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The Wizard in Wonderland | Jean Ure | 1,991 | The plot details the reunion of junior wizard Ben-Muzzy and his friends Joel and Gemma. They visit Wonderland on Ben-Muzzy’s magic broomstick, however their fun is interrupted when a race known as the Airy Fairies steals the broomstick. Now the three friends must retrieve it before it is missed by the other wizards. |
The Lonesome Place | null | null | Taking place in an unnamed community, The Lonesome Place is told through the eyes of Steve, the narrator, and his best friend, Johnny Newell. The two boys are very scared of the dark and they believe that there is something living in the lonesome place. The lonesome place is an old grain elevator surrounded by tall trees and many piles of wood from the lumber yard that surrounds it. The story begins with the narrator's Mother asking her son to run errands for her before dinner at twilight. In order for the boy to get to the local grocery shop he needs to cross through the old lumber yard and past the lonesome place. At first sight, the lumber yard seems harmless enough, but after the sun goes down and the stars peep out into the sky the lumber yard becomes a place where shadows lurk and screams are drowned in darkness and never heard again. In the book it says Johnny and the narrator tend to run by the lonesome place when unable to avoid it because of the scary creature that they believe lives there. Both have their own hair-raising stories of going past the lumber yard and grain elevator at night. Johnny tells the narrator how the creature almost got him the night before, showing his ripped shirt as evidence of his close escape; the narrator returns with a tale of how he heard it knock over some lumber during his own trip through. The narrator has never seen the creature, but can feel its presence. When the boys run past the dark place their hearts race and their imagination runs wild. As they compare their experiences they conjure up a monster with big clawed feet, scales, a long tail and yet has no face. This creature waits for fearful children on which to prey. The creature is also able to climb the tree and lie in the trees. The creature also is known to lay by the lumber but the children can’t see the creature because it’s so dark in The Lonesome place. When the grain elevator is torn down and the boys are all grown up and become less fearful of the Lonesome Place, the monster waits for other fearful boys and girls in the dark. Many of the boys take their dates here because the lumber yard is so creepy for the girls. When Bobby Jeffers is killed by being mauled by some type of animal, the narrator and Johnny believe they are responsible for the boy's death, since they had left that conjured monster free to feed on another child's fear. They felt that they should have done something about it when they were younger. Now that Bobby is dead the boys feel guilt for creating the monster out of their own fears. |
Missile Gap | Charles Stross | 2,006 | On October 2, 1962, the universe underwent a change - instantly, the continents of the Earth were no longer wrapped onto a spherical planet but were on the surface of an Alderson disk. Measurements on Cepheid variable stars indicate that the Alderson disk is located in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, and that the epoch is roughly 800,000 years later than the calendar date (give or take 100,000 to 200,000 years). In the sky, the stars of the Milky Way are reddened and metal-depleted, evidence that it is now controlled by a Type-III civilization capable of controlling the resources of an entire galaxy. Three theories for the change are suggested within the novella: # the atoms making up the surface and people of earth have somehow peeled off the Earth and shipped to a new location # Marvin Minsky suggests that a snapshot of the world was taken and the snapshot has been used as the basis for a physical recreation # Hans Moravec suggests that a snapshot of the world was taken and the snapshot has been used as the basis for a simulated reality The first hypothesis would indicate that the characters of the book are the original humans of the 20th century Earth. The latter two hypotheses would indicate that the characters of the book are duplicates of humans that lived and died thousands of years previously. The creatures that moved or copied humanity are unknown, as is the technology they used and the purpose for their action. Because of the projection of a spherical surface onto a flat surface, some changes occur: North America is now much farther from Asia, as there is no polar route. Furthermore, launching an artificial satellite into orbit becomes impossible, and chemical-fueled ICBMs are no longer capable of reaching other continents. The gravitational attraction in the near field of an Alderson disk does not drop away according to the inverse-square law but is approximately constant and perpendicular to the disk, so missile trajectories become parabolic rather than segments of elliptical orbits. Thus, both the strategic bomber and ICBM "legs" of the nuclear triad are no longer feasible so nuclear deterrence breaks down, and the Soviet Union takes advantage of this to conquer much of Western Europe. The deterrent role is taken over by long-range nuclear-powered cruise missiles. Cold war tensions between the two super states provide the in-between plot direction. There are several sub-plots - the exploration of the new world by both superpowers forms much of the major plot. Yuri Gagarin captains a huge, nuclear-powered Ekranoplan on behalf of the Soviets, whilst the Americans launch cruise liners filled with colonists for distant islands. On one such island, Madelaine Holbright (initially a housewife) begins an affair with an John Martin, an entomologist who is almost fatally stung by native termites which begin to display signs of intelligence. During his travels, Gagarin turns up further examples of "Earths" far away from the currently inhabited areas, with cities that have clearly been destroyed in nuclear war in the distant past. A character named Gregor seems to be highly connected with the American Government, and is later shown to be in fact an advanced alien termite with pheromone control, and is guiding the transplanted humanity towards nuclear destruction, to clear the path for the "mock aboriginal termites" that have previously stung Martin. Eventually Gregor is successful, and humanity is destroyed in a nuclear exchange - Gregor's intelligence is saved and it is heavily implied that not only has this happened before, but that it will happen again, supporting (but not actually confirming) the second two of the suggested theories. To explain plot sections and provide background information, Stross makes use of themes that recur in his works - the use of security clearance briefings, and codewords to infer secret levels of information - COLLECTION and RUBY for Missile Gap |
The Little Walls | Winston Graham | 1,955 | The novel tells the story of Phillip Turner who refuses to believe that his brother’s death was suicide. He sets out to find out how his brother Grevil, an eminent archaeologist, came to be found dead in an Amsterdam canal. The official investigation is led by Inspector J.J. Tholen. |
The Masks of Time | Robert Silverberg | 1,968 | Vornan-19 arrives on Christmas day, 1998 in Rome. He floats down from the sky naked, landing on the Spanish Steps. The police try and arrest him but he knocks them over with a touch. He is helped and given clothes by Horst Klein who believes that the apocalypse will come in 389 days, Vornan-19 tells him that he is from the year 2999. Jack Bryant, a graduate student under Leo Garfield at the University of California is working toward a process to extract huge amounts of energy from ordinary matter. He leaves the physics department, gets married to pretty blond named Shirley and they move to the deserts of Arizona. Leo Garfield spends several months with Jack and Shirley to get a break from his physics work. During Vornan-19's first public press conference he mentions the fact that in the future society is very different due to the fact that they have tapped the energy within all matter so that no one has to work to obtain energy. Leo Garfield tells Jack that he left the University because he had actually finished his thesis showing how to extract the enormous amounts of energy within all particles of matter. He could not bear to release this theory since it would dramatically change human society. He asks Jack to use his influence to question Vornan-19 on the subject to see if it was his theory that was used in the future. When Jack returns to the University, he has a call from the White House and is forced to join a group of scientists working for the US government on how to best deal with Vornan-19. Vornan-19 comes to New York City where he meets with the group of scientists, attends an outrageous house party and tours the New York Stock Exchange. He reveals during the tour that in 2999 there is no capitalism and even no money. All citizens have all that they need. After visiting the stock market Vornan requests a visit to an automated brothel in Chicago. During an interview in California, Vornan-19 says that in the future they have determined how life began on the earth. An alien spacecraft visited the earth long ago on a scouting mission and discovered no life forms and so departed, before they left they jettisoned a load of their garbage that landed on earth and eventually started life. Vornan goes to moon, when he returns he takes a break from his tour of the earth by staying with Leo's friends Jack and Shirley in Arizona. Shirley subtly offers herself to Vornan but he shows no interest, Vornan instead seduces Jack. Shirley then sleeps with Leo who has been wanting her for years. Vornan has been made into a messiah by the people of earth. He visits Buenos Aires using a personal shield technology that should allow him to interact with the crowds. The shield fails and Vornan is grabbed by the crowd and his body is never recovered. Jack remains in Buenos Aires until the turn of the century. |
Nobody's Baby But Mine | Susan Elizabeth Phillips | 1,997 | Physics professor Dr. Jane Darlington spends her 34th birthday in tears. She wants a baby, but not a husband. Where can she find an average or, preferably, stupid man? She decides that Cal Bonner, legendary quarterback for the Chicago Stars is perfect. Jane sets her plan into action and after some trail and error she succeeds. But the results are more than she bargained for when Cal discovers her duplicity. How can a football player with an interfering family and a nerdy professor who has never known family love ever fall in love? With lots of honesty, understanding and a whole lot of humor. Don't miss this one! It's filled with engaging characters, laughs galore and a feel-good ending. |
The Clone Wars | Karen Traviss | null | The story follows the heroic Jedi Knights as they struggle to maintain order and restore peace during the tumultuous Clone Wars. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side. |
Soldier Boys | Dean Hughes | 2,003 | Dieter Hedrick, once a small and timid person, over time becomes a member of an anti-aircraft gun battery that scores at least one kill during Allied bombing raids. Moving steadily higher in rank in the Hitler Youth, Dieter is promoted to lead a group of 180 boys, who are part of the enormous project to build the Westwall (Siegfried Line) before the Allies arrive. Two fellow HJ's are less fortunate: Ernst Gessel is killed when a British Spitfire strafes the site, and Willi Hoffmann is shot for attempting to desert. Dieter proves himself to be a capable leader, and he, along with a few other HJ leaders meet Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer and are decorated for their contributions to the German war effort. Dieter is anxious to fight and, following other senior HJ's, goes into the Wehrmacht. Assigned to a unit that is demoralized and badly understrength, Dieter meets Schaefer, a weary soldier whose cynical attitude contrasts sharply with Dieter's blind, fiery patriotism. Schaefer had a son, an HJ, who was killed while manning an AA gun in an Allied bombing raid and has seen far more of the war than Dieter, being a veteran of Stalingrad. He constantly criticizes Dieter's blind devotion to Hitler, truthfully saying that the war is lost for Germany and that surrendering is the best thing any German soldier can hope for. Despite their constant arguing, Dieter gradually begins to form a father-son relationship with Schaefer. Spence and Dieter are both sent into Battle of the Bulge. When both boys kill their first enemy, they react differently. Dieter is proud to have killed an enemy of Germany, while Spence is far less enthusiastic. As fighting continues, both sides suffer losses. Ted and half of Spence's company are killed after being ambushed by German tanks and infantry. Later, Dieter boasts of having shot several of the American infantry, while Schaefer reveals having deliberately aimed beneath them. Overnight, the Americans bring up reinforcements, with the result that when the Germans attack them again the next day, they are going up against a force much stronger than they expected. Dieter charges up the hill, making it farther than anyone else, but is shot several times and is left by the surviving men of his unit as they retreat. Schaefer is killed but Dieter, unaware of this, begins to call for him with increasing desperation as the night goes on. A group of German medics attempt to retrieve Dieter, but retreat after one of their number is shot by a young GI. Spence, against orders from his squad leader, decides to crawl out onto the open ground where the Germans lost in the charge had fallen. Dieter, realizing an American has reached him, initially tries to push Spence away and cannot understand Spence asking him where he is wounded, or telling Dieter he is there to help. Spence persists, however, and uses equipment carried by the dead German medic to bandage Dieter's wounds. Dieter gradually calms down, and having become somewhat delusional, is partially convinced Schaefer has at last returned to save him. As Spence tries to get Dieter back to his own lines so he can reach medics, he is shot by German medics, who have returned for Dieter once more and this time are taking no chances. Fatally wounded, Spence soon dies on the hill. Taken to a field hospital, Dieter learns what happened to him, the American who helped him, and Schaefer. As Dieter and a sergeant from his unit await transfer from the front lines to undergo surgery, Dieter's blind patriotism begins to fade. Unable to ignore the significance of what Spence, an enemy, did for him, Dieter realizes he will think about Spence for the rest of his life. Back in the United States, a funeral is held for Spence, and a letter arrives for his parents from Sergeant Pappas, Spence's squad leader. Learning that their son gave up his life to save a German, the Morgans decide against revealing this to friends and relatives, since hatred for Germans is running high. They remember, however, Spence's promise that he would not let fighting in the war corrupt him- a promise he ultimately kept. |
Ubu and the Truth Commission | Jane Taylor | null | Pa Ubu (played by Dawid Minnaar) has been spending a great deal of time away from home, much to the concern and suspicion of his wife (Busi Zokufa), who smells on him an odour which she suspects may be that of a mistress. In truth, however, he is an agent of a governmental death squad, and the odour that she smells is of blood and dynamite. With the abolishment of apartheid, the TRC is set in motion. Amnesty is offered those war criminals who come forward and offer full and truthful testimony regarding their infractions. Ubu, suspecting a trick, is unsure of what to do. The play follows his indecisive actions as they lead his path finally to a convergence with that of the TRC. |
Ghost Walker | Barbara Hambly | 1,991 | Elcidar Beta III, inhabitated by the Midgwins, is a planet strategically located between the Federation and the Klingon empire. The Midgwins' refusal to embrace technological advances have left their planet devastated and their people endangered. The U.S.S. Enterprise tries to help but is hampered by a murderous force that roams its corridors seemingly at will. |
A Flag Full of Stars | Brad Ferguson | 1,991 | It has been eighteen months since the end of the original five year mission. Captain Kirk, now an admiral, is on earth, in a new relationship, overseeing the refit of his beloved ship. Plans are to hand it over to its new captain, Willard Decker. Kirk meets a scientist, G'Dath, who has invented a device that could tip the balance of power for the Federation and the Klingons. Both sides pursue the man. Kirk and his former crewmate, Kevin Riley, attempt to save the day. |
The Mother-Daughter Book Club | null | 2,007 | The book is divided between seasons, and the point of view from each girl. The book starts off with Emma Hawthorne on the bus on her way to her first day in the 6th grade at Walden Middle School in [Concord, Massachusetts]. She gets made fun of by Becca Chadwick and Ashley Sanborn because of her hand-me-down skirt from a girl named Nicole Patterson (who is in the same grade as her brother, Darcy). Emma talks about how she hates the first day of school. She started hating the first day of school when she started fourth grade, when her former best friend Megan replaced her with three popular girls named Becca, Ashley, and Jen. She also explains that Megan became rich because her father created a "computer gizmo". Emma also recalls that Megan made "the most amazing clothes for our Barbie Dolls." As she enters the school, her brother Darcy helps her find her homeroom. She asks if her best friend, Jess, is there too, but isn't. She enters the class and is sitting across from Megan, and sitting next to Zach Norton, her crush. Emma also explains that Darcy calls Megan, Becca, Ashley, and Jen "the Fab Four", which they think is so cute because they have a crush on him and Zach Norton. When Emma gets home, she eats dinner with her family in their pink kitchen. She explains that her father does all the cooking, that her mother is a great cook and "she can boil water really well". She also explains that her mother is "a Jane Austen freak" or a "Austen Nut" and that her mother named her and her brother after characters in her favorite novels (Emma after Emma, and Darcy after Pride and Prejudice). Her mother tells her that she and a few mothers were talking at yoga club and that they decided to start a mother–daughter book club. Emma asks her mother who is going to be there but she refuses to tell her. That night she goes to the local library to have her first book club meeting. Megan texts her best friend Becca, "that she and her mother are in a book club and that she hates it," during book club, and Emma peeks at her hopefully. Her mother tells her that starting the club will look good on her application to the colonial academy, which Megan has no interest in, because she wants to be a fashion designer. She describes the future her mother wants for her and how frustrated she is that her mother does not approve of her dream. Megan describes that she and her mother are 100% different and that her mother likes to help causes. Megan and her mother are driving to the library for the meeting. She sees Zach Norton (she also has a crush on him) and exits the car, and acts a little ugly. She also sees Ethan MacDonald, and Third (his real name is Cranfield Bartlett III). She also sees Emma Hawthorne, whom she hates and in her mind she criticizes Emma's outfit, because she has no fashion sense( Megan loves fashion.). She and her mother, Emma, and Emma's mother enter the library. A few minutes later, in walks in Cassidy Sloane with her mother (a former, world famous model), Clementine. Megan compliments Cassidy in how she doesn't look anything like her mother and how much of a tomboy she is. Also, Jess walks in and Megan talks about what a weird-o she is and how she and her friends call her "Goat Girl" because she lives on an organic farm with many goats. She also describes how Jess's mother "ran away" from home to go to New York to audition for a soap opera called HeartBeats.Becca's mother enters the library and Megan states that no one likes Becca's mother. Becca's mother says that she's sorry that Megan couldn't come shopping with Becca, Ashley, and Jen and criticises the book club. Mrs. Hawthorne announces that the girls will be reading Little Women and the first book club meeting ends. Cassidy walks into her home after school and her mother greets