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Babouk | Guy Endore | null | Babouk is a slave renowned by many tribes for his excellent storytelling abilities. He is captured by the French and taken to Saint Domingue to work on the sugar cane fields. Unaware of the reasons for his capture and hoping to be reunited with his lost love Niati, Babouk escapes his slave compound and wanders into the forest, only to meet some indigenous Americans. He is soon captured by Maroons (runaway slaves who agree to turn in other runaways on the condition that they are allowed their freedom) and returned to the compound, where his ear is cut off. Such a traumatic experience forces him to remain absolutely silent for several years, doing his labor without complaint but also without much energy. He eventually can maintain his silence no longer, and he re-establishes himself as a great storyteller. Unhappy with the way the slave masters treat him (although they claim otherwise), Babouk becomes the figurehead for a group of slaves that intend to revolt against their masters. Babouk and his group are initially successful in their endeavors, but are eventually held back by the combined might of the French and British military. Babouk's arm is severed after he tries to stop a cannon from firing by sticking his hand into it; he is then beheaded and his head is put on a pike as a warning to other slaves who might try to draw inspiration from Babouk. The novel ends with an impassioned statement from Endore that warns of the inevitability of a race war as the result of the white man's transgressions. |
Wooden Leg: A Warrior Who Fought Custer | null | null | Wooden Leg was born in 1858 in the Black Hills. His father was previously known as Many Bullet Wounds. Warfare was common and the narrative is soon describing a conflict with the Crow. Wooden Leg took his own name from an admired uncle of the same name who was a tireless walker, an ability which Wooden Leg shared. The meaning is that his legs must be made of wood since they feel no pain no matter what the exertion. Many other conflicts, both with other Indian tribes, most especially the neighbouring Crows, but also the Shoshone, and US soldiers are documented in which Wooden Leg took part from a very young age. His elder brother was killed in the fight at Fort Phil Kearny during Red Cloud's attempt to clear the Bozeman Trail of US forts. The hardships of hunting in the snow as a boy with minimal clothing are described as are the unique Indian methods of transport during camp moves. In his young life Wooden Leg travelled all around the Black Hills region, and the Tongue and Powder Rivers. According to Wooden Leg, at the top of the tribal organisation were four "old men" tribal chiefs, and under these were forty "big chiefs". The Northern Cheyenne, along with other Plains Indian tribes, had a number of warrior societies; each of these was led by a warrior chief helped by nine little warrior chiefs. In Wooden Leg's time, there were three Northern Cheyenne warrior societies; the Elk, the Crazy Dog and the Fox. The tribal chiefs would delegate executive authority to one or the other of the warrior societies. These would put into action war, hunting expeditions, and camp moves as decided by the tribal chiefs. The currently designated warrior society also acted as police. Wooden Leg joined the Elk society at the age of 14, a big event in the young boy's life. By the rules of Cheyenne society, the currently "on duty" warrior society had sole prerogative in the task at hand. Nobody else was allowed to get in front of their scouts in a camp move, nor to approach the buffalo in a hunt. Of course, teenage boys are wont to push the boundaries and Wooden Leg was no exception. Several episodes are related where he and his friends are reprimanded and narrowly avoid serious punishment. Sport events and betting were usually between the warrior societies and there were a great many contests of all kinds. If the Cheyenne happened to be travelling with Sioux, then their warrior societies would take part also. Chief Little Wolf, who had been a great distance runner in his youth, was once jokingly challenged by an Ogallala Sioux when he was in his fifties. Little Wolf accepted this challenge and won by intelligent pacing of the distance despite being behind for most of the race. Many mythological or magical stories are found in the book. This includes a Cheyenne version of the great bear which is supposed to have put the claw marks in the side of Devils Tower, the feature later seen in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Much else of Cheyenne life is documented, a guide to arrow recognition, marriage customs, the entitlement to wear warbonnets amongst many others. Wooden Leg puts all this in perspective by comparison with other Plains tribes. In the process, the reader also learns much about other tribes, especially the Sioux. The Cheyenne deity is called by Wooden Leg The Great Medicine. A sacred tepee in the camp holds the tribal medicine object, in the case of The Northern Cheyenne, a Buffalo Head. Because of this, buffalo heads often appear in Cheyenne myths and ceremonies. After the Indians were driven out of the Black Hills, Wooden Leg's family chose not to live on the reservation, but instead took advantage of the Fort Laramie treaty provision of hunting grounds for the Indians between the Black Hills and the Bighorn River. They decided to live permanently in the hunting grounds, as far as possible staying out of contact with the white man. Other Cheyenne and Sioux also took this attitude, but most spent at least the winter on their reservations. When "reservation" Indians arrived in camp with rare goods such as tobacco and sugar it was a cause for celebration. In February 1876 they received news that the US intended to make war on all Indians who did not return to their reservations. In the subsequent fighting Wooden Leg took part in nearly every major engagement. The report was initially not believed; they were not fighting the white man and were only acting within the treaty. However, after similar information was brought by respected chiefs, the Cheyenne started keeping good lookouts and it was not long before Wooden Leg and his friends were in a skirmish with a party of soldiers. Towards the end of winter, the Cheyenne camp on Powder River was attacked and destroyed; however, most of the Indians escaped. Because they now had no possessions during winter, the Cheyenne moved to join their allies, the Ogallala Sioux led by Crazy Horse. Together, they moved North-East to join the Uncpapa Sioux led by Sitting Bull at Chalk Butte. then joined and then the Blackfeet Sioux. Small groups of other tribes also joined, such as the Waist and Skirt Indians, the Assiniboines and Burned Thigh Sioux. Even Chief Lame White Man was there with a small group of Southern Cheyenne. In Wooden Leg's mind, there is no doubt that this gathering of the tribes into one place was intended by the tribal chiefs for defence, not as a preparation for attack on the Whites, despite many of the young men being keen to do just that. towards their camp on the Rosebud River. Wooden Leg took part in the ensuing Battle of the Rosebud in which the soldiers were driven off. The Indians were not expecting further trouble from the soldiers; they were relaxing and recuperating. Wooden Leg was at an organised social dance the night before the Custer fight. On the day of the battle Wooden Leg was sleeping after bathing and was awoken by a commotion to find the camp in a panic because of an attack by soldiers. Wooden Leg was torn between the desire to join the battle quickly and the need to first put on his best clothes and paint his face (it was the Indian custom to always look one's best if there was any possibility of ending up in the afterlife) and was only stopped from oiling and braiding his hair as well at the urging of his father to hurry. The Indians drove back these Reno soldiers and had them pinned down, but they then spotted other soldiers making their way along the hills to the side of the Indian camps. Most of the Indians broke off the current fight at this point to engage this new threat from the Custer soldiers. Wooden Leg went back through the camp in the river valley rather than directly towards the soldiers. When there, his father tried to dissuade him from further fighting on the grounds that he had already done enough, but Wooden Leg would not hear of it, even persuading others to rejoin the fight. After the Custer fight Wooden Leg helped to save Little Wolf from being killed by Sioux who were angry that he had arrived after the fight and accusing him of coming to help the soldiers, though it was the actions of Little Wolf's small band that had provoked Custer into a premature attack. Wooden Leg, who was a good Sioux speaker, presented Little Wolf's case for him as he could not speak Sioux. Even though Custer's command had been wiped out, the Reno soldiers were still present. Wooden Leg returned to fight them that night, Wooden Leg describes many objects recovered from dead soldiers which the Indians did not understand, such as a compass and a pocketwatch. Wooden Leg himself threw away paper money, not realising its value; he also gave away coins which he did realise were of value, because he had no wish to trade with white men. When a new column of soldiers was observed approaching, the council of Chiefs decided not to fight these soldiers also. At this point the Indians disengaged and the entire camp was packed up and moved. The tribes travelled together for some weeks, camping at various locations in the Bighorn Valley, Rosebud and Tongue Rivers. After arriving back at the Cheyennes' starting point on Powder River it was decided to split up the tribes. It was becoming too difficult to hunt enough food to feed everyone and the danger seemed to be over. As winter approached, Wooden Leg joined a small war party on a raid into Crow territory. On the return journey they visited the site of the Little Bighorn battle, mainly looking for rifle cartridges but also whatever else they could scavenge. Wooden Leg remarks that there were a large number of soldier boot bottoms; this was because the tops had previously been taken by Indians, but they had no use for complete boots. As they came down the Tongue River valley, the group was surprised by the sight of the entire Northern Cheyenne tribe on the move. They had been attacked at the Powder River camp by soldiers and Pawnee Indians, the camp had been destroyed and they had lost all their possessions. The tribe was searching for the Ogallala Sioux under Crazy Horse, who they eventually found at Beaver Creek. The Ogallala welcomed them and together they journeyed to Tongue River. At Hanging Woman Creek, at the beginning of 1877, they had decided to separate as the Cheyenne had now replenished sufficiently, but while they were in the process of doing so, they were attacked by soldiers. Wooden Leg's sister was captured in this engagement. Wooden Leg rode to attempt a rescue but was driven back by fire from the soldiers. Most of the Indians escaped down Tongue River; the soldiers did not follow and the Cheyenne hunted peacefully for several months. As spring approached, the Cheyenne received envoys from Bear Coat inviting them to surrender. They received encouraging reports from released prisoners that they were being treated well. The chiefs decide to move the tribe nearer to Fort Keogh at the mouth of Tongue River without yet committing to a surrender. At Powder River they stopped and waited for the result of negotiations with a delegation of chiefs sent to the fort. While negotiations were proceeding, Wooden Leg heard of the suicide of his sister, Crooked Nose, who was still a prisoner in the fort. After some time in discussion, the tribal chiefs decided they would go to their agency and surrender there instead, which was the same agency as their friends the Ogallalas. Most of the tribe followed the chiefs, but everyone was left free to make their own decision. A few chose not to surrender at either place, and Wooden Leg and his brother, Yellow Hair, joined one such group led by the Fox warrior society chief Last Bull even though the rest of his family had gone to surrender at the agency. The small band, however, were not hunting sufficient food and slowly became weaker. Eventually, they too travelled to the agency to surrender. At first, they were satisfied with their situation, but then came the shocking news that they were to be moved south to Oklahoma. Wooden Leg, along with many others, was extremely angry about this. They had all expected to be able to continue to live on their homeland. However, there was nothing that could be done since they had all given up their guns and horses on entering the agency. {|align="right" |- | | |} The journey to Oklahoma began in May 1877 and took 70 days. A few Indians fled the agency when the news was announced, amongst them Wooden Leg's brother Yellow Hair. While in Oklahoma he received news that Yellow Hair had been killed by white men while out hunting. Wooden Leg hunted on the reservation, but there was no large game to be had and the Indians were not allowed to go off. Nor were they being fed as promised and there was much sickness. Little Wolf campaigned for action. Finally, he and Dull Knife led a great part of the tribe off the reservation and fought their way back North. Wooden Leg and his father stayed on the reservation hoping that food would eventually be provided. Wooden Leg had much contact with the Southern Cheyenne during this time. He learnt from them who Custer was (the Southern Cheyenne were familiar with him since he had previously fought a campaign against them) and of their attempt to come north to join them in the summer fighting of 1876. Finally, Wooden Leg took a wife from amongst the Southern Cheyennes. After six years in the South, the Northern Cheyenne were given permission to leave, either to join Little Wolf or to go to the Pine Ridge agency (formerly White River agency). Wooden Leg's father had died in the South but he and the rest of his family went