple and his daughter, Elizabeth, are making their way home when a deer crosses their path and the Judge decides to take a few blind shots at it. He fails in killing the deer, but a young hunter, Oliver, new in town, shoots it dead on the spot. And he seems much more concerned about claiming the animal than he is with the fact that he was just shot himself. Natty Bumppo – or Hawkeye as he is known in 'The Last of the Mohicans' – is once again in the center of trouble brewing. The fourth in the series, 'The Pioneers' (1823) tackles not so much the conflict between natives and settlers, but the conflict between Man and Nature. With an added bonus of a Romeo and Juliet type love story.

Smart and intuitive, Bettina is not fooled by Sir Nigel, the English aristocrat, who has come to New York to marry her sweet and naïve older sister Rosalie. And rightly so: Sir Nigel is cruel and selfish and only marries Rosalie for her money. But still a child, there is nothing much Bettina can do about it. When years have passed and the family has lost all contact with Rosalie, however, Bettina decides to sail across the Atlantic and save her sister. With 'The Shuttle' (1907), Author Frances Hodgson Burnett created one of those heroines whose presence it is immensely satisfying to be in. Betty is initiative and strong, and she refuses to be bullied by manipulative men. It is hard not to fall in love with her. Despite its dark plot, 'The Shuttle' is ultimately a romantic and uplifting story with lots of delicious drama.

Jane Eyre accepts a position as governess at Thornfield Hall and meets Mr. Rochester, the moody and cynical master of the manor. Growing up an unwanted orphan, Jane has known very little love in her life, but in spite of this, she has always been thoughtful and kind. Jane's and Rochester's apparent differences attract them to each other, but little does Jane know that something far more damaging than social statuses will keep them apart. 'Jane Eyre' (1847) is a love story that holds up over time, and it is no wonder that it has been adapted so many times. Ruth Wilson from 'The Affair' (2014) starred as Jane in 2003, and before he was James Bond, Timothy Dalton took on the role as the complicated Mr. Rochester. 2011 saw the most beautiful adaptation yet with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender in the leading roles.