Id
stringlengths 3
44
| Code
stringlengths 7
10
⌀ | Title
stringlengths 1
220
⌀ | Author
stringlengths 4
59
⌀ | Data
stringlengths 3
10
⌀ | Genres
stringlengths 20
352
⌀ | Summary
stringlengths 11
32.8k
⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10643053 | /m/02ql1f6 | The Island of the Mighty | Evangeline Walton | 1970 | {"/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Gwynedd in north Wales is ruled by Math, son of Mathonwy, whose feet must be held by a virgin at all times except while he is at war. Math's nephew Gilfaethwy is in love with Goewin, the current footholder, and Gilfaethwy's brother Gwydion tricks Math into going to war against Pryderi so Gilfaethwy can have access to her. Gwydion kills Pryderi, Prince of Dyfed, in single combat, and Gilfaethwy rapes Goewin. Math marries Goewin in compensation for her rape, and banishes Gwydion and Gilfaethwy, transforming them into a breeding pair of deer, then pigs, then wolves. After three years they are restored to human form and return. Math needs a new footholder, and Gwydion suggests his sister, Arianrhod, but when Math magically tests her virginity, she gives birth to two sons. One, Dylan, immediately takes to the sea. The other is raised by Gwydion, but Arianrhod swears that he will never have a name or arms unless she gives them to him, and refuses to do so. Gwydion tricks her into naming him Llew Llaw Gyffes (Llew Skilful Hand) and giving him arms. She then swears he will never have a wife of any race living on earth, so Gwydion and Math make him a beautiful wife from flowers, and name her Blodeuwedd ("Flowers"). Blodeuwedd falls in love with a passing hunter called Goronwy, and they plot to kill Llew. Blodewedd tricks Llew into revealing the means by which he can be killed, but when Goronwy attempts to do the deed, Llew escapes, though wounded, transformed into an eagle. Gwydion finds Llew and transforms him back into human form, and turns Blodeuwedd into an owl (Blodeuwedd, literally "Flower Face," means "Owl"). Goronwy offers to compensate Llew, but Llew insists on returning the blow that was struck against him. He kills Goronwy with his spear, which is thrown so hard it pierces him through the stone he is hiding behind. |
10643068 | /m/02ql1fx | Rab and his Friends | John Brown | null | null | "Rab and His Friends" is a simple story of how John Brown's teacher and employer, Doctor James Syme, taught and operated. The other main characters are Rab, a ferocious dog, his owner the Howgate Carter Jamie, and the Carter's ailing wife. The story begins with a fight between Rab and a bull-terrier and ends with the faithful sheep dog's funeral. Ailie had a lump in her breast. “One fine October afternoon I ( the student ) was leaving the Hospital and saw the large gates open and in walked Rab with that great and easy saunter of his. After him came Jess, now white from age, with her cart and in it a woman carefully wrapped up, the Carrier leading the horse anxiously and looking back. When he saw me, James, (for his name was James Noble), he made a curt and grotesque bow, and said, Maister John, this is the mistress; she has got a trouble in her breest some kind of income we are thinking. By this time I saw the woman's face; she was sitting on a sack filled with straw with her husband's plaid round her and had his big coat with its large white metal buttons over her feet. Had Solomon in all his glory been handing down the Queen of Sheba at his palace gate, he would not have done it more daintily that did James the Howgate Carrier when he had lifted down Ailie, his wife. Rab led the way into the consulting room, grim and comic, willing to be happy and confidential, Ailie sat down, undid her open gown and her lawn handkerchief round her neck and without a word showed me her right breast. I looked at and examined it carefully. What could I say? There it was, hard as stone, a centre of horrid pain. Next day my master, the surgeon, examined Ailie. It could be removed; it would give her speedy relief. She curtsied. "Tomorrow” said the kind surgeon - a man of few words. The following day, at noon, the students came in, hurrying up the stair, eager to secure good places. The theatre is crowded; much talk and fun, and all the cordiality and stir of youth. The surgeon with his staff of assistants is there. In comes Ailie: one look at her quiets and abates the eager students. That beautiful old woman is too much for them; they sit down, and are dumb. These rough boys feel the power of her presence. She walks in quickly, but without haste; dressed in her mutch, her neckerchief, her white dimity short-gown, black bombazeen petticoat, showing her white worsted stockings and her carpet shoes. Ailie stepped up, and laid herself on the table, as her friend the surgeon told her; arranged herself, gave a rapid look at James, shut her eyes, rested herself on me, and took my hand. The operation was at once begun; it was necessarily slow; chloroform was then unknown. The pale face showed its pain, but was still and silent. Rab's soul was working within him; he growled and gave now and then a sharp impatient yelp; but James had him firm. It is over; she is dressed, steps gently and decently down from the table, looks for James; then turning to the surgeons and the students, she curtsies, - and in a low, clear voice, begs their pardon if she has behaved ill. All of us wept like children; the surgeon happed her up carefully, - and, resting on James and me, Ailie went to her room. We put her to bed. James said, 'Maister John, I'll be her nurse”, and as swift and tender as any woman, was that horny-handed, peremptory little man. As before, they spoke little. For some days Ailie did well. The wound healed 'by the first intention'; for as James said, 'Oor Ailie's skin's ower clean to beil'. The students came in quiet and anxious. She said she liked to see their young, honest faces. Four days after the operation, my patient had a sudden and long shivering, a 'groosin', as she called it. Her eyes were too bright, her cheek coloured; she was restless, and ashamed of being so; mischief had begun. On looking at the wound, a blush of red told the secret; her pulse was rapid, her breathing anxious and quick, she wasn’t herself, as she said, and was vexed at her restlessness. We tried what we could, but she died in three to four days. No asepsis, a dog in theatre and no anaesthesia. Speed, trust and hope. |
10643911 | /m/02ql21v | The Book of Sorrows | null | null | null | The Book of Sorrows begins almost exactly where the last book ended. The great war is over and Chauntecleer and his animals are all mending the damage that it left. Chauntecleer leads them on a journey to find a new resting place, while the climate slowly changes from summer to autumn. Early in their journey the animals are obligated to care for Russell, the fox, one of the main characters from the last novel, who suffered poisoning from biting into too many basilisks during the conflict. Russel's injury has caused his lips and nose to crack and ooze. It seems that it will never heal because the fox has trouble keeping quiet. Pertelote, Chauntecleer's wife, is reduced to drugging the fox with a narcotic in hopes that it will keep him from using his mouth long enough for it to heal. Freitag, the mouse brother who is closest to Russel, tries continually to get him to stop talking, but- of course- the fox doesn’t listen. He instead brings Freitag to a nearby stream where he emphatically tells him how to catch minnows with his tail until his lips and nose begin to crack and bubble. The fox eventually breaks down during his lesson to the mouse and cries out, "I only want to talk!" The animals hear him and come to calm him down. He is near death and his injuries have retrogressed. The fox seems to have lost his will to live, for he is no longer speaking. Chauntecleer begins to help Russell eat, by first placing the food in the foxes mouth, and mechanically grinds the fox's teeth with his own wings. But the poison has rotted the roots of Russels' teeth, which loosen during Chauntecleer's feedings. Chauntecleer then begins chewing the food with his own mouth, and spitting it into the foxes, but it soon becomes apparent to him that he is feeding a lifeless corpse. Devastated by his death, Chauntecleer and his company move farther away from the land where the war took place. Along the way they contact a beetle named Black Lazarus, a grave digger. Chauntecleer requests a special grave for the fox, one by the great ocean, Wyrsmere, which requires that the beetle first line the grave with stone, lest the body be washed up. The animals have a service for their fallen comrade and then continue on, looking for a new resting place. Eventually they come to a pleasant hemlock tree rooted near a river. Here the animals make their new home. In a canyon nearby, two coyotes are making a new home for their growing family. They find a crippled bird who can only say two things: “Jug Jug” and “Tereu.” What is unknown to the coyotes is that the bird is guarding a hole that is somewhere in the canyon- one that, when the bird descended, led her to the center of the earth where she found Wyrm who managed to trick her into drinking some of his putrid essence, causing her tongue to rot and crippling her form and speech. At the hemlock tree it is discovered that Chauntecleer is on a downward spiral into a deep depression brought on by the loss of Russell and Mundo Cani. At one point the rooster walks down to the river, stands over it and sees his reflection. After a few moments he simply decides to let himself fall into it, and be swept away into the more violent currents. As he is drowning the rooster actually begins to think his end would be for the better, considering his horrible guilt. Just as he is about to die he is rescued; pulled ashore by the Dun Cow, who begins to clean him. Chauntecleer questions why she decided to save him, and feels that he cannot stand her cleaning him, for he is completely undeserving of compassion. The Dun Cow leaves him, and the rooster resolves to simply lie there, and sleep, for as long as he could stand. The animals manage to get by without Chauntecleers attention. Instead the rooster simply walks about in a fog of delirium and self pity. Even when he is sleeping, he suffers, for in his dreams he hears horrible singing that taunts him in his sorrow. Chauntecleer only becomes more conscious when he comes upon the sight of Chalcedony, one of his hens, feasting on nothing but locust shells. The fatter hens have left her nothing in the way of seed or grass, and thus she is emaciated. The rooster seeks to console her. He promises to set things right, and to care for her until she is well, for he feels that this may be the only thing he can actually do to earn any sort of redemption; is to try to help others in the present. Unfortunately, though, the rooster is quickly pulled away from the animals again, for the remains of Russell the fox have re-animated due to the dark influence of Wyrm on his body. Pertelote, upon hearing this report from Chauntecleer’s general, John Wesley, rushes to the ocean side, where Russell’s grave is. She gets there in time to see Chauntecleer, bruised and cut, committing the twice killed body to the ocean Wyrmsmere. Pertelote comforts him by holding him and stroking her husband, but he admits that he cannot stand it, for the love of his subjects is more than he thinks he deserves. Ultimately Chauntecleer decides that he can at least do his best to restore some order to his people, and thus keep Chalcedony from starving. The rooster returns with his wife to the hemlock tree where he instates upon his kind a new law. Chauntecleer intends for them now to live in socialism; each animal scouring as much food as they can, and then laying it down in food bins, where it will be distributed evenly among them all. This new form of order comes as a great revival to the animals, which causes their quality of life to improve, and their feeling of leadership returning. Soon, animals from all over begin to come to the hemlock tree, for the cold winter months have made them desperate and hungry, and they all seem willing to file themselves under this new law in exchange for enough to feed their families. The forest comes alive with brotherhood and order, yet the rooster still holds on to a deeply seated depression. This becomes increasingly hard on his wife, as any affection is rejected by Chauntecleer in his guilt. The rooster’s dreams also become worse, as the evil songs begin to sing of Russell and Mundo Cani. Chauntecleer begins to think that these dreams may actually be the product of Wyrm. In the background he can always hear a woman’s wretched sobbing and two completely indistinguishable sounds. Chauntecleer spends his nights stalking around his territory, still shrouded in a mist of sorrow. Chauntecleer’s redemption finally comes to him in the form of a coyote named Ferric, who has come to find food for his newborn children. Upon finding Chauntecleer’s kingdom, he integrates himself and begins taking sufficient provisions for his family. Ferric does this a few more times before he and Chauntecleer actually communicate. He learns about the coyote’s home, his children and wife, and the bird with no tongue. When he inquires the name of that bird, Ferric only knows to repeat the only things that the bird can say: “Jug Jug” and “Tereu.” These are the words that Chauntecleer hears in his nightmares, which lead him to believe that the bird would know how to travel into the earth. Chauntecleer’s mood improves. He begins crowing in triumph and rallying the animals together to his cause. He promises them all that he has the ability to go and rescue their savior, Mundo Cani, and thus bring back to their society the greatness of the times before the war. At first, Pertelote is overwhelmed with excitement and enthusiasm over her husband's newfound passion for life, but that is soon replaced with dread when she comes to understand her husband’s plan. Her fears that Chauntecleer's mission is nothing short of suicide are confirmed when he confides to her of his attempt to rescue Mundo Cani and defeat Wyrm and he knows that his chances of survival are slim. The next morning Pertelote sees him standing by the hemlock with a band of animals that have agreed to go with him to where the coyote lives. Chauntecleer mounts a black stags antlers and rides off as the herd of animals set out on a journey to redeem their leader. Eventually, the animals are led to the crippled bird by Ferric the coyote. Chaunteleceer asks the bird to reveal the location of Wyrm. The bird complies by leading him behind two bushes where he finds the opening. Chauntecleer enters the darkness followed by his general, John Wesley. John Wesley traverses the cave to the bowels of the planet, where he finds the skeletal remains of Wyrm, covered in small glowing worm-like parasites that act as a light source. The weasel finds Chauntecleer sitting inside the Wyrm’s skull, clutching a smaller skull in his wing. John asks if he has defeated Wyrm, to which Chauntecleer replies that Wyrm had been dead when he found him, and that his essence had been consumed by the parasites all around them. He then reveals that the skull he is holding is the head of Mudo Cani, who died after three days in the earth. Chauntecleer feels that he is robbed of his only chance to redeem himself, and therefore feels that he should simply lie in the earth until he expires. John Wesley refuses to give up on his master, however, and to coaxes him back to the surface. The Weasel eventually steals the precious skull from Chauntecleer’s grasp and runs all the way to the entrance with it, taunting Chauntecleer to keep him following. The two animals emerge from the hole in the earth; the weasel first, and then Chantecleer. Chauntecleer attacks the weasel with his spur, cutting at John Wesley’s haunch, which he just brushes off and continues running through the canyon. The rooster in all of his rage, leaps onto the black stag that had carried him there, and commands him to take after the weasel, reinforcing it with a sharp jab of his other spur, deep into the stag’s side. The animal reacts to the pain by starting a stampede of all the confused animals that had come along with Chauntecleer. The weasel manages to stay ahead of them just long enough to reach the coyote’s den where one of the young coyotes comes to John Wesley's rescue. The Weasel tries to warn the young coyote of the incoming danger, but not before his mother, Ferric’s wife Rachel comes out to see him as well. In the end, the stampede of animals comes rushing after John Wesley, and though he manages to escape with his life, the coyotes are crushed under the stampeding herd. The animals scatter, and the rooster reclaims the skull from where John Wesley left it and begins his long walk home, leaving the two dead coyotes and a hidden general alone. Meanwhile, the animals at the hemlock tree are facing an oncoming snow storm, and with Chauntecleer away, the full force of leadership begins to bear down on Pertelote’s head. The weather continues to grow harsher, and although Pertelote crushes any rebellion with the memory of Chauntecleer, the unity of the paradise begins to fade. Eventually the rooster returns home in very poor shape, for the long stormy path that he’s taken has left him dirty and cold. The animals are indifferent when they see him, as they were expecting to see the glorious party return with him alongside Mudo Cani yet find only a tattered rooster with a skull. Pertelote confronts Chauntecleer about his journey, and is solemn when she hears bout Mundo Cani and Wyrm’s death. Chauntecleer says that now the only thing left for him to do is give Mudo Cani a proper burial, and with that he leans in to embrace his wife, who is taken back as one of the glowing string-like parasites comes climbing out of his nasal passages. Chauntecleer feels shunned by his wife and decides to rest in the hemlock tree. By now the bird can hear the voices of the worms inside his head, even when he is not asleep. As he sits on a branch of the hemlock tree, they tell him that the animals are plotting a revolt for his unfulfilled promises. In fact, the wolves in the area are actually trying to turn the animals against their ruler, threatening to kill anyone who is loyal to him, but the paranoia that the parasites instill in Chauntecleer only makes the situation worse. It is when he is sitting in the tree that he begins to notice the scared accusing look in all the animals faces, and combined with the voices’ subliminal suggestions, their staring causes him to leap up in a bit of rage and crow, “What have I ever done to you?” After this outburst the animals begin to disperse to unknown fates, and soon, all but the original hens have left. In a bout of insanity the rooster leaves the hemlock and goes with the skull of Mudo Cani to bury it. Pertelote goes after him, following him all the way to the ruins of the fortress that was built during the summer’s war, knowing that the wolves would surely find him there and kill him. She tries to confess her love to him, and explain her revulsion earlier, but he disregards it all, saying that she must have been a liar from the beginning who never loved him. Eventually the wolves arrive to kill Chauntecleer, but he manages to defeat them in a glorious battle, using only his wits and war-spurs. He is left quite ravaged by the fight, though, both mentally and physically. The rooster can see that all of the animals that had forsaken him before have returned to see his great battle- even Ferric, whose wife and children were killed by Chauntecleer’s actions. The rooster’s pain climaxes when he discovers that Ferric is so quick to forgive him, and begins to lick him where he has been wounded. Chauntecleer cannot stand to accept the love of the Coyote and recoils from him. In the end, Chauntecleer is in so much pain from the suffering he has caused, confusion he feels over his people and his wife, and sick influence of the parasites inside of him, that he can only resolve to take his war-spur and cut himself open, and let all of the evil worms within him drain out with his blood. Pertelote comes over to him and holds him gently, singing to him, and trying to comfort him in his last moments of life. Chauntecleer appears to have some sort of relief in death, and the last thing he says before passing on is that he could not manage to bury the skull of Mudo Cani, because his nose was far to big to fit in any of the holes he dug. |
10661586 | /m/02qlklb | Aquamarine | Alice Hoffman | 2001 | {"/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The story is based upon two schoolgirls, Hailey and Claire, who have lived as neighbors and best friends for many years. Their favorite place for amusement has been the Capri Beach Club for as long as they can remember. However, the Capri Beach Club has become ruinous via neglect by its staff. When Claire's grandparents, with whom she lives, decide to leave the area and move to Florida, the girls are dismayed. They spend hours trying to make their last days together as long as possible, both frightened by the future. When a violent thunderstorm occurs, a large quantity of trash is deposited in the Capri Beach Club. In the swimming pool, Hailey and Claire discover the spoiled yet beautiful creature that will change their lives: a mermaid named Aquamarine. The next morning, Aquamarine surfaces after some hesitation, being stimulated to do so by the presence of the handsome Raymond. During the night, Aquamarine has undergone mild hardships; she has eaten very little, has been separated from her six sisters, and is suffering from the chlorine in the pool. Hailey and Claire advise Aquamarine to return to the ocean, however she refuses, because of her new attachment to Raymond. Claire and Hailey read books that contain information pertaining to marine life-forms, trying to find an answer to Aquamarine's troubling conditions. They learn that mermaids cannot survive on land for more than a week. The necessity of returning Aquamarine to the ocean is thus made more urgent. In order to persuade Aquamarine to return to her home, Hailey and Claire arrange that she will spend one evening with Raymond, after which she must leave. To compensate for her nudity and lack of legs, they plan to dress her in a long blue gown and place her in a wheelchair. Before the meeting, the two girls confide their story in Claire's grandfather, Maury. He believes their story because of his own encounter with a mermaid once. He takes them to the Capri Beach Club, where they organize the table and food for Aquamarine and Raymond. They then lift Aquamarine out of the pool – an operation wherein Claire must overcome a hesitation to enter water – and introduce her to Raymond. To explain her acquaintance with them, they present her as a distant cousin. Raymond is awestruck by Aquamarine, with whom he spends the evening happily. Meanwhile, Claire and Hailey begin to embrace their future and rekindle their hope. At 9 o'clock, they take Aquamarine back to the swimming pool. As she leaves, Aquamarine gives Raymond a seashell, by which to contact her by speaking her name into it; she will hear this call regardless of their relative positions. Hailey and Claire sleep together in Claire's soon-to-be-vacant house, which has been made empty of furniture. They have by now grown very fond of Aquamarine, and she of them. Hailey and Claire arrive to take Aquamarine back to the ocean. They meet Raymond, who regrets that he cannot bid Aquamarine farewell before he leaves for Florida. Just then, a boy named Arthur falls into the swimming pool. Aquamarine rescues him, with the help of Raymond. Raymond, seeing her tail and thus realizing she is a mermaid, is utterly shocked, however, this discovery does nothing to impair his adoration of her. Hailey and Claire carry Aquamarine to the ocean and cast her into the water, where she is restored to full health and strength. They promise never to forget her and return to the Capri Beach Club, thanking its owner for the best summer of their lives. Claire and her grandparents later move away to Florida. After her departure, the Capri Beach Club is dismembered. Hailey does not send news of this, wishing that Claire retain her memory of the Capri Beach Club as it had formerly been. In Florida, Claire learns to swim and encounters Raymond, who has come to live nearby. From him, she learns that Aquamarine is in the vicinity. Claire thinks to take a photograph of the mermaid, but defers on the grounds that Hailey will soon visit. In 2006 a movie was made of the popular novel with some differences. |
10663585 | /m/02qlmr3 | The Hope | Herman Wouk | null | {"/m/02p0szs": "Historical fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | These crucial events are mainly seen through the eyes of two fictional characters, who meet near the beginning of the novel: Zev Barak and Joseph Blumenthal (nicknamed "Don Kishote"). Wouk portrays several real-life Israeli leaders: David Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Mickey Marcus, Yigael Yadin, Ariel Sharon, Motta Gur, and others. Both the real and fictional characters are portrayed as brave and decent human beings with character flaws, who manage to lead Israel through three major wars in spite of the nation being surrounded, outgunned, and torn by internal conflicts as well as external threats. Zev is a junior officer in the unsuccessful attacks on Latrun. Joseph Blumenthal, newly arrived in Israel, joins a new Israeli unit of troops who bravely attack. He acquires the nickname "Don Kishote" when teased about riding a mule wearing an old helmet ("Don Kishote" is Don Quixote in Hebrew). Both Zev and Kishote choose to stay in the Israeli army when the War of Independence ends. The two accompany reporters with the first convoy taking supplies to Jerusalem up the Burma Road bypassing Latrun. Zev visits the US as part of the Israeli delegation to Mickey Marcus's funeral at West Point, there he meets Christian Cunningham, a CIA analyst sympathetic to Israel throughout the story, and his daughter Emily, who eventually becomes Zev's mistress. Don Kishote is in love with Shayna Matisdorf, but has a brief sexual encounter with Yael Luria on a trip to Paris just before the 1956 Suez war. He returns to Israel and is part of the paratroop force invading Egypt in Operation Kadesh. Zev commands an effort to transport landing craft overland from Haifa to Eilat to supply Israeli units advancing on Sharm el-Sheik. When Yael tells Kishote she became pregnant during their encounter in Paris, he marries her because he feels the child needs a father, even though he is still in love with Shayna Matisdorf. Kishote supervises the paratroop training of several African officers, including Idi Amin. Idi Amin is portrayed as lacking the courage to jump out of an airplane, and Kishote arranges a fake jump so Amin qualifies for paratroop wings. Zev is sent on several diplomatic trips to the United States, and he and Emily Cunningham become lovers the day of President Kennedy's assassination. In 1967, he is the Israeli military attache in Washington, and during the Six-Day War conveys to the Israeli government a message from Christian Cunningham that the U.S. government would not oppose Israel conquering the Golan Heights, even though it will not publicly say so. Zev's wife Nakhama tells Emily Cunningham she knows of their affair and accepts it, but Emily is unable to continue the affair knowing that Nakhama knows about it. In the Six-Day War, Kishote is wounded in the Sinai campaign, then leaves his hospital near Jerusalem to take part in the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem. |
10669724 | /m/02qls55 | South of the Pumphouse | Les Claypool | null | null | The basic novel plot line is when two brothers get together for a fishing trip in memory of their recently deceased father. But while one, Ed, has left the small town of El Sobrante (the actual town where Claypool grew up) to go live in the town of Berkeley, California, the other, Earl, has stayed in the town and has become a regular meth addict. When Earl invites his best friend, Donny, along on a fishing trip things get heated between the left wing Ed and right wing racist Donny. When Earl mistakenly concludes that Donny has slept with his wife, he beats him to death with a boat pole. The rest of the novel is concerned with the brothers' efforts to dispose of Donny's body, a twist in the tale which explains Earl's mistake and a brief epilogue concerning the sturgeon which the three men were trying to catch during their day's fishing. Claypool fleetingly addresses the themes of racism and urban decay in his novel. |