her from the kitchen. Cassidy walks into the kitchen and sees her mother is making cupcakes for a Halloween party that her mother hosted without confronting Cassidy first. Cassidy's mother ask what she thinks of the cupcakes and Cassidy says they look radioactive. Because of this, Cassidy gets sent to her room. Meanwhile, she confronts her older sister, Courtney, who tells her that she should be nicer to her mother. She says that she must be having a hard time since her father's death. Cassidy ignores Courtney's comments and heads off to the ice rink. Skating for an hour calms her down and she bikes home. After the book club meeting at her house, Cassidy goes downstairs to the Halloween party. She is wearing her hockey uniform, so nobody can see her face. She overhears Becca, Megan, Ashley, and Jen gossiping about how she is nothing like her mom or sister which makes her mad. She teams up with Zach, Ethan, and Third to pull a prank on Becca, Megan, Ashley and Jen, who are known as the "Fab Four". She has Emma and Jess helping her and it is a success but Cassidy ends up getting in trouble. Emma tries to convince Jess to try out for the school play, Beauty and the Beast. Jess refuses because she is upset that her mother "ran away" to be an actress in a soap opera called HeartBeats. The girls watch the hockey try-outs, no one except them knowing that Cassidy is trying out for the boys' hockey team. Becca, Ashley, and Jen all make fun of Jess and Emma. Becca's mother and Megan appear with popcorn and soda. Emma's brother, Darcy, is trying out for the team, and so is Becca's brother, Stewart. Becca's mother scowls at Emma and Jess, being on their case since the Halloween prank. Cassidy got caught and is now grounded, but she didn't rat out Jess and Emma. Out of the blue, Becca grabs Emma's journal from her backpack and calls Zach Norton, Emma's crush, to come over and reads a poem out loud about that Emma wrote about him. Zach and Emma are both embarrassed. She rushes out of the stadium and Jess runs after her. They come back to Emma's house and they bake cookies for the book club meeting. Megan and her mother come in, while Cassidy's mother storms in furious. She says she received a call from Becca's mother saying that Cassidy made the boys' hockey team without her permission and that her spot on the team should've gone to someone else, and that Becca's mother claims it should have been her son's. Cassidy's mother tells her that hockey is dangerous and feels betrayed that everyone seemed to know about Cassidy trying out but her. Cassidy is also furious and tells her that she wishes she had a different mother and they both storm out. The book club meeting is canceled. Cassidy and her mother head to the middle school to pick up Jess from rehearsal. Jess got the part of Belle, but the Fab Four spreads rumors all around the school that the drama teacher gave her the part because her mother ran away because they were cast as dancing silverware. Cassidy also tells Jess to ignore them. Jess goes along with it. Cassidy and her mother go see a shrink or as Cassidy's mother would like to word it, family counselor. Clementine thinks that Cassidy's attitude towards her and other people is very disrespectful, and decides to put herself and Cassidy in counseling. The counselor talks to them both, saying that Clementine does not want her to play hockey because she is afraid that she will lose her like she lost her husband. Cassidy says that she will compromise with Clementine by having a better attitude and not talking back. In return, Clementine will let Cassidy play. They both agree by signing a contract but is not legally bound. Cassidy, Emma, Jess, and Megan leave the school, on their way to Megan's house for book club. Mrs. Wong brings out vegaterian cookies which Cassidy hates. Megan disappears and Mrs. Wong asks all the girls to look for Megan. They begin to search for Megan (Cassidy saying "It's hard to believe that only three people live here" because the Wongs' own a house that "looks like a museum"). They find Megan in her bedroom. Cassidy tells Megan to hurry up. Emma sees the old Barbie clothes that Megan made when she and Emma used to be friends. Megan is furious and snatches it away from her. They all go into the living room and have their book club meeting and all discussing their future careers. Mrs. Wong disagrees with Megan's chosen career as a fashion designer. Cassidy's mother still does not like the idea of Cassidy becoming a pro hockey player one day. Emma wants to become a writer and Jess wants to become a veterinarian. All of the mothers chip in for a Christmas Party and they should all dress up like the characters from Little Women. Cassidy says that she does not want to wear a dress, but Clementine pulls the contract out and immediately Cassidy is forced to agree. It is snowing hard outside and Mrs. Hawthorne plans to cancell the Christmas party because of the roads being blocked. Jess's father later comes by in a carriage drawn by his two horses, Led and Zep (which he named after Led Zeppelin). They pick up the Wongs and sing Christmas songs all the way to the Sloane's house. The girls all dress up in fancy dresses ( Cassidy wears sweatpants under hers) and they talk about who they are supposed to be. They all receive presents from Mrs. Delaney and Emma has Megan decorate a dress for her paper doll she received. She sees a true smile on Megan and starts thinking she might get her old friend back for Christmas, however her mother ruins this by suggesting to Megan to design a dress for Jess to wear for the play. Still envious that Jess got the part she wanted, Megan turns back into her old self again. It is almost time for the play and Jess becomes nervous. She stays in her room and talks to her mother who is on TV even though she can't hear her. Jess is upset that her mother could not be at her performance and wonders if her mother ever gets nervous when she is about to perform. After dinner at the Hawthorne's, Jess goes to school to prep for the play. Mrs. Sloane fixes her hair and makeup and Zach Norton, who plays Beast, gives her a red rose. The Fab Four whisper and call her "Goat Girl". On stage, Jess shines as she performs and loses all stage fright that she had before. In the middle of the show however, Jess's pet goat Sundance is let loose on the stage. This destroys the entire scene. Sundance runs away scared until Darcy hands her to Jess. They restart the scene after, Darcy and her dad put Sundance back into her crate. Megan is mad that she got into so much trouble for helping Becca with the goat stunt. She thinks that it was a silly prank and is angry that Zach is barely talking to her. The book club has an emergency meeting and decides that new rules should be made. All the girls sign the new rules. They decide not to kick Megan out as long as she makes it up to Jess. They decide that Megan can design a dress for Jess to wear to the Spring Fling Dance. By the end of the chapter, Megan realizes that she really does miss Emma and wants to have a better friendship with the other girls. They all celebrate by eating pie. Becca texts Megan but Megan decides not to answer her phone. Cassidy's team, the Concord Comets, are competing for the championship title against the Minutemen. Cassidy scores another point and ties up the game. After her water break, she is ready to win the game but ends up getting boarded by a Minuteman defenseman. Cassidy says she heard the coach telling the Minuteman to hurt her. Mrs. Sloane starts being "Queen Clementine" as Cassidy calls her,and ends up threatening the coach of the Minuteman in front of everybody and the Minuteman is out for the rest of the game. With only thirty seconds to go, Cassidy scores the final goal, and the Comets win the game. Cassidy sees the whole mother- daughter book club cheering for her, and her mother, who previously had been hiding her face because she was scared, is standing and cheering too. The chapter ends with the Comets winning and everyone cheering for Cassidy. Emma has a sleepover with Jess, Cassidy, and Megan. She says that Megan is still with the Fab Four but that they had started including her more ever since she apologized to Jess. The girls go to the Patriot's Day parade which is a historical event in Concord filled with a special breakfast and a Revolutionary War reenactment. At the breakfast, Jess's twin brothers, Ryan and Dylan bother Becca's older bother Stewart and make fun of him for being a redcoat. Becca yells at them and ends up pushing them. This makes Jess angry and she confronts Becca and tells her to leave her brothers alone. This surprise everyone since Jess is so quiet, and Cassidy and Emma back her up. Ashley and Jen back Becca up but Megan stays in the middle. Becca makes her choose and without hesitation she choose Emma's group. She throws her pancakes on Becca getting syrup in her hair. Everyone ends up in a food fight and the four girls laugh all the way back to Emma's house where they watch the parade. The girls go to Cassidy's house to get ready for the Spring dance. Megan makes Jess and herself a dress. Jess's mother sends them "goodies" that the cast of her TV show use. They all come downstairs in their outfits. Cassidy is wearing her sister's old dress decorated with roses. Megan's dress is ice blue and Jess's is a pretty pink. Emma is wearing a yellow dress which used to be Nicole Patterson's. She becomes upset since her dress is too formal for the dance. Megan improvises by fixing the sleeves and changing the length. This makes Emma happy again and everyone compliments Megan's talent at designing. At the dance, Zach Norton calls Jess "Beauty" (because of the play) and asks her to dance. This makes Emma jealous and she runs out of the gym, crying. Megan and Cassidy cheer her up and Jess tells Emma that she doesn't like Zach, and admits that she likes Emma's brother Darcy ever since he saved Jess's goat at the play. Cassidy tells Emma that Zach only likes Jess as a friend and that he is comfortable around her which is why he asked her to dance. They all go back to the gym. Cassidy dances with Zach, Jess with Ethan, Megan with Darcy, and Emma with Third. They didn't get exactly what they wanted, but it ended up fine. For the very first time, the mother- daughter book club is being held at Jess's home, Half Moon Farm. Jess watch her mom on TV and then spends some time in her "secret hiding place". When the book club starts, her dad ends up embarrassing her by almost having her and her friends dance the "Dance of the Maypole Maidens". Everyone tries not to laugh, and her dad is surprised since he read it in a magazine. Jess becomes upset and goes to her room, fuming about how her family is weird. Emma, Cassidy, and Megan all come upstairs and comfort her. Emma tells Jess that all parents humiliate their kids. Cassidy tells Jess people always point and stare since her mom is a supermodel and she doesn't look like her at all. Megan reminds Jess of the vegetarian cookies her mom served at the book club meeting. This makes Jess feel better and they all end up laughing about it. Dad comes and talks to Jess and explains how he is having a hard time raising the kids while their mother is away. He apologizes and they go back downstairs to finish the book club meeting. ===Emm ega assid es haracter he Daughter he Mother ther Family Member riends and Acquaintances=== *Zach Norton One of Cassidy's best friends, and a good friend to Jess as well. He is tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Becca and Megan have a major crush on him, however, he does not like them at all. At a hockey game in the first book, Becca steals Emma's journal and reads a poem that Emma had written about him out loud to him and his friends. While Zach avoids Emma for a while, he eventually comes to like her as a friend. Zach plays Little League with Cassidy. *Ethan McDonald One of Cassidy's friends. Cassidy plays Little League with Ethan and Zach. He is nicknamed Tater. *Cranfield Bartlett III, or Third One of Cassidy's friends. Third plays hockey with Cassidy and is good friends with Zach and Ethan. *Ashley Sanborn One of Becca's wannabees and a part of the Fab Four. Ashley was afraid to stand up to Becca and does whatever Becca wants her to do. She is described as having black hair and deep tan skin which Cassidy becomes jealous of. Like both Becca and Megan, she loves fashion. *Jennifer, or Jen Webster One of Becca's wannabees and a part of the Fab Four. Like Ashley, Jen is afraid to stand up to Becca and does whatever Becca wants her to. She is friends with Megan, Ashley and Becca. She is an amazing artist. She plays a rather small role in the series. *Stewart Chadwick Becca's clumsy older brother. He plays on the local hockey team, since he is not nearly good enough to get on the Concord Comets, and because the local team "basically takes anybody that breathes." He enjoys hockey anyway. He is very similar to Emma because he likes poetry. |
Passionate Minds: The Great Love Affair of the Enlightenment, Featuring the Scientist Emilie du Chatelet, the Poet Voltaire, Sword Fights, Book Burnings, Assorted Kings, Seditious Verse, and the Birth of the Modern World | David Bodanis | 2,006 | The book starts with a "flash forward" in which Émilie du Châtelet is briefly introduced. It is June in the year 1749, and Émilie is in the final stages of her pregnancy. She is struggling to complete a book of her theories and calculations, and fears that she will not have enough time to finish the thesis. The book then jumps back in time to the year 1706, and to a younger Émilie. She has not yet met Voltaire, and is but ten years old. She lives with her parents, and is considered an unusual child because of her love of books and reading. |
Brood of the Witch Queen | null | null | The novel begins with the strange murder of Mr Ferrara. A horrifying series of events follows, leading to a woman being used against her will to prey on her husband and then abducted and killed in inside a secret chamber in an old Egyptian pyramid. Only after a series of adventures and investigation is Anthony Ferrara made powerless by Dr Bruce destroying the source of his control — the famed Book of Thoth — upon which Ferrara is no longer able to control the elemental he has summoned and is found as a burned corpse the day after. |
Supreme Courtship | Christopher Buckley | 2,008 | After several failed attempts to seek Senate approval for his Supreme Court nominations, perpetually unpopular President Donald P. Vanderdamp (nicknamed "Don Veto" by Congress) decides to get even by nominating Judge Pepper Cartwright, star of Courtroom Six and America's most popular TV judge, to the Supreme Court. Soon, Cartwright finds herself in the middle of a Constitutional crisis, a Presidential campaign, and entanglements both political and romantic in nature. |
Sacred | Dennis Lehane | 1,997 | Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired by a dying billionaire to find his daughter, Desiree, after the disappearance of previous detective, Jay Becker, who has disappeared while in St Petersburg, Florida, working on the case. |
The False Inspector Dew | Peter Lovesey | 1,982 | It is 1921, and Alma Webster, a reader of romances, is passionately in love with her dentist, Walter Baranov. There is only one foreseeable outcome: the murder of his wife. Inspired by the real-life Dr Crippen case, they plot a way to achieve it perfectly aboard the ocean liner, Mauretania. The dentist takes on the identity of Inspector Walter Dew, Crippen’s nemesis, but then a murder occurs aboard the ship and the captain invites "Inspector Dew" to investigate. |
Gray Victory | Robert Skimin | 1,988 | Despite the South's victory, the population is still coming to terms with the enormous costs of the war. Edward A. Pollard, the editor of the Richmond Examiner is one of them, blaming J.E.B. Stuart for having caused the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg. Seeking reelection (a historically inaccurate element, as presidents were allowed a single six year term under the provisions of the Confederate constitution), Jefferson Davis convenes a court of inquiry to provide a public airing of the accusation. Though Stuart (who, in another point of divergence, has survived his wounding at the battle of Yellow Tavern) welcomes the inquiry as an opportunity to clear his name, Davis intends to make Stuart the scapegoat for the defeat. To represent him in the tribunal, Stuart approaches his good friend John S. Mosby. Now the head of military intelligence, Mosby accepts, juggling preparations for the inquiry with his other duties. His primary concern is "Abraham", an organization of southern African Americans pursuing an end to slavery in the South. Enjoying a cordial relationship with the movement's leader, a local businessman named Jublio, he nonetheless recruits an informant to monitor Jublio's activities. Yet Abraham is not the Confederacy's greatest problem. A band of northern abolitionists and freed slaves, bitter at the way the war ended and southern slavery continued, form a terrorist cell known as "Amistad", named for the famous slave ship. Organized by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, they plot to infiltrate the Confederate capital of Richmond and stage an incident which will rally the slaves and restart the war. Though the cell is made up of African Americans, the leader is Salmon Brown, the surviving son of John Brown, who is consumed with guilt at having backed out of his family's raid on Harpers Ferry and determined to redeem himself. Brown is unsettled, though, by the addition of an octoroon woman named Verita to the cell, while the group's plans are jeopardized by a vainglorious member code-named Crispus who writes compromising letters to the authorities in Washington taunting them about the cell's upcoming actions. Not wanting to jeopardize relations with the Confederacy, President McClellan orders General John Rawlins to investigate the letters. The court of inquiry attracts considerable attention from the public and the press. Many prominent women rally around the handsome Stuart, most notably Bessica Adams Southwick, a beautiful and wealthy widow. Her casual flirtation with Stuart soon develops into love, though Stuart's sense of honor restrains him from betraying his marital vows. Intrigued by the opportunity presented by the trial, Higginson arranges for Verita to travel to Richmond. Posing as a French actress, she is hosted by Southwick, who soon gives Verita access to many prominent Confederate figures, most notably Judah P. Benjamin, with whom Higginson encourages Verita to begin an affair so as to learn what the Confederate official knows about funding for underground activities. Higginson also orders the remainder of the group to Richmond in preparation for their attack. When the inquiry begins, Mosby quickly becomes aware of the hostility of the members of the court — Braxton Bragg, George Pickett, and John Bell Hood — towards Stuart. Nonetheless, he mounts a vigorous defense of his friend. A greater challenge for him is the growing romantic interest of Spring Blakely, the niece of Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge and a secret abolitionist. While attracted to Blakeley, Mosby holds back, still grieving for his recently-deceased wife. He also attempts to deal with the threat posed by Amistad. Alerted to the possibility of a plot by Rawlins, the two pursue their investigations in consultation with one another. As the inquiry continues, Amistad prepares to carry out their plan to attack the dignitaries assembled in the courtroom. Approaching Jublio, they attempt to utilize his Abraham branch in their plans, but he keeps a wary distance from the plotters. Brown also attempts to deal with his growing jealousy over Verita's affair with Benjamin, and when confronted by her he admits his love. Distracted, he is unaware of Crispus's growing instability, which threatens to expose the group. Nevertheless, it is Crispus who identifies Mosby's informer among the Abraham organization. He kills the informer, but not before the informer succeeds in sending to Mosby a garbled name which Mosby eventually figures out is that of Salmon Brown. Mosby enjoys a similar breakthrough in his case. After careful study of the records, he decides to shift the blame for the defeat to James Longstreet, who long sought Stuart's court-martial for his actions during the battle. With Davis's plans in ruins and the members of the court preparing to clear Stuart of all blame, the Confederate president suffers an additional blow when Robert E. Lee himself agrees to testify. Lee's appearance catalyzes the Amistad plotters. As Lee testifies in the courthouse, the plotters dynamite the Confederate White House, the destruction of which draws away many of the guards stationed at the courthouse in anticipation of an attack on the inquiry. With the courtroom weakly defended, the Amistad plotters rush the room, and gloatingly hold the famous Confederates hostage. Finally, a firefight erupts in which most of the Amistad group die, but they succeed in killing a number of people, including Benjamin, P. G. T. Beauregard, and Stuart, who dies protecting Lee - and also Rawlins of the USA.. A decisive factor in the battle is the sudden appearance of the armed Jubilo, who decided to turn against the Amistad group and who kills Solomon Brown. With Lee surviving, a US officer among those killed by the Amistad group and a prominent local Black activist having turned against the Northern Abolitionists, the incident fails to reignite war between the USA and CSA, as the conspirators hoped. However, there is much rioting and bloodshed inside the Confederacy's own territory, with angry mobs attacking random Blacks and the Black activists of "Abraham" succeeding to fight back in some locations. A meeting between Mosby and Jubilo in the aftermath gives the impression that the Confederate government would have to change its attitude to the Black population - not only eventually abolish slavery but also grant civil rights to the increasingly organized and self-aware Blacks. Meanwhile, Verita - the only one of the Amistad group to survive the fighting - is sentenced to death. She haughtily rebuffs Mosby's suggestion that she ask for clemency, telling him "I will be alive when you are dust" and prepares to die as a martyr and create a heroic myth for future radicals. |