first to Pine Ridge and later to the Tongue River country where the main part of the tribe were living. There were many changes in the North. Cheyennes were now acting as scouts for the US Army in the same way as previously had been done by the hated Pawnees, Crows and Shoshones. Little Wolf had had his chiefship revoked after a drunken killing. In 1889, at the age of 31, Wooden Leg himself joined the army scouts at Fort Keogh. There was not much to do; he spent most of his time learning to drink whisky. The following year the Cheyenne scouts were involved in a campaign against rebellious Sioux. Wooden Leg was present at Wounded Knee. The Cheyenne scouts had prepared themselves to fight (on the US side) but were not called upon to do so. Wooden Leg befriended the exiled Little Wolf towards the end of that great chief's life. Wooden Leg says that no-one had bad hearts against Little Wolf; even the dead man's brother, Bald Eagle, said "Little Wolf did not kill my brother, it was the white man whisky that did it". Little Wolf was interred standing upright in a pile of stones overlooking the Rosebud valley. Wooden Leg attended a "peace feast" at the Little Bighorn to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the battle. Some Cheyenne veterans would not go, fearful of retribution from the soldiers present. As late as 1926 there were still Cheyennes who would not go to the 50th anniversary. Wooden Leg himself did not attend the 50th anniversary, not out of fear, but because the site was now on Crow land, to whom he still felt much animosity. He resolved "never again to go to any place where I might be called upon to shake hands with a Crow". This was very different to his attitude to other former enemies, the Shoshones for instance, to whom he travelled on a friendly visit. In 1913 Wooden Leg was part of a Cheyenne delegation to Washington. He also visited New York and Philadelphia during this trip. Around 1908 he was baptised a Christian. However, he still privately prayed to the Great Medicine, feeling more comfortable praying this way. From 1927, the Cheyenne were again allowed to hold their annual Great Medicine dance. Other customs were still forbidden: practising Indian medicine could end in jail. Wooden Leg was appointed a judge on the agency by Washington. In this capacity he was obliged to enforce a ruling against multiple wives. He found this difficult, not least because he had two wives himself and felt obliged to set an example by being the first to send away a wife. After ten years, clearly struggling with his conscience, Wooden Leg resigned the post, but was later persuaded to take it on again by a new Indian agent. Wooden Leg had two daughters and had hopes that they would have a more comfortable life than his own. The younger, however, died unexpectedly of an illness. Later the other also died. Wooden Leg then adopted his grand nephew, Joseph White Wolf, and brought him up as his own. The story ends with Wooden Leg an old man becoming increasingly unable to farm his land, but still well off in relation to most Cheyennes as he had a pension from his scouting days and his pay as a judge. |
The Forbidden Tower | Marion Zimmer Bradley | 1,977 | The novel concerns two men and two women who challenge the matrix guardians, fanatics who strive to keep Darkover from falling under the influence of the Terrans. |
The Wind Boy | null | null | The novel is about a boy named Kay and a girl named Gentian who are foreign children and somewhat of outcasts in their village. They live with their mother and wait for their father to come to them from their home country. At the beginning of the book, a mysterious girl named Nan appears in their village, responding to a woman's advertisement requesting a "general housework girl". Nan is able to bring the children into the Clear Land, a world that mirrors their own. In the Clear Land, they each purchase a pair of Clear Land sandals and meet The Wind Boy, a handsome boy with purple wings. They learn that The Wind Boy once owned a horrible mask, but now it's in the hands of someone else. Now that person is going around scaring children. Until The Wind Boy is able to find and destroy the mask, he cannot have shoes of his own and is the outcast of the Clear Land. Only Gentian, who feels sorry for him, is friends with The Wind Boy. Kay and Gentian's mother Detra is a sculptor who is trying to make a statuette of The Wind Boy. She visits the Clear Land herself without really knowing it, where she is seen through a clear pool of water. While there, she tells The Wind Boy stories, so that he can smile and she can perfect the statuette. After seeing a starry cloak that Nan has, Gentian is allowed to visit the Clear Land to make her own. The children continue visit the Clear Land quite a few times, once during a punishment in school. The house next door to the children's home belongs to a famous Artist and his granddaughter, Rosemarie. Rosemarie is very pretty and Kay wishes that he could play with her, however Rosemarie is home-schooled and constantly in the charge of a strict governess. Kay eventually finds out the masked person is actually Rosemarie, who was lonely and used the mask to disguise herself while she explored the village. Kay tells Rosemarie about The Wind Boy and she agrees to leave the mask for him to destroy (Rosemarie had no idea that she had frightened people so much with the mask). Shortly after, a police officer catches Kay with the mask and assumes that he was the one wearing it. Nan throws the mask into the air where The Wind Boy destroys it. She then visits Rosemarie in the middle of the night and persuades the girl to confess to her grandfather about wearing the mask. Rosemarie does so and her grandfather decides to send her to the village school so that she will have friends. Rosemarie quickly befriends Kay and Gentian in the school and the children's mother is able to finish The Wind Boy statuette. The Artist likes it so much that he purchases it from her and arranges to have a larger bronze version constructed. Gentian is sad because she is unable to reach The Wind Boy and fears that now that he is no longer an outcast he would not wish to be her friend. She finally realizes that The Wind Boy would never abandon her and finds him again. He tells her that he could not see her when she didn't believe in him as a friend and the two leave to explore the Clear Land. At the end of the story, Nan announces that she is going to return to her home in the mountains. The children are sad, but Nan explains to them that if she doesn't go home, they can't possibly come to visit her. As Nan leaves, Kay and Gentian's father returns. |
Iliad | Homer | null | Note: Book numbers are in parentheses and come before the synopsis of the book. () After an invocation to the Muses, the story launches in medias res (Into the middle of things) towards the end of the Trojan War between the Trojans and the besieging Greeks. Chryses, a Trojan priest of Apollo, offers the Greeks wealth for the return of his daughter Chryseis, a captive of Agamemnon, the Greek leader. Although most of the Greek army is in favour of the offer, Agamemnon refuses. Chryses prays for Apollo's help, and Apollo causes a plague throughout the Greek army. After nine days of plague, Achilles, the leader of the Myrmidon contingent, calls an assembly to solve the plague problem. Under pressure, Agamemnon agrees to return Chryseis to her father, but also decides to take Achilles's captive, Briseis, as compensation. Angered, Achilles declares that he and his men will no longer fight for Agamemnon, but will go home. Odysseus takes a ship and brings Chryseis to her father, whereupon Apollo ends the plague. In the meantime, Agamemnon's messengers take Briseis away, and Achilles asks his mother, Thetis, to ask Zeus that the Greeks be brought to the breaking point by the Trojans, so Agamemnon will realize how much the Greeks need Achilles. Thetis does so, Zeus agrees, () and sends a dream to Agamemnon, urging him to attack the city. Agamemnon heeds the dream but decides to first test the morale of the Greek army by telling them to go home. The plan backfires, and only the intervention of Odysseus, inspired by Athena, stops a rout. Odysseus confronts and beats Thersites, a common soldier who voices discontent at fighting Agamemnon's war. After a meal, the Greeks deploy in companies upon the Trojan plain. The poet takes the opportunity to describe the provenance of each Greek contingent. When news of the Greek deployment reaches king Priam, the Trojans too sortie upon the plain. In a similar list to that for the Greeks, the poet describes the Trojans and their allies. () The armies approach each other on the plain, but before they meet, Paris offers to end the war by fighting a duel with Menelaus, urged by his brother and head of the Trojan army, Hector. While Helen tells Priam about the Greek commanders from the walls of Troy, both sides swear a truce and promise to abide by the outcome of the duel. Paris is beaten, but Aphrodite rescues him and leads him to bed with Helen before Menelaus could kill him. () Pressured by Hera's hatred of Troy, Zeus arranges for the Trojan Pandaros to break the truce by wounding Menelaus with an arrow. Agamemnon rouses the Greeks, and battle is joined. () In the fighting, Diomedes kills many Trojans and defeats Aeneas, whom again Aphrodite rescues, but Diomedes attacks and wounds the goddess. Apollo faces Diomedes, and warns him against warring with gods. Many heroes and commanders join in, including Hector, and the gods supporting each side try to influence the battle. Emboldened by Athena, Diomedes wounds Ares and puts him out of action. () Hector rallies the Trojans and stops a rout; the Greek Diomedes and the Trojan Glaukos find common ground and exchange unequal gifts. Hector enters the city, urges prayers and sacrifices, incites Paris to battle, bids his wife Andromache and son Astyanax farewell on the city walls, and rejoins the battle. () Hector duels with Ajax, but nightfall interrupts the fight and both sides retire. The Greeks agree to burn their dead and build a wall to protect their ships and camp, while the Trojans quarrel about returning Helen. Paris offers to return the treasure he took, and give further wealth as compensation, but without returning Helen, and the offer is refused. A day's truce is agreed for burning the dead, during which the Greeks also build their wall and trench. () The next morning, Zeus prohibits the gods from interfering, and fighting begins anew. The Trojans prevail and force the Greeks back to their wall while Hera and Athena are forbidden from helping. Night falls before the Trojans can assail the Greek wall. They camp in the field to attack at first light, and their watchfires light the plain like stars. () Meanwhile, the Greeks are desperate. Agamemnon admits his error, and sends an embassy composed of Odysseus, Ajax, Phoenix, and two heralds to offer Briseis and extensive gifts to Achilles, who has been camped next to his ships throughout, if only he would return to the fighting. Achilles and his companion Patroclus receive the embassy well, but Achilles angrily refuses Agamemnon's offer, and declares that he would only return to battle if the Trojans reach his ships and threaten them with fire. The embassy returns empty-handed. () Later that night, Odysseus and Diomedes venture out to the Trojan lines, killing the Trojan Dolon and wreaking havoc in the camps of some Thracian allies of Troy. () In the morning, the fighting is fierce and Agamemnon, Diomedes, and Odysseus are all wounded. Achilles sends Patroclus from his camp to inquire about the Greek casualties, and while there Patroclus is moved to pity by a speech of Nestor. () The Trojans assault the Greek wall on foot. Hector, ignoring an omen, leads the terrible fighting. The Greeks are overwhelmed in rout, the wall's gate is broken, and Hector charges in. () Many fall on both sides. The Trojan seer Polydamas urges Hector to fall back and warns him about Achilles, but is ignored. () Hera seduces Zeus and lures him to sleep, allowing Poseidon to help the Greeks, and the Trojans are driven back onto the plain. () Zeus awakes and is enraged by Poseidon's intervention. Against the mounting discontent of the Greek-supporting gods, Zeus sends Apollo to aid the Trojans, who once again breach the wall, and the battle reaches the ships. () Patroclus can stand to watch no longer, and begs Achilles to be allowed to defend the ships. Achilles relents, and lends Patroclus his armor, but sends him off with a stern admonition to not pursue the Trojans, lest he take Achilles's glory. Patroclus leads the Myrmidons to battle and arrives as the Trojans set fire to the first ships. The Trojans are routed by the sudden onslaught. Patroclus, ignoring Achilles's command, pursues and reaches the gates of Troy, where Apollo himself stops him. Patroclus is set upon by Apollo and Euphorbos, and is finally killed by Hector. () Hector takes Achilles's armor from the fallen Patroclus, but fighting develops around Patroclus' body. () Achilles is mad with grief when he hears of Patroclus's death, and vows to take vengeance on Hector; his mother Thetis grieves, too, knowing that Achilles is fated to die young if he kills Hector. Achilles is urged to help retrieve Patroclus' body, but has no armour. Made brilliant by Athena, Achilles stands next to the Greek wall and roars in rage. The Trojans are dismayed by his appearance and the Greeks manage to bear Patroclus' body away. Again Polydamas urges Hector to withdraw into the city, again Hector refuses, and the Trojans camp in the plain at nightfall. Patroclus is mourned, and meanwhile, at Thetis' request, Hephaistos fashions a new set of armor for Achilles, among which is a magnificently wrought shield. () In the morning, Agamemnon gives Achilles all the promised gifts, including Briseis, but he is indifferent to them. Achilles fasts while the Greeks take their meal, and straps on his new armor, and heaves his great spear. His horse Xanthos prophesies to Achilles his death. Achilles drives his chariot into battle. () Zeus lifts the ban on the gods' interference, and the gods freely intervene on both sides. The onslaught of Achilles, burning with rage and grief, is terrible, and he slays many. () Driving the Trojans before him, Achilles cuts off half in the river Skamandros and proceeds to slaughter them and fills the river with the dead. The river, angry at the killing, confronts Achilles, but is beaten back by Hephaestus' firestorm. The gods fight among themselves. The great gates of the city are opened to receive the fleeing Trojans, and Apollo leads Achilles away from the city by pretending to be a Trojan. () When Apollo reveals himself to Achilles, the Trojans had retreated into the city, all except for Hector, who, having twice ignored the counsels of Polydamas, feels the shame of rout and resolves to face Achilles, in spite of the pleas of Priam and Hecuba, his parents. When Achilles approaches, Hector's will fails him, and he is chased around the city by Achilles. Finally, Athena tricks him to stop running, and he turns to face his opponent. After a brief duel, Achilles stabs Hector through the neck. Before dying, Hector reminds Achilles that he is fated to die in the war as well. Achilles takes Hector's body and dishonours it. () The ghost of Patroclus comes to Achilles in a dream and urges the burial of his body. The Greeks hold a day of funeral games, and Achilles gives out the prizes. () Dismayed by Achilles' continued abuse of Hector's body, Zeus decides that it must be returned to Priam. Led by Hermes, Priam takes a wagon out of Troy, across the plains, and enters the Greek camp unnoticed. He grasps Achilles by the knees and begs to have his son's body. Achilles is moved to tears, and the two lament their losses in the war. After a meal, Priam carries Hector's body back into Troy. Hector is buried, and the city mourns. |