10680512 | /m/02qm27n | Prime Directive | Judith Reeves-Stevens | null | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | On a local moon of Talin IV a Federation first contact observation post is monitoring the events on the planet below with growing confusion and concern. Talin IV, a world inhabited by a reptilian society with a culture equivalent to late-20th century Earth, and possible first contact prospect for the Federation in the near future, is now a world divided. The two principal nation states of the planet have become increasingly paranoid and in danger of instigating a nuclear war. Provocations seem to be coming from each side, although both sides deny any intrusions into enemy space. Each nation's heightened security has made the first contact office work much harder, as detection has become more likely. Further complicating matters, Talin scientists have been researching naturally occurring dilithium crystals that may be capable of sensing the advanced subspace signals used by the galactic community. While the discovery of an interplanetary culture would allow for contact with the Federation, it is also possible the Talin will destroy themselves before they make that historic leap. To avoid accidentally revealing their presence and possibly affecting the delicate political situation, the Talin system is locked down by the first contact office so no use of subspace or warp drive are permitted near the planet. While preparing for their mission, James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy discuss the similar situation that faced Earth. To determine whether or not the first contact office has been discovered, Kirk and a joint Enterprise/first contact office team beam down to the planet at one point, narrowly escaping detection. Soon after, Kirk prevents an accidental nuclear detonation from erupting into full-scale nuclear war. Afterward, Kirk convenes a board of inquiry on his own actions, and it is determined that he acted to prevent what was most likely a computer error from destroying a world. However, shortly after the inquiry, all the planet's nuclear arsenals are fired at their targets at once. The Enterprise is crippled when an intercontinental ballistic missile warhead explodes nearby. The fact that the missile targets the Enterprise is seemingly conclusive proof that Kirk's actions have not only revealed the existence of his ship, but that his prior intervention has also prevented the Talin culture from learning the lessons needed to prevent nuclear self-destruction. Kirk and the other senior officers (with the exception of Scotty, who was not on the bridge at the time) are blamed for the destruction of Talin civilization, attributed to their supposed violation of Starfleet's Prime Directive (hence the title of the book), and either resign from Starfleet, are demoted to ensign, or in Uhura's case, court-martialed and dishonorably discharged. Although they are separated, Kirk's crew do not give up individual efforts to return and establish what went wrong at Talin. Kirk, under assumed aliases, works his way across space as laborer and cargo chief. Sulu and Chekov join up with an Orion smuggler and slave trader in order to steal his ship. Uhura and McCoy join forces and purchase a space craft and create a fictitious identity for McCoy, the dread pirate "Black Ire". On Earth, Spock joins forces with a radical student group that advocates the elimination of the Prime Directive. Through manipulation of the student group, the Vulcan embassy and the by-laws of the Federation, Spock arranges for two Talin astronauts (one from each of the two Talin superpowers) who escaped before the planet's destruction, to speak before the Federation Council as ambassadors for their planet and request the Federation's help. Through various means, Spock, Kirk and the other senior Enterprise officers rendezvous with Scotty (who has been working feverishly to refurbish the nearly-destroyed Enterprise) at the now-closed observation post on Talin's moon. It is revealed that the nations of Talin IV were manipulated into attacking each other by insect-like drones of a planet-sized creature called the "One" slowly approaching Talin IV. The drones (called the "Many") were sent to prepare Talin IV for consumption by the One. The drones inadvertently fomented the nuclear exchange by their efforts to create conditions on the planets' surface conducive to the growth of the algae that is the One's food. Ultimately, a gas giant planet in the Talin system is substituted for Talin IV as the One's new food source, sparing Talin IV without destroying the One. Restored to command of the Enterprise, Kirk lands on the surface of the planet with an away team which begins reviving billions of Talin who have survived by going into hibernation. |
10686293 | /m/02qm7_c | The Boy Who Grew Flowers | null | null | {"/m/016475": "Picture book", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | The Boy Who Grew Flowers follows the character of Rink Bowagon, a little boy disliked among his peers that has the ability to sprout flowers on his body on full moons. This changes one day when a new girl named Angelina starts attending his class, causing Rink to become enamored of her. Rink has no way of knowing that like him, Angelina also has something special about her that he will eventually discover during the school's full moon dance. |
10688668 | /m/02qmbvt | The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell | Lilian Jackson Braun | 2006 | {"/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | This story occurs during Pickax’s 150th anniversary celebration, called Pickax Now, and which takes place over the course of one year. Qwilleran’s barn is going to be sketched by an architectural student as part of his entry portfolio for architectural college. The young architect is Harvey Ledfield, nephew of Nathan and Doris Ledfield. The Ledfields are one of the rich old families who live in the community of Purple Point. Harvey brings along his fiancée Clarissa Moore, who is in Journalism School. When they arrive, Harvey begins sketching but then Koko drops on his head, something he had never done before. Clarissa breaks up with Harvey after they return Down Below, but she returns to Pickax looking for a job at The Moose County Something. She confesses to Qwilleran she never was really engaged to Harvey; he just wants Nathan and Doris to think he is going to get married and continue the Ledfield bloodline. As they are childless, he hopes they will support his plans and leave him a substantial inheritance. During the Pickax Now celebrations, Qwilleran attends the Ogilvie-Fugtree reunion, because he knows the hosts and plans to write about it for his column. Two cousins go out rabbit hunting, and only one returns. Both were set to receive a large sum of money from a rich uncle, so it would seem one killed the other for the money. The other rabbit hunter is indeed found dead, so the first is arrested. However, he is later released because of a lack of evidence. It is never said whether the shooting was murder or accidental death. In the meantime, the Ledfields have come down with allergies, but this seems unimportant until Clarissa brings something to Qwill’s attention. Harvey had never got Clarissa a ring so Doris gave her one before she knew the engagement was a ruse. Clarissa wanted to give it back, but she could not get the Ledfields on the phone nor was she allowed to go in their house. Qwilleran calls the Ledfields’ doctor, who says she too was considering calling in an allergy specialist. Before any more can be done however, both the Ledfields die from respiratory complications. Clarissa brings her friend Vicky to Pickax to participate in a kitten auction for charity and to watch the Labor Day Pickax Now parade. She leaves before she has a chance to speak to Qwilleran, but she leaves a letter for him. Apparently Harvey had come up to Moose County not too long ago, looking for money to finance a ski lodge. But the Ledfields are unwilling to give money to such a venture; they are only willing to pay for his college tuition. Clarissa informs Harvey, Vicky and Vicky’s boyfriend about deadly mold, which she wrote a report on for journalism school, and Vicky’s boyfriend, a construction specialists, said that it could be found in the closets of old houses. Clarissa tells Vicky how Harvey became furious when the Ledfields would not fund the ski lodge even though it seemed he would be entering college and he had a fiancée. He even refused to go to church that morning, and Vicky suspected he had used the time to put mold in the ventilation shafts of the Ledfields' bedroom. Qwilleran shared this with the police, and Harvey is arrested. In the meantime, the Ledfields' wills is opened, revealing that the Ledfields left their collection of mounted animals to the city and funded the creation of a music center in Pickax and a museum in their old home. They also gave funds for a massive music foundation that would make the Ledfield name famous worldwide, to be set up in a city with a population of one million or more. Shortly after the mystery is solved, a tragic accident at the ill-fated Black Creek bridge takes the life of Qwill's long-time eccentric friend, Elizabeth Hart, the owner of the Grist Mill fine restaurant. In honor of her, the Black Creek Bridge is set to be repaired so that no more deaths occur. |
10691647 | /m/02qmfl3 | Phantom Lady | Cornell Woolrich | 1942 | {"/m/0lsxr": "Crime Fiction", "/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0c3351": "Suspense"} | A man is first accused, and then convicted, of murdering his wife. As his execution date approaches, his friends frantically search for another woman who would be his alibi witness—but they cannot even find proof that she exists. |
10693442 | /m/02qmgdm | Diary of a Bad Year | John Maxwell Coetzee | 9/3/2007 | {"/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The protagonist, called Señor C. by the other characters, is an aging South African writer living in Sydney. The novel consists of his essays and musings alongside diary entries by both Señor C. and Anya, a neighbor whom he has hired as a typist. The essays, which take up the larger part of each page, are on wide-ranging topics, including the politics of George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Guantanamo Bay, and terrorism. The diary entries appear beneath the essays and describe the relationship that develops between the two characters, a relationship that ultimately leads to subtle evolutions in both their worldviews. |
10697187 | /m/02qmjsv | Betrayal | Fiona McIntosh | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Torkyn Gynt, or Tor, is a sixteen-year-old boy who lives in a small village in the rural areas of Tallinor, a monarchy in which anyone with magical powers, called sentients, are bridled, branded, and ultimately sentenced to death, in following with ancient fear by royally-employed Inquistors, led by the fearsome and cruel Inquistor Goth. Tor and local beauty Alyssa, teenagers in love, are both sentient, however, to the surprise of those who are aware of their powers, their skills go undetected. At a bridling in their local village, in which a young maiden is brutally maimed by Goth, Torkyn uses his powers and is detected by mysterious royal Physic Merkhud. Following a festival and an interrupted proposal, Alyssa and Torkyn are separated, and Merkhud convinces Torkyn to learn medicine and be his apprentice at the Palace in Tal. Merkhud's wife, Sorrel, meanwhile manipulates Alyssa to travel Tal with her. Alyssa becomes bitter and believes Tor no longer loves her; Torkyn believes Alyssa will not let him psychically link with her because she is angry over the interrupted proposal. It is revealed to Tor that he was an orphan of a fire which burnt down his house and killed his parents. Tor travels to Tal alone and distraught over his lover's disappearance. On the way, he encounters a cripple named Cloot of the Rork'yel, being beaten in another village. He rescues Cloot and becomes close friends, at the same time befriending a young prostitute named Eryn, and Eryn and Torkyn have sexual intercourse. He also meets the Prime, the King's second-in-command, also in charge of the nation's security, whose name is Cyrus. Cyrus is suspicious of Tor, and learns of Tor's powers when Tor saves Cyrus from a band of ruffians, sworn to secrecy because of his gratitude. Tor on the way visits Tallinor's Great Forest, believed to be enchanted, and finds his way to the haven in the middle, the Heartwood. It is here Lys, a woman who has spoken to Cloot in dreams, transforms Cloot into a peregrine falcon. Cloot accompanies Torkyn through the rest of the journey to Tal, where he becomes popular quickly with King Lorys, Queen Nyria, and the royal court as a talented physic. Alyssa and Sorrel make their way to Caremboche, a place where sentient women may flee the punishment of Inquisitors and spend their time archiving, among other passive crafts, for the good of Tallinor. A Caremboche woman, called Untouchable, must be a virgin and may not engage in any sexual or romantic relations. The punishment is execution for the woman and her lover. They pause at a town where a circus is being held. While at an inn, Alyssa is encountered alone by Goth, who makes unwanted advances towards Alyssa. Sorrel's appearance in the nick of time saves Alyssa, and Sorrel and Alyssa attend the circus. A performer, Saxon Fox, reveals himself to Alyssa as her protector, also having entertained Lys's presence in his dreams. Goth hates gypsies though, and razes the circus. In the chaos, she is misled to Goth, who proceeds to rape her. Saxon Fox emerges, and cuts off Goth's manhood, taking Alyssa back to Sorrel, who agrees to travel with the Foxes for a while. Alyssa begins a romantic relationship with Saxon, however her romantic feelings are rejected by a man who would rather be her father figure, and they continue their journey towards Caremboche. As they arrive, Goth appears and Saxon's nephews, in love with Alyssa, die to defend her. In the process, Saxon is crippled badly. His eyes are ripped out, his tongue is fed to a dog, and his limbs are badly broken. In despair, Alyssa stays at Caremboche and has archalyt, a type of stone, placed on her forehead to stop a flow of magic from either direction. Saxon and Sorrel stay on, and Alyssa begins to heal. Years later, Merkhud deliberately sends Torkyn to attend the Caremboche festival, held periodically, instead of himself, after a falling out between Torkyn and Merkhud. The festival is steeped in centuries of superstition, and is celebrated by parades, dances, and feasting. Torkyn is not aware Alyssa is at Caremboche, having pushed her to the past as Alyssa has done him, yet Tor decides it is time to find his lover. He arrives at Caremboche and meets an arrestingly beautiful, if malicious, witch named Xantia, who is smitten with him. Xantia and Alyssa are enemies, starting over the position for Elder, and now over the affections of Torkyn Gynt. Alyssa at first is angry and distressed at Tor's arrival, however the two sort out their misunderstandings and reunite. Goth lurks nearby, however, and makes several attempts to attack Torkyn and Alyssa, both of whom he despises passionately. At the culmination of the festival, Tor and Alyssa narrowly escape Goth and teleport with Tor's power to the Heartwood, where they couple and are married by a priestess, Arabella. They live in peace with a wolf, Solyana, and Arabella, for nine months after Alyssa becomes pregnant, and has two children. Alyssa believes her son died, and her daughter is unknown to her, as close to dying, she became unconscious as Goth attacked the forest and took the two to Tal for punishment. Tor is sentenced and executed; Alyssa escapes it by Tor and Merkhud plotting to disguise it as seduction and not as an affair. It is revealed through Alyssa's study that Caremboche was once razed by an angry god named Orlac, who was stolen when inadvertently let into the world of Tallinor, and in despair at his loss of birthright, avenged himself and was Quelled by the gods and a group of Paladin, ten magical beings, must guard his spirit and body in the spirit realms. Saxon and Cloot are Paladin; Merkhud and Sorrel are the earthly parents of Orlac, as they had adopted Orlac from the thieves. Tor is duly executed, but Merkhud teaches him to Spirit his soul into Merkhud's body, and Merkhud takes Tor's death for him. |
10697525 | /m/02qmk4j | Babylon 5: Clark's Law | Jim Mortimore | 1995-05 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction"} | The novel is divided into 3 major sections—Prologue, the main story, and then the epilogue. The prologues follow the story behind the EAS Amundsen which fired the opening shots of the Earth-Minbari war by attacking the Grey Council ships which resulted in the death of Dukhat (and his later debriefing before then Vice President Luis Santiago and his claim that the Minbari fired first), the Narn occupation of the Tuchanq (led by none other than G'kar), the serial killing of Narns by the Tuchanq that became known as D'arc, and President Morgan Eugene Clark's thoughts on using the capital punishment against aliens who commit crimes against humans as a means of gaining for political power. The main story then follows ru:Вавилон-5: Закон Кларка |
10700816 | /m/02qmmsv | The Star of Kazan | Eva Ibbotson | 7/2/2004 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | Two servants, Ellie and Sigrid, are taking a walk when they discover a baby abandoned in a church. A note with the infant says she is to be taken to a nunnery in Vienna. When Ellie and Sigrid find that the nunnery is in quarantine for typhus, they decide to take the baby home and raise her as their own. They name her Annika after Ellie's mother. Annika grows up as a servant in the house where Ellie and Sigrid work. For Annika, life in Vienna is perfect. She has friends, Pauline and Stefan, and she loves her adopted family (Ellie and Sigrid, and the three professors) very much. Annika is asked by Loremarie Egghart, a snobby rich girl whom Annika despises, to read to her great-aunt. Annika does so and the two become friends, telling each other about their lives. Loremarie's great aunt was a famous theatre personality who went by the stage name La Rondine. They become so close that the great-aunt leaves Annika her jewels when she dies, unaware that they are real; she dies thinking that the jewels are pastings of the real ones which she thought she had sold. Annika is happy but sometimes wonders about the missing piece of the puzzle: the mystery of her real mother and why she was abandoned. When a beautiful, rich lady announces she is Annika’s long lost mother, Annika is delighted. Her mother takes her to Spittal, the family's estate in Germany, and she meets her brother Hermann, her uncle Oswald, and her cousin Gudrun, but she doesn’t enjoy it. The mansion is derelict and gloomy, the walls are crumbling, and the paint peeling. She meets a friendly Romany/gypsy boy called Zed who works on the farm and cares for Hermann's horse Rocco. Annika's mother asks her to sign some important documents without really explaining them, and then goes to Zurich. Annika has actually signed over La Rondine's jewels, including her famous Star of Kazan, but is unaware of what she has done. When her mother comes back, she says a relative died and left them lots of money, but in fact she sold all of Annika's jewels so Hermann can go to the army school that he wants to attend, and Annika can have galoshes, which her mother buys a size too small. Annika is then sent away to a very harsh boarding school for young ladies called Grossenfluss, but the professors and Ellie and Stefan manage to rescue her after discovering that a pupil died there. (The pupil died by committing suicide but the police were not allowed to investigate and were told that it was an accident.) Annika then discovers that her mother is a liar and a fraud when Annika finds a picture of La Rondine and her lover at the bottom of the trunk which had contained the jewels, revealing that the trunk has been opened. Her mother blames the theft on Zed. Zed flees to Vienna with Rocco, to tell the professors his suspicions about Annika's mother. Annika manages to escape back home to Vienna, to those she loves. |
10701042 | /m/02qmmzb | Beyond Capricorn | null | 2007 | null | The title of the book refers to the sixteenth century Dieppe maps of France which in part show land in a continent extending south of the Tropic of Capricorn, that is in the area of Australia. Trickett claims that the Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover Australia, between 1519 – 23, well before the first recognised landfall of Europeans in Australia in 1606 by Willem Janszoon. According to Trickett, the first European to sight Australia may have been Diogo Pacheco, a relative of Duarte Pacheco, at Napier Broome Bay in the Kimberleys in north-western Australia in 1520. Using an account from the history of the Portuguese empire in Asia by João de Barros, Décadas da Ásia, Trickett argues Pacheco was killed there in a battle with Aborigines while searching for gold. Trickett claims the Carronade Island cannons, originate from this voyage. Most of the book, however, focuses on the claimed voyage of a fleet of four ships commanded by Cristóvão de Mendonça, along the eastern and southern coasts of Australia then to New Zealand shortly afterwards, and another Portuguese voyage along the west coast. Trickett uses one of the Dieppe maps in the highly decorated "Vallard" atlas of 1547 to demonstrate this. Trickett claims that Mendonça sailed down the east coast of Australia, sailing into Botany Bay, and then around Wilsons Promontory to Kangaroo Island, before returning to Portuguese controlled Malacca via the North Island of New Zealand. He also claims the Portuguese charted the Western Australian coast, as far south as the south west tip of Australia. Trickett claims that the French Vallard maps were composed of several portolan charts that were incorrectly assembled from now lost Portuguese charts. Trickett adjusts parts of the Vallard maps by rotating them 90 degrees, giving what he claims is a remarkably accurate depiction of Australia's eastern, southern and western coasts Trickett goes through almost every written location on the Vallard maps, giving an English translation and explaining where he believes the place is located. He also mentions the mythical Mahogany Ship, the ruins at Bittangabee Bay on the south coast of New South Wales, various Aboriginal legends and alleged linguistic similarities, and various artefacts found in Queensland and New Zealand which he claims pre-date known European exploration, as further evidence of a Portuguese discovery of Australia and New Zealand. |
10703352 | /m/02qmpsf | Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever | James Patterson | 5/23/2006 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | After the events of Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, the prior book, the Flock is headed toward Washington, D.C., where they hope to find the answers to their origins. However, after Fang is gravely injured by a flying Eraser and taken to a hospital, the Flock is housed by an FBI agent named Anne on the agreement that she is allowed to examine them "at a distance." The Flock enjoys a rare period of peace, even attending a private school, which is later discovered to have been an insane asylum. Life is good to them for now, as Max sees it, but they happen to be seeing Erasers often and their relationships in the Flock with each other are starting emotions that sometimes spill over and cause fights. Suddenly, though Iggy finds his long lost parents (he later said, "they were the real thing and the real thing wanted to make money off me"). An ordeal at their school in which teachers pull out tasers and chase Max causes the Flock to leave. Angel then suggests that they go to Florida, and for lack of a better plan, Max agrees. Later on, while in Florida, the Flock learns that a multi-national corporation named Itex is plotting to destroy the world, based on what Angel overheard when she was kidnapped back at the School, and is also tracking the Flock's movements. Earlier, Anne had revealed herself as a member of the lab that created the Flock, and seeks to recapture them. Afterward, Max faces a clone of herself created by Itex, and she is destined to either destroy it or have it kill her. However, when she discovers that Itex created the clone to test how powerful Max is, she decides not to destroy the clone. The clone is referred to simply as "fake Max" or "the other Max". |
10703495 | /m/02qmpw5 | Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports | James Patterson | 5/29/2007 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | In the third book of the Maximum Ride series, Max and her flock are faced with the task of saving the world from a massive company called Itex, and it's leader known as the Director or Morgan Janssen. They plan on cutting the world's population in half, and have already terminated a majority of their recombinant life forms. In this book, they replace Erasers (wolf/human hybrids that are sent to hunt the flock) with robotic ones called Flyboys. While Max really wants to stop Itex, Fang is trying to convince her to stop and go live life somewhere isolated where they wouldn't have to fight. She lets him take him to go look for a place to stay, in which they spend the night in a cave and Fang gently kisses Max. But, while all of this is happening, the rest of the flock gets captured by Flyboys and put in a truck. They notice that Angel is no longer with them. When Max and Fang return from their trip, they see the tire tracks leading away from the hide out and attempt to find the flock. When they find the truck, though, they are captured too. Gazzy tells them that she is no longer a part of the flock and is helping Itex now. When they get back to the School, Jeb tries to convince them that everything they've ever experienced is just a dream and that it's now time for them to be "retired" (lab-coat term for killed). Fang refuses to believe her. Ari, Jeb's son and the flock's worst enemy, suddenly becomes very nice to Max. He shows her that his expiration date has come up; this is a tattoo like patch that appears on the back of their necks to tell them that they are going to die soon. Right before the flock is retired, they find a way to escape. Angel was just pretending to be on Itex's side, and uses this to her advantage. Max brings Ari with them, although most of the flock is very against it, and get really angry. They end up spending the night in a cabin, and Max and Fang get into a big feud about Ari being there. Fang decides to split up the flock. Max, Nudge, Ari, and Angel go their way while Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy go another way. Max's flock heads to Europe to take down Itex from its roots, while Fang is trying to get her blog readers to help fight back in the US. Max and her gang get captured, though, so she emails Fang to get help for them in Germany. It's revealed that Jeb is Max's father,and Dr. Martinez is her mother. Fang's blog readers take down Itex branches all over the world. This causes the Itex to fall apart. Meanwhile, Max and the gang are still trapped at the Itex Headquarters in Germany, where he is pitted against Omega.Omega is Itex's most-successful experiment; She looks human, but she is really superhuman. During this battle, Ari's expiration date kicks in, and he dies on the field. With Jeb's help, Max eventually beats Omega. Thanks to a hand from kids around Germany coming to Fang's aid, good overpowers evil. After the battle and a short trip to France, Fang and his part of the gang contact Max and the rest of the Flock and they reunite, swearing to always stick together. |
10703502 | /m/0g58khs | The Twelfth Imam | Joel C. Rosenberg | null | null | The plot revolves around David Shirazi, who is assigned to stop Iran from developing nuclear power. The story starts in Iran in 1979 during the takeover of the American Embassy in Tehran. Charlie Harper, an American Foreign Service Officer who was outside the embassy during the takeover, and his wife Claire, seek the help of their neighbors, cardiologist Mohammad Shirazi and his wife Nasreen, a translator at the Canadian embassy to escape capture. Through the help of the Canadian embassy and the CIA, the two couples succeed in escaping and making their way to the United States. Dr Shirazi and his wife later become the parents of David, the main character in the book. The story then jumps to 2001, with teenager David going on a camping trip with his father and brothers, his father's medical colleagues, and Charlie and his daughter Marseille, a teenager to whom David is attracted. At first, David and Marseille do not get along well, but soon become good friends. This friendship turns into a relationship when Marseille kisses David in an A-frame the two discovered a few days earlier. The next day, David and Marseille are in the A-frame again, talking about important subjects such as God, politics and parents. However, when David is not looking, Marseille falls asleep on a bed. David lies beside her and falls asleep as well. A few hours later, the two wake up next to each other. Marseille looks at David with a fiery passion and asks him about what her parents did in Iran in 1979, as she has never heard the story. Still lying down, David explains the ordeal of how the couple escaped illegally from the country. Marseille is fascinated. In the moment, Davids watch goes off, signalling it is time for dinner. But Marseille does not want him to leave. She convinces him to stay. In the course of time, the two begin to make-out with each other. They enjoy the experience and wake up the next day ready to leave the camping grounds. As the planes come in to pick the group up. The pilot steps out and explains that just a few days earlier, the September 11 attacks had occurred. When Marseille hears this she bursts into tears, as her mother, Claire, was a banker at the World Trade Center. A few weeks later, a memorial service is held for Claire. This is the last time David sees Marseille. He sends her letters that go unanswered. After a few months, David gives up. His grades plummet, he gets into fights often, and even gets sent to Juvenile Delinquency. Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iran, a Muslim named Hosseini is taking his children to a military camp. He gives them each a red plastic key and sends them out over a mine field. All the children step on mines and perish. Hosseini has done this so that his children could be martyrs. He is proud of his act when suddenly, he wakes up to realize it was all a dream. He at first thinks it never happened. Then he realizes it was all too real as it occurred 18 years ago. His wife is crying on the floor remembering the loss. Hosseini comforts her when she cries blasphemy to all Muslims. Hosseini steps back a moment, shocked. His wife had just made herself no longer a Muslim. Hosseini goes to his drawer and pulls and a triple-action revolver. He fires at his wife who dies instantly. Hosseini's servants come into the room to find a dead woman on the floor. The body is buried, and Hosseini goes back to sleep. Back with David, on his last day in juvenile delinquency, a man comes to speak to him. His name is Jack. He is from the CIA and offers David a job to "bring Osama bin Laden's head in a box." David wants revenge as he figures that Marseille's life was ruined by her mother's death. He wants to kill the man who did it so he accepts the offer. After David finishes his last semester at boarding school in Alabama, Jack comes to pick him up to give him his first assignment to hunt down bin Laden. He does not enjoy the work as much as he had expected. Nor does he like the next assignment, or the next, or the one after that. In the end, seven years of boring jobs come and go. It is now the present year. David learns of a big assignment coming up. He is briefed for nearly eight hours in a conference room with Eva, a fellow CIA agent, who will be accompanying him. After the briefing is finished, Jack tells the two to "get lost" for the weekend. Eva leaves to go see her family and David goes to visit his parents. They talk, visit and catch up on each other's news and the weekend is soon over. Just as he is about to leave, his mother gives him a bag of mail addressed to him. One letter particularly stands out as it is from Marseille. It has now been nine years since 9/11 when he last saw her. He is about to open it but stops and puts it in the bag because he is worried that she may be mad at him in the letter. He goes through security and gets onto his flight to Dubai the next day. With some smooth talking, he gets the stewardess to give him the last seat in business class. About halfway through the flight, he goes back to the bag of letters. He finds the letter from Marseille. He is worried about opening it but goes ahead anyway. To his surprise, Marseille is actually coming to Syracuse in a month, and would like to talk with him over coffee. David is thrilled and realizes he still might have a chance. When David arrives in Dubai, Eva greets him and tells him they need to go to Tehran. He would like to call Marseille, but there is no time. They rush to the flight and are soon in Iran. The next day in Tehran, David and Eva meet with the CEO of a major Iranian telecoms company. The man is not very happy and is rather angry with them. He storms off while shouting profanity at his secretary. She is left in shambles but David comforts her and gives her his business card. Time passes and David takes part in a number of different missions. He saves the world from nuclear destruction and links up with Marseille once again, and this is where the book ends. |