The Tashkent Crisis | null | null | The novel is based on events that may have followed the receipt of the following transmission from Moscow by the incumbent President of the United States: MOSCOW EXOR MSG6 TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: WE HEREBY DEMAND THE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER OF YOUR COUNTRY 72 HOURS FROM THIS TRANSMISSION... Evidence is offered that a new weapon is in Soviet hands that renders the US vulnerable to an attack consistent with this warning. Thereafter it is the task of US agents to avoid the need for the US Government to surrender within the given timeframe. Their first hint as to what action to take is that a coup d'etat has taken place within the Soviet Union and a new leader is in charge. The action taken is to destroy the beam weapon in use by a pocket nuke consisting of an Einsteinium warhead contained within the stock of a modified pistol. |
Clash of Eagles | null | 1,990 | Nazi Germany launched a major invasion across the Atlantic, out of the United Kingdom which was conquered in the previous year. German forces under Erwin Rommel land in Quebec and sweep across New England to New York City. The rest of the United States remains unoccupied but perilously exposed to further attacks, and the Roosevelt Administration evacuates the endangered Washington, D.C. and moves westwards. |
The Divine Worshipper | Christian Jacq | 2,008 | Accused of murders he did not commit, a young scribe named Kel is continuously evading the forces of justice in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence. Aided by Nitis (a beautiful priestess and his wife) and Bebon (an actor and his closest friend), Kel manages to flee south and eventually take refuge in Thebes, safely out of the reach of the pharaoh Ahmose and his main pursuers, Judge Gem and Henat, head of the spies. Protected by the spiritual leader of Thebes, a venerable lady known as The Divine Worshipper, Kel manages to finally clear his name, but not in time to save Egypt, as the Persian forces swarm across the border and overrun the country. |
A Jolly Good Fellow | null | 2,008 | Two weeks before Christmas in Boston, Duncan Wagner, a lone down-and-outer who has been living in self-imposed exile for several years, kidnaps Gabriel Booker, the eleven-year-old son of State Representative Winthrop Booker. Wagner takes the child to his apartment and ties him to a chair in front of the television, then leaves for work as a self-employed charity Santa Claus. When Wagner returns to his apartment, Gabriel is no longer in the chair. Thinking the boy has fled, Wagner goes into his room and finds him sleeping on the bed. In spite of a lingering edginess, the two grow more cordial toward each other. Wagner locks Gabriel’s ankle to a long chain to make sure he doesn’t run away. Gabriel hounds Wagner to supply him with Christmas decorations and other goodies to help pass the time. Wagner awkwardly complies. Gabriel turns out to be a vegetarian. And a bed wetter. After a day, Wagner makes a ransom demand for one hundred thousand dollars from Representative Booker. Almost immediately the missing child case turns into an Amber Alert and dominates news headlines. One night Wagner, bothered by the clinking sound of the chain, unlocks Gabriel’s ankle in order to have a decent sleep. In the morning, Gabriel is gone and with him, all Duncan’s charity money. Duncan goes to town in his Santa suit, hoping to elude hoards of police he is sure will swarm to his apartment. While in town, he helps a street artist, Martina, whose purse is being rifled by a pair of thieves. He realizes Martina has an eye for his Santa character, though he also realizes that by kidnapping Gabriel, he has imprisoned himself as well. Back at his apartment there are no police. Later on, Gabriel shows up in disguise after spending the day exploring Boston and buying money orders with Duncan's cash. The friendship is solidified, although the ransom deal seems to be going sour... The real story is the relationship between Duncan and Gabriel, which takes surprising but endearing turns. |
The Wench is Dead | Colin Dexter | null | In 1859, the body of a young woman was found floating in the Oxford Canal; her death led to a sensational murder trial, and two men were eventually hanged for the murder. In 1989, Inspector Morse is recovering from a bleeding ulcer in Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital. Morse is given a book by the wife of a recently deceased patient at the hospital. The little book called Murder on the Oxford Canal tells the story of the murder of Joanna Franks aboard the canal boat Barbara Bray. Morse is soon convinced that the two men hanged for the crime were innocent and sets out to prove it from the confines of his bed. The title of the novel comes from Christopher Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta, the following quotation serves as the epigraph to the novel: :FRIAR BARNARDINE. Thou hast committed-- :BARABAS. Fornication: but that was in another country; :And besides, the wench is dead. |
Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall | null | 1,978 | Milligan's Italian adventures start well, as one of their battery guns knocks the top off an enemy hill just sighting down the barrel. The next day he has a temperature of 103, and is sent to a hospital. Although he's released in a few days, transportation back to his group is not available until October 19, during which time he gets leave in Naples and Pompeii. Otherwise, he is so bored he volunteers for work. He defends his favorite comics to a North Country soldier: :"Gracie Fields," I guffawed, "she's as funny as a steam roller going over a baby." :"You must be bludy thick, she's a scream." :"Yes, I scream every time I hear her sing." :"Ooo do you think is foony them?" :"W.C. Fields, Marx Brothers." :"Oooo?" The other preferred George Formby, who "cud play 'is bludy 'ead off." The idea of a headless Formby fills Milligan with delight. A threat to desert sent to Major Jenkins finally elicits a truck to return Milligan to his group. He returns to find his pack of war souvenirs was lost, with his Nazi war loot, including an Iron Cross and pornographic photographs taken from a dead German soldier in Africa. (Milligan was going to send them home to the soldier's mother.) The war has been a religious turning point for Milligan: :"A Catholic priest visited us this evening and asked if anyone wanted Confession and Holy Communion. I nearly went but since the war started, my belief in a God had suffered a reverse. I couldn't equate all the killing by two sides, both of whom claimed to be a Christian society. I was, as Gary Cooper would says 'kinda mixed up inside'." On December 5, the men are billeted in a four-story Victorian Gothic farmhouse, including utility buildings. They clean vigorously, including a yard so heavily covered with manure that when they uncover the cobblestone, the farmer who had lived there since a boy says he didn't know it existed. During the night, rain fills the courtyard with manure again. Before Christmas the men organize a show, however lack of facilities reduce it to nudity, instead of the more rarefied skits and music — in spite of Italian farmers and their wives being invited. On the 27th, they are on leave in Almafi: :"The whole place has architectural maturity: there are numerous creepers and vines growing in profusion on the walls and balconies. In summer it must be a riot of flowers, right now it's a riot of gunners, there is a scramble as we dash for the best beds (if any)...." Of the many complaints Milligan and the men have about their Major Jenkins are his poor musical abilities, lack of humor, and not keeping the men notified about orders. In the end of the book, an observation post is in a "dodgy" situation, and Jenkins has sent up everyone for duty there, except himself. Milligan is sent up, but doesn't come back under his own power, after being hit by a mortar bomb: :"....he can see us! We hit the deck. A rain of them fall around us. I cling to the ground. The mortars rain down on us. I'll have a fag, that's what. I am holding a packet of Woodbines, there is a noise like thunder. It's right on my head, there's a high-pitched whistle in my ears, at first I black out and then I see red....I know if we stay here we'll all die...I start to scramble down the hill." Major Jenkins criticizes him, but Milligan can't stop shaking and crying. He's invalided, and "court martialled" by Jenkins, despite a discharge certificate reading "This man must be rested behind the lines for a period to stabilise his condition". Tranquillizers turn him into a zombie. "All the laughing had stopped," he writes. For the moment. |
Chhinnamastar Abhishap | Satyajit Ray | null | Feluda and his two associates Topshe and Jatayu decide to visit Hazaribagh, a town situated in Jharkhand, India. On their way, they meet a middle aged gentleman who introduces himself as one Preetindra Choudhury working in an electronics company. His car went out of order and requests a lift to Hazaribagh. Later it is known that Preetindra is the youngest son of an established retired advocate Mahesh Choudhury.Mahesh Choudhury's eldest son Arunendra is a Kolkata based On reaching Hazaribagh, they come to know that the tiger of the circus company performing in the town has run away. Feluda and co. settle in the empty home of one of Feluda's former clients. The home is only a stone's throw away from Mahesh Choudhury's home. Feluda meets the owner of the circus company as well as the first ring master of the fled away tiger. The ringmaster Karandikar blames appointment of a second ring master behind tiger's escape. Next day, Feluda meets Mahesh Choudhury and learns that his second son went away from his home many years ago. The entire Choudhury family goes for picnic to Rajarappa where Feluda and co. also accompany. At the picnic spot, Mahesh Choudhury mysteriously becomes unconscious and falls flat on the ground and later dies. Feluda starts investigation and comes to know that although Mahesh Choudhury was soft and gentle during his old age, he was a rather short tempered man in his earlier times. Many years ago, at the height of his anger, one day he murdered his watchman. However, Arunedra became the witness of the offence. But this fact was not known to mahesh Choudhury. Mahesh Choudhury however regretted for the murder during whole period of his rest of the life. On the day of picnic, Arunendra, reminds Mahesh Choudhury of his crime at which Mahesh Choudhury breaks up and collapses. Feluda also knows that the first ringmaster Karandikar is actually the second son of Mahesh Choudhury whose real name is Beerendra. |
The Four-Story Mistake | Elizabeth Enright | 1,942 | The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper. During the height of World War II, the Melendy family moves out of New York City and into the countryside. Miranda "Randy", the third child, dislikes change and is saddened by the move. But the house they move into turns out to be an adventure. Called by locals "The Four-Story Mistake", it is an odd-looking house with a rich architectural history, surrounded by the country. The four Melendy children soon find adventure discovering the many hidden attractions of the house. Oliver discovers buried history, Rush is stranded in a tree during a storm, Randy finds a diamond in the most unlikely of places, and Mona learns what it truly means to be an actress. None of them could have guessed at the secret hidden in their very own play space, the office—a secret that had been shut away for over 60 years. |
Then There Were Five | Elizabeth Enright | 1,944 | The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in an old house in the countryside of New York. Their Father has been hired by the government for a secret, World War II related job, and the children venture into their new neighborhood with the intention of helping their country. They end up making new friends collecting scrap metal, and also brush up against some local scoundrels. The most notable of their new friends is Mark, a boy about Rush's age, who is under the care of his abusive adult cousin Oren Meeker. The Melendy children want to help Mark, but don't know how. Meanwhile, there are adventures to be had: Rush composes his Opus 3, Miranda "Randy" and Mona try their hand at canning, and Oliver is entranced by the possibilities presented by fish and caterpillars. But when Cuffy, their housekeeper, goes away to visit a sick cousin in Ithaca, the unexpected occurs. A fire brings Mark to live at The Four-Story Mistake, where he becomes a permanent member of their family. |
Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze | Elizabeth Enright | 1,951 | "Randy was certain this was going to be the worst winter of her life." Miranda "Randy" Melendy and her younger brother Oliver find themselves the only children in their family for the first time in their lives. Rush and Mark have gone away to a boarding school, and Mona now lives in New York City with the family's elderly friend, Mrs. Oliphant. Randy hates change of any sort, and even placid Oliver has a hard time dealing with being left behind. Then a mysterious note arrives in the mail, inviting the children to solve a rhyming clue. Each note leads to another one, with the promise of a treasure at the end. Randy and Oliver find themselves exploring the countryside, their community, and even discovering family history as they race through a maze of guesses and misdirection. The final chapter reveals the authors of the clues to be their family and Mrs. Oliphant, and Randy and Oliver are treated to the "rare reward" they were promised at the start of the game, with everyone together again for the summer. |
Return to Gone-Away | Elizabeth Enright | 1,961 | When Portia learns of her parents buying Villa Caprice, a tumbledown Victorian house close to Gone-Away Lake, she is excited. She, her brother Foster and her cousin Julian enjoy learning about the "new" old house, with the help of elderly neighbors Mr. Payton and Mrs. Cheevers. |
Catwings Return | null | null | James and Harriet return to the city to find their mother. When they arrive, they find a small black kitten with wings. They gain the kitten's trust and find their mother. The kitten is hers, lost when the old dumpster was moved. While the mother declines to return, she asks James and Harriet to bring the kitten with them. As they return to their home, the two children who were caring for them see her and name her Jane. |
Gone Tomorrow | Lee Child | 2,009 | It's 2am, and Jack Reacher is travelling on the New York underground. He notices a suspicious looking passenger, who begins to tick off a majority of entries on his mental list for finding suicide bombers. When he approaches her, he says he can help but she commits suicide by shooting herself. NYPD are eager to close the file without investigating the night's events, but Reacher has other ideas. He wants to know what happened that night, and more importantly why. Is everyone as honest as they claim to be? And if so, then why are there so many questions asked, or avoided? Reacher is advised to walk away, but of course this is not an option. He's fallen down the rabbit hole, but the question is: whose hole is it? And where does it land? |
The Colossus of Rhodes | Caroline Lawrence | 2,005 | It is April, and the beginning of the sailing season. The book opens on the marina pier at Ostia as the newly-fitted Delphina (formerly the slave ship Vespa) prepares to sail. Passengers and crew are saying goodbye to their loved ones, making Lupus keenly feel the absence of his family. Though the purpose of the voyage is to rescue the freeborn children sold as slaves by Venalicius (the ship’s former owner), Lupus secretly intends to find his mother and not return to Ostia. Several bad omens make Captain Geminus consider postponing the trip, but Lupus, as the ship's owner, insists on sailing immediately. At the last minute, Marcus Artorius Bato joins the ship as a passenger, anxious to follow a recently-departed Greek ship connected with fresh cases of kidnapping in Ostia. Other passengers are the children’s tutor Aristo, the patrician poet Gaius Valerius Flaccus and his slave-boy, Zetes. Crew members include Atticus the cook, the good-looking Silvanus, and Zosimus, who keeps homing pigeons. During the voyage many things go wrong, and they begin to suspect there is a traitor on board. They drop Aristo off at Corinth to visit his family, and call at Symi to find Lupus's mother. He discovers she has gone to Rhodes to dedicate herself to the temple. On the way to the island, they discover that Zosimus is the traitor, who has been sending messages ahead via his pigeons. Bato and Flaccus tie Zosimus up and interrogate him about the gang’s activities, but Flaccus is shaken to learn that Zetes, his own slave boy, is one of the gang’s freeborn abductees. In Rhodes they learn about the mysterious slave overlord Magnus who has everyone dancing to his tune. Captain Geminus, Bato, and Flaccus leave the ship to investigate the slave vessel Medea. What they don’t know is that they are being lured into a trap: the Medea is brimming with Magnus's thugs, while other men of his sneak aboard the Delphina and take Flavia, Nubia and Jonathan prisoner. Over the fallen Colossus, Lupus corners Magnus, who tells him that his friends have been captured and forces him to make a terrible choice: according to Magnus, Lupus’s mother has pledged to sacrifice her life to Apollo in exchange for her son’s safety; if Lupus runs to the temple, he might be able to save her, but in the meantime, the Delphina will set sail with Flavia and the others, and all the kidnapped children aboard. Lupus remembers that, despite the vow he made to find his mother, he made another vow to always stand by his friends. He runs to the local authorities and brings the local police to the Medea in time to save Geminus and the others from the trap. They then return to the Delphina in full force, rescuing Flavia and the others. As soon as they are safe, Lupus runs to the temple, but is told he is too late. However, Magnus was lying, or at least bending the truth: Lupus’s mother, Melissa, is not dead; she has become a priestess of Apollo, as she swore to do if she received word that her son was still alive, which she did a month earlier. She has already left for another temple in Greece. Lupus is saddened, but understands that his mother, like himself, made a vow which she cannot break. The day is saved, though Magnus has managed to escape Rhodes. On the pretext of continuing his tour of Asia, Flaccus swears to hunt him down and find all the children he sold as slaves, impressing Flavia. The Delphina sets sail for her next port, laden with valuable cargoes, and carrying the four now-inseparable friends. |