The Wrong Doyle | Robert Girardi | 2,002 | Tim Doyle returns to the Eastern Shore after the death of his Uncle Buck. As pressure rises for him to sell out quick, his suspicions rise, and his investigations escalate. He meets the keeper of Uncle Buck's inheritance, Maggie Peach, at Doyle's Pirate Island putt putt golf course and motel. |
Belchamber | Howard Sturgis | 1,904 | The story follows Sainty, an aristocratic heir who likes knitting and dislikes sports. He gets married after much goading from his mother, though his wife, Cissy, turns out to find him repugnant. She has an illegitimate son with someone else, who dies shortly after. |
Girls in Love | Jacqueline Wilson | 1,997 | The novel is narrated by Eleanor Allard, a.k.a. Ellie. The book opens with Ellie's Family holiday to Wales where she meets a nerdy boy named Dan, Dan falls for Ellie and asks her out but his feelings are not reciprocated and Ellie turns him down. Ellie arrives back at school after the summer holidays to find her best friend, Nadine, has a new boyfriend named Liam, her other friend, Magda, soon asks a boy named Greg out as well. Feeling left out, Ellie lies to her friends about dating Dan and describes him falsely as cool, handsome and 15 years old. Magda and Ellie begin to worry about the pressure Liam is putting on Nadine about sex, but Nadine dismisses their worries and after a fight begins refuses to speak to them. One night the three girls sneak out to a night club called "Seventh Heaven" and it is revealed that Liam was only using Nadine for sex when they meet some other girls that had been Liam's victims. Liam had planned to break up with her after she 'put out' or, had sex with him. At a friend's party Dan turns up unannounced, and Ellie is mortified. Soon the truth about Dan is revealed to Ellie's friends; however, when gatecrashers arrive at the party and cause trouble, Dan intervenes and saves the day. To Ellie's surprise, this impresses Magda and Nadine and causes Ellie to rethink her first impressions of Dan. The book ends with Ellie and Dan's first kiss. |
The Jolly Postman | null | null | The Jolly Postman follows an unnamed mail carrier as he delivers letters by bicycle to characters from traditional children's stories that are well-known in Britain. Following each sheet of narrative verse and illustration, there is one shaped like an envelope and containing one of the postman's deliveries. Each envelope is be opened and its enclosure read at that point in the story. WorldCat gives the entire description: "A Jolly Postman delivers letters to several famous fairy-tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, and the Three Bears. Twelve of the pages have been made into six envelopes and contain eight letters and cards. Each letter may be removed from its envelope page and read separately." |
Random Acts of Heroic Love | null | 2,007 | *Moritz Daniecki is a young Jewish Pole born in 1896 in the village of Ulanów on the banks of River San, on the fringes of the great Austro-Hungarian Empire bordering Russia. He meets and falls in love with Lotte, but is subsequently conscripted into the army and fights on the Eastern Front in Galicia and the Carpathian Mountains before surrendering to the Russians in 1915 and being imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp in Srentensk, Siberia. Two years later he begins a hazardous escape journey back to Europe with former comrade Frantz Király, and returns to Europe in 1920 to claim Lotte's hand in marriage. In the novel Moritz is an older man dying of consumption in his home in Berlin (which he caught on his travels and never recovered from) and is recounting his experiences on his deathbed to his son Fischel, whom we later discover to be Frank Deakin. *Lotte Steinberg, the daughter of an affluent Jewish furrier in Ulanów, is Moritz Daniecki's lover. Her parents disapprove of her enduring affection for him however and attempt to arrange a marriage between her and a wealthy lawyer in Vienna whilst Moritz is away from home. *Jerzy Ingwer is Moritz's best and childhood friend. They serve together in the Austo-Hungarian Army but Jerzy freezes to death during the Austrian winter campaign in the Carpathian Mountains. *Frantz Király is a cynical, pessimistic and ever-complaining Hungarian in Moritz's unit whose selfish mannerisms lead to his capture along with Moritz by the Russian Army. Despite their differences however, the two form a grudging friendship and together the escape across the Siberian wilderness until Király's deteriorating condition means he decides to stay behind, in Irkutsk. *Leo Deakin is an English PhD zoology student at University College London. He was the boyfriend of the late Eleni, who died in a bus crush near Latacunga, Ecuador. He blames on his own rash misjudgment. He is a rational, intense character, whose loss drives him to depression, delusion and obsessive compulsive tendencies as well as comfort in the quirks of quantam physics. Ultimately he finds solace in his enduring friend and confidante, Hannah. *Eleni was Leo's girlfriend of two years, whose preceding death initiates the emotional journey that Leo goes through during the book. They had met in Camden whilst Eleni was a fresher at UCL. Eleni was a compassionate and carefree character, shown by her work for Amnesty. She was Greek and from the island of Kithos; her parents Georgios and Alexandria are divorced. *Frank Deakin is Leo's father. Orphaned at a young age, Frank is a reclusive, sensitive character whose childhood experiences have a profound effect upon him and his relationship with others. After the death of Eleni, watching the change in his son's personality prompts him to be more open about himself. Later we discover that he lived in Berlin as a child just before the Second World War and that he used to be called Fischel Daniecki. He was sent to England by his mother Lotte via the kindertransport and was bullied by his peers for being German. After the war, upon hearing that the rest of his family had been murdered in the Holocaust, he took on a new identity as an Englishman in an attempt to escape his traumatic past. *Hannah Johnson is one of Leo's best friends. They met on their first day of university and gradually forged a dogged friendship. She is a lively character whose extroverted personality hides her own grief from the loss of her mother to cancer at the age of ten. Hannah stands by Leo during his mourning and remains supportive despite consequent problems and strains in their relationship. Later in the book she becomes an orphan when her father passes away, and her emotions are reciprocated by Leo's father Frank who went through a similar experience. In the end Leo and Hannah grow to love one another in respect of their personal bereavements. *Roberto Panconesi is a young Italian man who works as a lecturer in the philosophy of physics. He is popular, especially with female students, and noted for his eccentric theories and individual teaching style. A liberal and open-minded character, his opinion and description of quantam physics awes and inspires the grieving Leo, who finds a way of seeing and understanding love and the world around him through Roberto's words. Roberto also suggests that Leo writes down anything remarkable and personally relevant to him in a notebook. The novel is interspersed with a collaboration of quotes, scribbles and images on love and life depicting this notebook. |
Thendara House | Marion Zimmer Bradley | 1,983 | The novel concerns the dwelling of the Darkovan Order of the Renunciates. It also concerns Magda, a Terran, who goes to Thendara House in exchange for the Free Amazon Jaelle who has become the wife of an Earthman. |
The Forged Coupon | Leo Tolstoy | 1,911 | Young Mitya is in desperate need of money to repay a debt, but his father angrily denies him assistance. Dejected, Mitya simply changes a $2.50 note to read $12.50, but this one evil deed sets off a chain of events that affects the lives of dozens of others, when his one falsehood indirectly causes a man to murder a woman at the end of Part I, and then seek redemption through religion in Part II. Having written the novella in his dying years, after his excommunication, Tolstoy relishes the chance to unveil the "pseudo-piety and hypocrisy of organized religion." Yet, he maintains an unwavering belief in man's capacity to find truth, so the story remains hopeful. or "The Counterfeit Note" or "The Forged Banknote." |
The Killing Star | Charles R. Pellegrino | 1,995 | The late 21st century seems like a good time to be alive. Earth is at peace. Humans now command self-replicating machines that create engineering marvels on enormous scales. Artificial habitats dot the solar system. Anti-matter driven Valkyrie rockets carry explorers to the stars at nearly the speed of light. All seems well. Then, from the uncaring black of space come swarms of relativistic missiles. Though they are merely boulder-sized hunks of metal, they move fast enough to hit with the force of many nuclear arsenals. They are impossible to track and impossible to stop. Humanity is all but wiped out by the horrific bombardment. (To read a discussion of relativistic weapons and an excerpt of the attack, see Atomic Rockets: Relativistic Weapons). A handful of survivors desperately struggle to escape the alien mop-up fleet. They hide close to the sun, inside asteroids, beneath the crusts of moons, within ice rings, and in the fathomless depths of interstellar space. But most are hunted down and slaughtered. The last man and woman on Earth are captured as zoo specimens. In the belly of an alien starship, a squid-like being relates to them the pitiless logic behind human-kind's execution: the moment we learned to travel at relativistic speeds was the moment we had the power to do to them what they did to us first. The attack was nothing personal. Humanity was simply too dangerous a neighbor to have around. |
Empress Bianca | Lady Colin Campbell | null | Bianca Barrett, the protagonist and daughter of a Welsh Surveyor and his Palestinian wife, becomes an "ambitious and mercenary" social climber and double murderess. Charming and well educated, Bianca marries four times and advances in wealth and social influence. With Bernardo, her first husband, Bianca has three children; they lose their son in a tragic car accident. After a divorce, she marries the rich Fredie whose family owns the Piedraplata commercial empire. Before it comes to a divorce, the second husband is shot and killed by a hitman who makes it look like a suicide. The killing is arranged by her lover, Phillipe Mahfud, and Bianca becomes the financial beneficiary. After a brief marriage to husband number three, - she had married him only to make Mahfud jealous-, she lastly marries Mahfud, a superrich Iraqi businessman and banker. When their relationship sours, the banker dies with his nurse in a mysterious fire in his apartment in the tax haven of Andorra. Bianca's lawyers pay off the police and investigators, and the only justice that remains is in the court of public opinion. |