10707281 | /m/02qmtyw | CHERUB: Mad Dogs | Robert Muchamore | 10/1/2007 | {"/m/01jfsb": "Thriller", "/m/06wkf": "Spy fiction", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | The plot revolves around two major drug dealing gangs in the turf war surrounding the collapse of KMG (Keith Moore's Gang) (See CHERUB: Class A). Gabrielle O'Brien and Michael Hendry are sent to infiltrate the infamous 'Slasher Boys', led by a man who calls himself Major Dee. Later on Gabrielle is stabbed badly in the stomach and back and is sent back to campus. Michael Hendry still stays. In the first part of the book it describes how James Adams15 years old, and his new girlfriend Dana 16 years old, are helping on the last few days of Basic Training as instructors. While there Mr Kazkov is accidentally knocked out when a kid Kevin throws a smoke canister at him. The seven trainees, realising it will be ages before Mr Pike and Dana get to the tents, attack James, his arms and legs are tied together, and the Kids get food and drink. Dana finds James tied up and gagged with a rag crammed into his mouth much later. Although Mr Pike says he would get in trouble if all the trainees were failed, he agrees they should be punished. James says the two ringleaders were Kevin and Ronan, they are dragged out of their tents and forced to stand to attention holding rifles until dawn, which will be in hours. James feels upset about punishing them, but Kazkov says 'A soldier is only as tough as the person who trains them.' After Gabrielle O'Brien's serious injury the Ethics Committee was thinking of calling off the mission but they decided that they would wait and see. Norman Large tries to blackmail Lauren so he can be a teacher at CHERUB again. Kyle, James, Kerry, Lauren and Bruce play a trick on Mr Large's adopted daughter, Hayley Large-Brooks, by getting James to go on a date with her. During the date, Hayley and James play footsie and Hayley get up and signals James to go with her. They cut through a play area and go out the emergancy exit, where Hayley throws herself at him, and they start to kiss, with James' hand on her breasts and Hayley's hands down his trousers. They counter-blackmail Mr. Large with these but they get caught and punished, especially Lauren. Before James leaves for his next mission they have a leaving party for Kyle who is going on a gap year and later going to study Law at Cambridge. James Adams and his friend Bruce Norris are sent to infiltrate the group known as the Mad Dogs. James uses his past relationship with Junior Moore to make infiltrating the gang easier. He is soon accepted into the gang and given a major role. An older gang member, Wheels, takes him on a hotel robbery, where they bind and gag the two room occupants, take several grand out of their bank account, and steal their car. However, James being given a high role annoys Junior, who Sasha Thompson, the Mad Dogs leader, is trying to protect. Junior then gets busted for an armed robbery and is sentenced for 6 years. He contemplated suicide when he was caught, but a policeman calmed him. Meanwhile, Sasha plans a great drug robbery on Major Dee. They get into an apartment where some gangmembers are by pretending the people need to fill in a form. They then taser the Woman who opens the door, before capturing nearly all the people inside with the use of handcuffs and rubber gags. James decides to help a young boy found inside who is not treated well, and one of the cocaine dealers is freed so he can continue dealing and avoid suspicion. However the gang have to leave not long after. James, though reluctant, loses his virginity to Sasha's daughter Lois, who suddenly meets him when he is having a bath. James tells his girlfriend Dana and Dana, although hurt, forgives him. Afterwards, James, Bruce and Michael successfully complete their mission and Bruce earns a black shirt. Mid- way in the book all the fellow members of CHERUB visit a memorial place for all the cherubs that lost their lives, there were only 4 members so far. |
10709316 | /m/02qmx5q | The Extremes | Christopher Priest | 1998 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Teresa Simons is drawn to a quiet English seaside town in the aftermath of a motiveless massacre by a gunman. Her husband, an FBI agent, had died in a similar outburst of violence in a small Texas town, on the same day. Similarities between the two incidents of spree violence, apparently taking place at random, are shocking and inexplicable. Teresa finds she can come to terms with the senseless nature of the murders only by immersing herself in the world of virtual reality. |
10714267 | /m/02qn1qt | The Affirmation | Christopher Priest | 1981 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Peter Sinclair endures professional unemployment and the breakup of a long-term relationship, and tries to escape his self-perceived newfound social marginality through creating an intricate fantasy fiction. In this world, he depicts himself as the winner of a lottery in the (fictional) Dream Archipelago, where the jackpot prize is a complex medical and neural operation (“athanasia”) that will ensure immortality. As he writes, working ever deeper into his psyche, Sinclair finds that his two identities are starting to merge, although it may also be the case that Peter is experiencing visual and auditory hallucination symptoms attributable to the onset of schizophrenia. The novel's climax leaves the fact ambiguous as to which world is real and which is fantasy, with the novel ending in the same unfinished sentence as Sinclair's manuscript. |
10715431 | /m/02qn2n0 | A Dream of Wessex | Christopher Priest | 1977 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | A Dream of Wessex can be read as a straightforward story about a group of twentieth-century dreamers who create a consensus virtual-reality future. Once they enter their imaginary world they are unable to remember who they are, or where they are from. On another level, the novel is itself an extended metaphor for the way in which extrapolated futures are created. The year is 1985. The Wessex Project, a privately funded project based beneath Maiden Castle, discovers a method to transport the collective unconscious of some of England's most brilliant minds into an illusory and ideal society. The object: to gather information vital to our survival on earth. But in the process, power, deception and love join to jeopardize the philanthropic program. |
10715565 | /m/02qn2tj | Breadwinner | null | null | null | An 11 year old girl named Parvanna, living in a one-room apartment with her family that consists of her father, her mother Fatana, older sister Nooria, younger sister Maryam, and baby brother Ali in Kabul, Afghanistan. She had an older brother named Hossain but he was killed stepping on a land mine during the bombing. Her father is the only one who has the right to work in the family as a teacher but he has a very hard time doing so because of a leg that was injured in a bombing. He also suffers from a severe cough, which developed after the school he was teaching in was bombed. Parvana accompanies her father to the Marketplace where he works each day, reading and writing letters in Pashtu and Dari--due to the war and Taliban control, many people are illiterate, and need assistance reading and writing. One day Talibs come to Parvana's home and take her father away because he attended university in England. When Parvana tries to bring home food, a Talib sees her and chases her. Parvana is forced to cut her hair and dress as a boy and act like her cousin, Kaseem, because women were not allowed to work. She becomes the family's breadwinner, wearing her dead brother, Hossain's, clothes. When her mother sees her in his clothes, she calls her Hossain. Parvana was not pleased with this idea,but she was needed to help her family. Parvana runs into a girl that she used to go to school with named Shauzia who has been put through the same experience. They start to work together and soon become close friends. They were never that close in school but they are now trying to figure out ways to earn more money. She also meets a family friend named Mrs. Weera, a former physical education teacher who comes to stay with Parvana's family with her granddaughter and takes charge of the household because Parvana's mother has become severely depressed over the loss of her husband. With the help of her friend, Parvana's mother begins to feel better and eventually teams up with her and a group of other women to write the Afghanistan National Magazine, smuggling it to and from Pakistan to be published. Throughout the book Parvana grows closer to her older sister Nooria, and becomes more responsible and stronger emotionally as a person. She also becomes very close with a woman who appears in the window of a building behind where Parvana works. This woman throws small gifts onto her blanket while she is there. The climax of the story comes when Parvana's seventeen year old sister Nooria announces that she is leaving for Mazar-e-Sharif to get married to a boy, because there is no war and she will be going to college. She leaves along with her mother and younger siblings, but Parvana stays since she looks like a boy and her appearance will be difficult to explain and be kept secret. Despite being against it at first, Parvana grows to accept her sister's decision. Parvana remains in Kabul with Mrs. Weera. One day after work, she meets a runaway girl from Mazar-e-Sharif who is deeply upset. Parvana leads her home at night, and soon the girl, named Homa, tells them that Mazar-e-Sharif has been captured by the Taliban. Homa's family had been killed by the Taliban, and she had been extremely lucky to run away. Mrs. Weera gladly takes her in. Parvana is very worried since the rest of her family is going there. One day, Parvana's father returns home, being led by two kind men who found him released from jail, but unable to get home due to the loss of his leg. The women and Parvana nurse him back to health, and the novel ends with Parvana and her father leaving to Mazar, hidden in the back of a truck. They will search for their family in refugee camps. Shauzia, who had been planning to run away from her difficult family so that she would not have to marry and could start a new life, tells Parvana that she will be leaving with some nomads. They plan to meet in France twenty years later, at the top of the Eiffel Tower.[breadwinner] |
10720038 | /m/02qn6pd | Dark Gold | Christine Feehan | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/01qxvh": "Romance novel"} | Dark Gold follows the story of Aidan Savage (twin brother to Julian) and his lifemate Alexandria Houton. After saving her and her brother, Joshua, from a vampire, he inadvertently converts her. Luckily, she is psychic and his lifemate, and this action does not drive her to insanity. However, she is brought unwillingly into a very frightening world. The story chronicles her struggle to accept the loss of her old life and her embrace of a new one. |
10721367 | /m/02qn7z9 | Dark Magic | Christine Feehan | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/01qxvh": "Romance novel"} | The five year period has passed; Gregori has come to San Francisco, where Savannah has ended her tour to claim her. The bombardment of new emotions prevents him from detecting the presence of a vampire. Before he can stop it, the vampire kills Savannah’s friend Peter and attempts to claim her for himself. Gregori is forced to kill him in front of her. Savannah still refuses to bond with him; however Gregori informs her that there is no choice for either of them. Knowing that she’s in shock and grief because of her friend, he takes her to his property to heal, intending to complete the mating ritual the next day. However, their closeness is too powerful to ignore and they begin to mate. Unfortunately, Gregori has waited to long and loses control and nearly kills Savannah. It is only her acceptance of him that pulls him back from the abyss. Now Savannah and Gregori must learn how to live with and love one another while staying one step ahead of the vampires and the human vampire hunting society who have targeted them. |
10722610 | /m/02qn8zm | How the Dead Live | Will Self | 6/7/2001 | {"/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The story follows Lily Bloom's encounter with the afterlife after dying from cancer. After being transported to new lodgings near Dalston accompanied by her Aboriginal spirit guide Phar Lap Jones, Rude Boy her dead 9 year old son and a lithopedion foetus she soon starts to adapt and learn the ways of the dead. |
10725417 | /m/02qncmk | Fame is the Spur | Howard Spring | null | {"/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The central character, Hamer Shawcross, starts as a studious boy in an aspirational working-class family in Ancoats, Manchester; he becomes a socialist activist and soon a career politician, who eventually is absorbed by the upper classes he had begun by combating. In fact the story is rather subtler than this summary sounds, despite the fact that the author's sympathies obviously lie with Shawcross's friends and associates who remain faithful to the cause; however, many of the middle class and aristocratic characters are portrayed fairly sympathetically, and one character whose career parallels that of Shawcross in his rise from poverty to eminence is a market-boy who becomes a major capitalist. The book also gives a fair impression of the growth particularly of the Labour Party in Britain; historical characters, such as Keir Hardie, occasionally appear, and part of the book is taken up with the hardships of life for coal mining communities in South Wales at the turn of the 20th century. The treatment of the militant women's suffrage movement is especially detailed—there are graphic descriptions of imprisonment and forcible feeding of hunger strikers. Hamer Shawcross is often taken to be based on Ramsay MacDonald; though there are similarities in their careers, there are as many differences in their personalities. A 1947 film Fame is the Spur starring Michael Redgrave ignores the subtleties to give a straightforward tale of a revolutionary losing his fire. Because there was a politician called Hartley Shawcross active at the time, the name of the central character was changed. A 1982 TV series starring Tim Pigott-Smith as Hamer Shawcross more accurately portrayed the subtleties of the book. cy:Fame is the Spur |
10726291 | /m/02qnd86 | Flashforward | Robert J. Sawyer | 1999 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The protagonist is Lloyd Simcoe, a 45-year-old Canadian particle physicist. He works with his fiancée Michiko, who has a daughter, Tamiko. Another researcher and friend is Theo Procopides. The fallout from the flashforward occupies much of the first part of the book. The consequences include the death of Michiko's daughter as an out-of-control vehicle plows into her school. Oddly, no recording devices anywhere in the world functioned in the present during the event. Security camera tapes show noise and even recording devices in television studios show nothing until the event is over. One character interprets this as evidence in support of the observer effect in quantum theory. With the awareness of the entire human race absent, "reality" went into a state of indeterminacy. When the awareness returned, reality collapsed into its most likely configuration, which was one in which moving objects had careened out of control in the direction they were already headed. The deaths of several characters are forecast by the flashforward. Anyone who did not experience it is assumed to be dead in the future. This includes Theo Procopides. Some people report reading about his murder in the future. However as time goes by it seems that the events of the future are not predestined. Some people, depressed by their visions of their own dismal futures, commit suicide, thereby changing those futures. The story begins to take on the features of a murder mystery, as Theo attempts to prevent his own murder. His brother Dimitrios, who aspired to be a writer but saw himself just working in a restaurant in the future, is one of the suicides. At CERN, less than two months after the original flashforward, the scientists plan a repeat of the run, but this time warning the world of the exact time, so that preparations can be made. However, no flashforward occurs, and the LHC instead finds the Higgs boson; what the experiment was originally designed to produce. Soon after this discovery, the riddle of the flashforward is solved. At the same time as the LHC was running, a pulse of neutrinos arrived from the remnant of supernova 1987A. The remnant is not a neutron star, but a quark star, a superdense body of strange matter. Starquakes cause it to emit a neutrino pulse at unpredictable intervals. As the date of everyone's visions approaches, a satellite is launched into an orbit close to that of Pluto, from where it can give several days warning of another neutrino pulse arriving. The neutrinos travel slower than light, since they have mass, and thus a radio message (though the book uses the notion of "faster-than-light communication" involving tachyons) from the satellite will arrive at Earth before the neutrinos do. The intent is to run the LHC again and create another flashforward. Twenty-one years after the original flashforward, the satellite sends an alert to Earth; another neutrino burst is approaching. CERN was mostly abandoned several years earlier, and there is a mad rush to prepare the near-defunct LHC on time. Many of the original builders and operators have since deceased, and Theo is one of the few staff still at CERN. Informed of a fault with some equipment in the collider tunnel, he heads down to repair it, and discovers a fanatic attempting to sabotage the experiment, blaming the LHC staff for his wife's death in the first flashforward. In a chase sequence through the tunnels containing the LHC equipment, Theo is able to stop this, preventing his own murder in the process. It turns out that the neutrino pulse arrives on the exact day which everyone flashed forward to, at the exact time. The world stops and rests at the appointed hour, and exactly as predicted, everyone blacks out. However, this time around the blackout is for approximately one hour, and it is reported that no one experienced any vision at all. Simcoe — now retired, divorced and re-married — is confused, as he experienced a vision of himself moving through time for billions of years via a succession of neutrino bursts. He observes his consciousness persisting in different artificial bodies. He is aware of another person being with him in some of these situations. When the event is over, there is general puzzlement over why nothing happened. Simcoe comes to realize that the effect connects two periods of quantum disturbance occurring within the lifetimes of the individuals involved. Since there will be no more neutrino bursts in the lifetimes of any living people, nobody experiences a flashforward, except for those who are secretly associated with an immortality project controlled by the person Lloyd sees in his second flashforward. In particular, living Nobel laureates are being offered the chance to participate. However, it is unclear whether or not Lloyd accepts the treatment, depending upon the interpretation of "forgetfulness" he describes to his wife. It is implied that Theo will be offered the treatment as well. The novel ends with Theo contacting Michiko, Simcoe's ex-wife at this point, in the hopes of kindling a romance he has considered for over twenty years. |
10732697 | /m/02qnl05 | Prince of Annwn | Evangeline Walton | 1974 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Pwyll, the prince of Dyved, offends Arawn, ruler of Annwn (the underworld), by baiting his hunting hounds on a stag that Arawn's dogs had brought down. In recompense he agrees to exchanges places with Arawn for a year. Arawn is pledged to fight his enemy Havgan, whom Walton represents as a member of a conquering eastern pantheon, by whom he is detined to be defeated unless the mortal takes his place. Pwyll must overcome a number of foes to reach the Land of the Dead, and additional perils on his way to face Havgan, the worst threat of all, a deity whose evil is masked by an attractive beauty. Nonetheless, Pwyll manages to overcome his foe. For the remainder of the year he enjoys the luxury and prerogatives of the lord of Annwn in Arawn's guise, until the time comes to trade places again. He does not, however, sleep with Arawn's wife, thus earning the lord of Annwn's gratitude. On his return to the mortal realm Pwyll encounters Rhiannon of the Birds, a beautiful maiden whose ambling horse cannot be overtaken. To win her hand he must overcome Gwawl, a rival suitor to whom she is betrothed. He ultimately succeeds by trapping Gwawl in a magic bag that can never be filled and having him beaten to death in the bag. Pwyll and Rhiannon have a son, but the baby disappears the night after his birth, and the mother, suspected of murdering him, is sentenced to a humiliating punishment. In fact the child was taken by a monster who preys on newborns. The beast has also been raiding the stables of Teyrnon; returning to carry off the latest foal, it is surprised by the now watchful owner, who manages to rescue both foal and child. Teyrnon and his wife name the boy Gwri Golden Hair and raise him as their own. As Gwri grows up he increasingly resembles his real father; realizing who he is, Teyrnon returns him to his true parents. Rhiannon is released from her ordeal, and the boy is renamed Pryderi ("worry"). |
10736690 | /m/02qnp6m | The Children of Llyr | Evangeline Walton | 1971 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | Britain is ruled by the children of Llyr and Penarddun, the giant King Bran and his siblings Branwen and Manawyddan, together with their younger half-brothers Nissyen and Evnissyen, the offspring of Penarddun and Euroswydd. Branwen is given in marriage to Matholuch, king of Ireland. Angry that he was not consulted, Evnissyen, a tragic and haunted figure, insults Matholuch by mutilating his horses. Bran placates the Irish king by compensating him with new horses and treasure, including a magical cauldron which can restore the dead to life. Back in Ireland, Matholuch and Branwen have a son, Gwern, but Evnissyen's insult continues to rankle the Irish and Branwen is banished to the kitchen and beaten every day. Finally she gets a message to Bran, who responds by making war on Matholuch. His army sails across the Irish Sea, but Bran is so huge he wades across. The fearful Matholuch offers peace and agrees to step aside as king of Ireland in favor of Gwern. Matholwch builds a house big enough to entertain Bran. His followers, unrepentant, conceal themselves in the house inside a hanging hundred bags, supposedly containing flour. Evnissyen, suspecting treachery, reconnoitres the hall and kills the hidden warriors by crushing their heads inside the bags. Later, at the feast, the angry Evnissyen throws Gwern into the fire, precipitating a battle. The fighting goes against Bran's forces, as the Irish use the magic cauldron to revive their dead. Evnissyen hides among the corpses to have himself thrown in the cauldron, which destroys it, although the effort costs him his life and comes too late for the combatants, almost all of whom are now dead. Only Branwen and seven of Bran's followers survive, notably Manawyddan and Pryderi, prince of Dyved. Bran himself is mortally wounded. Bran instructs his mourning companions to cut off his head and take it back to Britain. Branwen dies on their return, grief-struck from the ruin caused on her account. Bran's head, magically preserved, continues to live for a time, comforting and entertaining his adherents in a series of enchanted feasts before burial. Of all the children of Llyr only Manawyddan remains. |
10737082 | /m/02qnpj7 | El juguete rabioso | Roberto Arlt | null | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The book is narrated in first person and is cleanly constructed. The apprenticeship of the protagonist, Silvio Astier, develops in four separate episodes. In the first, “The Band Of Thieves,” Silvio, influenced by reading melodramas, and, perhaps more, by his deplorable position in society, founds the “Club of the Gentlemen of Midnight” with two other adolescents, which is dedicated to petty theft in the neighborhood. After a failure, the club stops its activities. In the second, “Work and days,” Silvio, after moving neighborhoods, finds work at a bookstore and moves to the house of don Gaetano, the owner of the store. There he sees terrible scenes of meanness and suffers several humiliations. At the end he tries to burn the bookstore that he works in, but fails and then leaves his post. In the third, “Mad Toy,” Silvio tries to attend the School of Aviation as a mechanic’s apprentice. At first he is accepted, and the school directors are surprised at his brilliance, but later, suddenly, they expel him, because they say they do not need intelligent people, but brutes for work. Following this, Silvio lives through a strange adventure with a homosexual in a miserable hotel room. After leaving, he buys a revolver and tries to commit suicide, but he fails at this too. In the fourth part, “Judas Iscariote,” the protagonist, a little older, has become a door-to-door paper salesman, a job that seems as vile and humiliating as all of his previous employments. He meets one of his partners in the “Club of the Gentlemen of Midnight” who has become a detective and “regenerated” in the fight for life. Silvio becomes friends with Rengo, a marginal character, who works as a caretaker for cars in the fair of Flores. Certain intimacy seems to flourish between Silvio and Rengo. Rengo tells Silvio about his plan to steal from Vitri, the engineer’s, house, who is the boss of Rengo’s lover. Silvio accepts the job. Later, almost mechanically, Silvio asks himself, “But what if I betray him?” Later, Silvio goes to see Vitri, betrays Rengo, who is arrested. Silvio has one final conversation with Vitri, in which he communicates his desire to move to the south of the country. This dark tradition does not have precedents in Argentinean literature. Arlt follows, perhaps unknowingly, the steps of the Marquis de Sade, and of the Count Lautréamont. The structure of the first three episodes are homologous: Silvio’s attempt to affirm himself as an individual (through antisocial acts in the first two cases and through a suicide in the third), and then he fails miserably. In the fourth episode, this game of opposites and interrelations complicates itself- Silvio seems to find the possibility of a human relationship with Rengo, and then he betrays him- this is the only time when he doesn’t fail, when he commits an act that is socially good but individually evil. Bitterly, the book closes and the reader suspects that there is salvation neither for Silvio nor for the society in which he lives. The book doesn’t explain the social situation, nor the thoughts of its characters; all explanation is given through action, and through the telling of the facts. In the first episode, fiction penetrates reality; the adventure novels are, at the same time, material and motive of the occurrences; life of the characters mimics the life of other characters, those of fiction inside of fiction. |
10738535 | /m/02qnqp0 | Fiesta al noroeste | null | null | null | Dingo is a puppeteer who is travelling when he runs over a small child with his cart. He then goes to Artamila in order to find Juan Medinao, a prominent land-owner and childhood companion, and find the child's family. Juan is really rich, and when Dingo arrives a servant comes to get Juan. Then, there is a flashback of the childhood of Juan, when his father, aka Juan Padre, was abusive to him and had an affair with Salome, a woman in the town. Salome had Juan Padre's second child, Pablo Zacaro. Juan's mother died as a result of Juan Padre's actions towards her, and after her death, Juan Padre sent Juan away to boarding school because Juan reminds him of his mother. However, Juan wants to know his brother, so he returns home to Artamila. Then, the story returns to the present, where a priest and doctor have joined Juan and Dingo at the dead child's house. The doctor is always drunk (emborrachado). Then, Juan confesses to the priest that his whole life, he has been prideful. The rest of the book is his confession (as a flashback). Although Juan was an awkward child with a large head, he and Dingo were friends. They became friends when they realized that both of their dads beat them. Pablo, on the other hand, was a stone-fox. Juan Padre was really rich, and when he died, he gave all his money and land to Juan. At one point, Dingo brings Juan to a puppet show in the town, and it scares Juan, but Dingo runs away with the puppet cart. Pablo feels every man should construct his own house, but Juan owns all the land and refuses to let Pablo build there. The servants unite around Pablo against Juan, and Pablo runs away. After Pablo runs away, Juan realizes that he wants everyone to know that they are brothers, so he asks Salome where Pablo went. Unfortunately, Salome doesn't know, but Pablo returns to the town with a girlfriend Delia, a peasant woman. Juan goes to Delia's family and asks for her hand in marriage, but she doesn't want to marry him. However, her family forces her to marry Juan so that she won't have to work anymore. After this, Pablo hates Juan and never wants to be with him. He also rejects Delia. The flashback ends here and Juan's confession is over. The last chapter of the book is the dead child's funeral. |