Arctic Drift | Clive Cussler | 2,008 | The plot begins in the year 1847, when the Franklin Expedition becomes stranded trying to find the Northwest Passage. They experience a harsh winter. The men are seemingly going mad. Their stranded boats (Erebus and Terror) are loaded with a mysterious, unidentified silvery metal. The story switches to the present day. There is an ongoing quest to save the earth from Global Warming. All of the world's scientists are looking for a solution. Some people are trying to thwart these efforts. The NUMA team, headed by Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino and Dirk Pitt's children, Dirk Junior and Summer, are trying to find a way to stop Global Warming. Their quest leads them to investigate a series of mysterious asphyxiations. They soon realize that the solution they are looking for is hidden in the heart of the Arctic; in an old forgotten ship. They will need to solve a centuries old mystery to save the earth. |
The New Life | Orhan Pamuk | 1,995 | The plot centers around a young engineering student in Istanbul who discovers a "new life" in the pages of a book of the same name. The protagonist is so thrilled by this novel that he sets off in search of the new life it describes, finding a number of other readers who have become similarly consumed as well as a few people who seek to destroy the book because of the effect it has on its followers. No passages from the book are revealed, and readers of the novel are left to hypothesize about its nature through the actions of the main character and other obsessed readers. |
And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | 1,939 | Ten people—Lawrence Wargrave, Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, General Macarthur, Emily Brent, Anthony "Tony" Marston, Dr. Armstrong, William Blore, and the servants Thomas and Ethel Rogers—have been invited to a mansion on the fictional Soldier Island ("Nigger Island" in the original 1939 UK publication, "Indian Island" in the 1964 U.S. publication), which is based upon Burgh Island off the coast of Devon. Upon arriving, they are told that their hosts, a Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen (Ulick Norman Owen and Una Nancy Owen), are currently away, but the guests will be attended to by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Each guest finds in his or her room a framed copy of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldiers" ("Niggers" or "Indians" in respective earlier editions) hanging on the wall. {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:#E2DDB5; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 28%;" | style="text-align: left;"| The currently published, not the original, version of the rhyme goes: Ten little Soldier Boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little Soldier Boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were seven. Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six. Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little Soldier Boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none. |} After dinner that evening, the guests notice ten soldier boy figurines on the dining room table. During coffee, a gramophone record, unknowingly turned on by Mr Rogers, plays, accusing each of the ten of murder. Each guest acknowledges awareness of (and in some cases involvement with) the deaths of the persons named (except Emily Brent, who tells only Vera, who later tells the other guests what happened to Brent's former maid), but denies any malice and/or legal culpability (except for Lombard and Blore, the latter telling only the former). The guests realize they have been tricked into coming to the island, each of them lured with something special to them, like a job opportunity or mention of a mutual acquaintance. Unfortunately, they soon find they cannot leave: the boat which regularly delivers supplies has stopped arriving because of the storm. They are murdered one by one, each death paralleling a verse of the nursery rhyme, with one of the figurines being removed after each murder. The first to die is Anthony Marston, who chokes to death when his drink is poisoned with cyanide ("one choked his little self"). No one thinks much of this, although some people are suspicious. That night, Thomas Rogers notices that a figurine is missing from the dining table. Mrs Rogers dies peacefully in her sleep that night, which Dr. Armstrong attributes to a dose of sleeping aid, which the killer later comes in and attributes a sleeping aid, which she then overdosed,("one overslept himself"). Rogers reports another figurine gone. The guests become more on edge. General Macarthur fatalistically predicts that no one will leave the island alive, and at lunch, is indeed found dead from a blow to the back of his skull by a life preserver ("one said he'd stay there"). Finally, the point is driven home that these three deaths have been murder. Meanwhile, a third figurine has disappeared from the dining room. In growing panic, Armstrong, Blore, and Lombard search the island in vain for the murderer. Justice Wargrave establishes himself as the decisive leader of the group and asserts one of them must be the murderer playing a sadistic game with the rest. The killer's twisted humor is evidenced by the names of their "hosts": "U.N. Owen" is a pun and a homophone for "unknown". The next morning, Rogers is missing, as is another figurine. He is found dead in the woodshed, struck in the back of the head with an axe ("one chopped himself in halves"). Later that day, Emily Brent is killed in the dining room by an injection of potassium cyanide that leaves a mark on her neck ("A bumblebee stung one"), which at first appears to be a sting from a bumble bee placed in the room. The hypodermic needle is found outside her window next to a smashed china figurine. The five remaining people, Armstrong, Wargrave, Lombard, Claythorne, and Blore, appear to become increasingly frightened and paranoid as the noose tightens, both psychologically and in reality. Wargrave suggests they lock up any potential weapons, including Armstrong's medical equipment and the judge's own sleeping pills. Lombard admits to bringing a revolver to the island, but immediately discovers it has gone missing. Resolved to keep the killer from catching anyone alone, they gather in the drawing room and only leave one at a time. Vera goes up to her room for a shawl and is frightened by a strand of seaweed hanging on a hook in her bedroom in the dark: an allusion to the boy the gramophone alleged that she had drowned. Her screams attract the attention of Blore, Lombard, and Armstrong, who rush to her aid. When they return to the drawing room, they find Wargrave in a mockery of a judicial wig and gown with a gunshot wound in his forehead ("one got into Chancery"). Armstrong confirms the death, and they lay Wargrave's body in his room and cover it with a sheet. Shortly afterward, Lombard discovers his revolver has been returned. That night, Blore hears someone sneaking out of the house. He and Lombard investigate and, discovering Armstrong missing, assume the doctor is the killer. In the morning, Blore leaves for food and does not return. Vera and Lombard soon discover his body on the terrace, skull crushed by a bear-shaped clock ("a big bear hugged one"). At first, they continue to believe Armstrong is the killer until they find the doctor in the sea, drowned ("a red herring swallowed one"). Paranoid, each assumes the other is the murderer. In the brief but tense standoff that follows, Vera feigns compassion and gets Lombard to help her move Armstrong's body away from the water, using the opportunity to pick his revolver from his pocket. She kills Lombard with a shot through the heart on the beach ("one got frizzled up") and returns to the house. Dazed and disoriented, she finds a noose and chair waiting for her in her room. In an apparent trance, she hangs herself, kicking the chair out from underneath her, thus fulfilling the final verse of the rhyme. Inspector Maine, the detective in charge of the Soldier Island case, discusses the mystery with his Assistant Commissioner, Sir Thomas Legge, at Scotland Yard. There are no clues on the mainland—Issac Morris (mentioned to be responsible for crimes unprovable by the law), the man who arranged "U.N. Owen's" purchase of the island and sent out the invitational letters, covered his tracks quite well, and was killed the day the party set sail. Times of death cannot be found through autopsies, and the police have failed to link the nursery rhyme to the deaths. While guests' diaries establish a partial timeline that establish that Marston, Mrs. Rogers, Macarthur, Mr. Rogers, Brent and Wargrave were the first 6 to die (in that order), the police cannot determine the order in which Blore, Armstrong, Lombard, and Vera were killed. Blore could not have dropped the clock on himself, and it would also be a highly uncommon method of suicide; Armstrong's body was dragged above the high-tide mark; Lombard was shot on the beach, but his revolver was found on the floor in the upstairs hallway. Vera's fingerprints on the gun, the fact that hanging is a highly sensible method of suicide, and the clock that killed Blore having come from her room all point to Vera as "U.N. Owen"... but someone had to have been alive after she died because the chair Vera used to hang herself had been righted and replaced against the wall. Inclement weather, combined with the fact that Fred Narracott (the man who ferried the guests to the island) sent a boat to the island as soon as weather allowed (sensing something to be amiss), would have prevented the murderer from leaving or arriving separately from the guests: he or she must have been among them. But since the first six murders at least appear to be accounted for, and since the last four victims cannot have been the last ones alive, the inspectors are ultimately left dumbfounded, asking themselves: Who killed them? A fishing trawler finds a letter in a bottle off the Devon coast; it contains the confession of the late Justice Wargrave. He reveals a lifelong sadistic temperament juxtaposed uneasily with a fierce sense of justice: he wanted to torture, terrify, and kill, but could never justify harming an innocent person. As a judge, he directed merciless jury instructions/summations and guilty verdicts, but solely in those cases in which he had satisfied himself of the guilt of the defendant(s), thrilling at the sight of the convicted person crippled with fear, facing their impending death. He also saved a few defendants from suffering punishment when he was convinced they were innocent of their accused crime. But the proxy of the bench was unsatisfying: Wargrave longed to commit murder by his own hand. Prompted to action by the discovery that he was terminally ill, he sought out those who had caused the deaths of others but managed to escape justice, finding nine (not including Isaac Morris), whom he lured to the island using his financial resources to investigate his victims' backgrounds to come up with plausible invitations from sources they trusted or from people with whom they were acquainted. After the phonograph accusations were made the first night he carefully watched, as he had in the courtroom for so many years, the reactions of his guests to the accusations. Seeing their fear or anxiety, he was certain of their guilt. He decided to start with the less serious offenders (i.e. Marston, whom Wargrave determined was "amoral" and had committed the crime by accident, as well as Mrs. Rogers, who had acted under her husband's direction and had clearly been traumatized by guilt ever since), and to save "the prolonged mental strain and fear" for the colder-blooded killers. Wargrave arrived at the island with two drugs: potassium cyanide and chloral hydrate. After the gramophone recital, Wargrave slipped cyanide and chloral into the drinks of Marston and Mrs. Rogers respectively. Marston choked to death, and Mrs. Rogers was given another sleep medication, leading to death by overdose. The next day, after Macarthur made his fatalistic prediction, Wargrave sneaked up on him and killed him, although the specific weapon was never found or discussed. The next morning, he killed Rogers in the woodshed as he was cutting firewood. During breakfast, he slipped the rest of his chloral into Miss Brent's coffee to sedate her, and after she was abandoned at the table, Wargrave injected her with the rest of his cyanide using Armstrong's syringe. Having disposed of his first five victims, the judge persuaded the trusting Armstrong to fake Wargrave's own death, "the red herring", under the pretext that it would rattle or unnerve the "real murderer". Since Armstrong was the only person who would closely examine the judge's body, as well as having done preliminary autopsies for the other victims up to that point, the ruse went undetected. That night, he met Armstrong on the cliffs, distracted him by pretending to see something and pushed him into the sea, knowing the doctor's disappearance would provoke the suspicions of the others. From Vera's room, Wargrave later pushed the stone bear-shaped clock onto Blore, crushing his skull. After watching Vera shoot Lombard, he then set up a noose and a chair in her bedroom in the belief that after having just killed Lombard she was in a psychologically post-traumatic state and would hang herself under the right circumstances, i.e. a noose and chair waiting for her. He was right and watched (unseen in the shadows) as she hanged herself. Wargrave then pushed the chair she had stood on against the wall, wrote out his missive/confession, put the letter in a bottle and tossed it out to sea. Wargrave admits to a "pitiful human" craving for recognition that he had not initially counted on. Even if his letter is not found (he decides there is about a 1 in 100 chance of it being found), he believes there are three clues which implicate him, although he surmises (correctly) that the mystery will not have been solved: # Wargrave was the only one invited to the island who had not wrongfully caused someone's death, initial public speculation around the time of the trial of Edward Seton, whom the gramophone accused Wargrave of murdering, notwithstanding. Seton was, in fact, guilty of the murder for which he had been convicted, and overwhelming proof emerged after Seton's death confirming this. (When questioned about the Seton matter by his guests after the gramophone recital, Wargrave actually told the truth—albeit not very convincingly and not mentioning the posthumous evidence against Seton—to wit, that Seton was guilty and he had instructed the jury accordingly. Wargrave knew his fellow "guests" would not believe that and would, despite his judicial vocation, consider him a fellow escapee from justice.) Thus, ironically, the only innocent guest must be the murderer. # The "red herring" line in the poem suggests that Armstrong was tricked into his death by someone he trusted. Of the remaining guests, only the respectable Justice Wargrave would have inspired the doctor's confidence. # The red mark on Wargrave's forehead received from shooting himself is similar to the one God bestowed upon Cain as punishment for killing his brother Abel. He says the brand of Cain might lead the investigators to realize he was the murderer. Wargrave describes how he planned to kill himself: he will loop an elastic cord through the gun, tying one end of the cord to his eyeglasses, and looping the other around the doorknob of an open door. He will then wrap a handkerchief around the handle of the gun and shoot himself in the head. His body will fall back as though laid there by Armstrong. The gun's recoil will send it to the doorknob and out into the hallway, roughly where Vera dropped it while she walked to her room, detaching the cord and pulling the door closed. The cord will dangle innocuously from his glasses, and the stray handkerchief should not arouse suspicion. Thus the police will find ten dead bodies and an unsolvable mystery on Soldier Island. |
Automated Alice | Jeff Noon | 1,996 | The story of Automated Alice tells of the character of Alice from Lewis Carroll's books in a future version of Manchester, England. After following her Great Aunt Ermintrude's parrot Whippoorwill through a grandfather clock, Alice and Alice's doll Celia get lost in a world inhabited by Newmonians, entities made from two objects combined, for example a zebra and a human. |
Atlas Shrugged | Ayn Rand | 1,957 | As the novel opens, protagonist Dagny Taggart, the Operating Vice President of Taggart Transcontinental, a giant railroad company originally pioneered by her grandfather, attempts to keep the company alive during difficult economic times marked by collectivism and statism. While Dagny runs the company from behind the scenes, her brother, James Taggart, the railroad's President, is peripherally aware of the company's troubles, but will not make any difficult choices, preferring to avoid responsibility for any actions while watching his company go under. He seems to make irrational decisions, such as preferring to buy steel from Orren Boyle's Associated Steel, rather than Hank Rearden's Rearden Steel, despite the former continually delaying delivery of vital rail. In this as in other decisions, Dagny simply goes ahead with her own policy and challenges him to repeal it. As this unfolds, Dagny is disappointed to discover that Francisco d'Anconia, a true genius and her only childhood friend, first love, and king of the copper industry, appears to have become a worthless playboy who is destroying his family's international copper company, which has made him into one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. Hank Rearden, a self-made steel magnate of great integrity, has recently developed a metal alloy called Rearden Metal, now the strongest and most reliable metal in the world. Hank chooses to keep the instructions to its creation a secret, sparking jealousy and uproar among competitors. False claims are made about the danger of the alloy and are backed by government agencies. As a result of this, pressure is put on Dagny to use conventional steel, but she refuses. Hank's career is hindered by his feelings of obligation toward his manipulative wife, mother, and ungrateful younger brother, who show no appreciation for everything he provides for them. Dagny also becomes acquainted with Wesley Mouch, a Washington lobbyist initially working for Rearden, whom he betrays. Mouch eventually leads the government's efforts in controlling all commerce and enterprise, intentionally destroying the common man's opportunity to build a largely successful, free-market business. The reader also becomes acquainted with Ellis Wyatt, the sole founder and supervisor of the successful enterprise Wyatt Oil. He is a young, self-possessed, hard-working man — one of the few men still loyal to Dagny and Hank's efforts in pushing for a system of business free of government meddling and control. While economic conditions worsen and government agencies continue to enforce their control on successful businesses, the naïve, yet weary mass of citizens are often heard reciting the new, popular street phrase, "Who is John Galt?" This sarcastic phrase is given in response to what tend to be sincere questions about heavy subjects, wherein the individual can find no answer. It sarcastically means, "Don't ask important questions, because we don't have answers", or more broadly, "What's the point?" or "Why bother?" Dagny begins to notice the nation's brightest innovators and business leaders abruptly disappearing, one by one, under mysterious circumstances, all leaving their top industrial businesses to certain failure. The most recent of these leaders to have vanished is Dagny's friend Ellis Wyatt, who, like the others, has suddenly disappeared into thin air with no warning, leaving nothing behind except an empty office and his most successful oil well now spewing petroleum and fire high into the air (later to be named "Wyatt's Torch"). Each of these men proves to be absent despite a thorough search put on by ever-anxious politicians, who have now found themselves trapped within a government that has been "left to dry", by its leaders in business — utterly helpless without them. In a romantic subplot, Dagny and Hank fall deeply in love. Rand refers to their love as a purer kind of love than the one that most men and women experience. These two people have a similar purpose in life, and they see in each other a kindred soul. In the universe of the novel, men and women with purpose are rare and, to an extent, deified — thus making their love especially sacred. Hank (who is still married to another woman) goes on vacation with Dagny on a drive across the United States. They discover, amongst the ruins of an abandoned factory, an incomplete motor that transforms atmospheric static electricity into kinetic electricity. Deeply moved by the significance of a motor which has the potential to completely transform the world, Dagny sets out to find the inventor. In addition to the inventor of the motor, Dagny also makes it her mission to find the reason so many important people keep disappearing. These two quests converge when Dagny flies to Utah to speak with a scientist she has working on reverse-engineering the motor. While still at the airfield, she discovers the scientist has just flown off with a mysterious man. Dagny follows the plane to where it mysteriously disappears, eventually crash-landing through a "ray screen" used to hide Galt's Gulch - the hidden Atlantis where John Galt has been bringing those he recruits. John Galt proceeds to explain the series of events which led to an organized "strike" against those who use the force of law and moral guilt to confiscate the accomplishments of society's productive members. Unable to give up her railroad to destruction, Dagny leaves the valley as soon as she can. As the nation is collapsing, Galt follows Dagny back to New York City (where she learns he has been working in plain sight for her railroad as a lowly laborer), where he hacks into a national radio broadcast to deliver a long speech to the people(70 pages in the first edition), serving to explain the novel's theme and Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. As the government begins to collapse following Galt's message, the leaders decide the only way to restore order is to capture Galt and force him to save them. While they succeed in following Dagny to him and subsequently taking him prisoner, they are unable to turn Galt, who is eventually freed in a rescue mission by a group of friends. While they are flying back to their hidden valley, they see the lights go out in New York City - the indication that their mission has been completed. The novel closes with a brief section where the strikers complete their preparations and Galt announces that they will return to the world. |