Worlds of the Imperium | Keith Laumer | null | Brion Bayard, an American diplomat on assignment in Stockholm, Sweden, attempts to evade men he believes to be Soviet agents, only to find himself kidnapped by agents of the Imperium from a parallel world. Taken to the home world of the Imperium, he is introduced to the aristocratic members of the government, which rules most of the civilized world from London, having been formed by the union of the British Empire, which included America, and the German and Austro-Hungarian empires of Europe. He is impressed by the commitment to duty of the Imperial officials he meets and drawn to a particularly noble lady. The main reason for his abduction, however, is that the Imperium is under attack from another parallel world. The Maxoni-Cocini drive, which is the technology for traveling between worlds, is extremely dangerous. Almost all worlds where its development is attempted are destroyed in bizarre and horrible ways. The collection of time lines where this occurs is known as the Blight, and the rare ones where the Earth survives are known as Blight Insulars, or BI's. BI-1 is the Imperium, and BI-3 is Bayard's home world, where the technology never developed. The raids are coming from BI-2, a chaotic world where war has swept the planet for generations, and which was not believed to have the Maxoni-Cocini drive. That version of Earth is currently ruled by a dictator, who happens to be Brion Bayard. Bayard undergoes extensive training to substitute for his double, presumably after killing him, and take over the other government, shutting off the raids. The plan falls through almost as soon as he arrives in the new world. For some reason, nobody believes in his impersonation. The reason becomes apparent when he meets the other Bayard, who lost both legs in a battle years before, but who has concealed that fact from the public. However, this other Bayard is not the evil dictator he is portrayed to be. He greets his double as a brother, and tells him how he became dictator to pacify his world. He knows nothing of the raids on the Imperium. The two Bayards talk over a gourmet meal and discover they have much in common, including similar histories. Bayard the dictator is abruptly assassinated by the real conspirators, who are working for power-hungry factions in the Imperium itself, using stolen technology. Bayard himself is scheduled for a showy execution, after suitable amputation surgery, to allow the conspiracy to consolidate its hold on their world by publicly eliminating the dictator. Eventually he is able to escape back to the Imperium and expose the conspirators. Offered a chance to return to his Earth, or become a high-ranking Imperium officer, he looks at the noble lady who has become so important to him, and declares, "Home is where the heart is." |
The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School | null | 2,007 | The book is about the naughty fourth grade class at Aesop Elementary School. Each chapter (which is also a story) ends with one of Aesop's Fables's morals such as when Calvin Tallywong wishes that he was back in Kindergarten. |
City of Sorcery | Marion Zimmer Bradley | 1,984 | The novel concerns the quest of Magdalen Lorne, the chief Terran operative on Darkover. |
The Scaredy Cats | null | null | The Scaredy Cat parents wakes up in the morning, they can't function because they are scared of things that could possibly happen. The Scaredy Cats live through a day of fear. |
The Bourne Deception | Eric Van Lustbader | 2,009 | The Bourne Deception picks up where The Bourne Sanction left off. Jason Bourne's nemesis, Arkadin, is still hot on his trail and the two continue their struggle, reversing roles of hunter and hunted. When Bourne is ambushed and badly wounded, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. In safety, he takes on a new identity, and begins a mission to find out who tried to assassinate him. Jason begins to question who he really is, how much of him is tied up in the Bourne identity, and what he would become if that was suddenly taken away from him. Shortly after, an American passenger airliner is shot down over Egypt by an Iranian missile. A global investigative team, led by Soraya Moore, is assembled to get at the truth of the situation before it can escalate into an international scandal. The trail to Bourne's leads him to Seville. On the way there, he meets Tracy Atherton, who tells him that she is going to Seville to buy the 14th Black Painting. In Seville, Bourne is attacked in a bullfighting arena by a killer named The Torturer. Later on, search for the man who shot him intersects with the search for the people that brought down the airliner, leading Bourne into one of the most deadly and challenging situations he has ever encountered. With the threat of a new world war brewing, Bourne finds himself in a race against time to uncover the truth and find the person behind his assault, all the while stalked by his unknown nemesis. |
Ender in Flight | Orson Scott Card | null | Ender and Valentine Wiggin are on their way to the new human colony planet Shakespeare where Ender is to become the governor. Most of the passengers on board have decided to be put in stasis for the two year duration of the flight. Alessandra and Dorabella Toscano are among the colonists who chose to stay awake. During the trip they befriend Ender because Dorabella wants Ender to fall in love with and marry her daughter. The captain of the ship, Admiral Quincy Morgan, has a power struggle with Ender who he considers to be nothing more than a spoiled teenager. However, as soon as the ship lands the captain is reminded by Ender, and his superiors from the International Fleet, that Ender is his superior officer on the planet and that he has to return to Earth. |
The Taking of Lungtungpen | null | null | The story is about one of Kipling's three private soldiers, Learoyd, Mulvaney and Ortheris, whose adventures are further related in his collection of short stories Soldiers Three: Terence Mulvaney. This story tells "how Privit Mulvaney tuk the town av Lungtungpen", in his own words (Kipling represents him conventionally as an Irish speaker of English). Mulvaney, who continually blots his copybook (and loses promotions and goods conduct badges from his habit of "wan big dhrink a month") is nevertheless a fine soldier. When he is patrolling Burmah against dacoits with 24 young recruits under Lieutenant Brazenose, they capture a suspect. Mulvaney, with an interpreter, takes the prisoner aside and "trates him tinderly" [='treats him tenderly'] with a cleaning rod. This example of army brutality extracts the information that there is a town called Lungtungpen, a haunt of dacoits, 9 miles away, 'across the river'. Mulvaney persuades the Lieutenant not to await reinforcements, but to "visit" Lungtungpen that night. Mulvaney is in the lead when they come to the river, and tells the four men with him to strip and swim across. Two of them can't swim, but they use a tree trunk for flotation and cross the river - despite their discovery that "That shtrame [= stream] was miles woide!" When they reach the other side, in the dark they have landed on the river wall of Lungtungpen, and a fierce fight ensued - fortunately for the British, they are so close under the wall that, in the dark, the Burmese fire passes harmlessly over their heads. The British – still naked from their swim – go in with bayonets and the butts of their rifles, as well as their ammunition. They kill 75 Burmese. They then hold "the most ondasint p'rade [= 'indecent parade'] I iver tuk a hand in", with only eight men having even belt and pouches on; the rest are "as naked as Venus". While half of them dress, the other half patrol the town, with the women laughing at them. |
Piggie Pie | null | null | Gritch the Witch wants to make some piggie pie, but her pantry has no pigs. So she searches for pigs to make into a pie. She goes to Old McDonald's farm, but she sees no pigs which makes her wonder where they are at. |
Paris France | null | null | Paris France is a memoir written in a “stream of consciousness” style. It is interpreted as Gertrude Stein’s personal view of France as a country, and the French people. She observes the French eating, drinking, crossing the street, and carrying out their day in no other way that deviates from their "french-ness". The word "French" quickly becomes a state of being or state of existence. A noun and an adjective. Throughout the novel, the idea of being French in France is communicated to the reader in a raw, confident, matter of fact way. Because of this, some critics believe the novel was not meant to be written as a completely accurate view of the French culture. Stein refers often to fashion, autonomy, logic, tradition and civilization as crucial parts of the French state of being, any straying of which would be straying from being French, regardless of actual nationality. Stein places the state of France within the context of past wars and the possible impending war and the war’s effect on the “Frenchness” of the French, as well as the ideal/real French reaction to war. Stein nonchalantly recalls anecdotes she deems relevant to the topic at hand, each bringing reference to other anecdotal stories having a purpose and place within the progression of the novel. Stein freely follows the tangents of thoughts and life stories (or stories from others’ lives) but always returns to the driving purpose of the novel, identifying the French qualities and paying homage to England and France. |
Chitralekha | null | 1,994 | The story starts with a dialogue between the great hermit Ratnambar and his disciples, Shwetank and Vishaldev about the sin that humans usually do in life; is nothing, though he or she (human) becomes the victims and slave of circumstances. So, according to Ratnambar - "there is no such sin and virtue". Since everyone does according to the circumstances and fell in different parts of the life span. The luxurious life by a great feudal and young soldier, Bijgupta (Pradeep Kumar in the film), who serves under the Maurya Empire and the king Chandragupta Maurya ( 340 BCE – 298 BCE) and a beautiful dancer and young widow, Chitralekha (Meena Kumari in the film) - actually they are the main characters of this novel. However, another secondary character is Kumargiri (Ashok Kumar in the film), who too was a hermit and fell in love with Chitralekha and becomes the victim of life and time. Shwetank and Vishaldev have to find the truth of life and sin as suggested by their guru, Ratnambar. They become the slaves of the surroundings too, as well as Bijgupta, who too fell in the serious circumstances created by the 'time'. The other characters are Yashodhara, the princess, and his father, the aged Mritunjay. The character, Chanakya, has been brought to make the novel interesting. The novel, Chitralekha is about the debates over the life and love. It has twenty two sections. |
Deep Dish | Mary Kay Andrews | null | Gina is a 30 year old chef obsessed with health. Her cooking show is cancelled when a big sponsor pulls out after seeing the show's producer in bed with the sponsor's wife. This cancellation creates an opportunity for a new show on the Cooking Channel. The producers are also interested in a local cooking show called Vittles, hosted by Tate Moody. The producers decide to turn the competition between Gina and Tate into a reality show. |
Vaporetto 13: A Novel | Robert Girardi | 1,997 | Jack Squire is a Currency Trader on assignment to Venice where he discovers both the light and dark of the city. Major characters include Jack Squire, currency trader from Washington, D.C. and Caterina, is the girl from Venice who haunts Jack Squire. |
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? | null | null | Fat Cat wonders what to sit on. The animals are relieved that the cat won't sit on them, but they wonder about what the cat will have for lunch. The animals run off in terror. |
The Littlest Hitler | Ryan Boudinot | 2,006 | The book has characters who are things such as drugstore workers and pharmacists. The short stories have things such a cannabalistic mother, serial killers, zombies and terrorists. The last story is called "The Newholy" which has to do with immigration. |
Dark Horse | null | null | The book is set in an unknown election year in the near future (dialogue suggests that it is either the 2016 or 2020 election). It begins at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, where there has been an extremely tight race for the nomination over California Governor Robert W. Long and Senate Majority Leader Salmon Stanley, and there has been much controversy over the Virginia delegation for both candidates, and which one was legitimate under Primary Rules. Because of a last minute betrayal by Long supporter Tennessee Governor Terry Tinford to Stanley (under the impression he would be "seriously considered" as the VP nominee), Stanley is able to win the nomination with a razor thin margin 2,221 delegates to Long's 2,117. After an outraged Long rejects Stanley's proposal to be his running mate, he selects Governor of Pennsylvania Betsy Hafer as his running mate (much to Tinford's disgust). A stressed out Jay Noble (the campaign manager of Long) takes a vacation to Mexico, where he meets a very attractive Nicole Dearborn, a democratic activist. After spending several days in Mexico, he gets a call from Long, saying to meet him at the campaign headquarters because he is considering running as an Independent. Meanwhile, the Stanley campaign is suffering crippling blows by an FBI investigation over an alleged payment by the campaign to give favorable testimony to the credential committee regarding the Virginia delegation by campaign manager Michael Kaplan. Hafer also makes repeated gaffes on the campaign trail, much to Stanley's embarrassment. As this is going on, the Republican National Convention is set to get underway in Miami. Vice President Harris Flaherty is the nominee for the Republican Party, and he is debating whom to choose as his running mate. The President (who is never named) encourages Flaherty to make a smart decision for VP. Evangelical radio host Andy Stanton is meeting with top officials of the Flaherty campaign, attempting to encourage Flaherty not to pick Secretary of State David Petty as the VP, on the grounds that he is a pro-choice moderate who would infuriate the Evangelical vote. He then has a hostile meeting with Petty, only furthering his distaste for him. He is assured by campaign manager Bill Diamond that Petty will not be chosen. Stanton is satisfied, and waits for the announcement. Flaherty surprises everyone when he picks Petty, and an infuriated Stanton releases a statement criticizing Petty on certain issues the day he is set to make his acceptance speech. As the convention is set to get underway, Long officially announces his Independent candidacy, as succeeds in getting on the ballot in California. Because of this split within the Democratic party, Flahery has a 15 point lead over Stanley going into the convention, all but ensuring a landslide victory for the republicans. After the convention, a confident republican ticket emerges expecting victory going into the election. Unknown to either parties, Rassem El Zafarshan, an Iranian terrorist, is planning an assassination attempt on both members of the republican ticket. He succeeds in shooting down Marine Two and killing Flaherty, but Petty is in a bulletproof limousine at the time of the shooting. Zafarshan escapes the U.S., all but one terrorist is killed (the one is taken into custody), and the President debates on whether or not to invade Iran. As the nation mourns, a deeply divided republican party is split on whether or not to elevate Petty to the Presidency nomination. Senator Tom Reynolds, a deeply convicted conservative, originally emerges as the candidate for conservatives, but withdraws because of his desires to be selected as the running mate. Petty is nominated easily, but liberal Senator Ed Bell of Colorado is nominated as VP, and the conservatives walk out on Petty, stating that voting for Long is a serious possibility. The President appoints Petty as the Vice President. Meanwhile, Long sues the Texas Supreme Court for ballot access unsuccessfully, but is able to win in the Court of Appeals, effectively getting him on the ballot in all 50 states. In order to win the Evangelical vote, Long announces political veteran and Catholic Jonny Whitehead as his running mate, and changes his position to pro-life on abortion. After a phenomenal performance in the debates, Long wins the most electors, but does not win enough to win the election, so the election is forced to the United States House of Representatives. After the President chooses not to interfere in the House Vote, Long convinces West Virginia and Pennsylvania to cast their vote for him, giving him the Presidency. The Senate then gives the Vice Presidency to Whitehead over Ed Bell. Jay Noble decides not to want a job in the administration, and becomes an outside supporter. The book ends 14 days prior to Long's inauguration. |
