best franz kafka stories

Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.

Until he crashlands on the Wynne Farm near St Anne, Alderney, Edmund Bolton will have insisted the most prudent thing about himself is his medical degree and his willingness to fight fascists. But of course it’s that island, and that farm – and that family. Aidan Wynne is tortured by the shame of others and tormented by a freedom he feels he can never possess. Until the handsome military doctor with far too much understanding and far too little self-preservation comes to turn his life on its head. The war makes fighters of all affected, but none so much as the lovers and those who must love quietly. Often, the fray has less to do with weaponry and bloodshed, and everything to do with keeping tame a passion that seeks to send the world up in flames without burning oneself up in the process. "Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day." Fray is created by Li Walt, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Edwin Albern, bocah berusia tujuh tahun dipaksa oleh keluarganya berkeliling dunia hanya untuk melihat sisi gelap dari kehidupan manusia. Dunia yang dia tinggali ternyata lebih busuk dari pada yang dia kira, tempat di mana martabat manusia dan nilai kehidupan tidak dapat ditentukan. Kebahagiaan yang dia lihat selama ini seolah-olah hanya kebohongan yang dipamerkan. Pembunuhan, pembantaian, perbudakan dan kekejaman lainnya telah bocah itu saksikan dengan kedua matanya sendiri. Tidak ada tempat aman! Hak asasi manusia tidak lebih dari catatan yang kapan saja bisa diabaikan. Setiap kota yang dia kunjungi selalu ada manusia yang melakukan kejahatan semudah bernapas. Sejak berusia lima tahun dia sudah mengetahui bahwa keluarganya adalah mafia, mereka tidak lebih dari sekelompok penjahat. Karena Edwin yang kecil dan polos dipenuhi idealisme keadilan membuatnya menjaga jarak dengan keluarganya. Bahkan kematian orang tuanya beberapa bulan setelah dia mengetahui pekerjaan mereka tidak sedikit pun menyentuh hatinya. Tapi pandangan hidupnya berubah setelah upacara pemakaman. Kakaknya, anggota keluarganya yang tersisa menceritakan segala hal tentang keluarganya. Mereka mungkin dikenal sebagai mafia, tapi kenyataannya yang mereka lakukan adalah berbeda. Mereka melakukan pekerjaan demi melindungi tempat mereka. Sepotong kebohongan terungkap, tentang dua orang yang bermain peran bahkan rela menipu putranya sendiri. Setelah perjalanannya selesai, bocah kecil itu membuat keputusan, bahwa sekarang adalah gilirannya bermain peran.

"Cafra" is a dark fantasy light novel that revolves in the world of Philippine mythology. Monsters born from myths and human corruption destroy his world, Cafra is forced to leave behind a peaceful life and face evil threatening humanity from the shadows. Cafra uncovers a conflict between ancient cosmic beings, Sandipa, guardian of the sun, and Val’Zhemyr, a dark creature who wants to devour the Sun. Caught between gods and monsters, Cafra must grow stronger and decide how much of his humanity he is willing to sacrifice to stop a darkness that was never meant to exist.

In a divided city where power isn’t voted for but spoken into existence, a secret hierarchy rules from the shadows. At the top sits the Don — a figure as untouchable as a prime minister, chosen not by the people, but by a rare, overwhelming ability tied to a phrase so powerful it shapes reality itself. In this world, some people are born with abilities derived from famous phrases — short lines that carry immense symbolic meaning. A boy who inherits “Actions speak louder than words” can mute opponents’ powers unless they physically act. Another with “Time waits for no one” can accelerate or slow moments around him. These phrases define status, wealth, and survival. Two boys from the lowest district — reckless, ambitious, and tired of living powerless — discover they each carry dormant phrases thought to be myths. As their abilities awaken, they realize they might be capable of something unheard of: challenging the Don. But rising through the ranks isn’t just about strength. The world is controlled by syndicates, enforcers, and “Orators” — elite fighters trained to weaponize their phrases with precision. Every victory exposes deeper secrets: the origin of phrases, the truth behind the Don’s rule, and the cost of power itself. As the boys climb higher, their bond is tested by betrayal, ambition, and the growing realization that overthrowing the Don might not fix the world — it might break it completely. In the end, they must decide: Do they want to change the system… or become the very thing they set out to destroy?

Os quatro caras mais atrativos da Escola de Arte de Barcelona estão interessados pela mesma menina: Malvina Lynn, uma garota tímida por fora, mas totalmente pervertida por dentro. Com quem ela vai ficar? É você que escolhe.

"What do you want from me?" "Hey, you don't have to hurt yourself doing that. I'll let you go home— but you have to do something for me first." . . "They took Sofi; they have your daughter." ----------- One night. One abduction. One choice; Family or Career. A surgical resident, Liana's life takes a turn for the worst when her daughter, Sofi is abducted. In her quest to get her back, Liana violates her oath as a doctor, takes part in a homicide, and the game of losses begins when she gets framed. Caught in a brawl between her past and present, Liana has to make a choice one that links her to many she thought she had broken links with. For a woman whose dream has always been to work in the OR, everything fades slowly, and suddenly the focus is shifted, but she has to survive. Her freedom is utterly dependent on a man she has long hated, the father of her child and a CEO of a multimillion law firm. What choice will Liana make to clear her name? And what if the past isn't so bad, will love bloom, or will the horrors of the past cling to her this time too? ------ [EXCERPT] "That's Sofi! That's my daughter Sofi. Don't do anything to her, I beg of you. Please don't lay a hand on her, please." He smiled cynically, then gestured to the doctor to free her straps. "You know what to do. We are going to watch everything you do. You call the police or tell anyone about this, she dies. And you die. Someone will drive you home." "This is nothing close to a good time! You are a jerk!" She shouted at him as he walked out unbothered. The man in lab coat stayed a while longer, looking at her, then left.

His power is infinite. Her existence is the limiter. Akira was born with a mutation too powerful for a human body to contain. For years, an unseen limiter kept his strength buried until the day it shattered. Now, every surge of power threatens to tear him apart. The only thing keeping Akira alive is a mysterious tether binding his soul to Rin, a quiet girl who has been stabilizing his existence without his knowledge. When they’re together, his power calms. When they’re apart, it spirals toward catastrophe. Forced into brutal training under a mentor who knows the cost of limitless power, Akira must learn control before the fraying bond between them snaps for good. Because if that tether breaks, it won’t just destroy him... It will take Rin with him. And in a world that fears what it can’t control, infinite power may be the least dangerous thing about them.

When one peculiar evening an exploration trip goes wrong, Khachi, a 25-year-old volcanologist, is left frozen and stranded in a world that he comes to learn is the Spectral Domains. The problem? That the Spectral Domains are nothing but folklore and myths trapped in a location that is people's imagination, yet here he was. Unsure if the childhood stories of this foreign world are enough to get him back into the world he knows, Khachi finds every means to return. However, along the way, Khachi learns that there might be a more significant reason for his presence in the Spectral Domains. Or that if this new companion, Wen Baojing, a carefree human who claims to want to help him return, has another motive that consistently seems to both put and help Khachi out of danger.

A young girl that was accused of killing her own mother and is a wanted murderer,sets out to find out the real truth about the disappearance of her mother and how to clear her name from the wanted list..... Will she be able to clear her name??and Will she be able to survive the notorious world of criminals??....