The Eagle in the Sand | Simon Scarrow | 2,006 | Trouble is brewing on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. The troops are in deplorable state, while the corrupt behaviour of their senior officers threatens to undermine the army's control of the region. To restore the competence of the men defending a vital fort, two experienced centurions are dispatched to Judea from Rome. On their arrival Macro and Cato discover that there is an even more serious problem to deal with. Bannus, a local tribesman, is brewing up rebellion amongst the followers of Jehoshua, who was crucified in Jerusalem some seventeen years earlier. Now Bannus is pushing the faction towards violent opposition to Rome. As the local revolt grows in scale, Rome's long-standing enemy Parthia is poised to invade. Macro and Cato must stamp out corruption in the cohort and restore it to fighting fitness to quash Bannus - before the eastern provinces are lost to the Empire for ever... |
Peter Pan | J. M. Barrie | null | Although the character appeared previously in Barrie's book The Little White Bird, the play and the novel based on it contain the portion of the Peter Pan mythos that is best known. The two versions differ in some details of the story, but have much in common. In both versions Peter makes night-time calls on Kensington, London, listening in on Mrs. Mary Darling's bedtime stories by the open window. One night Peter is spotted and, while trying to escape, he loses his shadow. On returning to claim it, Peter wakes Mary's daughter, Wendy Darling. Wendy succeeds in re-attaching his shadow to him, and Peter learns that she knows lots of bedtime stories. He invites her to Neverland to be a mother to his gang, the Lost Boys, children who were lost in Kensington Gardens. Wendy agrees, and her brothers John and Michael go along. Their magical flight to Neverland is followed by many adventures. The children are blown out of the air by a cannon and Wendy is nearly killed by the Lost Boy Tootles. Peter and the Lost Boys build a little house for Wendy to live in while she recuperates (a structure that, to this day, is called a Wendy House.) Soon John and Michael adopt the ways of the Lost Boys. Peter welcomes Wendy to his underground home, and she immediately assumes the role of mother figure. Peter takes the Darlings on several adventures, the first truly dangerous one occurring at Mermaids' Lagoon. At Mermaids' Lagoon, Peter and the Lost Boys save the princess Tiger Lily and become involved in a battle with the pirates, including the evil Captain Hook. Peter is wounded when Hook claws him. He believes he will die, stranded on a rock when the tide is rising, but he views death as "an awfully big adventure". Luckily, a bird allows him to use her nest as a boat, and Peter sails home. Because he has saved Tiger Lily, the Indians are devoted to him, guarding his home from the next imminent pirate attack. Meanwhile, Wendy begins to fall in love with Peter, at least as a child, and asks Peter what kind of feelings he has for her. Peter says that he is like her faithful son. One day while telling stories to the Lost Boys and her brothers, John and Michael, Wendy recalls about her parents and then decides to take them back and return to England. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to Peter, Wendy and the boys are captured by Captain Hook, who also tries to poison Peter's medicine while the boy is asleep. When Peter awakes, he learns from the fairy Tinker Bell that Wendy has been kidnapped – in an effort to please Wendy, he goes to drink his medicine. Tink does not have time to warn him of the poison, and instead drinks it herself, causing her near death. Tink tells him she could be saved if children believed in fairies. In one of the play's most famous moments, Peter turns to the audience watching the play and begs those who believe in fairies to clap their hands. At this there is usually an explosion of handclapping from the audience, and Tinker Bell is saved. Peter heads to the ship. On the way, he encounters the ticking crocodile; Peter decides to copy the tick, so any animals will recognise it and leave him unharmed. He does not realise that he is still ticking as he boards the ship, where Hook cowers, mistaking him for the crocodile. While the pirates are searching for the croc, Peter sneaks into the cabin to steal the keys and frees the Lost Boys. When the pirates investigate a noise in the cabin, Peter defeats them. When he finally reveals himself, he and Hook fall to the climactic battle, which Peter easily wins. He kicks Hook into the jaws of the waiting crocodile, and Hook dies with the satisfaction that Peter had kicked him off the ship, which Hook considers "bad form". Then Peter takes control of the ship, and sails the seas back to London. In the end, Wendy decides that her place is at home, much to the joy of her heartsick mother. Wendy then brings all the boys but Peter back to London. Before Wendy and her brothers arrive at their house, Peter flies ahead, to try and bar the window so Wendy will think her mother has forgotten her. But when he learns of Mrs Darling's distress, he bitterly leaves the window open and flies away. Peter returns briefly, and he meets Mrs. Darling, who has agreed to adopt the Lost Boys. She offers to adopt Peter as well, but Peter refuses, afraid they will "catch him and make him a man". It is hinted that Mary Darling knew Peter when she was a girl, because she is left slightly changed when Peter leaves. Peter promises to return for Wendy every spring. The end of the play finds Wendy looking out through the window and saying into space, "You won't forget to come for me, Peter? Please, please don't forget". |
The Folk of the Faraway Tree | null | null | Jo, Bessie and Fanny (or Joe, Beth and Frannie) have Connie over to stay because her mother is sick. Connie is stuck up and bossy and does not believe in magic. She says that Dick (or Rick) told her all about his stay in the country. The children are overwhelmed because it does not seem like Dick/Rick to tell stories. She calls the Enchanted Wood silly, the Faraway Tree ridiculous, Moonface, Dame Washalot and Mr Watizisname stupid, Saucepan Man mad and says that magic is made up and old fashioned. The three children get mad at her for calling their friends rude names and old fashioned. After she arrives, Moonface comes. Connie does not believe that Moonface is real so he tells her to think that it is a dream. Connie soon believes them and has a wonderful time in the country. She then regrets that she has to leave. They have a wonderful time with Connie although she does lead to trouble like going up to the Land of Marvels and climbing up the Ladder That Has No Top. Good thing Moonface saves her. Another time she listens to some else's secret in the Land of Secrets. Mrs Hidden takes away her voice and the children have to get it back. Luckily, the Land of Enchantments comes after The Land of Secrets leaves. Lastly, Connie's third mistake is mistaking Dame Slap (or Snap) for Mrs Saucepan (Saucepan's mother, who is the cook at Dame Slap's school). In the end, they all have to join Dame Slap's school except Fanny and Bessie who have to help out in the kitchen because Mrs Saucepan quits when Saucepan arrives. They are rescued by Saucepan who arrived earlier and was walking around with his mother. |
Death in the Andes | Mario Vargas Llosa | 1,997 | Peruvian police investigate a death; was it the terrucos of the Maoist Shining Path, or something even more terrible? |
The Scribes from Alexandria | Caroline Lawrence | 2,008 | The story starts with Nubia struggling in the sea and Flavia waking up on a beach. On the way home to Ostia from Volubilis, they have suffered shipwreck. Flavia soon finds Lupus and Jonathan alive, but Nubia and Flavia's uncle Gaius are missing. Nubia has been seen in the company of one of the scribes from the Library, but the scribe, a eunuch called Chryses, cannot be found. The Head Scholar assigns another young scribe, a devout Jew called Seth ben Aaron, to go with the children to find Chryses and Nubia. Starting in Chryses's sleeping quarters they find a trail of riddles and anagrams leading to different places in Alexandria, and then to the Great Pyramid. Their search is complicated by the fact that they are being pursued by Roman soldiers. Seth's cousin Nathan, a smuggler, takes them up the Nile on his sailing boat, hoping to find treasure. They find more clues leading far up-river and realise that Nubia is returning to her native land. They follow, but wonder if Nubia will want to go back to Ostia with them. Some of the chapters describe Nubia's journey with Chryses, by donkey-cart and camel, and her meeting with other members of the Leopard clan on Elephantine, an island in the Nile on the southern Egyptian border. |
Gym and Slimline | Emma Burstall | 2,008 | Percy likes sorting out other problems, but her own life is a shambles, with a secret addiction. Patrice, wealthy but emotionally damaged is desperate to have another baby but her husband Jonty is not interested. Carmen is determined to get pregnant by her cold, treacherous boyfriend and Suzanne is in love with her second husband but worries that she is neglecting him for her career. |
The Blue World | Jack Vance | null | Sklar Hast, the protagonist, had achieved a measure of success and prosperity by passing his examination to be a “Hoodwink”, or semaphore tower operator – a prestigious position on the Blue World, a planet with no land at all. During the space of twelve generations, the descendants of a crashed prison ship have created a rudimentary civilization on the water-covered planet, living on huge sea plants. However, they must beware the kragen, giant, semi-intelligent squid-like predators which roam the ocean. The colonists eventually develop a relationship with one of these, King Kragen. It drives off other kragen in return for offerings of food organized by an entrenched quasi-religious priesthood built up over generations. King Kragen grows to become the largest and most powerful kragen, demanding more and more food as time goes by. When Sklar questions the need to continue to worship and feed this predator, King Kragen appears, wrecks his home and kills his mentor. Rather than regard this as divine punishment, Sklar suspects that the conservative priesthood has enough control over King Kragen to kill those who oppose their views, and to thus uphold their privileged status. Can he convince his fellow citizens that they must kill King Kragen in order to be free? If so, how can they do it in a world without materials to make weapons? |
The Flood | Ian Rankin | 1,986 | Mary Miller has always been an outcast. As a child, she fell into the hot burn - a torrent of warm chemical run-off from the local coal mine - and her hair turned white. Initially she was treated with sympathy, but all that changed a few days later, when the young man who pushed her in died in an accident. Now many years later, Mary is a single mother caught up in a faltering affair. Her son, Sandy, has fallen in love with a strange homeless girl - and both mother and son are forced to come to terms with a dark secret from Mary's past. |
The Mona Intercept | Donald Hamilton | 1,980 | Cuban exile Jimmy Columbus uses hijacking on the high seas, drugs, and murder to fuel his dreams of an empire. |
Cruises With Kathleen | Donald Hamilton | 1,980 | Matt Helm creator Donald Hamilton gives up power boats for sailing and advises readers on everything from hull design to electronic gadgets. His cruises begin in Vancouver and conclude in the Bahamas. |
The Soft Centre | James Hadley Chase | null | Val Burnett's husband, Chris, has had a near-fatal head injury and has now been brought to the Spanish Bay Hotel, Paradise City, to lie in the sun-and-sands and recuperate. He is almost a zombie by now, although there is hope of recovery. One day he vanishes from the Spanish Bay Hotel, only to be found the next day, roaming around in a disheveled state on the highway. The same day, a hard-faced prostitute, Joan Parnell, is found horrifically ripped apart in a nearby motel room. So far no connection. But a cigarette lighter presented to Chris by Val, is found in the scene of the crime. And blackmailers, gangsters, corrupt private eyes, homosexual criminals and other assorted crooks have a field day..... |
Michael | Joseph Goebbels | 1,929 | In a diary form the story follows the journey of Michael, a fictional character who represents a young Joseph Goebbels. At the beginning of the novel Michael has just returned home from service in the Great War. He finds a new democratic Germany which invoke feelings of both love and hate. Throughout the novel Michael wrestles with this mix of nationalist pride and anger towards Weimar Germany and he explores his personal philosophy and belief system. |
The Five Gold Bands | Jack Vance | null | Picaresque Irish adventurer Paddy Blackthorn is caught attempting to steal an interstellar space drive and is sentenced to death by the ruling council of mutant humans. The mutants' creator bequeathed them the secret of the drive, and with it a monopoly on space travel, which allows them to dominate normal humans. During his escape, Paddy discovers that the knowledge of how to manufacture the engines has been stored in five gold rings, one for each mutant race. The rings are hidden in five secret locations for safekeeping. With the help of a beautiful human secret agent, Fay Bursill, Paddy searches the home planets of each of the mutant species, in the hope that Earthfolk will be able to resume their rightful place in space. |
From Here to Infinity | Ian Stewart | 1,996 | After an introductory chapter The Nature of Mathematics, Stewart devotes each of the following 18 chapters to an exposition of a particular problem that has given rise to new mathematics or an area of research in modern mathematics. *Chapter 2 - The Price of Primality - primality tests and integer factorisation *Chapter 3 - Marginal Interest - Fermat's last theorem *Chapter 4 - Parallel Thinking - non-Euclidean geometry *Chapter 5 - The Miraculous Jar - Cantor's theorem and cardinal numbers *Chapter 6 - Ghosts of Departed Quantities - calculus and non-standard analysis *Chapter 7 - The Duellist and the Monster - the classification of finite simple groups *Chapter 8 - The Purple Wallflower - the four colour theorem *Chapter 9 - Much Ado About Knotting - topology and the Poincaré conjecture *Chapter 10 - More Ado About Knotting - knot polynomials *Chapter 11 - Squarerooting the Unsquarerootable - complex numbers and the Riemann hypothesis *Chapter 12 - Squaring the Unsquarable - the Banach-Tarski paradox *Chapter 13 - Strumpet Fortune - probability and random walks *Chapter 14 - The Mathematics of Nature - the stability of the Solar System *Chapter 15 - The Patterns of Chaos - chaos theory and strange attractors *Chapter 16 - The Two-and-a-halfth Dimension - fractals *Chapter 17 - Dixit Algorizmi - algorithms and NP-complete problems *Chapter 18 - The Limits of Computability - Turing machines and computable numbers *Chapter 19 - The Ultimate in Technology Transfer - experimental mathematics and the relationship between mathematics and science |
MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel | James Patterson | 2,009 | The Flock has barely recovered from their Antarctica adventure they are pulled into another one. Dr. Martinez and several of her colleagues establish the Coalition to Stop the Madness, an ecological conservation effort which involves spreading environmental awareness at the Flock's public air shows, taking place in some of the world's most polluted cities. During a show in Los Angeles, the Flock find themselves under fire from an assassin in the middle of an aerial performance. The crowd however thinks that this is all part of the show and applauds at the Flock's various maneuvers to avoid the sniper's bullets. The day ends with the Flock attacking the assassin only to have him blow himself up inside a nearby warehouse to hide his identity. A later investigation of the scene results in the find of a pistol biologically attached to a recovered stump of an arm. At another show in Mexico City (which the Flock dislike due to the air being so polluted it made the air uncomfortable to breathe) the Flock do another aerial performance, when they see the entire stadium is surrounded by 60 bionic human "ninjas" (which Max later nicknames M-Geeks). Despite wanting to avoid harming performance crew, Max's biological mother Dr. Valencia Martinez, her half sister Ella, Total, Dr. Brigid Dwyer, Max's biological father Jeb Batchelder, the surrounding reporters, and the 114,000 fans packed into the stadium, the Flock has no choice but to battle and destroy them on the field. Later, Jeb, Valencia, and the Flock are all taken to a secret location on the outskirts of the city for protection. The group decide that it is best that they cancel the shows due to the inability for tight enough security. In the middle of the night, after Max and Fang have a conflict over Brigid (who had apparently taken a liking to Fang, much to Max's jealousy) Max goes on a flight only to be shot in the wing by a group of M-Geeks. She meets Mr. Chu, a short Asian man who claims to represent many of the worlds wealthiest and most powerful people. He tells Max to put a stop to CSM. When she refuses, she is warned that she will regret her decision. After refusing to explain her injuries, and later asking Jeb about Mr. Chu (who lies badly about knowing nothing of him) Jeb and Valencia suggest that the group go to the Day and Night School for the gifted. Despite Max's refusal, the Flock agrees to try it out. Nudge finds the school incredibly fun, much to Max's dismay. When Dr. Martinez is suddenly kidnapped, the Flock agree to go on a search for her with the aid of the and the United States Navy. Nudge decides to stay because she "wants to be normal." They go to a boot camp in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor where they surprise their teachers and excel at all their survival courses. The on the night they are approved to go on the sub expedition to search for Dr. Martinez (who is, based on the video tapes sent to them, believed to be held on a boat located somewhere off the coast of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, fairly close to where millions of fish seem to be mysteriously dying) Fang and Max go on a "date". The night goes off perfectly, with many unexplainable feelings for Fang filling Max, however it is interrupted when they are assaulted by a group of M-Geeks who the two accidentally send hurling off a cliff. Later on their way back to base, they encounter Angel, Iggy, and Gazzy who had been stung by a poisonous fish (which he quickly heals from the next day thanks to the Flock's rapid regeneration abilities) and find that Nudge had returned to them. The next day the Flock and Brigid, who surprises Total with his beloved Akila, all arrive on the USS Minnesota. Brigid continues to "flirt" with Fang which upsets Max, who is already unhappy to be on a submarine. Later on the expedition, Max and Brigid take the miniature sub to take a closer look at the seabed for any signs of contamination that might have killed the fish. As the return they find the Minnesota attacked by a group of M-Geeks which Max takes out with the mini-sub's mechanical arms as well as with a homemade bomb from Gazzy and Iggy. When neither seem to fend them off completely, Gazzy and Iggy come up with a way to destroy them with the same technique as the lightning rod weapon they created when M-Geeks had attacked the group's safe house before leaving for Hawaii, destroying them all. But as the group comes across radioactive barrels labeled "Property of the Chu Corporation" which reveals the cause of the dead fish, an apparent underwater mountain that was seen in earlier surveillance tapes emerges form the sea floor. Inside it is an underwater cave which Max and Fang explore along with two accompanying scientist, one being Brigid, the other a friend of Dr. Martinez. As Max finds herself lost and attacked by a giant squid, she loses her underwater breather, only to discover that like Angel, she and Fang have developed gills. After fending off the squid, the group comes across a group of frighteningly enormous underwater snakes that had apparently mutated from the radioactive material. Angel telepathically convinces them that they mean to help and the snakes lead them to a giant underwater dome where Max finds her mother being held. After breaching the forcefield, Max barely escapes with her mother as the facility is flooded due to the acidic mucus of the snakes burning through the dome. After returning to the base where Dr. Martinez is in recovery from torture and dehydration, The Voice in Max's head tells her to beware of Mr. Chu as well as Brigid who were both in conference about the barrels found. As the Flock leaves, Max and Fang hold hands as they fly, Max having confessed her love to Fang before they entered the cave. Max discusses with Fang how special the Flock is and how happy she is for them to be together. Fang and Max kiss, and Angel mentally approves of their relationship. |