10742130 | /m/02qnt7w | .hack//CELL | null | null | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction"} | .hack//CELL takes place at the same time as .hack//Roots. The main premise of the story covers the happenings that Midori and Adamas witness and experience in The World R:2, an extremely popular MMORPG that is a new version of the original game, The World. Midori meets numerous characters from .hack//Roots (most notably Haseo,) and .hack//G.U. (such as Silabus and Gaspard.) The main plot centers around Midori selling herself out to would-be PKers, and some real-world events that center around the girl who also bears the name Midori (Midori Shimomura) who is in a coma. It is later revealed that Midori is a sentient PC, a result of the "virtual cell" that was taken from Midori Shimomura's blood. After Midori Shimomura awakens from her coma, she enters The World R:2 with a PC identical to Midori. |
10742758 | /m/02qntq9 | A Very Woman | null | null | null | The play is set in Palermo in Sicily, in Massinger's era — during the Spanish Habsburg rule of southern Italy. The plot involves the intertwined marital fortunes of the younger generation of two prominent families — those of the (otherwise unnamed) Viceroy of Sicily and Duke of Messina. The Viceroy has a son, Don Pedro, and a daughter, Almira; the Duke has a son, Don Martino Cardenes, and a niece, Leonora. The two couples, Pedro and Leonora and Cardenes and Almira, are in love and hope to be married. One source of contention clouds their matchmaking: another wealthy and prominent nobleman and a close friend of Pedro's, Don John Antonio, the Prince of Tarent (or Taranto, in southern Italy), had come to the Viceroy's court in Palermo with great display and expense, hoping to win the hand of Almira. She, however, has refused his suit in favor of Cardenes, and none too subtly or gently. As the play opens, Antonio has asked permission to pay his farewell respects to Almira; but in her arrogance she refuses this last courtesy. Pedro protests her rudeness, but Cardenes, an insecure and touchy young man, supports her decision. He goes a step further, confronting the departing Antonio, picking a quarrel with him, and striking him. The two draw their swords, and Antonio inflicts a severe and almost fatal wound upon Cardenes. Antonio is arrested and confined to prison — but his friend Pedro helps him escape. Cardenes survives his wound but endures a long convalescence and a bout of deep depression; Almira, burdened with grief and guilt, is sometimes hysterical, and those around her fear that she is losing her sanity. The Duke of Messina is incensed that Antonio has escaped the Viceroy's authority, and suspects collusion, though Pedro denies it. The Duke has Leonora accompany Almira in her convalescent seclusion, to keep her away from Pedro; both women are put under the watch of a court functionary named Cuculo and his wife Borachia. Antonio returns to Palermo, but appears in the slave market in the guise of a Turk; he is purchased by Cuculo and becomes a household servant, where he impresses everyone with his manners and breeding. Borachia thinks he must be the son of the Turkish sultan. In his slave guise, Antonio acts as the go-between for Pedro and Leonora. Both Cardenes and Almira are enduring their own versions of recovery from mental stress; Cardenes is under the cure of a prominent physician, while Leonora helps Almira regain her emotional balance. Almira loses some of her arrogance and acquires a measure of humility and sense; she also develops an infatuation with the Turkish slave who is really Antonio, her spurned suitor. When pirates break into Cuculo's house and attempt to abduct Almira and Leonora, Antonio plays a crucial role in fighting off the would-be kidnappers and rescue the two women. But while their fathers are expressing their gratitude, Almira provokes her father by announcing that she is in love with the Turkish slave. The irate Viceroy sends the man to prison, but Almira refuses to back down, saying that she will inflict upon herself whatever torture he suffers. The matter is resolved once Antonio reveals his true identity. Cardenes is now fully cured, restored to physical and mental health — but the court is astonished when Cardenes rejects the idea of marrying Almira. His near-fatal wound, his long convalescence, and his depression have given the young man a more mature and austere view of life, and he has turned away from egotism and sensuality. With Antonio substituted for Cardenes, the two couples who began the play can proceed to the altar. The comic relief in the play involves subjects — alcoholism and slavery — that are now generally considered questionable sources of humor. Borachia is an alcoholic, who turns aggressive and caustic when drunk; one of the slaves is an Englishman who has lived in France and absorbed French manners, a source of amusement for the play's original audience. On the more serious side, the drama displays Massinger's strong interest in medical and psychiatric matters and especially in the subject of clinical depression and its treatment. Samuel Taylor Coleridge reportedly once called the piece "one of the most perfect plays we have" — an extreme of enthusiasm that no other commentator has matched. |
10743236 | /m/02qntz6 | Divisadero | Michael Ondaatje | 4/17/2007 | {"/m/0488wh": "Literary fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The novel centres on a single father and his children: Anna, his natural daughter; Claire, who was adopted as a baby when Anna was born; and Cooper (Coop), who was taken in "to stay and work on the farm" at the age of four when orphaned. The family lives on a farm in Northern California where Anna and Claire are treated almost as twins, while Cooper is treated more as "a hired hand". After Anna begins a sexual relationship with Coop, an incident of violence tears the family apart. The book then details each of the characters' separate journeys through life post-incident and how they are all interconnected. Later in her life, Anna moves to France to live in a farmhouse once owned by the French poet Lucien Segura whom she is researching. Meanwhile, Claire works for a law firm in San Francisco while visiting her father on the weekends, and Coop becomes a professional gambler working his way up and down the West Coast of the United States. The second part of the story explores the story of the French poet, which has a number of close parallels to the first part of the story. |
10743893 | /m/02qnvj2 | To Live Forever | Jack Vance | null | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The city of Clarges in the future is a near-utopia, surrounded by barbarism throughout the rest of the world. Abundant resources and the absence of political conflict lead to a pleasant life that should be stress-free. However, nearly everyone is obsessed with a perpetual scramble for life, as measured by slope. Medical technology has led to a great lengthening of the human lifespan, but, in order to prevent the Malthusian horrors of over-population, it is awarded only to those citizens who have made notable contributions. Five categories have been created for those playing the life-extension game, the first four each offering an additional twenty years of life. The ultimate prize is the top category, called Amaranth, which offers (to the fortunate few) true immortality. The Grayven Warlock was one of those accomplished few, but he has become a fugitive after a feud with another Amaranth resulted in the latter's death. Masquerading as his own "relict" (clone) using the name Gavin Waylock, he lives in obscurity, looking for the accomplishment that will reinstate him among the immortals. However, Waylock's dramatic stratagems result in changes to society far beyond anything he had intended. |
10746640 | /m/02qnxm4 | Far-Seer | Robert J. Sawyer | null | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | The story begins with the main character, Afsan, looking at the stars and reflecting upon his arrival at Capital city, where he is working as an apprentice under the Court Astrologer, Tak-Saleed. Afsan is but one of many apprentice astrologers Saleed has gone through, each one sent away for reasons unknown. Later on, Afsan, in a hurry to rendezvous with his mentor, unwittingly stumbles across a confrontation between Saleed and his old creche-mate, the master mariner Var-Keenir. Keenir has brought with him a new invention called a "Far-Seer". He offers it to Saleed in hopes that it would be useful in his work, but the old astrologer, set in his ways, haughtily refuses the offer. Afsan, however, is eager to use the Far Seer to look at The Face of God, (a mysterious object which hangs in the sky that the Quintaglios worship). Outraged and offended by the suggestion, Saleed berates Afsan and sends him to the palace Hall of Worship to pay penance for his blasphemy. After arriving at the hall of worship, Afsan runs into Det-Yenalb, Master of the Faith. The high priest notices Afsan's height and notes that he's old enough that he should have gone on his coming-of-age pilgrimage to see The Face of God. Yenalb recommends that Afsan go on a hunt first, as many are lost during the Pilgrimage and he has yet to earn his hunting tattoo; any Quintaglio who hasn't yet earned one will not be allowed into heaven. Afsan heeds Yenalb's advice and meets with his friend, Prince Dybo, who also has yet to go on his pilgrimage or earn a hunting tattoo. After sharing a cut of Hornface meat with Afsan and some words of encouragement from Pal-Cadool, the palace butcher, Dybo agrees to accompany Afsan on his pilgrimage and earn a hunting tattoo as well. Before leaving with Dybo, Afsan is summoned by Dybo's mother, Empress Len-Lends. Plainly exposing her claws in Afsan's view, she tells him that he is responsible for Dybo's safe return, or he will face punishment. Visibly shaken by the Empress's threat, Afsan leaves to go on his hunt with Dybo. Afsan and Dybo arrive at the Hunter's Shrine and join the pack of Jal-Tetex, the imperial hunt leader. During the hunt, they target a massive Thunderbeast, the biggest one ever seen. The pack fights a long and grueling battle against the monstrous sauropod, and Asfan kills it by climbing up its neck and ripping out its throat, jumping away at the last second to avoid getting crushed. Afsan is declared a hero, revered for showing such innate skill on his very first hunt. After returning from the hunt, Afsan and Dybo board the Dasheter, a sailing vessel which is commanded by none other than Var-Keenir. Keenir's tail is nothing but a stump, having been torn off in an encounter prior to the story with a sea monster he calls Kal-Ta-Goot. Keenir allows Afsan to borrow his Far-Seer, and Afsan uses it to study the heavens and The Face of God. The Dasheter sails across the ocean, and Afsan's careful observations of the stars have caused him to come to a shocking conclusion- the planets, which once appeared as distant points of light, looked the same as The Face of God, meaning it is merely a natural object, not the face of a deity. Furthermore, moons orbited these planets, and Afsan hypothesis that the Quintaglio's world, which has traditionally been thought of by the Quintaglios as a giant "boat" of land floating down a massive river, is actually a moon, covered by water and orbiting The Face of God. Afsan relays his discovery to captain Var-Keenir, and tries to convince him to keep sailing east in order to test his hypothesis. Keenir refuses to, stating that it's too much of a risk to sail into uncharted waters. However, Kal-Ta-Goot is spotted heading east, and Keenir, eager for vengeance, orders its pursuit. After following Kal-Ta-Goot for several weeks, the creature attacks the Dasheter. Several sailors are eaten in the resulting battle, but eventually, Afsan proves his hunting prowess once more, killing the serpent by strangling it with the ship's anchor. Grateful to Afsan for saving his life, Keenir allows Afsan to make a request. Afsan requests that the Dasheter stay on course, and Keenir obliges, much to the chagrin of priest Det-Bleen, and sailor Nor-Gampar. When Det-Bleen confronts Keenir, it is revealed that Keenir is a Lubalite- a member of a cult which was once the dominant religion prior to the prophet Larsk sailing across the ocean and discovering The Face of God. Not long after, while Afsan is explaining to Dybo why they are continuing to sail east despite having killed Kal-Ta-Goot, the two are approached by Nor-Gampar, who is in full dagamant, the animalistic rage which overtakes Quintaglios when forced into extended contact with each other. Gampar attacks Dybo, and Afsan tries to protect him, and all three are drawn into a dagamant-fueled fight to the death. Afsan manages to kill Gampar, and almost attacks Dybo before the dagamant wears off. The Dasheter continues to sail onward, eventually landing on the western edge of Land, just as Afsan had predicted it would. While the Dasheter has stopped for maintenance, Afsan and Dybo learn that Len-Lends, the Empress, was killed when an earthquake caused the ceiling of the palace to collapse on her. By inheritance, Prince Dybo is now Emperor Dy-Dybo, ruler of all the land. In view of this, Dybo must return to capital city immediately. Afsan bids him adieu, deciding to take a more leisurely route back to the capital. During his travels, Afsan decides to meet with Wab-Novato, the inventor of the Far-Seer. Afsan learns that she has also been observing the planets and the moons, and exchange knowledge. Together, they come to the conclusion that the rings surrounding certain planets are made up out of moons which orbit too close to large planets and break apart. This leads to an even more shocking conclusion: their world, which is a moon, is orbiting dangerously close to The Face of God, and will one day crumble into a ring as well. The mental stimulation of sharing their knowledge ignites their passion and culminates with an impulsive act of sexual intercourse between the two. The following morning, Novato gives Afsan one of her Far-Seers, and he leaves to continue his journey back to Capital City to share this knowledge with Emperor Dybo. Later, Afsan stops at his home-town of Pack Carno. Whilst there, he peeks in the Pack's nursery, and witnesses a shocking event: a male Quintaglio, garbed in a purple robe, chasing and devouring all but one of the hatchlings from an entire clutch of eggs. Afsan learns that this Quintaglio is what is known as a Hal-Pataars; a Bloodpriest. It has been their job since ancient times to control the Quintaglio population by culling all but the single strongest hatchlings from each clutch of eggs. Shaken by the event, he later wonders if the governors of the province- who all bear a resemblance to Len-Lends, the former Empress- were exempted from the culling of the Bloodpriests. Afsan continues his journey back to Capital city, accompanying a convoy from Pack Carno, and with them, kills a Fangjaw, (a large, quadrupedal, saber-toothed theropod) from Runningbeast-back along the way. Eventually, he arrives back in Capital city, only to learn that Tak-Saleed had fallen ill while he was away. Afsan goes to visit his mentor at his sickbed, and tells him what he learned. Saleed confesses that he has known what Afsan knew all along, but kept it secret- he didn't want to risk losing his position, and was just too old to carry on the fight that would inevitably rise from this challenge to the Quintaglio's religion. Saleed knew that it would require an intelligent, youthful Quintaglio to fight this new fight. With his final breath, Saleed tells Afsan that the Quintaglios need to get off their world, and dies. Meanwhile, word has spread of Afsan's pilgrimage. Afsan is confronted by Gerth-Palsab, a belligerent, illiterate blacksmith, who accuses him of sacrilege. Afsan and Palsab engage in a debate, which draws a large crowd, many of whom are offended by Afsan's assertions, and others who are curious about them. Present in the crowd is a Junior Priest, who tells Det-Yenalb about Afsan's theory. Det-Yenalb, having heard rumours about Keenir, believes that the mariner has poisoned Afsan's mind with Lubalite blasphemy. When Afsan finally reunites with Dybo, he finds himself surrounded by Yenalb and the palace council. Yenalb tries to convince Afsan that he is mistaken. When he asserts that he isn't, Yenalb whips the council into a frenzy and persuades them into believing that Afsan is a Demon. Dybo, who has remained tactfully silent, saves Afsan from being killed on the spot by the council and orders him to be locked away in the palace basement. While Afsan is incarcerated, Pal-Cadool arrives to bring him meat. Cadool tells Afsan that Dybo is Emperor by divine right, being the descendant of the prophet Larsk- his theory cannot be made common knowledge or Dybo will have no right to rule. Afsan tells Cadool that the world is doomed, and he pledges himself to his cause. Cadool tells Afsan to trust nobody except those who can make a certain hand gesture; one Afsan has seen performed before by Keenir. Pal-Cadool meets with Jal-Tetex in secret at the hunter's shrine, where it is revealed that both are Lubalites, like Keenir. Cadool and Tetex both agree that Afsan is The One, a messiah foretold by the prophecy of Lubal. They believe Yenalb will have Afsan executed, and Tetex informs Cadool that Keenir has gone to recruit fellow Lubalites to rescue him. Meanwhile, Afsan is approached by Yenalb, who tries to coerce Afsan into recanting his claims. As an alternative to execution, he offers Afsan a contract, in which he declares to disavow his theories and acknowledge Larsk as a true prophet, and that he would live safely; in exile, cut off from the rest of the Quintaglios. Afsan is tempted by Yenalb's offer but ultimately refuses. He unsheathes his claws and tears up the document, and Yenalb storms off in a rage. As punishment for his heresy, Afsan has been brought to a podium in central square for a public discipline. At the request of Dybo, Afsan is not killed. Instead, Yenalb gouges out Afsan's eyes with a ceremonial obsidian dagger, so that he can no longer claim to see the things which blaspheme God. After this, Afsan is released, allowed to live out the rest of his life, but in shame and blindness. After his blinding, Afsan becomes good friends with Jal-Tetex and Pal-Cadool, who remain by his side and aide him in his blindness. Eventually, the Lubalites arrive, who march into the central square. Afsan, from atop the back of a Shovelmouth, speaks to the Lubalites, telling them of his theories and that the world is doomed. He pleads with them to cast aside their superstition and give themselves over to knowledge, to science and reason. It is only action- not prayer -which will get them off their world and save the Quintaglios. Afsan's plea is interrupted by Yenalb, atop the back of a Spikefrill and accompanied by the palace guard, who commands the Lubalites to clear out of the square. They refuse, and a fierce battle between the two factions ensues. Afsan is kept safe by the Lubalites during the conflict, and Cadool confronts Yenalb in combat atop the Spikefrill. Yenalb is no match for the butcher and Cadool emerges triumphant by biting off his head, killing him in Afsan's honor. The battle between the Lubalites and the palace guard is interrupted when an earthquake, triggered by the eruption of the nearby Ch'Mar volcanoes, destroys Capital City. Though many are killed in the eruption, many more manage to escape by boarding the Dasheter: among them, Afsan, Cadool, Tetex, Keenir, and Emperor Dybo. Afsan learns that Novato is on the Dasheter as well- with their eight children, who were spared the culling of the Bloodpriests, since no Bloodpriest would dare kill the offspring of The One. While he is resting on the Dasheter, Dybo confronts Afsan, and apologises for all the terrible things he went through, and for blinding him. Dybo acknowledges the truth of Afsan's theory, tells him that all charges will be lifted and that he will be appointed the Court Astrologer and live in peace in capital city. Afsan asks Dybo to pledge himself to what would come to be known as the Quintaglio Exodus. The story ends with Dybo announcing that the Quintaglios will be going to the stars. |
10754695 | /m/02qp3d2 | Labyrinth of Struggle | null | null | null | The book is divided into four stages of the main character's life. Mauricio is the son of Marysol, the last woman in line, and he is trying to make sense of all the women in the story he is related to: Maria, the matriarch; Magdalena, the daughter; Marysol, the granddaughter. It starts when his mother is dying in the hospital bed, which begins his recollections of his mother's life and his upbringing: the death of his grandmother when he is a small boy which leads to his mother's decision to tell of her upbringing in Civil War torn Spain; early teens when he begins to search for his "traveler" father which leads him through a maze like path of his mother's deceit; late teens, where he discovers his progeny and his mother's real reason for hating men and wanting him to respect women above all else; ending back in the hospital bed as his mother expires and what it all means to be her son. The ending ends the discussion of Heritage, originally started in the opening scene by him. The book itself is anachronistically written to make the stories and their transition feel like a labyrinth of these women's struggles. Placing the reader in the same level as the Mauricio character, who learns and discovers as he grows up. |
10759187 | /m/02qp6mk | Mystery of Banshee Towers | null | null | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | During a holiday from school, the children are told by their parents to spend their time visiting sites in the adjacent countryside, rather than spend their time in the village (searching for a mystery to solve). Together, they visit an old stately home which is hosting some famous sea paintings, which Ern and Little Bets love and the others can take or leave. The plot hinges on the fact that Ern spots that on subsequent visits a little boat he particularly admired in the piece de resistance of the collection is missing, and that on pointing this out to the crusty curator and volatile owner the children unknowingly place themselves in great danger . Ern find the first clue a clue that nobody would have noticed. |
10762406 | /m/02qp8yt | Never Mind the Goldbergs | null | null | null | Living in Los Angeles is Hava's first experience living outside the Orthodox Jewish world, however, and she finds herself questioning her relationship to Judaism, to Orthodoxy, and to God. These are illustrated through quirky, often humorous episodes, including one where Hava is unwittingly kept working until Shabbos, and another where she stumbles into a man who may or may not be Orson Welles. The book's unconventional tone and unpredictable nature have elicited comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut and Francesca Lia Block.http://www.ajlmagazine.com/theyadablog/archives/2005_02_01_theyadablog_archives.html The book's centerpiece, a scene where Hava and her friend Moish flee the sitcom set and road-trip to Berkeley, California. Some of the personalities are based on real people, including an Orthodox film director and a Hasidic rebbitzin who is also a hip-hop M.C.http://www.jbooks.com/interviews/index/IP_Slutsky_Roth.htm |
10762779 | /m/02qp983 | Peace Like a River | Leif Enger | 2001 | {"/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The novel, set largely in 1962 is narrated by Reuben Land, the asthmatic eleven-year-old protagonist, and includes his older brother Davy and younger sister Swede. His father, Jeremiah, a school janitor, is a deeply-spiritual Protestant but occasionally performs miracles, of whom Reuben is the sole witness. The Lands' lifestyle is disrupted when troublemakers Israel Finch and Tommy Basca attempt to molest Davy's girlfriend and are prevented by Jeremiah; whereafter they attempt revenge by kidnapping Swede before returning her unharmed. Having provoked them to enter his own house, Davy kills them and is tried for murder. At the trial, Reuben is the only eyewitness of the killing; and though determined not to betray his brother, he gives a compromising testimony, ensuring the probability of a conviction. Before the conclusion of the trial, Davy escapes the jail and flees. Search for him is personified by a federal agent, Martin Andreeson, who vainly asks the family for information on Davy's whereabouts (of which they know no more than he). Jeremiah becomes ill with pneumonia, leaving Reuben and Swede to operate the household until his recovery. After Jeremiah is recovered, they learn that traveling salesman Tin Lurvy has died and left them his Airstream trailer, which they take in search of Davy; at first to their friend August Schultz's farm, having received suggestion that Davy might be there. When they arrive, they find Davy has come and gone, and pursue him, seeking continually to avoid Martin Andreeson. Later in the journey, the family visit a service station and remain at length as guests of its widowed owner Roxanna, who assumes a maternal role toward the children and (toward the end of the novel) later marries Jeremiah. Reuben discovers Davy by accident, and finds him accompanied by the eccentric Jape Waltzer and his ward Sara. Thereafter Reuben visits them several times, being forbidden by Davy to tell the family. Waltzer claims to have "bought" Sara from her father in Utah and raises her with the intention of later marrying her. Eventually, Andreeson reaches the family again, having suspected that Davy is nearby; and Jeremiah, after much prayer, co-operates with him. Having suspected that Waltzer will kill Andreeson if discovered, Reuben leads a search party to the hideout; but deliberately misleads the searchers, causing one to be injured. Despite this, the posse discover the hideout, but find it abandoned. They find Andreeson's discarded fedora, leading them to believe he has been killed. (He was actually bludgeoned to death by Jape Waltzer and dumped into a vein of burning lignite). The family returns to their home in Minnesota, where Jeremiah marries Roxanna. Three months thereafter Davy appears at their home with Sara, claiming that Jape had decided to marry Sara and, the latter objecting, that Davy fled with her. Having pursued them, Waltzer fires on Jeremiah and Reuben. In the next chapter, Reuben undergoes a near-death experience displaying himself in an afterlife wherein his breathing is normal and he can run freely. There, he and his father approach a city, apparently of the dead, to which Jeremiah is admitted and Reuben forbidden. Reuben then awakes to find his father dead and himself still breathing, and his asthma cured. In the epilogue, Swede becomes a novelist, whereas Reuben sometimes visits Davy (who lives in a small Canadian town on the plains); but concludes his narrative by reference to his sight of his father's miracles and the afterlife glimpsed by himself. Reuben also marries Sara. Jape escapes crime and his whereabouts remain unknown. |
10767680 | /m/02qpdcg | The Bashful Lover | null | null | null | The play is set in an ahistorical version of northern Italy during the High Renaissance. The Duchy of Mantua, ruled by a Gonzaga, is threatened militarily by the ruler of Florence, Duke Lorenzo (suggesting one of the Medicis). The opening scene, however, deals with love rather than war: a love-sick gentleman who calls himself Hortensio is hanging around the Mantuan court, wherever he can catch sight of the princess Matilda. He is the "bashful lover" of the title. Hortensio has bribed Ascanio, the princess's page, to inform him of her movements — and Ascanio is open about this to his mistress, recognizing that Hortensio's infatuation is harmless. Matilda courteously meets with Hortensio, and allows his distant attentions. But the Mantuan court is preoccupied with the military situation. The Duke receives the Florentine ambassador, Alonzo, but rejects Lorenzo's demands for the city's surrender and Matilda's hand in marriage. (When Ascanio see Alonzo at court, he faints and is carried out.) The play's action swiftly moves to the Mantuan countryside; Hortensio has joined the Mantuan forces to prove his worth to Matilda, and Ascanio has accompanied him. When the two armies engage in combat, the Florentine forces are victorious. In the process, the Florentine officer Alonzo is seriously wounded, and falls into the care of Octavio, a former Mantuan general and courtier who lives retired in the country after losing the Duke's favor. It turns out that the page Ascanio is Octavio's daughter Maria in disguise; she was previously seduced and abandoned by Alonzo. Octavio nurses Alonzo back to health; after his near death, Alonzo is reflective, and repentant over his treatment of Maria. (Octavio at one point manquerades as a monk to help Alonzo "cure the ulcers of his mind," to overcome his depression and mental distress — a feature typical of Massinger's dramaturgy.) Hortensio, after fighting bravely and rescuing Gonzaga from capture, is himself captured by Lorenzo's forces — as is Matilda; the two are re-united in captivity. Duke Lorenzo, talking among his officers, admits that his prior demand for Matilda's hand was a feint of ambition, and that he has no real interest in her, or in a marriage of state. He changes his mind, however, when he actually meets her. The princess's beauty and her noble character work a change of heart upon Lorenzo: he renounces his military conquest and returns Mantua to Gonzaga's control. In his new magnanimity, Lorenzo allows Matilda a free choice among her three suitors — himself, Hortensio, and a prince of Parma named Uberti; but in eavesdropping on a conversation between Hortensio and Matilda, Lorenzo and Gonzaga come to recognize Hortensio as her worthiest choice. Uberti is less willing to concede—until it is revealed that Hortensio is actually Galeazzo, a prince of Milan and the new ruler of that city. Alonzo, recovered from his wounds, marries Maria, and Octavio is restored to favor. |
