Fate

We can call it destiny; we can call it providence; we can even call it the will of the gods. Whatever words we use, the idea that the events in our lives are beyond our control is powerful — which explains why so many authors, past and present, have used the ever-relevant idea of fate to communicate rich lessons about humanity.

On Wings of Blood

by Briar Boleyn

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Romance, Fantasy

Published in 2024, On Wings of Blood is the first installment in the Bloodwing Academy romantasy series by Briar Boleyn. The story follows Medra Pendragon, a half-fae who mysteriously awakens in the vampire-ruled kingdom of Sangratha after dying in her own world. Her unique features mark her as the last of the dragon riders, a lineage thought to be extinct. She’s captured by the arrogant highblood prince, Blake Drakharrow, and forcibly bound to him by... Read On Wings of Blood Summary

Oresteia

by Aeschylus

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Revenge, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Written in 458 BC by Greek playwright Aeschylus, The Oresteia is a trilogy of plays that includes Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides, as well as the lost satyr play, Proteus. The plays of The Oresteia are classic tragedies, a dramatic genre focused on the piteous and cathartic downfall of great heroes. The plays were written to be performed at the City Dionysia festival which celebrated Dionysus, god of wine and theater. The festival was... Read Oresteia Summary

Orlando Furioso

by Ludovico Ariosto

Publication year 1532

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, War, Good & Evil, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Narrative Poem, Gender & Feminism, European History, Love & Sexuality, Military & War, Italian Literature, Renaissance, Mental Illness, Medieval, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

... Read Orlando Furioso Summary

Pale Horse, Pale Rider

by Katherine Anne Porter

Publication year 1939

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Death, Justice, Fate, War, Nation

Tags Historical Fiction, Health, US History, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Pale Horse, Pale Rider is a novella written by Katherine Anne Porter. It was published in 1939, along with two other short novellas, Old Mortality and Noon Wine, under the collective title Pale Horse, Pale Rider. The story portrays two young lovers who are tragically affected by the 1918 influenza epidemic, or Spanish Flu.Other works by this author include The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and Flowering Judas.This guide uses an eBook version of the 2008... Read Pale Horse, Pale Rider Summary

Penpal

by Dathan Auerbach

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Penpal Summary

Pericles

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1608

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Politics & Government, Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, Jacobean Era

Pericles, Prince of Tyre (circa 1608) is one of William Shakespeare’s late plays, co-written with Geroge Wilkins and forming part of a cycle of romances that includes Cymbeline and The Tempest. The play follows the wandering Prince Pericles as he flees an incestuous tyrant, survives shipwrecks, wins and loses love, and is ultimately reunited with his long-lost wife and daughter. Once regarded as difficult to stage, Pericles is now considered one of Shakespeare’s most experimental... Read Pericles Summary

Pet Sematary

by Stephen King

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

Pet Sematary is a 1983 novel by Stephen King. It was adapted into a film in 1989 and a second film adaptation is scheduled to be released in April 2019. The book takes place in semi-rural Ludlow, Maine, a small town that Chicago doctor, Louis Creed, has just moved to with his family. Dr. Creed has taken a job at the university and moved his family against the wishes of his wife’s parents, with whom... Read Pet Sematary Summary

Pickwick Papers

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1836

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Justice, Politics & Government, Community, Self Discovery, Order & Chaos, Literature, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Family, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Action & Adventure, Humor, Travel Literature, Social Class, European History, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Sports, British Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

The debut novel of British author Charles Dickens, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (commonly known as The Pickwick Papers) was first published as a series by Chapman and Hall between 1836 and 1837. The Pickwick Papers chronicles the adventures of the members of the Pickwick Club, a group of travelers who journey around England and share their experiences. Because of the original serial format of the novel, the chapters contain individual but interconnected... Read Pickwick Papers Summary

Playground

by Richard Powers

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Conflict, Perseverance, Masculinity, Death, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Playground Summary

Post Office

by Charles Bukowski

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Loneliness, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Fate, Justice, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Humor, American Literature, The Beat Generation

... Read Post Office Summary

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife

by Eben Alexander

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fate, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Health, Science & Nature, Biography

Dr. Eben Alexander’s 2012 memoir, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, documents his near-death experience (NDE) while in a coma resulting from a rare bacterial infection. As an academic neurosurgeon with a materialist worldview, Alexander did not believe in an afterlife. The book details how his NDE forced him to reconcile his scientific training with what he now considered proof of a reality beyond the physical world. The memoir explores several themes:... Read Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife Summary

Quicksilver

by Callie Hart

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Love, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Climate, Objects & Materials, Place, Marriage, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Trauma & Abuse

... Read Quicksilver Summary

Ragged Company

by Richard Wagamese

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fate, Family, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Forgiveness, Guilt, Indigenous Identity, Justice, Community

Tags Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

... Read Ragged Company Summary

Ragged Dick

by Horatio Alger

Publication year 1868

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Wins & Losses

Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Social Class, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History

Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks was Horatio Alger, Jr.’s first bestselling book. Ragged Dick was serialized in 1867 in the monthly American children’s magazine, Student and Schoolmate, prior to its successful publication as a novel in 1868. The first volume in a six-volume series, Ragged Dick established Alger’s primary theme of a boy’s rise from humble beginnings to prosperity and respectability. Alger’s “rags to riches” narrative built on... Read Ragged Dick Summary