La Maison du chat-qui-pelote | Honoré de Balzac | 1,829 | The artist Théodore de Sommervieux falls in love with Augustine Guillaume, the daughter of a conservative cloth merchant, whose house of business on the Rue Saint-Denis in Paris is known by sign of the Cat and Racket. Théodore, a winner of the Prix de Rome and a knight of the Legion of Honor, is famous for his interiors and chiaroscuro effects in imitation of the Dutch School. He makes an excellent reproduction of the interior of the Cat and Racket, which is exhibited at the Salon alongside a strikingly modern portrait of Augustine. The affair blossoms with the help of Madame Guillaume's younger cousin Madame Roguin, who is already acquainted with Théodore. The lovers become engaged, somewhat against the best wishes of Augustine's parents, who had originally intended her to marry Monsieur Guillaume's clerk Joseph Lebas. In 1808 Augustine marries Théodore at the local church of Saint-Leu; on the same day her elder sister Virginie marries Lebas. The marriage is not a happy one. Augustine adores Sommervieux but is incapable of understanding him as an artist. Although she is more refined than her parents, her education and social standing leave her too far below the level of her husband to allow a meeting of minds to take place. Théodore's passion for her cools and she is treated with disdain by his fellow artists. Théodore instead finds a kindred soul in the Duchesse de Carigliano, to whom he gives the famous portrait of Augustine and to whom he becomes hopelessly attached, neglecting his rooms on the Rue des Trois-Frères (now a part of the Rue Taitbout). Realizing after three years of unhappiness that her marriage is falling apart and having been informed by a malicious gossip of Théodore's attachment to the duchess, Augustine visits Madame de Carigliano not to ask her to give her back her husband's heart but to learn the arts by which it has been captured. The duchess warns her against trying to conquer a man's heart through love, which will only allow the husband to tyrannize over the wife; instead a woman must use all the arts of coquetry that nature puts at her disposal. Augustine is shocked to learn that Madame de Carigliano sees marriage as a form of warfare. The duchess then returns to Augustine her own portrait, telling her that if she cannot conquer her husband with this weapon, she is not a woman. Augustine, however, does not understand how to turn such a weapon against her husband. She hangs the portrait in her bedroom and dresses herself exactly as she appears in it, believing that Théodore will see her once again as the young woman he fell in love with at the sign of the Cat and Racket. But when the artist sees the portrait hanging in her bedroom and asks how it came to be there, she foolishly reveals that it was returned to her by the Duchesse de Carigliano. "You demanded it from her?" he asks. "I did not know that she had it", replies Augustine. Théodore realizes that his wife is incapable of seeing the painting as he sees it - a consummate work of art. Instead of falling in love with its subject, he regards its return as a slap in the face from his mistress. His vanity wounded, he throws a fit and destroys the portrait, vowing vengeance upon the duchess. By morning Augustine has become resigned to her fate. Her loveless marriage comes to an end eight years later when she dies of a broken heart at the age of twenty-seven. |
Le Bal de Sceaux | Honoré de Balzac | 1,830 | After having haughtily refused a number of suitors, under the pretext that they are not peers of France, Émilie de Fontaine falls in love with a mysterious young man who quietly appeared at the village dance at Sceaux. Despite his refined appearance and aristocratic bearing, the unknown (Maximilien Longueville) never tells his identity and seems interested in nobody but his sister, a sickly young girl. But he is not insensible to the attention Émilie gives him and he accepts the invitation of Émilie’s father, the Comte de Fontaine. Émilie and Maximilien soon fall in love. The Comte de Fontaine, concerned for his daughter, decides to investigate this mysterious young man, and he discovers him on the Rue du Sentier, a simple cloth merchant, which horrifies Émilie. Piqued, she marries a 70 year old uncle for his title of Vice Admiral, the Comte de Kergarouët. Several years after her marriage, Émilie discovers that Maximilien is not a clothier at all, but in fact a Vicomte de Longueville who has become a Peer of France. The young man finally explains why he secretly tended a store: he did it in order to support his family, sacrificing himself for his sick sister and for his brother, who had departed the country. |
Ink Exchange | Melissa Marr | 2,008 | The prologue of Ink Exchange revisits a scene from Wicked Lovely narrated by Irial, King of the Dark Court, in which he walks into a tattoo shop with Leslie, a 17 year-old human. The novel then follows Leslie as she prepares for a normal day of school. Leslie's alcoholic father and Ren, her drug-dealing brother, neglect her. Having once been drugged and raped by Ren's customers,to cover one of his debts, Leslie fears her family, yet still pays the bills by working as a waitress. When Leslie reaches school, she is suspicious of how well Aislinn, the protagonist from Wicked Lovely, has adjusted to her new life as a faery. Aislinn, though once human, is the Summer Queen in the world of the fey, a world which she tries desperately to keep from Leslie. The novel then begins to follow Irial. It is revealed that the Dark Court feeds off emotions such as anger, hate, lust and pain to stay strong. When one of his own is killed by a simple human bullet, Irial is desperate for a way to protect his kind. With the help of his "left hand" Gabriel and his pack of "Hounds," he keeps his own and other courts in check. When confronted with numerous rebellions, Irial decides to pursue an ink exchange with a mortal to provide a constant stream of emotion to feed his court. When Leslie, the chosen mortal, gets a tattoo, the traditional tattoo ink is exchanged with the Dark Court's blood and tears, thereby joining the Dark King and the mortal. Soon, as an effect of the ink exchange, Leslie begins to feel and see as Irial would, seeing past faeries' human disguises. When she falls in love with Niall she avoids admitting her connection to his world. Her connection to the faeries deepens when she returns to the tattoo shop and begins to hear Irial's voice in her head. Irial has come to the conclusion that he loves her, and refuses to let any harm come to her. When Leslie goes to a club to celebrate her finished tattoo with Seth and Niall, Irial begins to speak through her to deflect the advances of other faeries. In the club, Irial and Leslie finally unite, connected by a shadow vine that represents the ink exchange. Niall, still in love, soon tells Leslie that he can help her break the bond with Irial, should she ever want to. Over the next few weeks, Leslie blurs in and out of consciousness, incapable of leaving Irial's side for more than a minute. When Leslie begins to understand that Irial is feeding on her negative emotions, leaving her incapable of feeling them, she realizes he has taken away her freedom to live. In an attempt to produce in Leslie more pain to feed his court, Irial and his faeries murder several human companions at once, displaying them in scenes from plays, a gross attempt at humor. When Leslie asks Niall to help free her, he uses sunlight and frost taken from the Winter and Summer Queens to burn and freeze the link and the tattoo off Leslie. Before restoring her human life and leaving the faerie world behind, Leslie goes to Irial one last time, asking him never to use the ink exchange on another human again. He solemnly agrees. The novel ends with Irial making Niall the new king of the dark court and them both watching Leslie and her new human friends. |
La Queue du Marsupilami | null | 1,987 | In the Palombia jungle, Bring M. Backalive, a hunter who seeks personal glory, searches for a marsupilami, an animal that nobody had never captured. The hunter's attempts are occasions for some gags. The tone is largely humoristic and the hunter rather a comic character than a dangerous man. The story is also an opportunity to discover the way of life and the several abilities of the marsupilamis including the ejector paws and elongating tails. |
The Riddle of the Third Mile | Colin Dexter | 1,983 | The novel is divided into three books - the first mile, the second mile and the third mile. The title is a reference to the biblical sentence "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" as in St Matthew, Chapter Five, Verse Forty-One. The third mile could also indirectly refer to a particularly elaborate scheme used in the book to lure three of the college staff to London. There are three main narratives in this book. During the world war, there are three brothers Albert, Alfred and Johnny Gilbert serving as tank officers in the army. Albert and Alfred are said to be lookalike twins. The youngest brother is trapped in his tank during an offensive and is burnt to death. The two elder brothers are unable to help due to a direct order from the lieutenant Browne-Smith. They develop a hatred to Browne-Smith (mistakenly) believing that he was a coward not to try and save a fellow officer. At the present time, Browne-Smith is a Professor at Oxford. He departs on a mysterious trip to London where he visit a topless bar and then proceeds to a brothel. There he is served drugged drinks and he collapses on the floor. A few days later, the Master of Lonsdale college invites Morse and voices suspicion about the disappearance of Browne-Smith. He has left the college without any communication or forwarding address. Morse promises to keep an eye out for any information that comes his way. It is revealed that Morse was a student of Browne-Smith in his college days and the reason Morse picked up his obsession for grammar and spelling. We also see a short flashback into Morse's college days and his breakup with his college sweetheart. Then, the police discover a dismembered corpse in the water at Trupp. The corpse is missing the head, arms and legs. This makes identification difficult but Morse believes that the corpse could be that of Browne-Smith. It is also found that Browne-Smith was suffering from brain tumour and had only a few more weeks left to live. As more evidence accumulates, suspicion seems to fall on Prof.Westerby who was antagonistic towards Browne-Smith at college and is supposedly on a vacation to Greece after his recent retirement. But Morse speculates that the body is not that of Browne-Smith but probably Westerby thereby the need to dismember the corpse to confuse the police. During a visit to Browne-Smith's room at the college, Morse meets one of the Gilbert twins who is running a packers and movers business engaged to shift the retired Westerby's effects. Thereby Morse, gains the address of Westerby's new flat in London. On travelling there, he finds another corpse, this time stabbed with a screw driver. In a moment of forgivable lapse brought about his fear of corpses, Morse does not recognize the murderer and allows him to walk free. The second mile concludes with three more deaths - one being murder, one suicide and one general causes, thereby leaving none of the suspects alive. Morse largely guesses how things happened. His theory goes as follows: The Gilbert twins wanted to kill Browne-Smith in order to avenge the death of Johnny Gilbert and set up an elaborate scheme to lure him to London. They realize that Johnny actually committed suicide so let Browne-Smith go. Browne-Smith in turn uses the same scheme to lure Westerby and confronts him. Browne-Smith in turn, realizes that he was mistaken in his antagonism. He has always assumed (wrongly) that Westerby had voted against him in the election for Master of the college. Westerby and Browne-Smith both realize that the current Master had voted against both of them in their previous elections. So they use the same scheme for the third time to lure the Master to London and kill him. Browne-Smith was, however, guilt-ridden and tried to steer Morse to the culprits. It is suggested that he was mentally not in control due to side-effects of the tumor. Morse further guesses that the corpse found in Trupp was the Master. Westerby killed Alfred in his London flat and in turn, Albert killed Westerby and then committed suicide. Browne-smith died of his tumor. |
The Road of Bones | Anne Fine | 2,006 | The story centres on a Russian boy named Yuri who in school is taught that the revolution liberated his country, and that the new leaders are always working for greater good. But the life for his family and people around him is full of poverty and misery, and the government only punishes those who protest. And one day Yuri is considered an 'enemy of the state' for saying a few careless words, and is sent to a camp in the frozen wastelands of Siberia. |
Last Seen Wearing | Colin Dexter | 1,976 | A man, later known to be Donald Phillipson, goes for an interview in Oxford to be headmaster of a school, later known to be the Roger Bacon Comprehensive School in Oxford. At the bus stop a girl gets into conversation with him and later seduces him. She turns out to be a girl from the school, Valerie Taylor, and a year later she goes missing. Two years after that Inspector Morse picks up the case following a road accident in which Chief Inspector Ainley was killed. A mysterious letter arrives apparently from Valerie, but Morse is convinced Valerie must be dead and tries to find out what happened on the day she disappeared. She went home from school for lunch and was last seen by a lollipop man carrying a bag. Morse discovers she was pregnant and suspects she had been sent off for an abortion. The plot thickens when Reginald Baines, another teacher at the school, is found murdered at his house near Oxford Station. Three suspicious characters had been near his house—Mrs Phillipson, Valerie Taylor’s mum, seen wearing her distinctive cherry coloured coat, and David Acum, a French teacher who had taught Valerie’s last lesson. Morse also suspects Acum’s wife, but rejects this when he discovers she is living in North Wales and does not drive. |
Icon of Evil: Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam | Alan Dershowitz | 2,008 | The book portrays Husseini, a member of an important Jerusalem Arab family, as an anti-Semite and a key figure in infusing the modern Arab world with anti-Semitic attitudes. It asserts that Husseini's views were the casus belli for virtually all modern Middle Eastern terrorism - "an unbroken chain of terror from Adolf Hitler, Haj Amin al-Husseini, Sayyid Qutb, and Yasser Arafat to Hamas' founder and spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Sheikh Omar Abd al-Rahman, and Ramzi Yousef, who planned the World Trade Center bombings of 1993, to Osama bin Laden and Mohamed Atta, to Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the Pakistani Muslim terrorist who planned the kidnapping and murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, and to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." |
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn | Colin Dexter | 1,977 | The Oxford Foreign Examinations Syndicate runs school exams in the Persian Gulf and other places with a British connection. The Secretary Dr Bartlett and Mr Roope, a chemistry don and a member of the committee, disagree about the appointment of a new member of staff. Roope gets his way and Nicholas Quinn, a deaf man who lipreads, gets the job. When Quinn is found murdered in his maisonette all the staff are under suspicion. There is Bartlett, his deputy Ogleby and the attractive Monica Height, who has liaisons with some of the others - especially young Donald Martin. Strangely, nearly all of them, including Quinn, appear to have tickets for The Nymphomaniac at Studio 2 in Walton Street on the afternoon of the murder. When later Ogleby is himself found murdered, a neat drawing of Quinn’s ticket is found in his diary. Morse tries to deduce which of the others is the murderer but keeps getting it wrong. An intrigue involving wealthy Arabs and prior knowledge of exam papers is clearly the cause, and Quinn had found out about it and paid for it with his life. Colin Dexter's stylistic device of introducing each chapter with either a genuine or fabricated literary quotation was first used in this book and was maintained throughout the rest of the series. |
Service of All the Dead | Colin Dexter | 1,979 | The novel is divided into four books. Each book follows a different style of writing. Notably, the third is in the form of a statement taken from a witness and the fourth (mostly) takes the form of court proceedings. The first book details the lives of the characters Lionel Lawson, Harry Josephs, Barbara Josephs, Paul Morris, Ruth Rawlinson and Peter Morris. It doesn't directly mention Philip Lawson but there are several indirect references to him as the tramp. This book sets up the various motives for the plot. It also highlights the jealousy and hatred some of the characters feel towards each other for various reasons. Morse is on furlough and by chance happens to visit St. Frideswide. There he comes to know about the murder of Harry Josephs and the subsequent suicide of Lionel Lawson. He finds out that Harry Josephs was first poisoned with morphine before being stabbed in the back. This curious fact sparks his attention and he begins to take an active interest in the case. When Inspector Bell who was previously charge of the case goes down with the flu, Morse & Lewis take official charge of the investigation. True to his usual self, Morse comes up with several theories each of which is shown to be wrong with gathering evidence. Subsequently Morse locates the dead bodies of Paul Morris and Peter Morris by instincts. When Barbara Josephs is also murdered, Morse finally sees the light in the case. He figures out that Ruth would be the next victim and the church (again) would be the scene of the crime. He then places Lewis in an opposite building to watch the church, and he hides in the church. Morse confronts the murderer, revealed to be Harry Josephs, atop the church tower. The two men struggle, and Harry falls from the tower to his death. This book is about the statement given by Ruth to Lewis. She explains how she was hard up for money and agreed to help Lionel Lawson in a plot to murder Harry Josephs. She tries to put it across that she was never directly involved except as a witness to identify the dead man. On reading the statement, Morse rejects is as complete perjury and tears it up. This book mostly takes the form of court proceedings as Morse reveals how the murderer Harry Josephs committed the crimes. He guesses that the first victim was Philip Lawson and Ruth's role was mainly to misidentify the body as that of Harry Josephs. He subsequently explains how Harry murdered the Morris father and son and then his wife Barbara. As for the question of Lionel Lawson, Morse suggests it was suicide. Ruth is sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment for perjury. In the first closing scene, it is implied that Lionel Lawson was in fact murdered. In the last scene, Morse visits Ruth at her flat after her release and they start off a romantic relationship. |