City at the End of Time | Greg Bear | 2,008 | City at the End of Time is about the Kalpa, the last city on Earth, one hundred trillion years in the future. The novel's back-story describes how the aging universe continued expanding and its spacetime fabric weakened. With the galaxies burnt out, humanity dispersed across the cosmos, where they encountered the Typhon, an inexplicable entity that was destroying the decaying universe. It consumed matter and replaced space-time with emptiness and inconsistencies beyond the laws of physics. The resulting Chaos spread rapidly, driving some humans back to ancient Earth with its rekindled sun. In an attempt to fend off the approaching Typhon, leaders of the dying Earth sent for Polybiblios, a human living with the Shen, an ancient alien race. Polybiblios returned to Earth with his adopted daughter, Ishanaxade, a being he had constructed from "fate-logs" of intelligent species collected by the Shen. After the Shen system fell, and the Chaos surrounded Earth, its leaders instructed everybody to convert themselves from primordial (real) matter to noötic (virtual) mass. As each city fell, its inhabitants retreated to the last remaining cities, the Kalpa and Nataraja. Using knowledge he had gleaned from the Shen, Polybiblios build reality generators to protect the Kalpa. Nataraja, which had rebelled the instruction to convert to noötic matter, was left to fend for itself. The novel alternates between the Kalpa and present-day Seattle, where three drifters, Ginny, Jack and Daniel are in possession of sum-runners, small stone-like talismans that give them "fate-shifting" abilities, whereby they can jump between fate-lines (world lines in a multiverse). Ginny and Jack also have disturbing dreams of the Kalpa, and are inexplicably connected to Jebrassy and Taidba, two "breeds" living in the future city. Fate-shifters and their sum-runners are hunted by "collectors" working for the Chalk Princess, an entity controlled by the Typhon from the future. These hunters place adverts in local newspapers inviting "dreamers" to contact them for "help". In the future the Typhon is destroying history and world-lines are being broken, merging the past and the present. With the Chaos closing in on the Kalpa, the inhabitants (all noötic) are unable to venture outside the city walls. Under Ishanaxade's instructions they create "breeds", copies of ancient humans, using primordial matter. They send them in groups into the Chaos to find out if Nataraja still stands, but none return. Ishanaxade herself ventures out, but is not heard from again. As the Typhon starts breaching the Kalpa, the last batch of breeds, including Jebrassy and Taidba, leave the city in search of help. Armed with portable reality generators, they slowly progress through the "unreal" landscape in search of the rebel city. Meanwhile the Chaos has reached all the way back to the present-day, and an event called the Terminus hits Seattle: the past, present and future collides and world-lines are severed. Ginny, Jack and Daniel, having evaded the hunters, trek across a degenerating Seattle. Protected by their sum-runners, they are drawn to the Nataraja, where Ishanaxade is waiting. While still in the Kalpa, Ishanaxade had instructed Polybiblios to create the sum-runners containing "fragmented Babels", and in the Chaos she had sent them back to the "beginning of time". The sum-runners were programmed to lead the bearers to Ishanaxade when the expected Terminus occurred. The breeds, programmed to see Ishanaxade as their "mother", are also drawn to Nataraja, and Jebrassy and Taidba find their counterparts Jack and Ginny in the ruined city. The Kalpa falls to the Chaos, but in Nataraja, the sum-runners and their Babel fragments are united and a new history is created causing the Typhon, now a failed god, to implode. |
Festering Season | null | null | After the owner of an East Village botanicas is killed in a bizarre police shooting, her daughter, Rene Duboise is summoned back to New York from Haiti, interrupting her Vodou training. Upon her return, Rene realizes that she is being watched and that there is something more sinister going on in the city. At the same time, Paul Whythe, a cultural anthropology professor at New York University is asked to consult with the NYPD’s Cult Related Task Force on dead body unearthed in Brooklyn Heights. He recognizes the ritualized nature of the burial to be related to the religion of Palo, but becomes suspicious of the East Village shooting’s relationship with the similar religion of Vodou. Rene realizes that a drug smuggler by the name of Gangleos is behind a series of ritualistic crimes, including her mother’s death, after a confrontation with Isabelle Desanto, whose brother had also been murdered after seeking counsel with Rene’s mother. After a meeting with Paul shortly thereafter, Rene is able to piece together a far greater threat being orchestrated against the entire city. However the extent and purpose of which remain a mystery until near the end of the story. |
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers | Lilian Jackson Braun | 2,007 | The Old Hulk, being developed for a senior center, mysteriously burns to the ground. Meanwhile, a young woman dies from a bee sting—or could it have been murder? Qwill's lady friend, Polly Duncan, goes to Paris and decides to stay there. Later, Qwill's apple barn residence is burned by fire. |
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle | David Wroblewski | 2,008 | === What Hands Do Chequamegon Poison === |
The Fern Tattoo | David Brooks | 2,007 | Benedict's mother has recently died; after the funeral he receives a phone call from Mrs. Darling, a friend of his mother's. Benedict visits the old woman in the countryside where she tells him various tales that involve three generations of families. He spends the next several years visiting Mrs. Darling, rearranging his personal plans so he can visit her more often. One day he receives a phone call that Mrs. Darling is dying. He finally learns that the stories she has been telling him have been about his own family. |
Other Bells for Us to Ring | Robert Cormier | 1,990 | Eleven-year-old Darcy Webster never had a best friend until her father joined the army, bringing his family to Frenchtown in Monument, near Fort Delta, Massachusetts. There she became friends with Kathleen Mary O'Hara. Darcy had always been a Unitarian. That is until Kathleen Mary sprinkled her with holy water declaring, "Now you're a Catholic, Darcy Webster. Forever and ever, world without end, Amen." Darcy never had a chance to ask Kathleen Mary if she was joking, because Kathleen Mary's father went on a rampage, sending him to jail, and splitting up the O'Hara family. Darcy struggled with her religion, whether a little bit of holy water and a declaration by an eleven-year-old could turn her Catholic, and what to do, how to pray, and whether God really exists or not. Things became more complicated when a letter came home to Darcy and her mother stating that Mr. Webster was missing in action. |
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages | Brandon Sanderson | 2,008 | Vin, after taking the power of the Well of Ascension at the end of the previous book, released it into the world instead of saving Elend. Elend, however, survived by consuming a bead of metal which made him an extremely powerful Mistborn. However, the entirety of the Terrismen prophecies were shown to have been changed by the god, Ruin, in order to trick Vin into freeing it from the Well. Now Ruin has been released and is beginning to destroy the world. The Lord Ruler, in preparation of such an event, created storage caches containing valuables such as food and water in cave complexes beneath certain cities, each one providing directions to the next. As Vin and Elend struggle from cache to cache, looking for the atium stash, the world itself begins to crumble, ash spewing forth in greater quantities and the mists claiming more and more people. Meanwhile, Sazed continues to struggle with his faith, trying and failing to find a religion that makes sense while he, along with Breeze, try to help Elend take over the rebel city Urteau, where Spook has developed strange abilities and started a new revolution. TenSoon, on the other hand, is imprisoned and trying to convince the kandra that the world is ending, and that they must work together with the humans to save the world. As the book progresses, Vin and Elend try to conquer the city of Fadrex City and discover more about how their world works. They discover patterns in the numbers of people dying after being exposed to the mists, as well as secrets regarding the koloss, kandra, and Inquisitors, but fearing that Ruin will discover their plans, are unable to discuss their plans with each other. As the days grow hotter and the mists stronger, Vin and Elend encounter more and more dangers. Yomen, the King of Fadrex City, captures Vin, who escapes and battles with Ruin, who has been fooling them into leading him to his body, which turns out to be the atium stash. |
Unseen Academicals | null | null | Unseen Academicals tells the story of the faculty of Unseen University being forced to choose between (only) three meals a day and playing a game of football, as tradition mandates the game in exchange for their large financial endowment by a wealthy family. The wizards soon learn that the local version of football (similar to the actual game of mob football) is very violent and deaths are common. Thus, in collaboration with the city's tyrant Lord Vetinari, they set out to make new 'official' football rules, which includes forbidding the use of hands and the use of official footballs as opposed to the makeshift balls the street games use. The book includes a satirisation of the Mallard ceremony performed at All Souls College, Oxford Parallel to this, the book tells the story of four young people. A candle dribbler named Mr. Nutt discovers that he is not what he thinks he is and must overcome the fear of his race, both by humans and by himself. He is also chosen to train the university's team for the big match. Trev Likely, who is Mr. Nutt's coworker and best friend, is the son of the Ankh-Morpork's most famous deceased footballer, but has promised his dear old mum he won't play. Glenda is a friend of Mr. Nutt and Trev, runs the Unseen University Night Kitchen, and bakes the Disc's best pies. Juliet works for Glenda, has a crush on Trev, is simple and beautiful, and daydreams about fashion. The four of them end up advising the wizards on their football endeavour, which culminates in an intense game between the Wizards and the former street footballers. |
The Bone Garden | null | null | The book delves into Boston's past (1830), with Maura Isles playing a cameo role in present-day Boston. In the present, recently divorced 38-year-old Julia Hamill, trying to plant a garden to her newly purchased rural Massachusetts home finds a female skull buried in the rocky soil. She contacts medical examiner Maura Isles who finds it scarred with the marks of murder but can discover no more due to the skull's age. In the past, Boston in 1830, Norris Marshall, a talented but poor student at Boston Medical College attempts to pay his college tuition by being a "resurrectionist" - one who plunders graveyards to sell the corpses on the black market. When two nurses are found murdered (one on the hospital grounds) as well as a respected doctor, Norris is considered as the prime suspect; he has had a glimpse of the killer at the second murder scene. Norris, attempting to clear himself, attempts to track down the only other witness to have caught a glimpse (at the first murder scene), a beautiful 17 year old Irish immigrant seamstress named Rose Conolly who fears she may be the next victim, exacerbated by the need to protect her newborn niece Meggie. Rose, Norris and his classmate Oliver Wendell Holmes comb the city, from its grim cemeteries and autopsy suites to its glittering mansions and power centers, to track down the killer. Central to the plot is the condition of maternity wards at the time: doctors would often walk in from the autopsy area to the "lying-in" wards, and handle the women without using even gloves (let alone antisepsis, which Holmes later suggested) putting the women at higher risk of childbirth deaths than if they had given birth attended by midwives, or even unattended. Julia and 89 year old Henry Page, a descendant of one of Boston's first female doctors, Margaret Tate Page (Meggie as an adult), piece through letters written by Holmes to Dr. Page about the case to find out more about the murders and piece together the facts. For Julia, the driving question is if the victim is Rose, Holmes' final letter to Dr. Page, posted at the book's end, reveals that her aunt Rose survived the events, and never married. |