10768484 | /m/02qpdz0 | Matriarch | Karen Traviss | 2006-09 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | Mohan Rayat and Lindsay Neville have been sent to the bottom of the ocean, after having been infected with c'naatat in the World Before, to spend forever living with the bezeri to help them rebuild and recover. But first they must undergo cellular reconstruction in order to survive in the depths, which happens at an astounding rate. Ade Bennett and Aras have the unpleasant duty to tell Shan Frankland, their isan, what they did. Since Shan threw herself into deep space to keep c'naatat from Rayat and Earth's government, she was not pleased that the symbiont was just given to them. She tells Esganikan of the Eqbas Vorhi about the development and she agrees to take precautions against it being spread. Neville and Rayat are changed people, literally. They have developed gills and can sense their surroundings using sonar. The bezeri have put them to work extracting maps from a contaminated zone that the bezeri cannot enter. Rayat wants to acquire the bioluminescence ability that Shan has so he can try to communicate with the bezeri without the aid of the translation lamp. Shan had acquired bioluminescence in a previous encounter and passed that on to Ade. He in turn would have passed that on to Rayat and Neville when he infected them but this has not manifested itself. In an effort to make it manifest, Rayat asks for cells from the bezeri. The matriarch of the group brings the body of a youth that has recently died and Rayat and Lindsay put some of its tissue and blood into their own bloodstream. Ade, Shan and Eddie have gone with the Eqbas to visit Umeh. While there, Shan and Ade finally consummate their relationship. The Eqbas are attacked by the Maritime Fringe, a neighboring state of Jejeno, but the attack causes no damage to the Eqbas and the Eqbas retaliate swiftly by destroying most of the far city of Buyg. They all take a trip in the Eqbas ship to visit that city and determine if they are now willing to cooperate. The Maritime Fringe responds with ineffective violence which is met with return fire from the Eqbas. Ade has noticed that his bioluminescence and Shan's seem to respond to each other and to other lights. He thinks the possibility exists that c'naatat is sentient and is communicating. Others don't want to think of that as possible so they are avoiding the issue. Shan calls Aras to let him know they are coming back to Wess'ej and discover that Vijissi, who was thrown into space with Shan because he refused to abandon her, has been found and is alive—infected with c'naatat. pt:Matriarch |
10770519 | /m/02qpgc1 | The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled | Conrad D. Carnes | 1972 | {"/m/05h83": "Non-fiction"} | Events depicted in the book took place over four-days at the Hyatt House motel in Palo Alto, California, and included management executives from Holiday Magic. The book revealed details of the events that went on during the coursework at Mind Dynamics and Leadership Dynamics. The book stated that Holiday Magic participants in the Leadership Dynamics sessions were required to register in the coursework, at a cost of USD$1,000, "..in order to get ahead in the company." Golembiewski stated that the book described "illustrative chapter and verse" of the coursework, including such training aids as a cross, a coffin, oxygen bottles, and piano wire. Participants that instructors deemed as "dead" to their lives, were told to stay in the coffin until they realized "..how much it means to be alive." |
10775866 | /m/02qpmy8 | Pellucidar | Edgar Rice Burroughs | 1915 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/0d6gr": "Reference", "/m/08sdrw": "Adventure novel", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | David Innes and his captive, a member of the reptilian Mahar master race of the interior world of Pellucidar, return from the surface world in the Iron Mole invented by his friend and companion in adventure Abner Perry. Emerging in Pellucidar at an unknown location, David frees his captive. He names the place Greenwich and uses the technology he has brought to begin the systematic exploration and mapping of the unknown land while searching for his lost companions, Abner, Ghak, and Dian the Beautiful. He soon encounters and befriends a new ally, Ja the Mezop of the island country of Anoroc; later he finds Abner, from whom he learns that in his absence the human revolt against the Mahars has not been going well. In a parlay with the Mahars David bargains for information of his love Dian and his enemy Hooja the Sly One, which his foes agree to supply in return for the book containing the Great Secret of Mahar reproduction that David stole and hid in the previous novel. David undertakes to recover it, only to find that Hooja has been there before him and claimed Dian as his own reward of the Mahars! Now he has to track down and defeat the sly one before resuming the human war of independence. Ultimately this is accomplished, and with the aid of the resources David has brought from the surface world he and Abner succeed in building a confederacy of human tribes into an "Empire of Pellucidar" that wipes out the Mahar cities and establishes a new human civilization in their place. |
10781599 | /m/02qptkp | Other Voices, Other Rooms | Truman Capote | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel", "/m/01jym": "Bildungsroman"} | The story focuses on the lonely and slightly effeminate 13-year-old boy Joel Harrison Knox following the death of his mother. Joel is sent from New Orleans, Louisiana to live with his father who abandoned him at the time of his birth. Arriving at Skully's Landing, a vast, decaying mansion on an isolated plantation in rural Alabama, Joel meets his sullen stepmother Amy, debauched transvestite Randolph, and the defiant tomboy Idabel, a girl who becomes his friend. He also sees a spectral "queer lady" with "fat dribbling curls" watching him from a top window. Despite Joel's queries, the whereabouts of his father remain a mystery. When he finally is allowed to see his father, Joel is stunned to find he is a mute quadriplegic, having tumbled down a flight of stairs after being inadvertently shot by Randolph and nearly dying. Joel runs away with Idabel but catches pneumonia and eventually returns to the Landing where he is nursed back to health by Randolph. The implication in the final paragraph is that the "queer lady" beckoning from the window is Randolph in his old Mardi Gras costume. |
10786568 | /m/0bq2lv | Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - The Long Night of Centauri Prime | Peter David | 8/29/1998 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Bombed to the brink of oblivion, Centauri Prime is starting the slow and painful process of rebuilding, under the watchful eye of Emperor Londo Mollari. But Londo is in turn being watched – and manipulated – by the conquest-hungry Drakh. The malevolent beings are reshaping the Centauri Republic into a secret seat of power from which to strike out at their enemies – especially the Interstellar Alliance. All but helpless to resist, Londo watches as his beloved Homeworld is transformed into a ruthless police state. And the Drakh have willing allies, including one of Londo’s own countrymen – Minister Durla, a powerful official with his own agenda. As the abuses of the repressive new Republic escalate, the double-edged Drakh master plan begins to unfold. Their goal is to smash the Interstellar Alliance by assassinating its president, John Sheridan. ru:Легионы огня: Длинная ночь Примы Центавра |
10786669 | /m/0bq2nx | Babylon 5: Legions of Fire - Armies of Light and Dark | Peter David | 8/29/1998 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Vir, with the help of G'Kar and Galen, takes over where Londo left off. |
10787251 | /m/02qpz5c | Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Casting Shadows | Jeanne Cavelos | 8/29/1998 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction"} | The book is set in November 2258, the same year as the first season of Babylon 5. It revolves around Galen, a member of the Technomage order. It details the internal structure of the technomage order and shows, from the technomages' point of view, the run-up to the Shadow War. ru:Вавилон-5: Путь техно-магов: Отбрасывая тени |
10787364 | /m/02qpzb5 | Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Invoking Darkness | Jeanne Cavelos | 8/29/1998 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction"} | The story begins where the second book, Summoning Light, left off. The technomages have reached their "hiding place", an asteroid in an apparently remote and uncharted region of our galaxy, and have sealed themselves in by means of an advanced stealth- and defense system, the only remaining link being an observation room linked to the remaining probes left behind by the technomages throughout the galaxy. Galen is in charge of observing the outside (meaning mainly the ongoing Shadow war), the only technomage save the Circle (the ruling body of the mages) with access to any information about the developments in the outside world. The rest of the mages are descending rapidly toward chaos, being hemmed in and cramped together weighing heavily on the solitary-natured technomages. Fights and disputes are omnipresent, old friends and rivals turning on each other all the same. The mage elders continue to die a slow, withering death, a result of their severing of connection, and destruction of, their places of power. Of the original Circle, only Herazade, Galen's teacher Elric, and Blaylock remain. Elric is deteriorating rapidly and Blaylock's condition is not much better. Galen himself, the main character of the trilogy, is torn. In the previous book he barely escaped death, and worse, at the price of unleashing all the destructive potential of what he was intended to be. He knows the creators of the tech to be the feared and hated Shadows, the only mage outside the Circle, except Alwyn (who stayed out in the galaxy fighting the Shadows openly with the Narn G´Leel at his side) privy to this knowledge. On the Shadow stronghold of Thenothk, he has faced his nemesis Elizar, as well as a considerable portion of the Shadows´ war machine, and survived only through the use of his "Spell of Destruction", actually one of the basic "functions" of the "tech" (the biotechnological implants that define a technomage), a weapon of immense power. This has left him scarred, as the destructive impulses also instigated in the tech, impulses he has freed by his overuse of this basic function, are nigh irresistible. Thus, he spends his days in seclusion from everyone, struggling with great effort to suppress this deadly programming. Even though it is the very same programming that, unbeknownst to them, is pushing the rest of his order over the edge, Galen's terrifying power would only need to be unleashed once to destroy them all in the confined space of the hiding place. For this reason, as well as because of feelings of betrayal at not telling him of the nature of the tech, he avoids all contact with Elric, despite his failing health and the pain separation causes both of them. Thus, two years pass in the hiding place. Then, Elric is killed by Circe, another mage who her Shadow side has gotten the better of. Circe attempts a power grab from the Circle and the weakened Elric dies protecting the solidarity of the mages that he has so long fought and sacrificed for. This is the last drop for the already much-strained Galen, who only now realizes how much he cared for the old technomage. Since it turns out that Circe and her accomplices were put up to their nefarious plans by Morden, the ubiquitous extended hand of the Shadows, Galen convinces what remains of the seclusionist Circle to let him go kill Morden, who has proven to be a threat to the mages even in their exile, as well as his old nemeses Elizar and his deranged sister Razeel, who had previously forced Galen to watch through the probes the destruction of his and Elric's onetime home, the planet Soom, as well as the brutal execution of Fa, a Soom native child who was once a friend of Galen´. And so Galen goes to the heart of the darkness, Z´ha´dum, the homeworld of the Shadows. A second, parallel storyline begins here, which is mostly the lead-up to and the onscreen part of the season 3 Babylon 5 finale, "Z´ha´dum". It is revealed that Galen's and Sheridan's presence and actions on Z´ha´dum actually coincide, where neither would have been successful without the other. Before continuing on to his final destination, where he is certain he will perish, Galen stops over on Babylon 5 to attempt the assassination of Morden. He briefly meets his and Elric's old friend Alwyn, who is still griefstricken from the death of his apprentice, the ever-cheerful young Centauri Carvin, then fails in killing Morden, having squandered the opportunity on an attempt to persuade Morden to free himself from Shadow influence. This he achieves through killing his invisible but omnipresent Shadow cohorts, who, it turns out, are directly controlling Morden, more or less forcing the otherwise relatively decent man into the atrocities he daily commits in their service. Although it becomes apparent Morden is beyond help, the knowledge is still a useful piece of the puzzle that is Galen's very own reason for being. In a brief encounter with Sheridan, the fragment of Kosh still alive within the captain warns Galen of the rather malevolent intentions of the rest of the Vorlons and, sure enough, en route to Z´ha´dum Galen is confronted by Ulkesh, Kosh's replacement, but is allowed to proceed upon proving to the Vorlon that he is willing and able to destroy Elizar and Razeel, now powerful "allies" of the Shadows, and only them. Reaching Z´ha´dum, Galen engages Elizar in a fierce hide-and-seek, culminating in a true technomage battle, in the underground labyrinth of the Shadows´ capital, even as the dramatic events of the TV episode unfold just a short distance away. Galen is able to help John Sheridan reach the balcony in the city of the Shadows and then to allow the White Star to successfully complete its kamikaze dive on the city. He manages this by merging with the Eye, the control mechanism of Z´ha´dum's defenses as well as the directing entity for the deadly Shadow ships, as a last recourse in the fight against the now more powerful Elizar and his sister. Galen realizes, just in time, this possibility, based on the fact that most shadowtech is interlinkable (which he learned in his encounter with Anna, formerly Sheridan, at the time the displaced central processor of a Shadow vessel) and that the Eye is arguably the most sophisticated and powerful piece of shadow technology in existence. There, he mades a staggering discovery, as well as learns the reason for his being drawn to Z´ha´dum constantly over the course of the previous books and for the Shadows´ apparent interest in himself: the Eye also has a living central processor, and none other than Wierden, the first technomage and author of the mages´ revered Code. She has also been enslaved by the Shadows, and, in punishment for her secession from their ways, forced to be the "heart of the darkness" for a thousand years. Now, she is finally dying, and Galen is to be her replacement. Just before his identity is lost in the immensely powerful semisentient presence of the Eye, Galen realizes a fundamental connection, based on his past and recent experiences: the tech is not inherently evil, it is being forced by Shadow programming to do their bidding like any other creature in the Shadows´ control. He then achieves what Blaylock and those like him had striven for their entire lives - a perfect unity with the tech - by casting an empty spell, an equation with no terms, bypassing the Shadow programming altogether. The tech is in itself sentient, to a degree, and, being thus freed from the dark impulses, both it and Galen refuse to spread chaos further. First, Galen dispatches Elizar and Razeel with his newfound power, then he, being now the core of the Eye, allows the White Star past Z´ha´dum's defenses. The rest of the great machine, free at last, sacrifices itself to at least save Galen from the massive thermonuclear blast, burying him and Morden, who Galen attempts to save once more, deep under the obliterated Shadow city. Still, the blast nearly kills them both, and between attempting to heal himself and Morden, Galen soon finds himself near death. Being now in a deep, ancient and forgotten part of Z´ha´dum, Galen finally realizes the truth of the war, of the Shadows´ and Vorlons´ ancestral and petty dispute, as well as that the Shadows were once a wise and evolved race, not the chaos incarnate they are in his time. Suddenly, he is approached by Lorien, The First, the oldest being in this galaxy, who has made his home in the abyss of Z´ha´dum aeons ago, the real reason for the Shadows´ invariable returning there after each defeat. Lorien commends Galen on his achievements (particularly the spiritual ones, as the timeless being really doesn't care much for deeds of battle) and urges him to escape with his life, taking Morden into custody (and subsequently relinquishing him back to the Shadows, no doubt of Morden's own peculiar choice). This interestingly takes place at the same time Lorien is keeping Sheridan alive in a place not far away. On the surface, Galen finds a Shadow ship, merges with it, "frees" it from its servitude and leaves for the hiding place, much to the mages´ confoundment as to his means of transportation. There, he arrives just in time to fulfill Blaylock's lifelong dream of perfect unity with the tech and the universe by teaching him to free himself, moments before Blaylock dies of the deterioration caused by his severing the link with his place of power two years ago. In his absence, the mages were told of the origin of the "tech" and their order, causing a fresh wave of violence and death. Now, with a new, substantially younger Circle of five, deliverance finally comes with Galen's promise of hope for every mage to be free of their dark impulses. Still, the mages refuse to leave the hiding place just yet, for achieving what Galen has is no easy task and will require time for most of them, and also out of some persistent fear induced by the horrid conditions of their exile. Galen agrees to stay with them to help them and guide them on this new quest, optimistic for once about what the future holds for him and his order. |
10787794 | /m/05c5xtx | Toki o Kakeru Shōjo | Yasutaka Tsutsui | 1976 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/07s9rl0": "Drama"} | Kazuko Yoshiyama, a third-year middle school student, is cleaning the school science lab with her classmates, Kazuo Fukamachi and Gorō Asakura, when she smells a lavender-like scent and faints. After three days, strange events transpire around Kazuko, including the burning of Gorō's house after an earthquake. The next morning, at the exact moment of a car accident, Kazuko is transported 24 hours into the past. She relives the day and relates her strange experience to Kazuo and Gorō. They don't believe her at first, but they are convinced when she accurately predicts the earthquake and ensuing fire. Fukushima, their science teacher, explains Kazuko's new ability as "teleportation" and "time-leap". To solve the riddle of her power she must leap back four days. Finally, Kazuko's determination enables her to make the leap. Back in the science room she meets a mysterious man who has assumed her friend Kazuo's identity. He is really "Ken Sogoru", a time-traveler from AD 2660. His intersection with the girl's life is the accidental effect of a "time-leaping" drug. Ken remains for a month and Kazuko falls in love with him. When he leaves, he erases all memories of himself from everyone he has met, including Kazuko. As the book ends Kazuko has the faint memory of somebody promising to meet her again every time she smells lavender. |
10795434 | /m/02qq791 | Borgel | Daniel Pinkwater | 1990-04 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature", "/m/01z4y": "Comedy", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | This book is told from the point of view of a young boy named Melvin. Borgel shows up one day at the house where Melvin and his family live, claiming to be somehow related to the family, although no one (apparently not even Borgel himself) is entirely sure how. Borgel is eccentric, to say the least, but in time he befriends Melvin. Melvin often goes to a local cafe with Borgel where Borgel often talks in a strange language with other patrons. One night Borgel invites Melvin to go for a walk with him and the family dog, Fafner. Borgel ends up using a wire hanger to break into his car, a Dorbzeldge. As they are traveling along the highway Borgel tells Melvin about traveling though time-space and the other. He explains that he is a time tourist, that time is like a map of New Jersey, and that space is like an elliptical bagel with poppy seeds. Melvin thinks Borgel has gone crazy but soon they are traveling on an invisible highway in space. In space Fafner can speak, and he repeatedly criticizes Melvin and everything Melvin does. The trio end up meeting multiple interesting people such as a bloboform, a man who sleeps upside down in trees, and Hapless Toad (the weak son of the genius Evil Toad, who has met the Great Popsicle), among others. They eventually pick up a strange person called Freddie Nfbnm*. Freddie Nfbnm* persuades the group to search for the Great Popsicle, one of the 26 most powerful living beings in the universe. They go to an island in space with a Glugo, an ape they meet in the suburbs of Hell who agrees to help them find the Great Popsicle. Glubgo warns the group that Freddie is a Grivnizoid—a large and viscous species capable of disguising itself, in this case as a normal person. The popsicle is seen frolicking peacefully in the fields and he is surrounded by a feeling of love that rubs off on all others who see the popsicle. In an attempt to gain the power of the popsicle, Freddie eats it (confirming that he is, in fact, a Grivnizoid). Instead of gaining fearsome powers he becomes like the popsicle and begins skipping around the island. The original trio leaves and returns to Earth. They arrive at the same time they left as they had traveled through time. |
10796764 | /m/02qq9cd | Hombres de maíz | Miguel Ángel Asturias | 1949 | {"/m/0127jb": "Magic realism"} | The novel deals with the conflict between two types of men: the ones who consider maize to be a sacred food (the indigenous people of Guatemala); and those who view it simply as a commercial product. It exposes the devastating effects capitalism and international companies had on the lives of Guatemalan maize growers, having a profound effect on their customs, ancestral beliefs and cultural identity. The novel is generally considered to be part of the literary genre known as Magic Realism. As such, it delves into the richness of native culture and oral tradition and touches themes such as: myths and legends, songs, native wisdom and lore, nahualism, magic and animal spirits. |
10799664 | /m/02qqdrx | Aura | Carlos Fuentes | null | {"/m/03npn": "Horror", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | Felipe Montero, a young historian, accepts a live-in position editing the memoirs of General Llorente, which the elderly widow (Consuelo) wants published before her own death. Intoxicated by the airless atmosphere of the house, Felipe begins dreaming of having sex and escaping with Consuelo's young beautiful niece, Aura. As he reads the General's writings, he makes some discoveries surrounding Consuelo's infertility, her fantasy of having a child, and her obsession with youth only to realize that Aura is actually a projection of the 109-year-old widow. One night, while he embraces her, Aura turns into the old woman. Felipe then takes on the role of the General, coupled with Consuelo, to give birth to 'Aura', who epitomizes youth and the illusion of life. |
10800600 | /m/02qqfr5 | The Carpathians | Janet Frame | 1989 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0127jb": "Magic realism"} | In The Carpathians we are presented with a topsy-turvy world. The protagonist, Mattina Brecon, is a wealthy New Yorker whose husband, Jake, is a novelist struggling to follow-up the success of his smash-hit debut. Mattina, upon hearing the legend of the Memory Flower, decides to fly to New Zealand to visit a rural town, Puamahara, where the magical flower, said to release the memories of the land, linking them with the future, is rumoured to grow. Once there, Mattina rents a house on Kowhai Street, where, posing as a novelist, she sets out to record the lives of her new antipodean neighbours. As she discovers, however, the locals are also ‘impostors’, brought into existence by the memory of another time and place. Eventually, the town slowly begins to resemble a cemetery, silent and dead still. As Mattina begins to unravel the secrets of Kowhai Street she discovers, in her own bedroom a mysterious presence. The novel is hijacked by one of Mattina's new neighbours who describes herself as an imposter novelist, as the New Yorker gradually loses her grip on time and place. A dense, complex novel, The Carpathians combines elements of Magical Realism, postmodernism and metafiction. |
10802071 | /m/02qqh0p | Little House in the Big Woods | Laura Ingalls Wilder | 1932 | {"/m/0hfjk": "Western", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | Little House in the Big Woods describes the homesteading skills Laura observed and began to practice during her fifth year (see comment on Laura’s age, above). This first volume does not contain the more mature (yet real) themes addressed in later books of the series (danger from Indians and wild animals, serious illness, death, drought, crop destruction). Hard work is the rule, though fun is often made in the midst of it. Laura gathers woodchips, and helps Ma and Pa when they butcher animals. Laura also helps Ma preserve the meat. This is all in preparation for the upcoming winter. Fall is a very busy time, because the harvest from the garden and fields must be brought in as well. The cousins come for Christmas that year, and Laura receives a doll, which she names Charlotte. Later that winter, the family goes to Grandma Ingalls’ and has a “sugaring off,” when they harvest sap and make maple syrup. They return home with buckets of syrup, enough to last the year. Laura remembered that sugaring off, and the dance that followed, for the rest of her life. Each season has its work, which the author makes attractive by the good things that result. In the spring, the cow has a calf, so there are milk, butter and cheese. Everyday housework is also described in detail. That summer and fall, the Ingalls again plant a garden and fields, and store food for the winter. Laura’s Pa trades labor with other farmers so that his own crops will be harvested faster when it is time. Not all work was farming. Hunting and gathering were important parts of providing for the family as well. When Pa went into the woods to hunt, he usually came home with a deer then smoked the meat for the coming winter. One day he noticed a bee tree and returned from hunting early to get the wash tub and milk pail to collect the honey. When Pa returned in the winter evenings, Laura and Mary always begged him to play his fiddle; he was too tired from farm work to play during the summertime. In the winter, they enjoyed the comforts of their home and danced to Pa’s fiddle playing. |
10811134 | /m/02qqqwg | The Spanish Gardener | A. J. Cronin | 1950 | {"/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | A restrained, precise man, Brande has an elevated sense of his own importance, believing his qualities have been overlooked in a series of postings around Europe which have failed to result in promotion. His other abiding resentment is the failure of his marriage to his wife Marion, who left him when his dispassionate and obsessively controlling nature overwhelmed her. Brande’s paranoid need to be loved and respected are focused on his hobby, a manuscript on Malbranche, a French philosopher, and on his nine year old son Nicholas. Nicholas is a delicate child who has been reduced to a state of invalidism by his father’s overprotective and restrictive regime. At San Jorge, the Brandes take a villa for which a couple, Garcia and his wife Magdalena have been engaged to act as butler/chauffeur and cook/housekeeper. Nicholas takes an instinctive dislike to Garcia, fearing his dead fish eyes and his tendency to appear unannounced, but Brande sees the man’s obsequious servility as recognition of his own superior qualities. At Nicholas’s suggestion, a gardener, the 19 year old José, is hired to tend the neglected garden. José’s amiable and ingenuous nature, despite his poverty and the responsibility of providing for his family members, soon attract Nicholas’s curiosity and the pair strike up a friendship. Nicholas helps José in the garden and his health improves. However, Garcia informs Brande of their friendship and, intensely jealous of Nicholas’s affection, Brande forbids the boy to speak to the gardener again. He has no justifiable cause to dismiss José, so he sets out to punish him and break his spirit by ordering him to build a rockery from boulders. Nicholas, however, realises that he only promised not to speak to José, and this does not preclude writing and exchanging secret notes with each other. Brande then receives a letter summoning him to Madrid and informing him that his predecessor at San Jorge who was promoted to First Consul, has suffered a stroke. Elated and assuming that he will be appointed to the vacant post, Brande hurries to Madrid. José takes advantage of Brande’s absence to take Nicholas by train into the mountains on a fishing trip. Their enforced silence is broken and the day is the idyllic highlight of Nicholas’s life so far. Yet when Nicholas returns it is to find a drunken Garcia wielding a knife and abusing Magdalena. He spends a terrified night in his room and, when José learns of it the following day, rather than leave the defenceless boy alone for another night, takes him home with him. A distraught Brande returns early from Madrid. He had merely been summoned to Madrid to temporarily fill the vacancy until a permanent appointment could be made and, upon telling his superior that he expected to be appointed permanently, is effectively laughed at and told he has no hope. He refused the temporary posting and writes to summon his friend and psychiatrist Eugene Halevy. On returning to his villa, he finds Nicholas missing and Garcia informs him Nicholas has spent the night with José. He further shows Brande a scrap of Nicholas’s correspondence to José saying how much he loves to spend time with José. When Nicholas returns, Garcia and Magdalena deny his version of events and he is confined to his room where Professor Halevy ‘examines’ him, intent upon reading something sinister into his relationship with José. Garcia then informs Brande that he is missing sums of money and suggests Brande checks his jewellery, all of which has gone. A pair of Brande’s cufflinks are found in the lining of José’s jacket and he is arrested. José is to be sent for trial in Barcelona and Nicholas learns from his grandfather that he will attempt to escape from the train and hide in the old mill where they went fishing. Nicholas sets off to meet him, while his father accompanies José and the police to act as witness in the trial. He has received a letter from the employment agency stating that Garcia is very likely to be a criminal the police are looking for, but he decides to do nothing about it until after José’s trial. On the train, José makes his escape attempt, but Brande, anticipating his action, catches his sleeve, spoiling his jump so that José falls onto the track and is killed. In a violent storm, Brande then has to find the missing Nicholas. Seven months later, Brande is posted to Stockholm but his relationship with Nicholas is irretrievably broken. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Nicholas told Brande that he hated him. He asked for his mother’s photo and her address and has been writing to her. In Stockholm, Nicholas informs his father that he wishes to go and live with her in America. fr:Le Jardinier espagnol pt:The Spanish Gardener |