Ranks of Bronze | David Drake | 1,986 | A defeated Roman legion is sold into slavery to alien traders seeking low tech soldiers to be used in conflicts to secure trading rights on alien planets. Their new masters soon learn that the Romans are the best low tech fighters that can be found. Given their worth as soldiers and success on the battlefield, the Romans' alien masters provide them with everything, including near immortality. However, the Romans want only one thing, and that is to go home. |
The Forlorn Hope | David Drake | 1,988 | Set in the Hammer's Slammers universe, The Forlorn Hope follows the fortunes of a different mercenary company named "Fasolini's Company". On the planet Cecach, a civil war has raged between the secular Federals and their religious zealot adversaries, the Republicans. Fasolini's Company is to provide heavy support to a Federal firebase. When the firebase is cut off and surrounded by Republican troops, the Federals surrender, offering Fasolini's Company to the Republicans as part of the bargain. Since the Republicans have vowed to execute any mercenaries who fall into their hands, Fasolini's Company decides that it must flee the firebase before the Republicans arrive to take control. Fighting both the turncoat Federals and the Republicans, Fasolini's Company, with the aid of a loyal Federal logistics officer and the captain of a planet trapped interstellar freighter, must march across enemy lines to reach the safety of the intact Federal and still loyal Federal lines. |
Des gaffes et des dégâts | André Franquin | 1,968 | In this album, Bertrand Labévue and the Gaffophone appear for the first time. Most of the gags are caused by the instrument. *filter for gases: to be placed on the exhaust pipe of one's car to prevent CO2 emissions *a rocket to modify the weather: rocket full of explosive, but inefficient *quick floor polisher: consists of an old fire extinguisher. *table : a table camping which can fold automatically, thank to a small button situated at the center of the table, which can cause some unexpected and accidents |
Un gaffeur sachant gaffer | André Franquin | 1,968 | In this album, Leon Prunelle replace definitively and officially Fantasio who left the office to make reports. Freddy les-doigts-de-fées appears for the first time. |
Lagaffe nous gâte | André Franquin | 1,970 | Prunelle definitively replaced Fantasio. He begins to swear some "Grdidji" and the famous "Rogntudju". Several running gags feature new Gaston's inventions. Bubulle, Gaston 's fish, appears for the first time. *bomb against termites: bomb to be placed in each cupboard *giant insecticide: very handful spray, but much too powerful *cuckoo clock: cuckoo taking the form of a spaceship *alarm clock: device which explodes when turned on *giant fly: made of papier-mâché, wood and cardboard, the fly is too realistic and frighteing *personal atmosphere: invented perfume for Gaston's personal office which attracts horses *special transformer: transfomer to allow Christmas strings to flash on and off, but too much powerful, so that it has effects on neighbouring houses *experiment to extract energy from mouvements: when one tries to open the doors in the offices, it turns out to be very difficult *a portable version of the Gaffophone, played in the woods for M'oiselle Jeanne, resulting to a catastrophic fall of the leaves from the nearby trees |
Gaffe à Lagaffe ! | André Franquin | 1,996 | *petrol: special petrol for the Gastomobile, it also can cause unexpected fireworks *anti-hold-up system: system which consists in spreading marbles to make robbers slide *radio-controlled iron: efficient iron, but not to be lost of sight, for it tends to fly away *heating for birds: system of pipes installed on the rooftop of Spirou editorial offices and connected to the heating system of the building *English divan: sofa made with elasticated plastic and buttons that tend to suddenly and break loose, causing high damage |
La saga des gaffes | André Franquin | 1,982 | Most of the running gags feature Longtarin and Lagaffe, engaged in an intense struggle. |
Lagaffe mérite des baffes | André Franquin | 1,979 | In this album, a struggle between Longtarin and Lagaffe begins. This theme will also be the occasion of most of the gags in the next album. *parking meter: fake meter, so well imitated that drivers fill it *mini lawn ower: miniature lawn mower to avoid cutting daisies *heating for motorbikes: suit linked to the radiator of the motorbike, and in which heated water flows, so that the motorcyclist is never cold; the only problem is that it lacks a regulator *electricity generator: thanks to a dynamo, a treadle lights a small lamp and allows the staff to deal with very urgent work in case of power failure *inflatable bag: bag to protect car occupants in case of accident, it goes off even in case of slight contact |
Le gang des gaffeurs | André Franquin | 1,979 | *divan : highly comfortable divan, full of late readers' letters *giant shoe :shoe made for a shoes seller *a giant aquarium: a network of pipes in which water flows *scented aerosol: a revolutionary substance through which the light can not go *machine to play cup-and-ball: device badly adjusted, so that it can hit the user *gas generator: engine fed with fuel, but too much polluting *miniature plane: this plane perfectly works, but the radio control turns out to control a Russian satellite |
Gaffes, bévues et boulettes | André Franquin | 1,973 | De Mesmaeker is back in the gags. * barbecue: made up of an old lid * blend of fertilizers: it allows plants to grow very fast, including with carnivorous ones |
Le géant de la gaffe | André Franquin | 1,972 | Le géant de la gaffe is the first album in which Franquin inserts eccentric signatures. Monsieur De Mesmaeker is less present than in previous albums. *alcohol detector: device to mesure the rate of alcohol in the blood, it must not be exposed to fire *electric umbrella: umbrella that can open and close pushing on the same button *coffee-maker: personal invention that delivers very strong coffee *graft for cactus: graft which allow cactuses to grow extremely rapidly *spring-wire for phones: wire very elasticated, that may hurt dangerously the user *soap: soap that blows a lot of bubbles once it is in contact with water *automatic door: door that open automatically thanks to photoelectric cells *heating system: system for cars installed which conducts the gas by a chemney *spray for carburetor: an effective but polluting system *hand-armchair : very comfortable armchair designed as a giant hand *monorail: device linked to rails set in the ceiling to get around easily in the offices *monorail monoplace: the same monorail, modified -because being too low, it could hurt people- but with a default in the brake system |
Le cas Lagaffe | André Franquin | 1,971 | Two new Gaston's pets appear: the cat, the black-headed gull, plus already presented the mouse Cheese and the fish Bubulle. These new pets cause most of the gags of the album. |
Democracy and Education | John Dewey | 1,916 | Dewey sought to at once synthesize, criticize, and expand upon the democratic (or proto-democratic) educational philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Plato. He saw Rousseau's philosophy as overemphasizing the individual and Plato's philosophy as overemphasizing the society in which the individual lived. For Dewey, this distinction was largely a false one; like Vygotsky, he viewed the mind and its formation as a communal process. Thus the individual is only a meaningful concept when regarded as an inextricable part of his or her society, and the society has no meaning apart from its realization in the lives of its individual members. However, as evidenced in his later Experience and Nature (1925), this practical element—learning by doing—arose from his subscription to the philosophical school of Pragmatism. |
Gaffes et gadgets | André Franquin | 1,985 | Fantasio finds it difficult to put up with Gaston's devices and inventions. *paperclip: the biggest paperclip ever invented *Gastomobile: small vehicle which allows Gaston to get rapidly around Spirou offices. *a rocket: it intriguished many foreign secret services *anti-black ice chair: chair on casters to prevent Gaston from sliding on patches of black ice *automatic filing chest: a small button open directly the filing chest, no need to open drawers *artificial satellite : consists in making a ball turning around one's head |
Death Is Now My Neighbour | Colin Dexter | 1,996 | At 17 Bloxham Drive, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, a pretty 29-year old physiotherapist named Rachel James is shot almost point blank through the closed shade of her kitchen window early in the morning of 19 February 1996. The shooting took place between 7:00 and 7:30 with a .577 caliber howdah or Lancaster pistol as the pony-tailed young woman was getting breakfast prior to heading to work, her head and upper body silhouetted in the window, as her assailant stood in her backyard. Unfortunately, none of the other residents of Bloxham Drive can recall seeing anything suspicious that morning, including her immediate neighbour Geoffrey Owens at number 15, a newspaper reporter desperate for the scoop on this breaking news story that happened so close to his home. Chief Inspector Morse, aided by Detective Sergent (DS) Lewis, soon discovers a cryptic 'seventeenth-century' love poem by John Wilmot and a photograph of Rachel with a mysterious grey-haired man, clues which lead them to the prestigious Lonsdale College, where the rivalry between Julian Storrs and Dr. Dennis Cornford for the position of Master, to replace Sir Clixby Bream, is about to turn deadly. Morse goes to the extreme of employing a known house burglar and lock expert to learn more about Owens. Morse also diagnoses himself with diabetes, and, after he going to the local clinic to confirm his condition, is immediately placed in John Radcliffe Hospital for five days. He also divulges his Christian name, Endeavour (named after Captain James Cook's ship), for the first time in the series. At the conclusion of the novel, Morse's new love interest, Sister Janet McQueen (a nurse from the hospital), insists that he let Lewis know of his first name and convinces Morse to send Lewis a postcard, which he signs with his full name. |
The Daughters of Cain | Colin Dexter | 1,994 | The body of Dr. Felix McClure, Ancient History don of Wolsey College, Oxford, is found in his flat. A brutal murder - a single stab to the stomach with a broad knife. The police have no weapon, no suspect and no motive. The case leads Morse into the path of Edward Brooks, who himself disappears following a museum theft. Then the weapon is found and there are suddenly too many suspects. |
The Way Through the Woods | Colin Dexter | 1,992 | Morse is intrigued by a cryptic clue relating to missing Karin Eriksson, which is taken to mean she has been murdered. He is given the case and notes that the clue seems to include a reference to Wytham Woods, where he believed the police should have searched in the first place. The police search the area with help from head forester David Michaels and a body is found but it's a man. Morse and Lewis talk to George Daley, who found Karin's bag. His wife Margaret gives them some photos developed from Karin's camera, showing a young man and a house, but tears up some more showing Karin naked. Morse identifies the house in the photo but the tennant, McBryde, disappears before he can be questioned. Morse and Lewis find the house was being used to make pornographic films and the client list includes Daley and a local lecturer, Alan Hardinge. Daley is found dead in the woods. Michaels is suspected but was showing some RSPB representatives around at the time, since the gatewarden recalls when Daley entered the woods. The first body turns out to be Doctor Myton, the man in the photographs. Hardinge admits that Myton was taking photographs of Karin in private at the house but when the others in the house checked on them they were both dead. He, McBryde, Daley and Michaels conspired to hide the bodies. Morse, however, realises this is a lie and Karin is still alive. Daley's son Phillip commits suicide but has an alibi for his father's murder. Morse and Lewis speak to Michaels' wife Cathy and realise she is Karin. She killed Myton when he tried to rape her and was sheltered by Michaels, who persuaded the others to cover the matter up. Morse realises Michaels killed Daley and then had Cathy dress up as him and drive to the woods to hide the body, in order to give himself an alibi. Lewis learns Morse sent the cryptic clue in the first place. |
45 obrtaja: Priče o pesmama | null | 2,007 | The book title refers to the speed (45 revolutions per minute) of a vinyl single. Although the book, consistent with the title, has forty-five chapters, it deals with forty-six songs, the epilogue being an analysis of Don McLean's "American Pie" lyrics. The Rolling Stones are the only artist represented with two songs ("(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Sympathy for the Devil"), while the chapter on "Walk This Way" features biographies of both Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C.. The Chapter "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" deals with the history of the band Pink Floyd, with a special accent on one of its former band members, Syd Barrett. The chapter on "Dancing in the Street" performed by Martha and the Vandellas also focuses on the history of Motown Records, the chapter on "Woodstock", originally performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, focuses mostly on the career of the song author Joni Mitchell, as well as on the event itself and the chapter on "Tiny Dancer" performed by Elton John also focuses on the career of movie director Cameron Crowe and his movie Almost Famous, in which the song is featured. Every chapter features a Serbian language translation of the song lyrics, except the chapter on "Walk This Way" which features an apology by the writer who states he can not translate the song lyrics (possibly because of the slang or the sexual innuendo featured in the lyrics). The book also features several autobiographical moments from Cukić's career as a member of Tilt, Bulevar, Bajaga i Instruktori, as well as from his solo career. |
A Fine Companion | Shackerley Marmion | null | The play opens with its lovers, Aurelio and Valeria. Aurelio is a worthy son who has been disinherited by a capricious father, in favor of his wastrel younger brother Careless (the latter is the "fine companion" of the title). The lovers' plans to marry are frustrated by Aurelio's lack of means; and they are separated physically by Aurelia's father, the usurer Littlegood. His own father being deceased, Careless is determined to spend and enjoy his patrimony. He mortgages his lands to Littlegood and wastes his funds on high living; his tailor, sempster, and haberdasher wait upon him faithfully. He is surrounded by a set of questionable friends. Spruce is a would-be lady's man who carries a box full of pre-written love letters, only the names left blank. Captain Whipple and Lieutenant Stern are cashiered soldiers who mooch what they can. Littlegood has two daughters and a son. In addition to Valeria there is the high-spirited Aemilia; son Lackwit is the darling of his mother, Fondling Littlegood, who encourages him to live the life of a gentleman and a gallant, much to his father's displeasure. Littlegood wants to marry off his daughters to husbands of his choice; he plans to bestow Valeria upon Spruce, and Aemilia on the elderly Dotario, the uncle of Aurelio and Careless. Aemilia, however, is determined to foil her father's plans; she prefers Careless for her husband. Directed by Aurelio, Valeria pretends to be mad; Aurelio disguises himself as the doctor who is to cure her. Careless disguises himself as Dotario, and makes off with Aemilia. (Lackwit mistakes the real Dotario for a false Dotario, and scares him away with a longsword.) The disguised brothers marry their brides. Littlegood and Dotario are stunned to learn they've been duped, though Fondling is pleased with the results. To avoid public embarrassment and keep the family secrets, Littlegood agrees to return Careless's mortgaged lands to him, and Dotario provides Aurelio with an income. Interspersed with the play's main plot scenes are scenes of the comic subplot, which trace the adventures of Careless, Lackwit, the Captain, and comic servants through a milieu of taverns, confidence games, and pranks. Captain Whipple is a version of the "Miles gloriosus" of classical comedy: he talks big and blusters, but is a coward at heart. He indulges in a fantastic style of speech — :There's a wench that has her suburb tricks about her, I warrant you. Hold there :Bellerophon! take thy Ocyrois, and mount her like Phlegon. Yet by the end of the play he has been humbled: he marries the Hostess of the tavern where he resides, and becomes the Host. |
Le lourd passé de Lagaffe | André Franquin | 1,986 | This album is made up of all the gags and illustrations that had not been previously published in album. |
En direct de la gaffe | André Franquin | 1,974 | This album is made up of small-sized strip and article relating Gaston' blunders. All the gags and articles, entitled "En direct de la rédaction", wrote by Yvan Delporte for the Gaston Lagaffe series are grouped in this album. It is also constituted of Spirou covers.Many new characters are introduced, such as Jules Soutier, Bertrand Labévue, Beaucoudeau and Mélanie Molaire. The Gaffophone also appear for the first time. *trousers press: system to make the ironing of trousers easier *Klaxophone: instrument made with car horns *anti-mosquitoos powder : powder which causes explosions and attract mosquitoos *guitar walkie-talkie: built sa that Jeanne can constantly listen to Gaston's guitar and voice |
Gare aux gaffes du gars gonflé | André Franquin | 1,973 | Longtarin appears for the first time and watch over Gaston very carefully, all the more as he Gaston have acquired a strange automobile. Gaston signs a contract with De Mesmaeker. *vehicle to take downstairs: vehicle which slides on the ballisters, but cannot turn *filter for cigarettes: filter which causes explosions, the rights were bought by a joke shop *ejector seat for cars : seat not to leave lying in offices, for it can be dangerous for someone *machine to cork bottles : machine that must been well-adjusted, at the risk of damages *mini-go-kart : roller skate with the engine of a lawn mower *petrol for rockets: dangerous petrol powder *coffee maker with petrol : coffee maker which can take off like a rocket *table: table hanged up to the ceiling to ease cleanup. *relax-armchair: armchair with instructions for use that must be read before using *swing with elasticated strings : swing with amplified movements *overcoat linked to the central heating: allows to work having warm *filing system: system consisting in tying each document to the ceiling with an elasticated thread *automatic polishing: automatic machine to polish shoes, and occasionally trousers *special flash: too strong flash that sets fire to clothes *thread for Christmas trees: thread which make the tree turn, so that one can see the hidden part of it, and with the possibility to regulate the speed |
Le bureau des gaffes en gros | André Franquin | 1,972 | Gaston invents a robot and strange appeaux. Mademoiselle Jeanne appear for the first time. |