Splat the Cat | null | 2,008 | Splat is so scared of his first day of Cat School that his tail moves with worry. He needs a friend so he takes his pet, a mouse named Seymour, with him to school. Mrs. Wimpydimple covers lots of topics such as self-esteem and nature. When Seymour gets out of Splat's lunchbox, the cats chase after him. The teacher saves Seymour. By day two, Splat's tail moves with excitement. |
Uprising | null | null | Bella, newly arrived in New York from Italy, gets a job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. There, along with hundreds of other immigrants, she works long hours at a grueling job under terrible conditions. Yetta, a coworker from Russia, has been crusading for a union. When factory conditions worsen, workers rise up in a strike. Wealthy Jane learns of the workers and becomes involved with their cause. Bella and Yetta are at work and Jane is visiting the factory on March 25, 1911, when a spark ignites some cloth and the building is engulfed in fire, leading to one of the worst workplace disasters in history (the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire) In the end, only one of the girls lives to tell of the story of her friends and the terrible occurrences of March 25, 1911. The story is based on the true events that happened in 1911 at the Triangle Shirt Waist factory. |
Kung Fu High School | null | null | Jen, a teenage girl, and her brother Kyuzo, or Cue as she calls him, attend Martin Luther King High School. However due to the notorious Ridley's drug trafficking through the school, it has become a run down war zone for both his workers, and those who despise him. The only thing things these students at Kung Fu have in common are their ability to fight, or rather survive, and the fact that they've all been "kicked in". A welcoming practice at Kung Fu where you are beaten by everyone in order to teach you you're in the school. The story starts off with Jen living an already irregular life, having to literally put on armor before going to school. One day Jen's long lost cousin arrives at her front door, sent by her late mother's sister. He dies. |
Without Warning | John Birmingham | 2,008 | On the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 14 March 2003, the bulk of the United States' population (along with the bulk of the populations of Canada, Mexico, and Cuba) disappears as the result of a large energy field that becomes known as The Wave. Without Warning deals with the international consequences of the disappearance of the world's last super power on the eve of war. |
Body Double | Tess Gerritsen | null | Returning to Boston from a business trip in Paris, Maura Isles encounters delays at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and finds upon landing in Boston that the airline has lost her luggage. When she finally makes it home, she finds her house taped off as a crime scene—and is surprised to see Jane Rizzoli (now about 8-months-pregnant) and Rizzoli's partner Barry Frost there. Rizzoli does a double-take on seeing Maura, and directs her attention to a white Ford Taurus in her driveway. There, Maura finds the body of a woman who looks identical to her—and also shares the same birthday. When the body is taken in to the medical examiner's office, Maura takes a tissue sample from the dead woman, and one from herself and asks Rizzoli to take them for DNA testing. The woman is found to have been killed by a 'Black Talon' bullet. Meanwhile, Matilda Hayes, the almost-9-months-pregnant wife of a BMW dealership manager, visits the dealership after an OB-GYN appointment—and is belittled by her husband (who she had married when she was two months pregnant) for ruining the tires. When she goes home, she finds she is not alone—and is struck unconscious when thinking the other to be her husband, she calls his name. Newton police detective Rick Ballard tells Maura that he believes that a CEO of a pharmaceutical company is the murderer, due to the latter's obsessive lust over the deceased woman, Anna Leoni (on her driver's license, the name was recorded as Jessup). Maura's curiosity is aroused further when Rizzoli hands her DNA results showing that the deceased is her identical-twin sister. The trail then leads to Maine, where the remains of several murder victims (mostly pregnant women, but including some men) are found. A check of the FBI database over forty years reveals a possible pattern circumnavigating the US. Maura eventually finds that her mother, Amalathea Lank, has been jailed for two murders, one of a 9-months-pregnant woman. Eventually, she also traces that Amalathea and her cousin Elijah (whom she eventually married) had been killing women who were just about to deliver and then taking out the babies and selling them. She also finds that Ballard was in love with Anna, and that he also likes her very much (Maura is also attracted to him). Matilda wakes up in a coffin-like box, and tries to plead with the kidnapper to release her—only to realise that he is not interested in the money. She plans her escape, saving torch batteries for use as a weapon. Eventually, when the kidnapper gets close, Mattie stuns him with the batteries (which she has wrapped into a sock) and flees into a toolshed; when the kidnapper pursues, she hits him again with the battery-filled sock and stabs him with a screwdriver. The stress of the pursuit, however, brings on labour and the police later find her nursing her daughter and take both to hospital. The killer is revealed to be Maura's younger brother Samuel (their father, Elijah, had died prior to the murders for which Amalathea was caught—due to a gas station's security video). However, the investigation of Anna Leoni's murder appears to have hit a dead-end, as no firearm was found on Samuel. Rizzoli then finds an old police report on a previous slaying involving 'Black Talons'--and seeing the endnotes, summons Frost to help protect Maura. Meeting Rick in her car, Maura is about to kiss him when he is murdered by his ex-wife Carmen. Carmen confesses to having killed Anna and shoots Maura, wounding her. After Carmen shoots Maura, she is fatally shot by a parking-lot security guard and the Rizzoli. |
Gone to the Dogs | null | 2,003 | Piggy is the reincarnation of a blonde girl named Lydia Keane. She suffers from a diet started by her new owner, Nell Jordan. Piggy searches for morsels of food to eat. When Piggy inherits a fortune from an old man, that she visited as a therapy dog, she must protect her owner from P.I. Dan Travis. Dan Travis is the grandson of Piggy's benefactor. At a request from his mother, he investigates Piggy and her owner, and also falls for Nell Jordan. Nell has the secret that a villain wants to kidnap Piggy. Gone to the dogs |
Lulu Atlantis and the Quest for True Blue Love | null | 2,008 | Lulu Lantis lives in Sweet Pea Lane. She has a baby brother and a dad that is busy trying to save endangered animals. Lulu tells her troubles to her best friend, a spider named Harry. Harry is a talking spider that offers good advice. The spider says in order for her to find true blue love, she will have to go farther than her backyard. The four stories, that are linked together, makes her realize that she is loved. |
A Cool Head | Ian Rankin | 2,009 | Gravy works in a graveyard. One day his friend turns up in a car he doesn't recognise. His friend has a bullet in his chest. Gravy is asked to hide the gun and the body. In the back of the car is blood, and a bag full of money. Soon Gravy is caught up in a bank job gone wrong and is pursued by some mysterious men. |
Zen Shorts | Jon J. Muth | 2,005 | 3 kids, Karl, Michael and Addy, encounter a panda named Stillwater. The panda carries a red umbrella and he also speaks in a "slight panda accent". For the next three days, the three kids visit Stillwater. The panda rewards each with instructive anecdotes. |
Tomorrow, When the the War Began | John Marsden | 1,993 | Ellie Linton goes out camping in the bush for a week with her friends Homer Yannos, Lee Takkam, Kevin Holmes, Corrie Mackenzie, Robyn Mathers, and Fiona Maxwell. They find a way into a large, vegetated sinkhole in a remote area of bush the locals have dubbed "Hell", and camp there. During this time they see large numbers of planes flying through the night without lights, and though it is mentioned in conversation the following morning, they think little of it, dismissing it as military planes heading back from a demonstration. When they return to their home town of Wirrawee, they find that all the people are missing and their pets and livestock are dead or dying. Fearing the worst, they break into three groups to investigate Wirrawee's situation. They confirm that Wirrawee was captured as a beachhead for an invasion of Australia by an unidentified force; local citizens are being held captive by the occupiers. Ellie's group is discovered and, in order to escape, use the fuel tank of a ride-on lawnmower to create an improvised explosive. However, on returning to the nearby meeting point, they discover Robyn and Lee missing. Homer and Ellie search for them and they are met by Robyn, and they discover that Lee has been shot in the leg and hiding out in the main street of Wirrawee, the centre of the enemy's activity. Ellie and Homer confer with the others and Ellie decides that they should attempt to rescue Lee, using a front-end loader to move and protect him. After a protracted chase that sees several soldiers killed, Lee is successfully rescued and returned to the safety of Hell. While hiding out in Hell, a romantic relationship forms between Ellie and Lee, Homer falls in love with Fi, while Kevin and Corrie continue a romantic relationship started a few months before the invasion. The teens decide to raid nearby farmhouses, searching for food and other supplies, and then retreat to Hell to establish a base camp for themselves. The group eventually moves toward waging a guerrilla war against the invaders. Ellie, Fi, Lee, and Homer steal a petrol tanker and use it to blow up the main bridge out of Wirrawee. While the raid is occurring, Corrie is shot while she and Kevin are gathering supplies. Kevin takes her to the occupied town hospital, and turns himself in, in exchange for medical assistance. |
Jennie Gerhardt | Theodore Dreiser | 1,911 | Jennie Gerhardt is a destitute young woman. While working in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, Jennie meets Senator George Brander, who becomes infatuated with her. He helps her family and declares his wish to marry her. Jennie, grateful for his benevolence, agrees to sleep with him, but ill fortune intercedes and the Senator dies, leaving her pregnant. She gives birth to a daughter, Vesta, and moves to Cleveland where she finds work as a lady's maid to a prominent family. Consequently, she meets Lester Kane, a prosperous manufacturer's son. Jennie falls in love with him, impressed by his strong will and generosity. She leaves her daughter behind and they visit New York together. Kane, unaware that Jennie has a child, wishes to marry her, but, anticipating his family's disapproval, decides instead that she shall become his mistress. They live together successfully in Chicago, even through Jennie's revelation after three years that Vesta is her daughter. Kane does not yield to his family's pressure to leave Jennie, but after his father's death discovers that he will not inherit a substantial part of the family business unless he discards her. They visit Europe together, where Kane's attention shifts from Jennie to a woman of his own class, Letty Gerald. On hearing the will's terms, it is Jennie who demands that they separate. Kane, after providing for her, marries Letty and resumes his former social status. Jennie loses her daughter to typhoid and adopts two orphans, but through it all, continues to love him. Kane becomes ill. He tells Jennie he still loves her, and she tends him until his death, mourning secretly at his funeral. |
The Glitch in Sleep | null | 2,007 | In the beginning, the Village of Covas, Minho, Portugal is experiencing a severe drought. In reality however, a Rain Tower where water is stored in The Seems, another world that controls our World, had been blocked for an unknown reason. Anytime a problem occurs in The Seems, a special team is called in consisting of one Briefer and one Fixer. They are both highly trained professionals at Fixing any problems. To get the Rain back, Fixer Cassiopeia (Casey) Lake and Briefer Becker Drane are called in. For his exceptional Fix, Briefer Drane is promoted to Fixer #37. Five weeks later, Becker, receives his first mission as Fixer at night and his Mission is to catch a Glitch destroying the Department of Sleep. Glitches are one of the most destructive problems within the Seems and were thought to have been wiped out during a Missions called the "Clean Sweep". Glitches have three hands which can easily pull wires and destroy items. They are known for being destructive and unpredictable. Quickly, Becker arrives at the Department of Sleep and meets up with his Briefer Simly Frye and they are given aware of the situation. The Glitch is causing no one in The World to get a wink of sleep due to the destruction of many of the ingredients to make a Good Night's Sleep. Soon, many Chain of Events start slipping; The Chain of Events are a complicated series of events trying to give a person the best life they can. However, with a Glitch not allowing anyone to get any sleep, a Ripple Effect could occur which would cause mass destruction to The World. Becker, Simly and fellow Fixer Casey Lake finally find and trap the Glitch in the Master Bedroom. Using his own invention, the Helping Hand, Becker is finally able to catch the Glitch. During the battle Simly finds his 7th sense, a set of chills that were sent down from his arms to his toes that told him where the Glitch was hiding even though it is thought that Seemsian's can not develop a 7th sense. After fixing up whatever destruction the Glitch caused in the Master Bedroom, everyone hopes that the Good Night Sleeps have been sent on time. However, the team might have been too late, with a warning that the Chain of Events are dissembling and the Ripple Effect about to commence in thirty seconds. With 3 seconds left, the Ripple Effect was successful reverted with enough Good Night Sleeps getting out. In the epilogue a few Fixers have gathered together and are celebrating the successful Fix of the Glitch when Casey arrives with bad news. Someone has just stolen 50 trays of Frozen Moments, ice cubes made up of one period of one person's life. Although this alone is not to panic, if the Frozen moments are combined with Fertilizer from the Department of Nature and a Second, a Time Bomb could be made. |