10812507 | /m/02qqt4g | In Other Worlds | A. A. Attanasio | 1985 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Carl Schirmer's life is transformed when he is turned into energy by an eighth-dimensional being and transported to a faraway world at the edge of a black hole. What follows is a thrilling ride similar to Flash Gordon involving a woman from the end of time, a man who can live off sunlight, and an alternate, paradisaical Earth in which World War II never happened. |
10812887 | /m/02qqtq_ | Race Against Time | Carolyn Keene | null | {"/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/028v3": "Detective fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | In A Race Against Time, Nancy Drew is a movie star? Ned's college film club is making a spooky vampire movie set in an old deserted mansion - and Nancy is the star! The popular detective has also been asked to model in a series of TV commercials for a new beauty product. As if that weren't enough to keep Nancy busy, she has a couple of cases to solve. A valuable racehorse has been stolen from a nearby farm. It is up to Nancy to figure out which of its owner's many enemies may have taken the prize thoroughbred. There's also another mystery around. Someone keeps disturbing the film club as they are shooting their film. When a building goes up in flames, it is time to take the disruption seriously! Nancy has two deadlines to beat - to return the missing horse before its big race and to help Ned and his friends finish their horror film - before some mysterious force ruins everything! |
10815027 | /m/02qqx88 | The Song of Rhiannon | Evangeline Walton | 1972 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | In the wake of the tragedy that befell the Children of Llyr, Prince Pryderi of Dyved returns to his realm with Manawyddan, the last survivor of the family. There Pryderi is reunited with his wife Cigfa and Manawyddan marries Pryderi's mother Rhiannon. An enchantment descends on the land, leaving it a wasteland empty of all domesticated animals and humans apart from the four protagonists. They support themselves by hunting at first, then move to the larger realm of Llogres where they make a living making saddles, shields and shoes. Their work is of such quality that the local craftsmen cannot compete, and drive them from town to town. Finally they return to Dyved and become hunters again. Pryderi and Manawyddan follow a white boar to a mysterious castle. Against Manawyddan's advice Pryderi goes inside, and does not return. Rhiannon goes to investigate and finds Pryderi clinging to a bowl, unable to speak. The same fate befalls her, and the castle disappears. Manawyddan and Cigfa return to Llogres as shoemakers, but are once again forced to leave so they return to Dyved. They sow three fields of wheat, but the first is destroyed before it can be harvested. The next night the second field is destroyed. Manawyddan watches over the third field, sees it destroyed by mice, and catches one of them. He decides to hang it for theft the next day. Three strangers turn up in succession to offer him gifts if he will spare the mouse. Manawyddan refuses. Asked by the third stranger what he wishes in return for the mouse's life, he demands the release of Pryderi and Rhiannon and the lifting of the curse from Dyved. The stranger agrees to these terms, and his captives are freed and the land restored. He reveals himself as Llwyd, an ally of Gwawl, whom Pryderi’s father Pwyll had once killed. The mice who destroyed Manawyddan’s crops were his attendants, magically transformed, and the one Manawyddan captured is Llwyd’s own pregnant wife. He had placed the enchantment on Dyved in vengeance for Gwawl’s death. |
10818215 | /m/02qq_qc | Mr. Bass's Planetoid | Eleanor Cameron | 1958 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Prewytt Brumblydge, inventor of the Brumblitron, must be found in order to disable the device before it destroys the Earth. This is a job for Mr. Bass, but he has disappeared... so the boys pore over his notebook for clues and go spacefaring to find Brumblydge. This time, instead of journeying to Basidium, they fly to an airless rock named Lepton that orbits 1,000 miles above the Earth's surface. This third Mushroom Planet adventure is illustrated by Louis Darling, illustrator of the Henry and Ramona series. This novel also introduced the fictional metal Brumblium, a greenish metal, that shows as infragreen on a spectroscope, and is twice the density of uranium. |
10818331 | /m/02qq_s2 | A Mystery for Mr. Bass | Eleanor Cameron | 1960 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | After a record-breaking storm, David and Chuck discover half-million-year-old fossils on the cliffs where no such bones should be, prompting Tyco Bass to reveal some of the history and customs of the Mycetians, the Mushroom People of Earth. After Tyco's departure, the boys' discovery of the ailing Prewytt Brumblydge's unexpected Mycetian connections leads them to attempt a new, unscheduled trip to Basidium. |
10818460 | /m/02qq_z8 | Time and Mr. Bass | Eleanor Cameron | 1967 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Tyco Bass has been a close friend to Chuck Masterson and David Topman ever since they built their space ship for a journey to the Mushroom Planet. Now Mr. Bass needs their help in a battle against time and the forces of evil that threaten the Mycetians, Mr. Bass and, finally, David. Upon their arrival in the mountains of Wales for a meeting of the secret Mycetian League, Mr. Bass and the boys discover that the ancient Necklace of Ta has been stolen. Also missing is the Thirteenth Scroll, believed to relate the history of the Mycetians. These must be found, for without the necklace, whose strange stones are carved in an unknown language, Mr. Bass cannot continue his effort to translate the Scroll. And without the secret of the Scroll, the evil power that has hounded the Mycetians for centuries cannot be defeated. Chuck and David must use their wits as never before in a search which takes them from a joyous celebration to a terrifying test of endurance involving Time itself. |
10819244 | /m/02qr0v_ | The Princess Diaries, Volume V: Princess in Pink | Meg Cabot | 2004-04 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Mia Thermopolis is in a royal puddle. Her one and only boyfriend won't take her to the prom and her 15th birthday is coming up. Her friends try to convince her that he'll ask her on her birthday and she believes that fantasy. On the day of her birthday, Michael and his band sing a song for her and turn up their amps so that everyone in the school can hear. He earns detention and makes it in time for Mia's birthday dinner. She receives gifts from her family and Michael that she wouldn't expect, along with the fact that Michael got her a snowflake necklace which symbolises when they fell in love at the winter dance. At the dinner, disaster strikes. Grandmere's poodle jumps out of her purse and runs around the restaurant causing a busboy to spill a meal on Grandmere's suit and getting the busboy (whose name is Jangbu) fired. Then comes the birthday party. Mia and her friends play a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven when her parents are out getting more birthday supplies. In the game she asks Michael to prom but he declines, saying he'd rather go bowling. When it's Lilly's turn, she enters the closet with the handsome Jangbu (whom she met while protesting for him), and apparently reaches second base too, Instead of taking her boyfriend Boris into the closet with her, making Boris break down before Mia's parents arrive and catch them, sending all the guests home. At school, Boris tells Lilly that he loves her so much, he'll drop a globe on his head if she doesn't take him back, and on her refusal he accidentally does so, injuring his skull, luckily Mia and Michael stop him from severely bleeding. After school, Tina meets up with Boris to comfort him and they become a couple. Later on, all the busboys in town go on strike after the incident at the restaurant. This ruins the venue for the senior prom, but Grandmere steps in and gives them a place: The Empire State Building. Mia blackmails Lana into letting Michael's band play at the prom. Michael and his band play at the prom and Michael and Mia reach second base. During the prom Mia's mother also gives birth to Rocky Thermopolis-Gianini. Jangbu the busboy returns to his home country and leaves Lilly thinking about her decisions in leaving Boris who is now in love with Tina. |
10819480 | /m/02qr16b | Black Money | Ross Macdonald | null | {"/m/0lsxr": "Crime Fiction", "/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0c3351": "Suspense"} | The plot is typically convoluted: the jilted boyfriend of wealthy Virginia Fablon hires Lew Archer to investigate the background of her inamorata, one Felix Cervantes, presently her husband. The resulting inquiries take the reader through levels of society from the homeless to the wealthy, a canvassing seen in other Macdonald novels. Except for brief forays into Las Vegas—the title refers to cash skimmed by casino operators to avoid taxes—and the environs of Los Angeles, the action takes place around Montevista, in private clubs, homes, clinics, the academy, and seedy and luxurious hotels; the implications, however, reach beyond California, as the edges of the story extend to Central America and Europe, whose cultures and economies the book sees as inextricably tied to American life. |
10829132 | /m/02qrb6d | The IHOP Papers | Ali Liebegott | 12/13/2006 | {"/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The IHOP Papers follows the life of Francesca, a disgruntled twenty year-old lesbian virgin, originally from Southern California who falls in love with her female junior college professor, Irene. After spending some time together, Francesca is informed by Irene of the professor's plan to undertake a sabbatical in San Francisco, a move that will involve residing with two of Irene's former students —a woman named Jenny and a man named Gustavo— who are both Irene's "lovers". Not wishing to be apart from Irene, Francesca decides to also move to San Francisco, following a confession in which she reveals her amorous feelings to Irene in a letter. Once in San Francisco, Francesca moves in with Irene, Jenny, and Gustavo who reside in an apartment they have nicknamed "Simplicity House". The dwelling represents simple living and nonviolence. Without employment, Francesca proceeds to search for a job and eventually undertakes the role of hostess at the IHOP restaurant; however, she is quickly promoted to a waitressing position. Following a month in San Francisco, Francesca leaves Simplicity House in order to set up her own apartment. The remainder of the story follows Francesca during her intense love for Irene. Along the way, and while still in love with Irene, Francesca falls in love with other women, including Jenny, Maria, Francesca's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, and at least two other women. A significant portion of the book is devoted to Francesca's loathing for her IHOP work, including the uniform she dislikes wearing. The novel is written using a first-person narrative and Francesca is portrayed as writing the story in her apartment after her relocation to San Francisco. |
10830523 | /m/02qrchb | Duluth | Gore Vidal | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | One of the experimental texts Vidal refers to as his "inventions", Duluth describes both a novel written about Duluth (that, bordered on one side by Minneapolis and on the other by Michigan, bears scant resemblance to the real city) and a television series of the same name; when residents of the city die, they end up as characters in the TV show, who can in some cases continue interacting with the living through the TV screen. When members of the cast of Duluth, the TV show, die, they become characters in Rogue Duke, a romance novel serialized in the pages of Redbook, the popular women's magazine. The author of all three, Rosemary Klein Kantor, is herself a character in the book, making cameo appearances throughout. She generates texts with the aid of a computer, adding to its numerous geographical and historical errors her mangled clichés ("Bellamy Craig II plays hardball...in the fast lane!") and unusual grammatical constructions ("Her handcuffs now handcuffed her hands"). However, there is in the city of Duluth a mysterious cerise flying saucer whose insectoid alien inhabitants, after meddling in the spectacularly corrupt politics of the city, use an accidental tense shift to seize control of the computer, erasing the human race from the face of the earth and bringing the book to an end. |
10830651 | /m/02qrcmt | Blow Fly | Patricia Cornwell | 2003 | {"/m/0lsxr": "Crime Fiction", "/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0c3351": "Suspense"} | After her resignation as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home in Richmond, Virginia, and is quietly living in Florida, beginning to get some balance back in her life and slowly establishing herself as a private forensic consultant. (Her first class involves the blow fly, which sometimes lays eggs on corpses.) But her past will not let her rest, and her grief for Benton Wesley continues to grow, not diminish, as does the rage within Lucy, her niece. Then the architect of her changed fortunes contacts her from his cell on death row: deformed, blinded by Scarpetta's own actions, incarcerated in Texas' strongest prison, Jean-Baptiste Chandonne still has the ability to terrify. But, unknown to Scarpetta, there are other forces behind the wolfman's apparent actions, invisibly shepherding her and those closest to her towards eliminating those who threaten them all. And it is all orchestrated by the one man in her life who knows every nuance of her soul. Bizarre incidents: in Szczecin, Poland, Lucy and a colleague apparently commit a premeditated murder, using blow-fly larvae to dispose of the evidence. The novel then ends with the killing of four further people by Scarpetta's associates. |
10830967 | /m/02qrcy2 | Homecoming | Cynthia Voigt | 1981 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction"} | Homecoming, set in the very early 1980s, tells the story of four siblings aged between six and thirteen, whose mother abandons them one summer afternoon in their car next to a Connecticut shopping mall during an aborted road trip to a family member in Bridgeport. Realizing that their mother is not coming back, and that they cannot go home (their father walked out before the youngest child was born), the children travel together, mostly on foot, trying to reach Bridgeport. There, they hope to find their missing mother at the home of a relative they have never met. The children find themselves on a journey that is emotional as well as literal - during their weeks on the road their adventures and the people they meet along the way help them to find out more about who they are and what is important to them, as well as to cope with the loss of their mother and to understand society's reaction to her poverty, isolation, mental illness and the fact that she was an unmarried mother of four. 13 year old Dicey Marie Tillerman, and her brothers James (10), Sammy (6), and sister Maybeth (9), lived in a wooden house out in the dunes in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The family is poor, their father walked out just before Sammy was born, and only Dicey retains any memory of him. Their mother worked herself too hard, physically and emotionally, to take care of her four children and make ends meet. The novel begins when the Tillerman children find themselves alone in their car, some miles from their home, in a shopping mall parking lot in Peewauket, Connecticut. Momma had driven them away from home, saying that they were going to visit her Aunt Cilla in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At the mall, she parked the car and walked away, instructing the children to do what Dicey told them. After waiting a few hours, Dicey begins to understand that Momma is not coming back. Worried that going to the authorities might mean foster homes for herself and her siblings, Dicey decides that the four children must try to continue on to Aunt Cilla themselves, and that hopefully they will find their mother there. The children set off on foot, as they do not have enough money for a bus. Dicey realizes that the journey is longer than she had initially understood. She takes charge of their meager finances, she earns money, whenever necessary. Dicey comes to understand more fully how difficult things must have been for Momma, and how she must have slowly lost hope and, eventually, her sanity. The children's journey is a long. They often go hungry and sad and have some frightening brushes with danger. When their money runs out in the center of New Haven, Dicey makes James, Maybeth and Sammy sleep under a bush in a park, while she watches over them. They are rescued by a college student, Windy, who feeds them and offers them shelter. The next day, Stewart, Windy's roommate, gives the children a ride to Bridgeport, dropping them off outside Aunt Cilla's house. At Aunt Cilla's, Dicey and her family learn some uncomfortable truths: firstly, that their mother is not there, and that Aunt Cilla herself is recently deceased. Her middle-aged, unmarried daughter Eunice, a devout Catholic, is reluctant to be burdened with the Tillerman children. She had plans to enter a convent and taking in the homeless children will put an end to her dreams of becoming a nun. The children are not Catholic, and their parents were unmarried, which Eunice does not like. Reluctantly, with the advice of a Catholic priest, she takes them in. The police try to trace the children's mother. The younger children are put into a Catholic summer camp, while Dicey is made to stay home and help Eunice keep house. Sammy gets into fights and is unruly and difficult when at home. Maybeth is extremely shy and has learning difficulties. Cousin Eunice believes she is "retarded", and that Sammy is unmanageable. James becomes distant from his family. The children are informed that their mother is completely catatonic in a state psychiatric hospital, without much chance of recovery. Any dream they harbored of being reunited with Momma and starting a new life with her is shattered. Dicey plans to leave Eunice's house alone, in search of a better home for her family with her grandmother, who lives in Crisfield, Maryland. Although she had only planned to visit her, the other Tillerman children sneak away from school to join her.The Tillerman family finds themselves on the road again in search of a home; this ends the first part of the novel. The second journey, like the first, is hard and fraught with danger. Attempting to earn money picking tomatoes, the children find themselves nearly captured by their employer who has apparently taken an interest in Maybeth. In an attempt to escape, the children are helped by a traveling circus who drive the children to Crisfield. Abigail Tillerman, the children's grandmother, lives alone on a run-down farm. She tells Dicey that the children cannot live there and that she can shelter them for one night only. However, Dicey realizes that the farm would be good for her family, and that they have nowhere else to go. She and her family try to win their grandmother over by doing work around the farm. Dicey learns that her grandmother is frightened of becoming emotionally attached to the Tillerman children, in case she were to lose them as she lost her own children. Mrs Tillerman confesses to Dicey that she bears the pain of this, and fears repeating the same failures. Eventually, the grandmother realizes that not only does she care deeply for the four children, she can and will offer them a permanent home, despite the emotional and financial fears she has. The novel ends with Dicey feeling that she and her family have, at last, come home. |
10837416 | /m/02qrkwx | Russian Amerika | null | 4/3/2007 | {"/m/0mz2": "Alternate history"} | History suggests that the year is Summer of 1987 as the book begins. Most of the plot follows a mixed-raced man named Gregori Grogorievich. A decorated, but disgraced Imperial Russian Army Major who has left the military for a maritime life in Southeastern Alaska, who has a sport fishing boat which he uses for charters and occasional smuggling. He is hired one day by a Tsarist government official to make a rendezvous with a mysterious woman named Valari Kominskiya, but things go badly as the official gets drunk and tries to rape Valari and kill Gregori, but the official is killed in self-defense and thrown overboard. As Gregori tries to find out how to get out of Russian Amerika with Valari for political asylum, he is betrayed by Valari (who is actually a spy and a high-ranking officer in the Russian Army) for he is captured by the government and falsely charged with the murder of the official (Valari's superior) and with the attempted rape of Valari, and is sentenced to life of hard labor on the Russian-Canadian Highway. After long winter months of being subjected to brutal slavery, he and a group of other prisoners are rescued by a band of native Alaskans and are taken into the wilderness to evade the Russian manhunters called promyshlennik sent to capture or kill the prisoners, especially Gregori. It turns out that Gregori's native Alaskan rescuers are revolutionaries called the Den• Republik that seek to liberate their Yukon lands and Alaska itself from Imperial Russia that has driven them away from their home for hundreds of years, and they offer him a place in their ranks to fight the Russians. Without much choice to go back to his old life, and to have a chance to get revenge for being betrayed by the tyranny and corruption of the Tsarist government, Gregori joins the Alaskan forces. Throughout the winter of 1987 and early 1988, he and the other group of prisoners who also agree to join and fight their common enemy, are trained under the Den• to fight a guerrilla war against the Russian military scattered throughout Alaska while the Den• begin establishing the foundations of their would-be democracy of the new Alaska. At first the rebels are outnumbered in the face of the Imperial forces, but after successful attacks against fortified colonial towns, capturing weapons, recruiting more people of Alaska against Imperialist rule, and military assistance from the US and California, it appears victory for independence is plausible. Although the war to liberate Alaska will go far beyond what Gregori expected of a revolution, from surviving and losing friends to the relentless pursuit from Valari partnered with a vengeful promyshlennik, traitors within the separatist Den• itself, and the unforgiving frontier, to rallying internaional support for the cause to fight an all-out war against the wrath of the Russian Empire that would surely decide the future of all the nations of North America. |
10838021 | /m/02qrldg | The Snow | Adam Roberts | 2004-03 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | The heroine of the story, Tira, is a Londoner who initially survives the snowfall by staying on the surface of the snow. Once the snow begins to bury all the highest buildings, she meets a worker in the London underground and they both survive by sheltering in a high-rise office building and living off supplies that they have cached. The worker later dies after falling off a chair. Tira is then rescued by 'Food Miners' of the New United States of America (now called NUSA). The food miners take her to a new city called 'Liberty'. There she chooses an arranged marriage with a military man and has an affair with a former terrorist. Eventually she is captured by the 'police' of the city and taken to a camp in the middle of the snow. There she has several encounters with an alien race who, it is suggested, caused the snow and move through it as their natural medium. |
10846066 | /m/02qrtb_ | The Statement | Brian Moore | 1995 | {"/m/01jfsb": "Thriller", "/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/05hgj": "Novel", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0c3351": "Suspense"} | Now 70 years old, Brossard has spent the better part of his life in hiding, traveling among the monasteries and abbeys that offer him asylum. Though he has evaded capture for decades with the help of the French government and the Catholic Church, now a new breed of government officials is determined to break decades of silence and expose and expiate the crimes of Vichy. |
10848775 | /m/02qrx30 | The Stone Key | Isobelle Carmody | 2008-02 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/07lw0y": "Post-holocaust", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature", "/m/0hc1z": "Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | When Elspeth sets out from Obernewtyn to Sutrium to testify at the trial of a rebel traitor, she quickly learns not everyone has welcomed the changes caused by the rebellion. Pitted against an invasion, Elsepth finds herself on her strangest and most dangerous journey yet. Drawn into the heart of the Herder Faction, she learns of the terrible plot to destroy the west coast. To stop it, Elspeth risks everything, for if she dies, she will never be able to complete her quest to destroy the weaponmachines which wiped out the Beforetime; but if she succeeds, it might just bring her to the final clue needed to find them... |
10851304 | /m/02qr_0r | The Moon Pool | A. Merritt | 1918 | {"/m/08g5mv": "Lost World", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | The plot concerns an advanced race which has developed within the Earth's core. Eventually their most intelligent members create an offspring. This created entity encompasses both great good and great evil, but it slowly turns away from its creators and towards evil. The entity is called either the Dweller or the Shining One. Eventually of the race which created it only three are left; these are called the Silent Ones, and they have been 'purged of dross' and can be described as higher, nobler, more angelic beings than are humankind. They have also been sentenced by the good among their race to remain in the world, and not to die, as punishment for their pride which was the source of the calamity called the Dweller, until such time as they destroy their creation—if they still can. And the reason they do not do so is simply that they continue to love it. The Dweller is in the habit of rising to the surface of the earth and capturing men and women which it holds in an unholy stasis and which in some wise feed it. It increases its knowledge and power constantly, but has a weakness, since it knows nothing of love. The scientist Dr. Goodwin and the half-Irish, half-American pilot Larry O'Keefe, and others, follow it down. Eventually they meet a woman, beautiful and evil, named Yolara, who in essence serves the Shining One, and the 'handmaiden' of the Silent Ones, beautiful and good, named Lakla. Both want O'Keefe and eventually battle over him. There is also a race of very powerful and handsome 'dwarves' and a race of humanoids whom the Silent Ones developed from a semi-sentient froglike species. There develops a battle between the forces of good and evil with not only the entire world, but perhaps even the existence of good itself is at stake. But can the forces of good prevail using fear as a weapon? Or will they have to rely upon love expressed by willing sacrifice? |
10855592 | /m/02qs3wg | Freeglader | Chris Riddell | 9/2/2004 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | Freeglader starts in the capital of the Edge, Undertown. The city is slowly being destroyed by a dark maelstrom, triggered by Vox Verlix. The Undertowners begin a mass exodus, fleeing to a new life in a vast, beautiful area of justice and equality, the Free Glades. The exodus is led by Rook Barkwater, the hero of the story, and the others in a breakaway group of academics known as the librarian knights. On the journey to the Free Glades Rook gets caught up in a storm near the Twilight Woods, causing him to lose his memory. Upon reaching the Deepwoods the exodus is attacked by the recently hatched battle flocks of Shrykes. Only through the timely arrival of the Freeglade Lancers are the Librarians and Undertowners saved (combined with Xanth killing the Roost mother). Meanwhile Amberfuce has reached the Foundry Glade. There he presents his partner with plans for Glade Eaters, special weapons designed by Vox Verlix. The two along with the Goblin Nations begin plans for an attack on the Free Glades. Rook, meanwhile having regained his memory, joins the Free Lancers. Xanth, his name cleared, joins the Librarian Knights. Everything is peaceful for several months until the attack comes. The massive Glade Eaters, backed by the armies of the Goblin Nations, destroy most of the Free Glades before being destroyed. The Sky Pirates, the Librarian Knights, the Freeglade Lancers and the Ghosts of Screetown fight determinedly but are outnumbered. Even the arrival of the banderbears fails to turn the tide. However, at the last minute large numbers of peaceful goblins revolt, killing the Goblin Chieftains. The war ends, and everyone sets about rebuilding the Free Glades. |