Gala de gaffes à gogo | André Franquin | 1,970 | Monsieur De Mesmeaker appear for the first time and try to sign contracts, in vain. The Gaston-Latex also appear, causing running gags. Finally, Prunelle and Lebrac appear at the end of the album, but they do not play an important role as yet, and most strips feature only Fantasio and Gaston. *electric hammer: it must be fixed to the wall *rubber chair: chair that collapse when someone sits on it *Gaston Latex: rubber replica of Gaston *Mastigaston: saves someone from chewing before swallowing foods s |
Son of the Tree | Jack Vance | null | Son of the Tree begins with the arrival of Joe Smith on the planet Kyril, so distant that Earth is but a myth. Kyril is dominated by a religious aristocracy called "Druids", who rule over the five billion commoner "Laity", and who control worship of the "Tree of Life" – a huge tree with a trunk five miles in diameter, and height of twelve miles. The Druids are xenophobic, and consider Joe to be a spy. For unknown reasons, he is befriended by Hableyat, a native of the world of Mangtse, self-admitted spy who finds him a job as a chauffer for Druid Princess Elfane. After witnessing a murder committed by Princess Elfane's lover Manaolo, Joe Smith flees Kyril on the spaceship Belsaurion bound for the world Ballenkarch, his original destination – only to find that his fellow passengers include Hableyat, Manaolo and Princess Elfane, and that he is caught up as a pawn in a complex three-way political plot between the opposing worlds. Surviving a couple of murder attempts and puzzling over the intentions of Hableyat and Princess Elfane, he arrives on Ballenkarch, where he finds to his surprise that the earthman he was seeking has made himself ruling prince, with the woman he left behind on Earth as his princess. However, his biggest surprise is yet to come, when he discovers the horrific true nature of the so-called "Tree of Life". |
Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants | Louise Rennison | 2,002 | The book is written in the form of a diary. It is about Georgia Nicolson (about fifteen years old), her friends (the Ace Gang) and her infatuation with boys (or snogging in particular). Georgia's boyfriend Robbie ('the sex god or SG') has been invited to go on tour with his band The Stiff Dylans. He has received an offer to go to Los Angeles in hamburger-a-gogo-land (United States), where Georgia is thinking of becoming a 'girlfriend to a pop-star'. At the end of the book he goes for an interview and gets a job in Whakatane (New Zealand) instead. Even though Georgia is upset about this she still has enough courage in her to (when her house is empty) dance in her nuddy-pants (naked). |
Man's First Word | null | null | The story begins with Telford receiving a phone call from Billiam Pinch-Penny, an anthropologist at the local museum, regarding the discovery of a tablet of stone with Hieroglyphic carvings. It is unique in the fact that the people depicted have open mouths and appear to be attempting to speak. The tablet is a slab of Iguanastone, found only in the Atlas Mountains. Earnest notes that a piece has broken off, and Telford, Earnest and Billiam pack their bags for Morocco. After a trip which leads them through London, France, and Spain, the trio eventually find themselves in Tangiers, where a local basketweaver suggests that they look for the broken piece in a small village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains called Yackama. There, Earnest literally trips over what they are looking for, and they arrive at an answer to their question. |
The Howling II | Gary Brandner | null | Three years after the events of The Howling, Karyn Beatty has now remarried and lives in Seattle. Although content with her new life with her husband, David Richter, and her young stepson Joey, she is still haunted by the memories of her terrifying ordeal in the Californian mountain village of Drago with its werewolf inhabitants. Karyn regularly sees a therapist to help work through her problems, but after a spate of sinister occurrences that culminate in the horrific killing of the family's housekeeper, Karyn is convinced that the surviving werewolves of Drago have tracked her down. Fearing for the lives of her new family, Karyn leaves town hoping she will lead the evil creatures away from her loved ones. Karyn's fears were well founded as she had indeed been tracked down by none other than her ex-husband Roy (now a werewolf) and Marcia Lura, the evil Drago werewolf who first bit him. Both Roy and Marcia survived the fire in Drago, but Marcia is now partially scarred and incapacitated due to being shot in the head with a silver bullet by Karyn at the end of the first novel. Though the bullet did not kill her as expected, it left a streak of silver through her black hair and rendered her unable to fully transform into a werewolf as before. Now, when the moon is full, she becomes a grotesque half-woman/half-wolf creature, and wants revenge for what Karyn did to her. In Mexico, Karyn tracks down Chris Halloran, the family friend who helped her during her first ordeal in Drago. She tells him that the werewolves of Drago have come for her and she needs his help once more. However, Chris's new girlfriend, Audrey, is jealous of his prior relationship with Karyn and does everything she can to undermine their friendship. When Roy and Marcia finally track Karyn down to Mexico, they set a trap for her at a mountainside cabin with Audrey's help, and close in for the kill. Again, Chris comes to Karyn's rescue and fights with Roy (who takes the form of a wolf). Chris eventually manages to kill Roy with a silver knife, but in the nearby mountainside cabin, Marcia is holding Karyn hostage and is about to torture her using a set of red hot pliers. However, as the full moon rises, Marcia abruptly begins her agonizing change into the half-wolf creature. She drops the pliers which then cause a fire to break out in the cabin, allowing Karyn to escape. Outside, Karyn is reunited with Chris while Marcia (or the creature she has become) burns to death as the cabin goes up in flames. |
The Steel Remains | Richard Morgan | null | Almost ten years after the Human-Kiriath Alliance repelled the invading Scaled Folk in a terrible war, three of the war heroes still have difficulty adjusting to the uneasy peace and the renewed conflict between the northern League and the Yhelteth Empire. Ringil Eskiath lives in self-imposed exile from his native Trelayne, exchanging war stories for board and lodging in a small village's inn; to most people he is the hero of Gallows Gap, but his own family shuns him because he is gay. Lady kir-Archeth Indamaninarmal, the only human-kiriath half-breed, was left behind when the Kiriath abandoned the world, and finds herself more and more unable to tolerate the decadent court of the Yhelteth Emperor. Egar Dragonbane, a Majak mercenary, returned to his people after the wars, but having seen the wonders of the civilized world he feels out of place as a nomad clan leader in the steppe. |
Ramage | Dudley Pope | 1,965 | Nicholas Lord Ramage is the third lieutenant on His Majesty's ship Sibella, but assumes command when the Captain, and the First and Second Lieutenants are killed by fire from a French ship. The French ship had fatally crippled the Sibella and had killed over half of her crew, including the surgeon and surgeon's mate. As the new Captain, Ramage decides to abandon the sinking ship. He leaves the injured on the deck to be taken prisoner by the French and hopefully treated by their surgeon. Before he abandons the ship, Ramage retrieves some documents and the late Captain's last orders. The remaining crew then loads into the four lifeboats and rows away. As they are rowing away, the crew of the French ship set the Sibella on fire after taking the injured off. Ramage opens Sir John Jervis's orders to the late Captain and finds that the Sibella was on a rescue mission to extricate the Marchesa di Volterri along with five other nobles including the Marchesa's two cousins. Ramage decides to go through with the rescue. He takes the captain's gig with several topmen and the former Captain's coxswain, Jackson, with him and sends the other surviving sailors to Bastia. Ramage and his men then land upon Monte Argentario and find the Marchesa with the help of a local charcoal maker. Half of the nobles decide not to risk trying to escape in a small boat, but Ramage rescues the Marchesa and one of her cousins, Count Pisano, although the other cousin, Count Pitti, is apparently killed by Napoleon's cavalry during the escape. The refugees are eventually picked up by the Lively frigate under the command of Captain Probus. That night Pisano accuses Ramage of cowardice in connection with the death of Count Pitti, submitting a formal accusation to Probus. During their time together, the Marchesa and Ramage develop a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque relationship, with the conniving of her family and the demands of discretion upon them. After the Marchesa is safe, Ramage is sent to trial according to the Articles of War for his loss of the Sibella. Captain Croucher, a political enemy of Ramage's father, brings the accusation of cowardice into the trial. Ramage's trial is interrupted by Lord Nelson's arrival, effectively ending the trial. Nelson gives him the command of the cutter Kathleen sending him to rescue the crew of the frigate HMS Belette which had run aground and was under fire from Napoleon's troops. Ramage saves the stranded crew and returns to Nelson. Upon his return, he learns that Count Pitti, who he had been unable to rescue had not been killed, but instead had hidden and later escaped. The book ends as Ramage considers his orders to carry the Marchesa and Count Pitti to Gibraltar. |
Lucinda Brayford | Martin Boyd | 1,946 | The story of a beautiful woman set mainly in Melbourne, Victoria and England from the early 1900s to the Second World War. Lucinda Vane was born into a wealthy Melbourne family. She spurns the love of a distinguished family friend to marry the dashing Aide de Camp to the Governor, Hugo Brayford. Lucinda's life of ease is replaced by hardship when Hugo takes her to England just before the first World War. She then realises that her husband married her for her money, and he has a mistress. |
Incandescence | Greg Egan | 2,008 | The novel has two narratives in alternate chapters. The first follows two citizens of the Amalgam, a Milky Way-spanning civilisation, investigating the origin of DNA found on a meteor by the Aloof. The Aloof control the galactic core and until the novel begins, have rejected all attempts at contact by the Amalgam. The second narrative is set on a small world known as the Splinter, and covers the attempts by its inhabitants to understand the environment within which their home exists. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the Splinter orbits a collapsed star within its accretion disk and is subject to various dangers. The two stories come together in a complex twist which involves a kind of past/future first contact role reversal. Much of the narrative explores the effects of orbital dynamics around a high mass object and requires an understanding of Newtonian gravitation and at least a basic familiarity with general relativity and its application to black holes and neutron stars to be compelling. Understanding the story's wider frame of reference and the Splinter's encounter with the Wanderer are tied in with this. The Amalgam is explored in two other short stories, "Glory" and "Riding the Crocodile". |
Disguise | Hugo Hamilton | 2,008 | The book begins during the Battle of Berlin. A mother, Mrs Liedmann and her son are living in a house in the city. Her husband is fighting for the German forces on the Western front. A bomb falls on their house and kills her son Gregor. Distraught, she searches among the ruins for her son. Her father, Emil Liedmann, who is a deserter from the army, comes to take her home To Nuremberg. On the outskirts of a country town he finds an orphan boy the same age as Gregor and makes his daughter promise to raise him as her own child and never to tell a soul that he is not her son. Soon after Emil disappears while searching for fuel on the black market. Later it emerges that Emil was shot by American forces as he tried to escape the Germans, who wanted to capture and punish Emil for being a deserter. In autumn 2006 a grown up Gregor meets with friends and family in a orchard in the German countryside. Gregor meets his wife Mara, from whom he has bees separated for thirty or so years, his best friend Martin and his son Daniel who is with his girlfriend Juli. Over the day spent picking apples Gregor reminisces over his life. In his teenage years he began to suspect that he was not his parents child, given that he looked nothing like them and on account of a slip up made by Uncle Max, an old friend of Emil. He runs away and travels throughout Europe for several years, returning to Germany intermittently to earn money for his travels. By the late sixties he is in Berlin and working as a musician. He meets Martin and Mara, telling them that he is a orphan. After some years he marries Mara when she becomes pregnant. The couples relationship comes under strain however when Mara visits Mrs. Liedmann who insists that Gregor is her biological dad. forced to choose between the word of her husband or his mother she becomes confused. Gregor decides to leave for a while to travel to Toronto with a group of musicians. Gregor maintains a long distance relationship with his family. After a time he returns to Berlin but finds it too hard. He leaves for Ireland where he lives for several years before he returns to Berlin following the fall of the Berlin wall. As time passes he gradually sees more of Mara and the two reform their friendship. At the end of the book, after Daniel has blamed Gregor for having fabricated the story of his existence, Mara takes the pair to a room in the back of the farmhouse where they are staying. In it is all of the possessions of Gregor's childhood home. Mara finds the clothes in which Gregor was found as a boy. Mara theorises that Mrs. Liedmann kept the clothes to let Gregor know of his origins. After this Daniel believes his fathers story. |
The Chimera's Curse | Julia Golding | 2,007 | Connie is the world's last Universal and the only one who can communicate with everyone and everything; the only person who can keep peace and unity between humans and the mythical beings being destroyed by human hands. But, the evil shapeshifter Kullervo wants her power. He wants to destroy all humanity for wiping out the mythical creatures. During a scorching summer, Kullervo prepares for war. The serpent-like Chimera is only a small part of his deadly army. As the dangerous fire of Kullervo's hatred bursts into life, Connie and her best friend Col must stop him. But how? And who will survive this fight to the death? And what must be sacrificed for it? During this thrilling finale to the Companions Quartet, gifts are revealed and friendships tested, and no one leaves unchanged. |
The Maze of Bones | Rick Riordan | 2,008 | The story begins with Grace Cahill laying on her deathbed requesting William McIntyre to change her will to the alternate version and dies soon after it is changed. After he is sure she is truly dead, the Man In Black steps out of the shadows and talks with McIntyre. The main characters, Amy and Dan Cahill, are then introduced. They are Grace's grandchildren going to her funeral at her mansion with Grace's sister and their guardian Aunt Beatrice. Right before the funeral Amy and Dan run into the Holts. The parents, Eisenhower and Mary-Todd, and their children,Hamilton (fourteen), Madison and Reagan,(eleven), turn Dan upside down. Then a non-random selection of Cahills, including Amy and Dan, are called away in private for the will reading. Also called away are the Holts, the Kabras (nicknamed the Cobras), Isabel, Natalie (eleven), and Ian (fourteen), Alistair Oh (inventor of microwaveable burritos),Irina Spasky (ex-KGB agent), The Starling triplets (Ned, Ted, and Sinead), Jonah Wizard (famous rapper host of the reality TV show "Who Wants to be a Gangsta"), Uncle Jose, Aunt Ingrid, and Aunt Beatrice. It was not known until Rapid Fire Two, but Astrid Rosenbloom was there also. William McIntyre shows them a video of Grace Cahill telling them there are on the brink of their greatest challenge yet. Mr. McIntyre then says they have a choice,one million dollars, or a chance to be the greatest Cahill in history and gives them five minutes to decide. Dan wants the money for baseball cards, while Amy wants the chance in order to make Grace proud. Then the Kabras try to discourage them from taking the challenge. Then the people at the will reading are told by Mr. McIntyre that people like Abraham Lincoln, Harry Houdini and Lewis and Clark are Cahills. In the end Amy and Dan chose the chance and receive a sealed envelope that they are instructed not to open. Then the Holts, Alistair, Starlings, and Spasky all accept the challenge. The envelope says: Resolution: The fine print to guess. Seek out Richard S. As Amy and Dan think over what this means, the Starlings, Holts, Kabras, and Irina leave. Meanwhile WIlliam gives the kids Grace's last warning, " Beware the Madrigals." Amy then goes to the library but does not find anything there, but Dan opens a passageway into Grace's secret library where Alistair and them find a copy of Poor Richard's Almanack. They give it to Alistair to look at, but just then the mansion burns down. They barely escape through the vents (Dan grabbing Grace's cat, Saladin and a box of jewels on the way out) and go home where they convince Nellie to be their chaperone for their trip. They then head to the Franklin Institute, and then France. In France they reject the offer of Jonah Wizard and then follow Irina Spasky, who, due to a theft chain, now has the almanac. Irina lured them into a trap on an island, but they were later saved unpredictably by the Holts, a family who is also after the Clues. After their escape, Amy and Dan told Nellie all about the 39 Clues, and Nellie decides to help them. With their information, the Cahills go to the Paris Catacombs. They find some bones which have numbers on them: a magic box number game, planted there by Franklin to give the coordinates to the next Clue. This leads them to a church where they find a room with a mural of the four original Cahills, after who the four Cahill branches are named. Inside the room is a small vial, with scrambled words on it. Dan solves the anagram, and they resolve to insert the vial into a lightning rod—one of Franklin's inventions—to charge it. Amy succeeds, but the vial is then stolen by the Kabras. However, Dan still has the original envelope, and solves the puzzle for the clue: iron solute. Amy's Internet searches for Franklin also have led them to the probable location of the second Clue: Vienna, Austria, the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. |
Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death | null | null | A local bookseller, Matthew Glynn, is found bludgeoned and strangled, setting Wycliffe on the trail of a killer whose identity is imbedded deep within a mountain of family secrets. These include the vanishing of Matthew's wife years earlier, the increasingly bitter arguments with his brother, Maurice, over the sale of ancestral land, the mysterious seclusion of his other sibling, Alfred, the web of deception weaved by their sister, Sara, and the discovery of important documents in Matthew's safe. And, as all of these sinister factors collude, the cycle of death continues and claims another life... |
The Broken Shore | Peter Temple | 2,005 | The novel's central character is Joe Cashin, a Melbourne homicide detective. Following serious physical injuries he is posted to his hometown where he begins the process of rebuilding the old family mansion and his physical and mental strength. Against a background of family tragedy, politics, police corruption and racism, he investigates the death of a wealthy local man, Charles Burgoyne. His closest friend and police superior is Villani, who is the central character in Truth. |
The Mark of the Assassin | null | null | When a terrorist bomb blows Flight 002 out of the sky off the east coast, there is only one chilling clue. A body found near the crash site bears the deadly calling card of an elusive, lethal assassin-three bullets to the face. Michael Osbourne of the CIA knows the markings. Personally. Propelled by an obsession that threatens to consume his career, his family, his life, Osbourne in now hot on the assassin's trail. But in a world of shadows and lies, intrigue and cover-up, the man with a mission puts himself and his loved ones in the sights of the most ruthless, diabolical assassin on earth. |
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