The Apprentice | Tess Gerritsen | null | When Rizzoli investigates a murder where cutting techniques similar to those of imprisoned Warren Hoyt but involving necrophilia (as determined by medical examiner Maura Isles), she is called by FBI Agent Gabriel Dean to Washington, D.C. Dean shows her a list of similar crimes committed in Bosnia, and terms the suspect "The Dominator". Hoyt escapes from prison after reading about "The Dominator's" murders which copy many of his techniques, and plots with him to trap Rizzoli. Eventually, "The Dominator" kidnaps Rizzoli as she returns to Boston, and takes her into the countryside. While trying to kill Rizzoli, Rizzoli fights back and kills "The Dominator" and severely wounds Hoyt, making him a quadriplegic. Rizzoli then takes a long-overdue vacation, claiming sick-time, with Dean. |
Striking and Picturesque Delineations of the Grand, Beautiful, Wonderful, and Interesting Scenery Around Loch-Earn | null | 1,815 | The book begins with a dedication to the Earl of Breadalbane (presumably John Campbell, the fourth Earl, as the book was first published in 1815). Its "grovelling and abject" tone was unusual by that time. An anonymous preface recounts how an unnamed "Gentleman", on a grouse-shooting visit to the earl's estate in the Lochearnhead region, met Angus McDiarmid, a ground-officer (or ghillie, a gamekeeper and hunting-guide) of the earl's. Struck by McDiarmid's eloquent descriptions of the scenery and associated legends, the gentleman learned that McDiarmid had written a manuscript, which McDiarmid entrusted to him to be published. The preface assures the reader that visitors to Lochearnhead could confirm McDiarmid's existence and his sole authorship of the book. It then praises the "unparalleled sublimity" of the book's style, which it connects with the rugged Highland landscape and offers as the reason that McDiarmid's sentences "overleap the mounds and impediments of grammar". The main text is 28 pages about the region near Lochearnhead. There are three sections: *"Sketch of the Scenery at Loch-Earn" describes the cataract at Edinample; Edinample Castle; two trees knocked down by the wind that later grew straight (the trees were gone by the time the book was written, but the place could still be seen); unusual concave landforms in a moor and on a mountain opposite the castle; Glen Ogle; and Loch Earn with two of its islands, one a crannog or prehistoric artificial island; *"Sketch of the Following Descriptions" describes the nearby mountains of Ben Vorlich, Craig-na-Gaur, Stùc a' Chroin, and Ben Each; some wild animals of the hills; the sheep and black cattle formerly pastured in Glen Ample; the Glen of the Piper, named after a bagpiper who warned the local people of an approaching band of marauders; the beauty of Glen Beich with its cataract; a lake in Glen Ogle where legend says a kelpie killed nine children; one robber who saved another from an arrow wound; some kind of earthquake in the Grampian Mountains; and Edinchip, named after a Roman soldier's hiding from a battle there; *"Sketch of an Ancient History Deserves To Be Inserted" describes a cattle-raid on the region and the defense by a local man, Major Roy of Hens; a sheep-robber; a strong man named Envie; a wolf that entered a cottage; and a remarkable bull attacked by two remarkable wolves. McDiarmid's dedication is in grammatical English, but the main text is not, and is full of obscure and misused words. The paragraph about the earthquake may give an idea: :It merits the trouble to exhibit a description of a part of Glenogle's Grampian mountains, disjointed in the time of the generations past ; which event happen about the twilight, that the dread of the horrible sight seized the beholders with fear, ultera the comprehension of the individual, discernible to their sight. The pillars of fire rising from the parting of the rock, where there was a cement, the stones forcibly dashing one against another, that the melancholy sight was similar to a corner of mountain set wholly on fire, also overhearing such a loud noise of the stones break at juncture ; which vociferous might reach the ears of the people living at great distant. This place perceptible to view of the beholders that passes by. |
Dark Calling | Darren Shan | 2,009 | Since rebuilding his eyes, Kernel has been able to see new lights that he cannot move, and which seem to be whispering to the Disciples, manipulating them. However Kernel realizes that he is unable to tell anyone of his concerns as no-one else can see the lights. When the whispering lights lead them to a ship where the group meet their most terrifying foe yet, 'The Shadow', Kernel guards the portal and is approached by a ball made up of the whispering lights, which tells him to leave his friends and follow it. Kernel is unwilling but is forced through the window by the sphere of lights. The sphere takes the shape of Art (Artery) - the boy Kernel once thought was his brother - to gain Kernel's trust, and reveals itself to be one of the Old Creatures. "Art" then tells Kernel that he is needed to save the universe and is taken to the point where the Demonata's and humanity’s universe meet. Kernel is told that both universes were once a single, chess board shaped cosmos, the white squares belonging to the demons and the black belonging to the Old Creatures, the sections separated by the Kah-Gash. However a war between the two groups broke down the Kah-Gash and its soul split into three pieces. He also learns that the Kah-Gash will not destroy a single universe, but will instead bring both back to their original state. The demons and Old Creatures (being creatures of the original universe) will continue to exist thereafter, but every other living thing will be wiped out. Having learnt this, Kernel tries to escape, but "Art" is killed and another light sphere appears, taking the form of Raz, another dead Disciple. He tells Kernel that the boy has been chosen to be 'Noah' and protect 'the Ark', a planet to which the Old Creatures have brought the best of numerous intelligent species from this universe for protection from the demons. Kernel chooses to go back and help Grubbs and Bec beat "The Shadow" (now revealed to be Death). However before Raz leaves he warns Kernel that Bec's piece of the Kah-Gash may have been corrupted by Lord Loss' possession of it (Bec’s piece was stolen from Lord Loss in the fourth book of the series) and to beware of her. Kernel returns in the midst of a huge battle between the Disciples (including Bec and Grubbs) and an army of the Demonata. He is initially frightened of Grubbs' newly wolfen form, but soon grows used to it. Everyone exchanges stories, but Kernel senses that Grubbs is hiding something. The band of fighters and mages successfully attempt to use the Kah-Gash to defeat the oncoming hordes of demons. Bec and Grubbs begin to disagree over whether or not to search for Beranabus' soul, and when Kernel thinks of Beranabus some lights begin to pulse - indicating that his soul can be found. Grubbs is still not happy about the idea, but when Bec reveals that Bill-E Spleen may be trapped in the same place as Beranabus, Grubbs jumps at the opportunity to save his brother. Kernel begins opening a window, but also catches a glimpse of a world where Lord Loss is talking to millions of demons. He shrugs this off and continues to build the window which leads them to a world engulfed in shadow, which they discover is in fact the 'body' of Death. The Disciples realise that their magic works differently in this place, and although sound does not travel, they can communicate telepathically thanks to Bec. Kernel can see differences in all the shadows, which then turn out to be the spirits of people, all of which seem to have gone insane, all screaming "free me!" Kernel locates Beranabus, and they talk about how to defeat Death. They are told by the ancient magician that it is impossible, after which Bec has a private discussion with Beranabus, making Grubbs and Kernel wary of her. Beranabus tells them how to set the spirits free, thus unravelling death's physical form, but says that it will come back stronger. When Grubbs asks Kernel where Bill-E is and if Kernel could lead him to him, when Beranabus tells them quite flatly that it has taken all his effort for him not to go mad in Death and it is impossible for someone with such a weak mind to stay sane. Death then becomes aware of their presence inside it and begins to attack them, after which the group run to a side of death and begin to claw and attack it. Its body unravels and the spirits trapped inside quickly escape including Beranabus and what's left of Bill-E. The shadows disappear and the heroes fall into the world Kernel had seen before. They are surrounded by demons, with little hope of escape. Bec, Grubbs and Kernel join to form the Kah-Gash, and create a shield, however Grubbs refuses to give it more power as it would mean he was no longer in control of it. Most of the group fight the demons while Kernel begins working on forming the window back to their universe, defended by Dervish as he does so. Meera Flame is fatally wounded but as her final act, kills herself and Juni Swan, who now has no hope of return as Death is incapacitated. Kernel opens the window and calls to everyone to follow, however Bec is in the clutches of Lord Loss and tells them to leave her. Before they escape Kernel notices that Bec and the demon master are not fighting as violently as before, and suspects Bec of betrayal. When the remaining warriors return Dervish is in very bad shape, and asks to be taken outside to die. Kernel tells Grubbs he is returning to the ark. Grubbs says he understands and asks if Kernel would save the world "regardless of the consequences", Kernel agrees. Grubbs tells Kernel that he will hate him for what he is about to do, and then destroys Kernel's magically formed eyes and tells him that he needs him to stay. Kernel begins to warn Grubbs about Bec, but Grubbs has taken his uncle outside. The story ends with Kernel blind and alone, imagining Beranabus telling him that this is the end of the universe. |
The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel | James Lee Burke | 2,007 | After Hurricane Katrina devastates his beloved city of New Orleans, Dave Robicheaux is drawn into the fatal shooting of two young black looters, and the subsequent torture murder of a third. Soon several suspects, including an insurance salesman whose daughter may have been brutally raped by the men, and a sadistic gangster whose house they raided, start emerging from the woodwork. However, the investigation becomes much more personal for Dave when his own family comes under threat from an evil sociopath, and he finds himself drowning in a sea of violence, degeneracy and corruption, juxtaposed against the terrible suffering he sees everyday as a result of the hurricane. |
Into the Looking Glass | John Ringo | null | The novel begins in Florida. A serious explosion occurs at the University of Central Florida's science department, destroying the University and everything within a mile of it. Despite the indications of a nuclear weapon, from the devastation to the mushroom cloud, military personnel and emergency responders find no traces of radiation or EMP. Hovering right over the center of the resulting crater is a strange, black metallic sphere. As the survivors around it stand in awe, a huge 'bug' steps out of it and dies. Meanwhile the President and his advisors rush to respond to the disaster. They had an apparent nuclear detonation at an important university in a populated area, with a high probability of casualties. They need answers, so they grab the first person with a physics degree and Top Secret clearance in arm's reach, Dr. William Weaver. Weaver quickly explains that Ray Chen, a physicist at the university, was working on changing the laws of physics within a small space to allow him to create a Higgs Boson, essentially a particle containing its own universe. Whether or not he succeeded is unknown, however they have other problems as more of these, "Looking Glasses" begin to open around the country, then around the world. Weaver is sent down to Florida to investigate into the explosion. While on the site, a little girl named Mimi comes walking out of rubble a few blocks from the explosion, carrying a giant spider on her shoulder. They realize that something must have happened to her that allowed her to survive the explosion. They also discover that the spider on her shoulder is an incredibly intelligent being that seems to have formed a telepathic link with Mimi, as he is able to communicate thoughts to her without speaking. Less than a day later, they discover that gate isn't their only problem as a deadly new species begins to thunder through the various gates, killing people and spreading a fungus that seems to do anything but die. Weaver and SEAL Command Master Chief Miller are among the response to a panicked call about 'demons'. A gate is discovered nearby. A team is sent