10857266 | /m/02qs5q_ | The Vanished Diamond | Jules Verne | 1884 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/08sdrw": "Adventure novel", "/m/05hgj": "Novel"} | The protagonist is a French mining engineer, Victor Cyprien. He moves to the Griquland district to study the formation of diamonds. While he is there he falls in love with wealthy landowner Mr. John Watkins' daughter, Alice. He asks him for her hand in marriage but is denied on his lack of money and stature in the community. He decides that he could amass a fortune by mining with a partner, Thomas Steel. They buy a mining claim and proceed to dig. Victor hires a team of Africans to mine the claim. The claim collapses when Victor's team of hired help is digging. He manages to rescue one of them, Mataki. Achieving no great finds, Victor is disheartened for there are many more eligible suitors than he. Alice begs Cyprien to returns to his studies. So Victor decides to attempt to artificially make a diamond. His experiment seems to work as a 243 carat (48.6 g) diamond is produced. He gives it to Mr. Watkins for Alice. Mr. Watkins holds a banquet in honor of Cyprien and his accomplishment. The diamond, christened as The Star of the South by Alice, is on display during this banquet. Midway through the banquet, the diamond vanishes as well as Victor's African hired help, Mataki. Mataki appears to flee with the diamond and Mr. Watkins, enraged, offers Alice's hand to whoever brings the diamond back. Victor and three other suitors set off to hunt Mataki down. They prepare to travel across the Veld. Victor brings along two companions his laundry man, Li and a member of his digging team, Bardik. Along the way, the other three of his companions perish at the hands of animals or disease. Victor captures Mataki and Mataki states he does not have the diamond. The only reason he ran was because he was afraid he would be hung unjustly for the diamond's disappearance. Victor returns to Griqualand and finds the diamond in the stomach of Alice's ostrich, Dada. Cyprien is almost hung because his discovery of making artificial diamonds threatened the livelihood of the miners. He is only saved by Mataki's confession. Mataki found the diamond when he was covered by the landslide and stuck it in Victor's experiment in gratitude. Victor is shocked. Not caring about the diamond's origin, Mr. Watkins is glad for the recovery and holds another banquet. Mr. Vandergaart, the original owner of the land bursts in with a certificate saying that the land is once again his. John Watkins is devastated and is even more devastated when the Star of the South disintegrates. Shocked he dies the next day. Victor and Alice marry and live happily ever after. |
10857898 | /m/02qs6c8 | Into the Wild | Victoria Holmes | 1/21/2003 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Into the Wild begins with a battle between ThunderClan and RiverClan over Sunningrocks, a strip of land. ThunderClan is outnumbered and their deputy, Redtail, calls a retreat. In ThunderClan territory, the medicine cat, Spottedleaf receives a prophecy from the spirits of their ancestors, StarClan: "Fire alone can save our Clan." The leader, Bluestar says that it is impossible, because fire is feared by all the cats Rusty, a house cat, runs into a ThunderClan apprentice, Graypaw, in his backyard. Rusty, however, does not run away, but fights back. Soon Bluestar and Lionheart, Graypaw's mentor, having watched the whole thing, invite Rusty to join ThunderClan. Rusty accepts the next day, but is unwelcomed by most of the Clan. Rusty loses his collar after a fight with Longtail, and Bluestar gives Rusty a new name: Firepaw. He forms a strong bond with Graypaw and Ravenpaw, but Firepaw finds out that Tigerclaw, an ambitious member of the Clan, murdered Redtail, and will stop at nothing to attain his goal of becoming Clan leader. Tigerclaw realizes that Ravenpaw might spill his secret, having watched Tigerclaw kill Redtail, so he plans to kill Ravenpaw. To prevent this from happening, Firepaw and Graypaw lead Ravenpaw to a barn where he would be safe and have company, living with a loner named Barley. Tigerclaw realizes Firepaw knows his secret, but is still trusted by the Clan. ThunderClan gets in a battle with ShadowClan, and ThunderClan is victorious. Having won because of Firepaw, Bluestar gives him his warrior name, Fireheart, along with making Graypaw a warrior, giving him the name Graystripe. |
10857938 | /m/02qs6g0 | Fire and Ice | Victoria Holmes | 6/1/2003 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Fire and Ice begins with Fireheart and Graystripe performing a traditional silent vigil after their promotion to warrior status in Into the Wild. As their first task as warriors, Fireheart and Graystripe are assigned to find and bring back WindClan, which had been driven out by ShadowClan, and bring them home. They succeed, finding WindClan under a tangle of Thunderpaths (probably a highway interchange), and bring them home. Soon after, Bluestar apprentices Cinderpaw to Fireheart, and Brackenpaw to Graystripe. During a hunting patrol, Graystripe almost drowns after chasing a vole onto thin ice, falling in the river separating RiverClan and ThunderClan, but is rescued by Silverstream, a RiverClan warrior. Graystripe and Silverstream fall in love; however, this is against the warrior code, a code of honor that all warriors must follow. Fireheart discovers their relationship, and unsuccessfully attempts to discourage them from seeing each other. Graystripe finally agrees to meet Silverstream only at the full moon at the Gathering, when the four Clans meet to share news. Fireheart, later realizes that Graystripe has not been keeping his promise. Because Graystripe is often gone to see Silverstream, Fireheart takes over training of Brackenpaw, as well as training his own apprentice. Tigerclaw, in his ambition to become leader, sets a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath (road), intending to kill her, thus bringing him closer to becoming leader. Instead, Cinderpaw is crippled by the trap. Her leg is broken, and when it heals, she has a permanent limp, preventing her from becoming a warrior. She then trains under Yellowfang to become a medicine cat. Fireheart is reunited with his sister, Princess, a kittypet living in a Twolegplace (a human town). Princess gives Fireheart her oldest kit, Cloudkit, to take into the Clan as a new apprentice. Although Fireheart agrees to accept the kit, his Clanmates, with the exception of Frostfur and Graystripe, are reluctant to accept him because of his kittypet blood. Bluestar allows him to stay, and Brindleface becomes his foster mother. Brokenstar, the former ShadowClan leader, eventually attacks ThunderClan, along with several other exiled ShadowClan warriors. After the battle, the rogues are driven off, with the exception of Brokenstar himself, who is blinded by Yellowfang and is kept as a prisoner. Later, ThunderClan becomes involved in a fight against RiverClan and ShadowClan when RiverClan and ShadowClan unites and tries to drive WindClan out again, and WindClan allies themselves with ThunderClan. When Fireheart is attacked by Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy, Tigerclaw watches as Leopardfur and Fireheart fight, and does not attempt to help Fireheart. Silverstream attacks Fireheart but releases him; he attacks her but sees Graystripe's look of dismay, and releases her. Darkstripe witnesses the event and reports it to Tigerclaw. Consequently, Fireheart becomes certain that Tigerclaw is not to be trusted. |
10857994 | /m/02qs6h1 | Forest of Secrets | Victoria Holmes | 10/14/2003 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | Fireheart is determined to uncover the truth about the Clan deputy, Tigerclaw, whom he believes is untrustworthy, whilst risking the trust of his leader, Bluestar, and even the possibility that she might suspect Fireheart himself as a traitor. ShadowClan and WindClan eventually lead an invasion of the ThunderClan camp in an attempt to kill Brokentail whom ThunderClan is sheltering but are driven off. Meanwhile, Fireheart's best friend, Graystripe, risks the trust of his entire Clan as he continues having a forbidden love affair with Silverstream, who is from RiverClan. Fireheart and Graystripe face danger from Tigerclaw, who has noticed Graystripe missing from camp many times. Silverstream eventually dies while giving birth to Graystripe's kits when they come early. Graystripe is left heartbroken. ThunderClan then learns about his forbidden love with Silverstream and feel that they cannot trust Graystripe anymore. Later, Tigerclaw leads a band of rogues into ThunderClan camp, pretending to defend the Clan. During the battle, Tigerclaw corners Bluestar, the leader, in her den and tries to kill her. Fireheart arrives just in time to save her and drove Tigerclaw away. Bluestar is shaken and shocked by Tigerclaw's mutiny, though she manages to announce Tigerclaw's exile from the Clan. Tigerclaw then asks Darkstripe, Longtail, and even Dustpelt if they want to join him in exile, but each cat refuses. With Bluestar having regained her trust over the cat that had exposed Tigerclaw's treachery, Fireheart is made deputy, although the announcement of the position is made after moonhigh, which is against Clan tradition. As a deputy, life is harder for Fireheart and things change rapidly. Fireheart is unsure whether he would be a good deputy, but he is sure that he has not seen the last of Tigerclaw. At the end of the book, Graystripe, feeling torn between loyalties, heavy-heartedly decides to join RiverClan in order to raise Silverstream's kits. Fireheart attempts to have him reconsider, but this later proves to be unsuccessful. Fireheart is left heartbroken with the thought of losing his friend with whom he shared many adventures, and was the first Clan cat he had ever met since his days as a kittypet. He believes he will be lonely without his best friend. |
10858055 | /m/02qs6l4 | Rising Storm | Victoria Holmes | 2/15/2005 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Fireheart is now ThunderClan's new deputy, but the previous deputy, Tigerclaw, still haunts Fireheart's dreams. Fireheart wonders if ThunderClan would be ready if Tigerclaw attacked as many of the cats are still shocked about Tigerclaw's disloyalty, and many warriors are badly injured. Bluestar also begins to become distrusful of the Clan after Tigerclaw's betrayal. One day, Bluestar, accompanied by Fireheart, go to speak with StarClan at Mothermouth, a quarry mine. On the way there, a patrol of WindClan warriors, led by Mudclaw, stop them before Bluestar is able to talk with them. The ThunderClan leader later fears that StarClan sent WindClan to stop them from going to Mothermouth and speaking with StarClan, which causes her to slip into further paranoia. In the summer months, Fireheart struggles with his disrespectful nephew and apprentice, Cloudpaw, who goes to a Twoleg (human) for food and is one day abducted by them. Fireheart and Sandstorm rescue Cloudpaw, who is found near the barn where Ravenpaw and Barley live. He is accepted back into the Clan, since Fireheart keeps it a secret that Cloudpaw went to humans for food. Fireheart must also deal with the fact that his best friend, Graystripe, is still in love with the dead RiverClan she-cat Silverstream. Meanwhile, the forest gets hotter and hotter, and a fire sweeps through the forest, destroying ThunderClan's camp and taking the lives of two elders, Patchpelt and Halftail, as well as Yellowfang, ThunderClan's medicine cat. At the end of the book, it was revealed at a Gathering that both Nightstar and Cinderfur have died from a sickness, and that Tigerstar is the new leader of ShadowClan. |
10858097 | /m/02qs6nk | A Dangerous Path | Victoria Holmes | 6/1/2004 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | When a pack of dogs begins to run wild in the forest, Fireheart, deputy of ThunderClan suspects that Tigerstar, ShadowClan's new leader, is behind it. When Bluestar names Cloudpaw a warrior even though all the apprentices had worked hard, two apprentices, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, try to fight the dog pack themselves in an attempt to prove themselves. However, Swiftpaw is killed and Brightpaw disfigured by the pack of dogs, losing part of her face. While Brightpaw is recovering from the mauling, she repeats words she heard the dogs say: "pack, pack" and "kill, kill". Normal Clan life resumes, but Fireheart begins to have a strong sense of curiosity of how this happens. To find out, he asks Brightpaw if she remembers what happens, but she can only remember the words "Pack, pack, kill, kill". Whitestorm reports to Fireheart that they smell dog near Snakerocks, so they head there. When they arrive, they find a trail of dead rabbits is found leading to the camp, ending with Brindleface in front of the camp, who had been killed by Tigerstar. Fireheart orders a patrol to get rid of the rabbits. Brindleface's death shocks everyone, and after her burial, the camp is evacuated to Sunningrocks to protect ThunderClan. With Bluestar still insane, it is up to Fireheart to destroy the pack. He and the senior warriors decide that a patrol of cats will lead the dogs to and over the nearby gorge, drowning the dogs. But, before he leaves he apologises to Sandstorm for not obeying Bluestar and they, end up falling in love, really just realising the love they had for each other. The plan works: each cat successfully leads the pack closer to the gorge. Fireheart, the last in line, keeps a good distance between him and the pack leader, until Tigerstar appears and pins Fireheart down. As the dog leader gets dangerously close, Tigerstar leaps away, leaving Fireheart to be killed by the pack. As Fireheart struggles against the dog, Bluestar, sane once more, slams into the dog, releasing its grip on Fireheart and throwing the dog—and herself—over the side of the gorge. Fireheart leaps down the cliff to the river and dives in to save Bluestar. Fireheart manages to get a hold on her, but is barely able to keep their heads above the water. Soon, however, Bluestar's RiverClan children, Stonefur and Mistyfoot, discover Fireheart struggling in the river and help drag Bluestar to the bank. There, Bluestar pleads with her kits to forgive her for lying to them about their parents. They forgive her. Bluestar then tells Fireheart that she realised that they were not all traitors to the Clan, like Tigerstar was. She also tells him that he is now the leader of ThunderClan, and that "you are the fire that saved my Clan". With that, she loses her final life. Fireheart, now Firestar, is filled with grief, and Mistyfoot asks if she and Stonefur can help carry her back to camp and sit vigil for her. |
10858133 | /m/02qs6p7 | The Darkest Hour | Victoria Holmes | 10/1/2004 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Firestar is now the leader of ThunderClan and receives his nine lives where Bluestar tells him the prophecy "Four will become two, Lion and Tiger will meet in battle and blood will rule the forest." He chooses his deputy to be Whitestorm, an experienced warrior who is quite old. Then Tigerstar attempts to unify all four Clans claiming that it would help the Clans survive. While Leopardstar agrees, Tallstar and Firestar both refuse to join this alliance, which Tigerstar has called "TigerClan". Accompanied by Ravenpaw, who is on a visit to ThunderClan, Graystripe and Firestar go to RiverClan and find that Graystripe's kits, Stormpaw and Featherpaw, and Bluestar's kits, Mistyfoot and Stonefur, being held prisoner. Since they are all half-ThunderClan and half-RiverClan, Tigerstar accuses them of being half-Clan cats and therefore, in his opinion, traitors. Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw manage to rescue Mistyfoot, Stormpaw, and Featherpaw, but Stonefur is killed protecting Featherpaw and Stormpaw. In an attempt to convince Tallstar and Firestar to join his alliance, Tigerstar reveals to them BloodClan, a vicious group of rogues in the nearby town. When both leaders still refuse, Tigerstar then orders BloodClan to fight for him, but they do not do so. Scourge tells Tigerstar that he is the only cat in charge of BloodClan, and that after Firestar tells everyone Tigerstar's bloodthirsty history and that he cannot be trusted to divide power, he has decided that there will be no battle. Tigerstar attacks Scourge, who kills Tigerstar easily, ending all nine of Tigerstar's lives with one blow, by cutting him open, from throat to tail. Scourge then gives all of the forest Clans three days to leave; otherwise, they will have to fight BloodClan for the forest. To face this danger, the four Clans unite, forming an alliance which is known as "LionClan". The battle is won when Firestar kills Scourge, though he loses one of his own nine lives in the process. Without its leader, BloodClan scatters. With the forest returned to normal, the four Clans become independent once more. |
10858178 | /m/02qs6qz | Midnight | Erin Hunter | 2005 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | Six months have passed since the previous book, The Darkest Hour. Bramblepaw, Tigerstar's son, has received his warrior name, Brambleclaw. Firestar has had two kits with Sandstorm, named Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw. Squirrelpaw is apprenticed to Dustpelt, and Leafpaw is apprenticed to Cinderpelt, to train to become the next medicine cat of ThunderClan. While Leafpaw and Cinderpelt search for herbs, StarClan, the cats' ancestors, sends Cinderpelt an ominous warning in some burning bracken, a picture of a tiger running through fire, which she interprets to mean that fire and tiger will destroy the forest. Cinderpelt concludes that the warning must be about Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw, the daughter of Firestar and the son of Tigerstar, respectively. They share the warning with Firestar, who later decides to keep Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw separated. In a dream, StarClan tells Brambleclaw, Feathertail (Graystripe's daughter), Crowpaw, and Tawnypelt (formerly Tawnypaw, Brambleclaw's sister) to listen to what "midnight" has to say. Eventually, they begin a journey in the direction of the setting sun. Squirrelpaw tags along and Stormfur insists on accompanying them to protect his sister, Feathertail, as the six cats trek into the unknown world. On their journey, they meet an old loner named Purdy who helps the Clan cats get to the sun-drown place (ocean). Eventually, they reach the sun-drown-place and enter a cavern inhabited by a highly intelligent badger known as Midnight, who reveals to them that humans will destroy the forest and that the cats must either leave the forest or die. She also tells them that a dying warrior will lead the Clans to their new home. The book ends with a short epilogue back in the forest, where the humans begin to destroy ThunderClan's territory. The book that comes after Midnight is Moonrise. |
10858229 | /m/02qs6r_ | Moonrise | Erin Hunter | 8/1/2005 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | In the previous book in the series, Midnight, StarClan, the warrior cats' ancestors, sent four cats (one from each Clan—Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail, and Tawnypelt) on a quest. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur went with them. At the end of their journey, they arrived at the ocean and found an unusually intelligent badger named Midnight. Midnight told the cats that the Clans would have to leave their forest home and find a new place to live, as humans were going to cut down the forest and build a new "Thunderpath" (the cats' word for a road). On the return journey, the Clan cats decide, after consultation with Midnight, to go through a mountain range which they had avoided in their initial travels. There, they meet a Clan-like group of cats called the Tribe of Rushing Water, who have their own set of ancestors: the Tribe of Endless Hunting. The Tribe takes the traveling cats in and gives them food and shelter. The Clan cats discover that the Tribe cats have a prophecy: a silver cat will save them from Sharptooth, a savage lion-like creature that has been killing many members of the Tribe. The Tribe thinks that Stormfur is the silver cat from the prophecy, and he is therefore expected to protect the Tribe from Sharptooth. Although reluctant at first, Stormfur eventually agrees to help the Tribe. Together, the Clan cats succeed in leading Sharptooth into a trap in a cave. However, their plan to poison Sharptooth goes awry, and Feathertail jumps up to the roof of the cave onto a stalactite, causing it to fall. Both Feathertail and Sharptooth are killed by the impact. The Tribe then realizes that Feathertail was the silver cat in their prophecy, not her brother Stormfur, as they had previously thought. The five remaining cats then continue their journey. The book ends with Squirrelpaw noticing Highstones, which is at the edge of WindClan territory; they are almost home. Meanwhile, back in the forest, the Clans begin to experience the effects of the humans' intrusion into their territories, including lost and poisoned prey, destruction of the forest and cats being abducted. Moonrise is followed by Dawn, which details the events following the questing cats' return to the forest, and their subsequent journey to find a new home. |
10858273 | /m/02qs6v1 | Dawn | Kate Cary | 12/27/2005 | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy", "/m/0dwly": "Children's literature"} | Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Stormfur and Tawnypelt have returned to the Clans from a quest with a message: the Clans must move to a new home, or risk death. The destruction of the forest has already begun, with the Clans starving as the food supply has been cut off and their habitat destroyed by the humans building a new road. At the same time, cats are being taken away by humans, including a ThunderClan apprentice, Leafpaw. A patrol is sent to rescue the captured cats, but Graystripe is captured after he succeeds in rescuing Leafpaw and other cats from RiverClan and WindClan, as well as many non-Clan cats. It is difficult for Firestar, ThunderClan's leader, to convince ShadowClan and RiverClan to leave. Finally, RiverClan decides to leave when their river becomes poisoned by humans. ShadowClan also agrees to leave when a tree cut down by humans falls in their camp. While trying help ShadowClan, Firestar loses his fourth life when a tree falls on him. Midnight, an intelligent badger from the pervious book, had told the questing cats that a "dying warrior" will show the Clans the way to their new home. The dying warrior turns out to be the spirit of Mudfur, the RiverClan medicine cat who died earlier. As the Clans' spiritual ancestors are represented by the star, Mudfur "runs" though the night sky as a shooting star and drops behind the mountains, showing the new territory will be beyond the mountains. The Clans travel together through the mountains, guided by Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Tawnypelt, and Stormfur. While in the mountains, the Clans meet the Tribe of Rushing Water and Stormfur chooses to stay with the Tribe with Brook Where Small Fish Swim, whom he has fallen in love with, and his sister, Feathertail's, spirit. Near the end of the book, Squirrelpaw confesses her love to Brambleclaw and he confesses that he loves her back. At the end of the book, the Clans discover a forest around a lake that reflects all of the stars. |
10858302 | /m/02qs6vr | Starlight | Erin Hunter | 4/4/2006 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | The four Clans of warrior cats, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan and WindClan, discover a lake which serves as their new home, replacing their old home which is destroyed by humans. The Clans temporarily set up camp by the lakeshore and decide that, the next day, they sort out their respective territories and look for a Gathering place to hold their monthly meetings under a truce. During a meeting, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, calls up Squirrelpaw, his daughter who is an apprentice, and promotes her to the status of warrior, giving her the warrior name Squirrelflight. The next day, the leaders call upon the four remaining cats that go on the journey to the sun-drown-place in Midnight, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, and Tawnypelt, as well as Mistyfoot of RiverClan to explore around the lake and find camps for each Clan. The cats come across a location that seems ideal for RiverClan's fishing lifestyle. Continuing on, they find a coniferous forest which seems to suit ShadowClan. Desperate to prove herself by finding ThunderClan a camp, Squirrelflight runs ahead and accidentally falls down a large circular stone hollow. She recovers and realizes that it is a perfect place for a well-sheltered ThunderClan camp. The cats later cross a moorland which Crowfeather thinks suits WindClan's lifestyle of chasing rabbits. The five cats return and announce their findings to all of the other cats. The Clans decide to leave for their new camps the next day. After the Clans move into their new camps, Barkface, the WindClan medicine cat, goes to Firestar and tells him that Tallstar, leader of WindClan, is dying. Firestar asks Brambleclaw to follow him as well as Onewhisker of WindClan, at Tallstar's request. Tallstar tells them that he does not wish for Mudclaw, the WindClan deputy, to lead WindClan, and wishes to switch to Onewhisker as deputy. He dies soon after telling the cats. The next morning, Firestar and Onewhisker announce this to the other Clans, much to Mudclaw's anger. Onewhisker appoints Ashfoot as his deputy, although he has not yet received his nine lives and leader name from StarClan, the cats' ancestors. The medicine cats worry about whether there is another Moonstone (a sacred stone in the old territory) for Onewhisker to visit for his leadership ceremony. During Gatherings and times when the Clans are together, Brambleclaw spends more time with his half-brother Hawkfrost, which does not sit well with Squirrelflight. Brambleclaw has a dream in which he sees Tigerstar, his evil dead father, and Hawkfrost. Tigerstar praises Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost for their courage during the change in territory and tells them that he has great plans for them. There is also tension erupting in WindClan, which seems to be divided in two groups consisting of Mudclaw's supporters and Onewhisker's supporters. One night, Spottedleaf, a former ThunderClan medicine cat, now deceased, goes to Leafpaw, a ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice, and tells her to follow her. Leafpaw's friend Sorreltail accompanies Leafpaw, and the two of them go far up on ThunderClan's territory near the border with WindClan. Spottedleaf takes Leafpaw to her destination: a pool of water which reflects the stars and moonlight. Leafpaw sees all of the cats of StarClan and realizes this could be the replacement for the Moonstone. Bluestar, former leader of ThunderClan tells her that this place, the Moonpool, is where medicine cats come to share tongues with StarClan. She goes back to tell Cinderpelt, ThunderClan's medicine cat, and the two of them tell all of the other medicine cats. Later, during the half-moon, Leafpaw receives her full medicine cat name, Leafpool. The next day, Mistyfoot rushes into ThunderClan camp and says that Mudclaw and Hawkfrost have been meeting at night. She then says that Hawkfrost and a patrol went out at dawn that day and had not returned, and she suspects that they have gone to attack Onewhisker's followers in WindClan. Firestar assembles a patrol to accompany him to fight, and sure enough, a battle starts on WindClan territory. Leafpool is left behind with a couple of other ThunderClan warriors in the camp. Two ShadowClan warriors invade and almost kill Leafpool when Crowfeather comes to her rescue. Crowfeather confesses he loves her, and she realizes she loves him too. During the battle, Brambleclaw fights Mudclaw. Although Mudclaw has the advantage over Brambleclaw, Hawkfrost saves Bramblelcaw. Mudclaw claims that he and Hawkfrost had an agreement: Mudclaw would take over and make Hawkfrost the deputy, despite the fact that Hawkfrost is from RiverClan. Hawkfrost denies this when lightning suddenly strikes a tree, crushing Mudclaw and making a bridge to an island, making it the new Gathering place. |
10858345 | /m/02qs6xt | Twilight | Erin Hunter | 7/3/2006 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | ThunderClan is still suffering from Mudclaw's attack on WindClan, as ThunderClan supports them in battle but they pays the price with wounds. The chances that Brambleclaw stops supporting Hawkfrost is unlikely at this point. At the same time, Squirrelflight and Ashfur grow much closer. Later in the book, Daisy, one of the farm cats, takes her three kits, Berry, Hazel, and Mouse, to join ThunderClan after Daisy witnesses the humans taking Floss' kits away. Leafpool deals with her forbidden love with Crowfeather, and struggles with her feelings; she must choose between her heart and her Clan. Throughout the book, Leafpool and Crowfeather secretly meet each other. Cinderpelt finally confronts Leafpool when she is with Crowfeather. The two medicine cats fight, and Leafpool decides to run away from the Clans with Crowfeather after Spottedleaf tells her to follow her heart. After a long night alone in the hills, Leafpool and Crowfeather return to the Clans after hearing of a badger attack on the Clans from Midnight. During the fight, Sorreltail suddenly starts to have her kits and Cinderpelt stays to help Sorreltail. Although Sorreltail gives birth to four healthy kits, Cinderpelt is killed by a badger. ThunderClan begins to lose the battle, but WindClan joins in to help, summoned by Midnight. Together, the two Clans manage to drive the badgers away. Crowfeather and Leafpool decide to never meet again. |
10858387 | /m/02qs6z5 | Sunset | Erin Hunter | 12/26/2006 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | After a badger attack destroys much of ThunderClan's camp, Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook) and Stormfur, old friends of ThunderClan, help to rebuild the camp. The battle is not without its consequences, as both the medicine cat Cinderpelt and the warrior Sootfur die. The battle rekindles Squirrelflight's love for Brambleclaw (following a conflict between the two during the previous book), leading her to have an argument a few days after with Ashfur, whom she had moved to following her separation from Brambleclaw. All of the Clans are grieving for the death of Cinderpelt. Leafpool finds herself struggling between grief and betrayal, for she has not seen Cinderpelt in the ranks of StarClan. During a visit to the Moonpool, where medicine cats share dreams with StarClan each month, former medicine cat Spottedleaf goes to Leafpool in a dream and shows her that Cinderpelt is reborn in the form of Cinderkit, one of Sorreltail's four kits whom Cinderpelt died protecting. After months of waiting and with persuasion from Brambleclaw, Stormfur, the new medicine cat Leafpool and his own mate Sandstorm, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, finally declares that his friend and deputy Graystripe is not going to return after being abducted by humans in Dawn. When a dream from StarClan, the spirits of the cats' ancestors, tells Leafpool that Brambleclaw should be the new deputy, Firestar agrees and appoints Brambleclaw as the new deputy. The decision is met with objection, because Brambleclaw had never mentored an apprentice, a requirement for becoming deputy. The matter is cleared when Firestar declares that Brambleclaw will mentor Berrykit when the kit turns six months of age and mentions Leafpool's dream from StarClan to his warriors. Tigerstar, an evil cat who is dead, continues to visit his sons (through different mothers) Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw in their dreams and when Brambleclaw becomes deputy, Tigerstar reveals his plan for Brambleclaw to take over ThunderClan and WindClan and for Hawkfrost to take over RiverClan and ShadowClan. Brambleclaw firmly rejects this idea, but agrees to make up a plan with Hawkfrost when they awake. During the meeting, Brambleclaw hears a cat struggling in pain. He finds Firestar caught in a fox trap (wire snare) and Hawkfrost urges Brambleclaw to kill the ThunderClan leader so that Brambleclaw can become the new leader. After struggling with his desires, Brambleclaw refuses to kill Firestar and frees him from the trap. Since Brambleclaw betrays their father's plans, Hawkfrost attacks Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw kills Hawkfrost with the trap's sharp stick by stabbing his neck. Before he dies, Hawkfrost claims to Brambleclaw that a ThunderClan warrior helps him with his plan and that their fight is not over. The prophecy "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red", given to Leafpool in an earlier book, is fulfilled; since Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost are half-brothers, they share the same blood and are kin, and as he stumbles down to the lake, blood pours from Hawkfrost's neck, making the lake run red. |
10858440 | /m/02qs70l | The Sight | Erin Hunter | 4/24/2007 | {"/m/0dwly": "Children's literature", "/m/01hmnh": "Fantasy"} | In the prologue, it is revealed that after the conclusion of Firestar's Quest, a prophecy was sent to Firestar. After a report of a fox and her cubs loose in ThunderClan territory, the three secretly leave camp and try to track down the foxes and help their Clan. They end up in trouble, but are saved. As time goes by, Hollypaw decides she wants to become a medicine cat apprentice to help injured cats and heal sicknesses. A few moons later, Hollypaw becomes Leafpool's (the medicine cat) apprentice; Lionpaw becomes Ashfur's apprentice and Jaypaw becomes Brightheart's apprentice. Jaypaw gets frustrated that he is apprenticed to the warrior with one eye, and he feels the other cats pity him. Jaypaw is commonly frustrated that many cats see his blindness as a weakness, even though he has never known life with sight and therefore uncaring of his blindness. Hollypaw, on the other hand, begins to realize that being a medicine cat might not be the right path for her as she does not like seeing other cats in pain or biting up herbs. At a gathering, all Clans have little to report. Lionpaw quickly befriends WindClan apprentice Heatherpaw. In the middle of the gathering, two unknown cats appear. The Clans realize they are Graystripe, with a new friend, Millie. Graystripe was thought to have died when twolegs took him away in The New Prophecy series. Instead, he managed to escape with the help of Millie and found the new home with the help of Barley and Ravenpaw. It turns out all the forest was destroyed. The Clans leave and Graystripe and Millie return to ThunderClan. The return of Graystripe causes another problem. Firestar appointed Brambleclaw as the new deputy assuming Graystripe had died, yet Graystripe was still alive. To help make the decision on who should be deputy, Firestar sends Leafpool to the Moonpool to talk with StarClan. StarClan only tells Leafpool that Firestar must make his own choice. In the end, Brambleclaw stays as deputy since he knows the Clan better. When a battle with ShadowClan breaks out, Jaypaw can only defeat an enemy apprentice with the help of his sibling telling him where the enemy is. Hollypaw finds the thrill of battling better than chewing up bitter herbs. Jaypaw likewise receives a dream from StarClan telling him he must become a medicine cat because he has a gift to walk in other cat's dreams. Although Jaypaw does not accept this at first, he realizes his blindness would prove as a setback during battle and agrees to become a medicine cat apprentice. Hollypaw and Jaypaw decide to trade roles with Jaypaw becoming Leafpool's apprentice and Hollypaw, Brackenfur's apprentice. At the next Gathering, a dispute breaks out between the Clans. To solve the argument, Squirrelflight shares an idea: to have a special Gathering, just once. All four Clans would meet in ThunderClan territory at sunhigh. Each Clan would have their apprentices compete in different contests; tree climbing, hunting, and fighting. Whichever Clans' apprentice won would pick the prey from the fresh-kill pile first. Jaypaw is upset that he can't compete, and while staying behind at the camp, he has a vision. He is choking on earth, and he smells badger and fox. He is scrabbling desperately with his paws, until realizes that he is seeing through Lionpaw's eyes. It turns out that, while competing, Lionpaw and Breezepaw fell into a collapsing fox den. Luckily, Jaypaw got there in time to save them along with Crowfeather. The leaders decide that since every Clan won at something, there would be a tie and no Clan would win. In the end, Jaypaw walks in Firestar's dream and hears the prophecy There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. Realizing that he and his sibling are the cats described in the prophecy, Jaypaw suddenly thinks "One day we will be so powerful that we shall command even StarClan!" |
10862571 | /m/02qsbv3 | The Princess Diaries, Volume IV: Princess in Waiting | Meg Cabot | 2003 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Never before has the world seen such a princess. Nor have her own subjects, for that matter. Mia's royal introduction to Genovia has mixed results: while her fashion sense is widely applauded, her position on the installation of public parking meters is met with resistance. But the politics of bureaucracy are nothing next to Mia's real troubles. Between canceled dates with her long—sought—after royal consort, a second semester of the dreaded Algebra, more princess lessons from Grandmère as a result of the Genovian parking—meter thing, and the inability to stop gnawing on her fingernails, isn't there anything Mia is good at besides inheriting an unwanted royal title? |
10862659 | /m/02qsbx5 | The Princess Diaries, Volume VI: Princess in Training | Meg Cabot | 2005-04 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | This story begins the day before Mia goes back to school to begin her sophomore year, which she feels is completely pointless, because Michael is now a freshman in college. The only thing that seems good about school this year is the arrival of a new English teacher, who both Mia and Lilly feel they will love. The first day of school begins, and Lilly does not make an effort to look nice because she has lost her boyfriend, Boris Pelkowski, to one of her and Mia's closest friends, Tina . Once Mia and Lilly arrive in school, they are shocked to discover that Boris has gotten 'hot' over the summer, making dramatic changes to his appearance so he can play violin better. The first English lesson of the year begins, and Mia, Lilly and Tina pass notes saying how great they think their new English teacher, Ms Martinez, is. Everything is going well until lunchtime, when, in the Jet Line, Lana, Mia's arch-enemy, tells Mia that college boys expect their girlfriends to Do It with them. This freaks Mia out because she is positive that she is not ready to sleep with anyone. Mia, thinking she has suffered enough for one day, receives another blow as Lilly nominates her for student-council president and Lana Weinberger, hearing this, immediately puts herself into the race, and Principal Gupta schedules the votes for president to be cast on the following Monday. Grandmere is delighted that Mia is running for president, because it will distract the media from Mia dumping snails into the bay back at Genovia to eat the killer algae that Monaco have dumped in, destroying the natural balance of the seas. Unfortunately, the snails don't seem to be doing anything, and some countries want Genovia to be kicked out of the EU. Lilly and Grandmere team up and organize Mia's campaign for student council president, putting posters up in the school, organizing televised interviews and handing out pens to promote Mia. Lilly confesses to Mia that she just wants Mia to run for president so that Mia can name her as her vice-president, and, after a few days, step down because of her hectic schedule and name Lilly as her successor, as Lilly is not popular enough to become president herself. A stressful school week ends and Mia visits Michael's dorm on Saturday (after a big sleepover at the Plaza with her friends, Lily Moscovitz, Tina Hakim Baba, Ling-Su Wong and Shameeka Taylor, where Mia stayed up until three o clock and was woken early because Lilly forced her to go to a soccer game to promote her campaign) and meets his roommate, Doo Pak, where she discovers condoms in Michael's bathroom. Shocked by this discovery, Mia has The Talk with Michael, who says he knows Mia isn't ready because she invited her friends for a sleepover once she found out she had a hotel room to herself, and not him. Michael tells her he understands, but is not going to wait forever and Mia begins to think that Michael is going to break up with her, a theme that is repeated in almost every book where Mia and Michael are in a relationship. On Monday, Mia debates against Lana (a debate which is also televised), and provides a much more convincing argument than Lana and gets the majority of the vote. Mia realizes that she wants to be president herself, when Michael shows up at school and Mia leaves with him. They go out to a restaurant and talk, and they agree to see if Mia is ready to do it every 3 months. Their relationship is strong once again, and the story ends. This book is a successful hit being one of Meg Cabot's most mature books. |
10862867 | /m/02qsc2c | The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess | Meg Cabot | 2006-04 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | When Mia bankrupts the student government buying high-tech recycling bins, she needs to raise $5000 soon, so that she can pay for the seniors' commencement ceremony. All her friends (including Michael, her long-time boyfriend and so-called love of her life) mention selling candles, but Mia absolutely refuses, so Grandmere comes up with a solution: a musical, written and directed by Grandmere, starring Mia and her friends, portraying the achievements of Mia's famous Genovian ancestor, Rosagunde. Mia is thrilled, yet quite worried to be cast as the lead. She attempts to drop out, but Grandmere threatens to tell the seniors that Mia had bankrupted the student government (making them angry that she had not saved money for the commencement ceremony). 'Braid!' also results in a new-found friendship, between Mia and 'The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn In The Chili', aka J.P. - Mia's on-stage love interest, who turns out to be an aspiring screenwriter. Another drama in her life enters the story when Michael mentions his parents are going away for the weekend and he plans on having a party. Mia starts to worry she isn't enough of a party girl. She even (as a last resort, of course) asks her archenemy, Lana Weinberger, how to act like a "Party Girl". Mia does what Lana says and it all ends in tragedy. After she drinks and 'sexy dances' with J.P., her relationship with Michael seems to be on rocky ground, especially as Michael's parents are splitting up and he is being an absent boyfriend. Her friendship with J.P. seems to be going the same way thanks to Lilly's new literary magazine, 'Fat Louie's Pink Butthole', which includes 'No More Corn!' a story Mia wrote (before meeting him) about J.P. killing himself. However, Principal Gupta immediately bans the magazine and confiscates all the copies, as Lilly has submitted five explicit stories to it, meaning that J.P. never sees Mia's story. The play is performed at the Aide de Ferme, a benefit for Genovian olive oil farmers that Grandmere puts on. Everyone who is anyone attends, but, before the last scene, Mia is worried about her on-stage kiss with J.P. But then Michael shows up in J.P.'s costume and gives her a perfect kiss and they talk about their problems, and, once again, their relationship appears to be strong. Grandmere also raises enough money to help the Genovian farmers and Mia, solving her problems. |
10862921 | /m/02qsc4s | The Princess Diaries, Volume VII and 3/4: Valentine Princess | Meg Cabot | 2006 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Mia and Michael share Valentine's Day together, having fun. |
10862983 | /m/02qsc6h | The Princess Diaries, Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink | Meg Cabot | 2007-01 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Mia is now a junior. She is no longer student president (with Lilly taking her place) but more problems come along as she passes through the school year. First, Michael tells Mia that he needs to spend a year (or more) in Japan. She is extremely upset about this and starts trying to find a way to get him to stay. Grandmere plants this idea in her head that if Mia sleeps with Michael, he won't want to leave. Mia and Michael get into an argument before they can sleep together, and he says nothing about not leaving to Japan. Then to make matters worse, she learns that Michael had a friends with benefits relationship with Judith Gershner that he had never mentioned (he mentioned the friendship, but did not mention the benefits), which she believes constitutes him having lied to or misled her. This leads Mia to break up with Michael. Michael catches Mia (in a rather upset and confused state) kissing J.P. when he later comes to apologize to her. J.P. has just broken up with Lilly, and Kenny tells Lilly about the kiss. Now, her former best friend and her former boyfriend no longer are speaking to her. When Mia goes to explain what happened to Michael, his plane to Japan has already taken off. J.P. asks if Mia would like to see Beauty and the Beast with him, and she says yes. But before she goes, she emails Michael and writes "Michael, I'm sorry," the only thing she can think of to say. |
10863015 | /m/02qsc75 | The Princess Diaries, Volume IX: Princess Mia | Meg Cabot | 2008 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Mia Thermopolis is having a bad time. She's failing Chemistry and Pre-Calculus, Michael has moved to Japan thinking she hates him, Lilly isn't speaking to her, someone has set up a hate site about her at www.ihatemiathermopolis.com, and Grandmere expects her to give a speech to the Domina Rei, the world's most exclusive women's society. Even when she goes to the theatre with J.P. as friends, it ends up all over the gossip magazines. When Michael finally calls, he decides it is best that they stay "just friends". Unable to cope, Mia retreats to her room, begins binge-eating, and refuses to go to school for four days. Eventually, Mia's family steps in. Her father takes her to see a cowboy psychologist, Dr. Knutz, who convinces Mia to return to school and try to move on with her life. Mia realizes she has depression, and returns to school, where Lilly still refuses to have anything to do with her. However, friendship comes from an unexpected direction: Lana Weinberger, Mia's enemy, offers her the olive branch, explaining that the main reason she disliked Mia was because of Lilly. Soon, the two have become friends. Kenny (who begins dating Lilly) causes the chemistry lab to explode during a class but right before that, J.P. tells Mia that he loves her; Mia is glad, but she explains that she is not yet ready for a new relationship. Meanwhile, as Mia is preparing for her speech to the Domina Rei, she discovers an old ancestress; Princess Amelie, who ruled Genovia for twelve days while she was only sixteen, before dying of the bubonic plague. By reading Amelie's diary, Mia discovers something shocking; over four hundred years ago, the princess legally changed Genovia from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, led by a Prime Minister. However, her father refuses to accept the document's legality, and when Mia asks Lilly for help, she publicly humiliates her and reveals that she is the one behind www.ihatemiathermopolis.com. This effectively ends the girls' friendship, with Mia turning back to Tina and Lana instead. Dr. Knutz helps Mia decide to reveal Princess Amelie's story to the Domina Rei in her speech; this brave act earns her an invitation to join, and an e-mail from Michael, on her way home she finds J.P. waiting for her and she kisses him and Mia finally replies to Michael's e-mail with a little happiness. |
10863031 | /m/02qsc7w | The Princess Diaries, Volume X: Forever Princess | Meg Cabot | 2008-12 | {"/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature"} | Mia leaves us with an unhappy ending in the ninth book and we join her again in the tenth, which is set two years later, in her last few weeks of school before graduation. In this final book of the series, we see that while still a teenager, Mia has shown major improvements in her progression to becoming an adult. She has been dating J.P, keeping in touch with Michael, and building up a friendship with Lana, but she has not yet made up with Lilly. Mia is getting ready for her eighteenth birthday in a week, not to mention PROM and graduation, and still all she does is lie. She has been accepted in every college she applied to, but she fears it's because of her royal condition, and she told everyone she hadn't. She wrote a romance novel, under an alias, and told everyone it was a paper on Genovian olive oil, and is trying to get it published, with no success. She doesn't feel like going to her prom at all, and Michael is back in town after his CardioArm became a huge hit success and he has become a rich young man. All of a sudden, everything she was (sort of) sure of goes down the drain. She isn't so sure about her relationship with J.P, whose motives are unclear. She also has to deal with turning eighteen and the extravagant party that Grandmere is throwing for her, and helping her father win an election against her cousin, René. It all sounds very complicated - not forgetting Mia wants to lose her virginity before graduation. In the end she goes to prom with J.P, planning to have sex afterwards. After she learns from Lilly that J.P didn't really love anything about her, apart from her fame, Mia breaks up with him and she and Lilly become friends again. She also learns that JP lied to her saying he was a virgin while he and Lilly did have sex. Then, Michael appears and takes her back, telling Mia about his undying love for her. She then loses her virginity to Michael near the end of the book. Mia also decides to go to Sarah Lawrence and plans to never again leave Michael. |
10863928 | /m/02qsd08 | The Vanished Man | Jeffery Deaver | 3/11/2003 | {"/m/01jfsb": "Thriller", "/m/02n4kr": "Mystery", "/m/0lsxr": "Crime Fiction", "/m/02xlf": "Fiction", "/m/0c3351": "Suspense"} | The story centers around a serial killer loose in New York City whose slayings are patterned after illusionist tricks. When the killer illusionist uses his tricks to baffle and evade police, forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme and his longtime partner Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate, setting off a tense cat-and-mouse chase where nothing is as it seems. The novel's title is a specific reference to an illusionist trick where a person is made to disappear and then reappear. It also alludes to the killer in the novel, who is quite talented at disappearing soon after his crimes are committed. |
10870835 | /m/02qsm2m | Son of Rosemary | Ira Levin | null | {"/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | The novel begins in November 1999 with Rosemary Woodhouse waking up in a long term care facility after the last member of the coven from the first novel is killed in a car accident. She learns that she has been in a coma since 1973, the result of a spell cast on her by the coven when they discovered that she planned to remove her son Andy from their influence. Rosemary immediately becomes a national sensation after waking up from such a long coma. In her absence, Andy was raised by Minnie and Roman Castevet, the leaders of the coven. Andy is now 33, the same age as Jesus is said to have been when he died -- he also has twelve assistants and a girlfriend called Judith S. Kharyat who threatens to reveal his parentage and is spectacularly murdered with 30 silver knives. He is the leader of a charitable foundation with a worldwide influence. Rosemary immediately suspects that Andy's foundation has a demonic purpose, but he reassures her that he has fought his evil side, and is trying to do good work. Supporters wear pins that say "I (heart) Andy" -- in fact, this is the first thing Rosemary sees when she wakes -- and after Rosemary's story becomes known, they begin wearing "I (heart) Rosemary" pins as well. Andy consorts with Republican Party members and members of the Religious Right, who want him to endorse a slightly retarded millionaire for President. Throughout the book, various characters playfully mention the riddle "roast mules",often out of context or à propos of nothing. The foundation has distributed candles worldwide with the intention that they be lit at midnight on New Year's Eve to help usher in the year 2000. Rosemary gradually comes to suspect that all is not right with the candles, but her concerns fall on deaf ears. In the climax of the book, the candles release a deadly virus which causes people to disintegrate into dust particles. Andy's real father returns for a visit, and takes Rosemary with him to Hell. After being taken to Hell, Rosemary wakes up in bed with her husband Guy and finds that it is 1965 again. The events of the entire first book and nearly all of the sequel are revealed to have been a vivid dream of Rosemary's. Even the Bramford, the apartment building where Guy and Rosemary lived in the first book, was revealed to be a creation of Rosemary's mind after reading Bram Stoker's book, Dracula. Rosemary then receives a call from her friend Edward Hutchins (who in the first book was killed to prevent his revealing the coven's existence). He offers her and Guy a rent-free apartment in the Dakota Apartments (the model for the Bramford) for a year. Hutch then makes a comment about "roast mules", and about the candle lighting, causing Rosemary to sense danger. Guy questions why she would want to turn down a chance to live at the Dakota, but Rosemary takes Hutch's remarks seriously as a warning. |
10872698 | /m/02qsntm | Dies the Fire | S. M. Stirling | null | {"/m/0mz2": "Alternate history", "/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/0hc1z": "Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction", "/m/014dfn": "Speculative fiction"} | Mike Havel is a former United States Marine and veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War who works as a bush pilot. On March 17, 1998, Havel is flying over the Bitterroot Mountain Range in Idaho when a mysterious event known as "The Change" occurs. His passengers are wealthy industrialist Kenneth Larsson, Larsson's wife Mary, and their three teenage children, twins Eric and Signe, and Astrid. When the plane's engine and electronics are disabled and rendered inoperable, Mike makes an emergency crash landing. Everyone survives, though Mary is seriously injured. The party makes its way through rough terrain to a ranger cabin in the woods. Mike and Eric hike out to the highway, and encounter a trio of racist survivalists on horseback who have taken prisoner a black man named Will Hutton and his family. Mike and Eric rescue the family, but the survivalists escape. Mike and Eric pursue them to the cabin where the rest of the Larssons are waiting. By the time Mike and Eric catch up, they have murdered Mary, and are attempting to rape Signe and Astrid. All three survivalists are killed. The Huttons, who breed and train horses, join Mike's band. The group elects Mike as their leader and decide to head for Larsdalen, the Larsson family estate in the western Willamette Valley in Oregon. Along the way, Astrid shoots a black bear with her bow, which only provokes it into attacking. It seriously wounds Mike before they manage to kill it. The event gives the group its name: the Bearkillers. On the journey, the Bearkillers begin recruiting other survivors. The Bearkillers are hired by a group near a Nez Perce Indian Reservation to find and wipe out a nest of cannibals; in accomplishing their mission, they rescue a number of captives. Mike and Signe become attracted to each other, though she keeps him at arm's length, still horrified by the memory of her near-rape. Later, when the group has grown larger, Mike takes two companions to scout the way ahead. In Portland, Mike meets Norman Arminger, leader of the Portland Protective Association. Arminger, a former professor of medieval history and member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), is reinstating feudalism by recruiting gang members and former SCA members, and driving those he does not want or need out of the city. Arminger offers the Bearkillers positions as Protectorate nobles, but Mike declines. On the way back, Mike and his men save Juniper Mackenzie and her friends, who are on their own reconnaissance mission. Mike and Juniper are attracted to each other and have sex before the two groups go their separate ways. The encounter leaves Juniper pregnant. The Bearkillers hire themselves out to a local sheriff to fight "Duke Iron Rod", who is raiding the Camas Prairie region. The Bearkillers trap and wipe out a raiding party, but while they are away, a traitor helps a second group enter and attack the Bearkillers' camp. In the fighting, Ken Larsson loses his left hand and eye, but Mike and his men return in time to rout the attackers and capture Iron Rod for later hanging. The Bearkillers also take part in a raid on a Protectorate castle, which Arminger had constructed to control an important route (I20) over the Cascades. After the Bearkillers reach Larsdalen, Mike and Signe become engaged. The parallel story of the formation of Clan Mackenzie begins with Juniper Mackenzie, a folksinger and Wiccan priestess. Juniper is performing in a restaurant in Corvallis when The Change occurs. She, along with her deaf teenage daughter Eilir, and their friend Dennis Martin, try to aid victims of an airliner crash in the city. When a bunch of looters realize that guns no longer work, they attack a policeman. Dennis and Juniper go to help him. Juniper kills one of the attackers and his companions flee, but one of them, Eddie Liu vows to avenge his dead friend. Liu later becomes one of Arminger's barons. Juniper, Dennis and Eilir gather supplies, collect Juniper's horses and wagon from a friend's farm, and head for Juniper's cabin in central Oregon. On the way, refugees attack them for their food. Eilir is forced to shoot a woman with her bow; the woman's companions flee, but Juniper and Dennis take pity on the wounded woman and her young son, allowing them to join the group. Some of Juniper's coven members also make their way separately to Juniper's cabin, after rescuing a dozen school children abandoned on a school bus. The nascent Clan starts to farm the land. To supplement their food reserves, Juniper and Dennis go hunting. They stumble upon and rescue Sam Aylward, a former member of the elite British Special Air Service and a superb archer and bowyer as well. He had been injured after falling into a steep ravine and had become trapped. Later, Juniper takes a few companions to scout the surrounding area. They arrive in Corvallis, Oregon, where they discover that the faculty of Oregon State University has taken over the governing of the town. On their way home, they are ambushed by a group of cannibals, but are saved by Mike and his Bearkillers. A night or two later, she and Mike have sex, conceiving a child. The Clan has a successful first harvest, but problems elsewhere dampen this happy occasion. The nearby town of Sutterdown is attacked and occupied by Protectorate troops. Juniper agrees to lead the Clan against the occupiers and drives them out of the town. Later in the year Sam Aylward is sent to lead a group of Mackenzie archers to aid the Bearkillers' raid against a Protectorate castle. They are successful and even manage to force the surrender of a second castle. Juniper gives birth to a son, whom she names Rudi in memory of her dead husband. During Rudi's wiccaning, Juniper is overcome by inspiration which causes her to give him the craft name of Artos and to pronounce a prophecy declaring him "the Sword of the Lady." |
10872861 | /m/02qsnzs | Slaves of Speigel | Daniel Pinkwater | 1982 | {"/m/06n90": "Science Fiction", "/m/03mfnf": "Young adult literature", "/m/01z4y": "Comedy"} | Sargon the Great is the leader of planet Spiegel. Fat space pirates inhabit the planet Spiegel and they travel around the galaxy collecting fattening and unhealthy food. To discover new types of food they search for the greatest cooks in the galaxy. They bring cooks from two distant planets and one cook from Earth. The cook's name is Steve. He and his assistant Norman are brought to Spiegel along with their restaurant, The Magic Moscow. The Earth cooks are pitted against the cooks from other planets. Steve and Norman cook a dish which consists of melons from Venus, ham, radishes, pears, kosher salami, maple syrup, raw oats and olives. The competition to cook the greatest dish is fierce, but in the end Steve and Norman come in second. They are allowed to take 600 pounds of Spiegelian blue garlic, a prize Steve is quite satisfied with. He later uses it to create a new "bright blue" pizza. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.