through and triggers a fierce alien counterattack that the human defenses barely manage to contain. Later, a second wave comes though this and other gates. However it appears not all of the aliens are bad. Mankind makes friendly contact with a felinoid species, the Mree. The Mree representative explains that the hostile aliens, the T!Ch!R! in the Mree language, are a pest that seem to go with the gates. Humans pronounce the word as Titcher. They meet with the Mree Emperor, and begin to discuss explorations into each others' cultures. In one of first spots the Titcher came through, their alien forces are continually breaking through the Human's lines of defense. Wanting to lower the daily body count, the president authorizes nuke strikes at the gates to give them some breathing room. After they start getting new activity at the gate, Weaver, accompanied by a SEAL team, takes a look at Titcher forces on the other side of a gate. Once through they discover that the Titcher are actually a race of one organism that produces these fighting creatures, their equivalent of antibodies, to spread through the gates and take over other worlds. As they spot an oncoming Titcher nuke for retaliation against airstrikes, they shoot to stop it. The nuke goes off, tearing open Weaver's suit and killing several SEALs. However they are able to set the bomb off and get through the gate, destabilizing it and the Mree gate temporarily. Another race is contacted through yet another gate. The Adar are ahead of humans in technological development. The Adar are friendly with humans upon first contact. They have had trouble with the Titcher, which they call the Dreen because of the howl of one of the fighting units. Humans soon adopt this name. The Dreen have begun to overwhelm human defenses at every gate. The Adar provide humans with a weapon that can close the Dreen looking glasses, but if it goes off on the earth side, it will destroy the planet. After the Mree prove to be a Dreen feint, the U.S. army attacks Mree forces near that looking glass to draw them away. Weaver and a SEAL team in temperamental powered combat armor suits deploy the Adar bomb through the unguarded gate. It and the other Dreen looking glasses close. Military forces eventually overwhelm remaining Dreen forces. A few Mree and members of another Dreen slave race are taken prisoner. There is no food on earth that can provide the nutrients they need. The Mree choose suicide over starvation. The Adar give Weaver a small black box that has an interesting effect when exposed to electricity - having the properties of exponentially increasing the output of energy based on the energy provided to it. Its other properties are explored in sequels. |
The Bottle Factory Outing | Beryl Bainbridge | 1,974 | It concerns Freda and Brenda who by night share a dismal bedsit, and by day work in an Italian-run wine-bottling factory in London. Freda hopes the works outing will provide opportunity for her to capture the heart of Vittorio; Brenda just aims to avoid the clutches of the lecherous Rossi. But the outing ends in tragedy. |
The Split Second | null | 2,008 | The second book follows Becker Drane on another mission. At the end of the first book, The Glitch in Sleep, it was revealed 50 trays of Frozen Moments were stolen. With that, a Time Bomb could be constructed causing great damage to The World. When news show the Time Bomb has been found in the Department of Time, Lucien Chiappa is sent in to Fix it, until the bomb explodes and Becker is called in to repair the mess by bringing the two parts of the bomb together so no Essence (liquid that everything to age much faster) can enter the World. To Fix the Second, Becker must bring both halves of the Second together again to prevent any more Essence from dripping out. The first is found in a basement and the second is found to be trapped by the Tide, the organization who created the bomb and wants to overthrow the current order of the Seems and create a new world. A legendary Fixer thought to be dead, Tom Jackal arrives to help Becker and manages to capture the Second and put it together, but the Essence has soaked through their Sleeves (lightweight bodysuits) and causes him to age. Tom dies from overexposure, but saves the World. At the end, Becker breaks the Golden Rule which prevents him from meeting with Jenifer Kaley, whose Case File (documents on her private life) was given to Becker after the Mission. However, in the epilogue, the Time Being, a powerful founder of the Seems agrees to join The Tide. |
Cruel Zinc Melodies | Glen Cook | 2,008 | It's winter in TunFaire, and life has slowed down for Garrett (meaning work seldom intrudes to interrupt his beer drinking and lounging about), until a parade of lovely ladies led by his favorite fiery red-head makes its way through his door. The red-head in question is none other than Tinnie Tate, Garrett's girlfriend, and she's accompanied by Alyx Weider, sultry temptress and daughter of the local beer baron, and several other friends. It turns out the girls have aspirations to become an acting troupe for a new theater that Alyx's father, Max Weider, is building to keep his youngest daughter happy and to have a new vehicle for moving more of his product. The trouble is that Max needs some help. It seems that construction of his theater, The World, is beset by ghosts, bugs, and break-ins. Garrett figures that this is pretty much a security job, and ends up bringing in some of the usual crew including Saucerhead Tharpe and even Winger. Right off the bat, Garrett wraps up the break-in problem, as it seems that a gang of kids was trying their hand at the racketeering business. The ghosts and bugs present a bit more of a problem. It turns out that the bugs are of sorcerous origin and the result of some sorcerous experimentation by a group of kids from the Hill, led by Kip Prose. Worse yet, the bugs have been disturbing the sleep of a large entity from a bygone age that has been slumbering for eons beneath the ground that The World is being built upon. With Garrett's knack for finding trouble, he ends up attracting attention from the Guard, Prince Rupert, and several nasty sorcerous types from The Hill. In the end, with the help of the The Dead Man, John Stretch and his telepathically controlled rats, and a smoldering hot sorceress called the Windwalker Furious Tide of Light, Garrett eliminates the bugs and makes contact with the dormant creature (through the ghostly form of Eleanor), convincing it to be careful of the humans and creatures living above it. |
The Assembly of Gods | John Lydgate | null | The Assembly of Gods is composed of 301 seven line stanzas which have the standard ababbcc rhyme pattern of the rhyme royal. The meter, as critics have noted, is irregular. It can be broken into five main sections: an introduction, three distinct but connected narrative episodes and a conclusion. In the introduction, the poet establishes the setting using conventional astrological and geographical references which place the poem within the traditional framework of a dream poem and introduces the dreamer who sits “all solytary alone besyde a lake,/ Musyng on a maner how that I myght make/ Reason & Sensualyte in oon to acorde” (1). But, before he can think through his puzzle he is overcome by sleep. Morpheus comes and escorts him to the court of Minos which is being held at the estate of Pluto. There the dreamer watches as Diana and Neptune accuse Aeolus of flouting their authority and discrediting them in the eyes of their worshippers. Before the trial can be concluded a messenger comes from Apollo, asking Minos to hold off on the judgement and inviting all the gods to his palace for a banquet. In Apollo’s palace, Diana’s complaint is resolved and the dreamer describes each of the gods and goddesses as they sit down to eat. The gods won’t allow Discord into their feast, but as she is leaving she meets with Atropos and sends him to stir things up. Atropos goes to the gods and complains that while the gods claim to have given him power to bring death to any who disobeyed or despised them, there is one person who has escaped his power. He threatens to leave their employ if they don’t make good on their promise to him and give him power over this person. All the gods agree that they will bring down this one who defies Atropos. They quickly resolve the dispute between Neptune and Aeolus to ensure that the offender will not be able to escape in the sea or air and then ask who it is that has defied them. When Atropos tells them that it is Virtue, Pluto says he knows him well and the only thing that can harm Virtue is Vice, Pluto’s bastard son. Vice is called for, and he assembles his host for battle. Morpheus warns Virtue of the impending battle and Virtue prepares his host and heads to the field of Microcosm, hoping to arrive before Vice and thus have the advantage. The descriptions of the assembly of these armies are made up long lists of characters representing various vices and virtues and types of people under the influence of Vice and Virtue. The second narrative episode of the poem is a psychomachian battle between the hosts of Virtue and Vice for the field of Microcosm, which is possessed by Freewill. As the battle heats up, Freewill joins forces with Vice and they begin to drive Virtue and his host from the field. Perseverance comes and rallies Virtue’s troops, defeats Vice and wins the field. Freewill goes through a process of cleansing and is made a vassal of Virtue. Reason and Sadness are given control of Microcosm and set about cleansing it of the weeds planted there by Sensuality. A disgusted Atropos determines to leave the service of the “counterfete” gods saying, “For oo God ther ys that can euery dell / Turne as hym lyst, bothe dry & whete, / In to whos seruyce I shall assay to gete” (39). He goes in search of the Lord of Light and is told by Righteousness that the Lord of Light has been his master all along. Atropos’ name is changed to Death and he is sent to Microcosm. Priesthood and the sacraments are sent to the field to prepare it for the coming of Death who causes the grass to wither and shuts the gates on the field. The third episode of the poem takes place in the arbor of Doctrine where the dreamer is taken to be instructed in the meaning of the vision he has seen. The walls of the arbor are painted with images of people from the history of the world which Doctrine uses to explain the meaning of the dream and the genesis of the pagan deities and to encourage the dreamer in the right way of life. When she is done, the dreamer remembers his question about the accord of reason and sensuality and he asks her to “determyne that doute” (56). She is surprised that he has not figured it out yet, and with that, Death appears. As the dreamer hides in fear of Death, Reason and Sensuality appear and agree that people should fear death. After Doctrine explains this accord to the dreamer he is taken back to his spot by the lake. He awakens and writes his dream, exhorting those who read it, hear it read or see it to learn from it and asking the blessings of heaven on those who do. |
The Lions of Lucerne | Brad Thor | 2,002 | The work is Thor's first novel with the character of Scot Harvath, an ex-Navy SEAL and current U.S. Secret Service agent. Harvath survives an attack which leaves 30 of his fellow agents dead and the president of the United States kidnapped. He begins a search for those responsible and attempts to rescue the president. |
Master of Whitestorm | Janny Wurts | 1,992 | Korendir is the Master of Whitestorm, a man driven to uncover both his past and his destiny in a character driven fantasy world. The novel starts with Korendir bounded on Mhurgai slave ship, he is a sullen character who engineers an impossible escape, taking his partner on the oar, Haldeth, with him. Korendir becomes a mercenary for hire, achieving many impossible feats and quests in order to win his wealth and secure his home in the headland of Whitestorm. Korendir battles were-leopards, weather elementals, demons and witches in his battles. The story is told mostly from a third person perspective, whereby the reader is shown what Korendir does but no explanations from Korendor as to the why of what he does. A hallmark of Janny Wurts' writing style, the reader must interpret his actions and reasons for themselves. This story is a character study of the enigmatic Korendir, his impact on those around him and his drive to outgrow his past and establish his own future. |
Drottningens juvelsmycke | null | null | The novel is set in 1792 and weaves the story of the beautiful but sexless androgyne Tintomara around the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden, commonly nicknamed 'The Theatre King', on the stage of Stockholm's Royal Swedish Opera at a masked ball in 1792. Tintomara is employed by the Royal Swedish Ballet to function as the centrepiece of their lavish spectacles. Tintomara's true gender is never made clear, but Tintomara is referred to by the pronomen "She". She is described as beautiful and is often the object of passion for both men and women. Tintomara is portrayed as the secret half sibling to the underage King, Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden. Her father was Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila, and her mother was the actress Clara: Count Adolf Fredrik Munck af Fulkila was said to be the biological father of the king and lover of the Queen, Sophia Magdalena of Denmark. Passing as a girl, Tintomara is involved in the notorious assassination of the King. On the same night, she steals the Queen's tiara in order to show it to her mother. Tintomara is then taken under the protection of a Baroness, who hides her on her country estate, where Tintomara passes as a boy. In the country, she becomes the love object of two women, Amanda and Adolfine, the daughters of the Baroness; and two men, the nobles Ferdinand and Clas-Henrik, who earlier courted the sisters and who are now concealing their involvement in the assassination. Tintomara is killed by Ferdinand during a performance planned as a spectacular entertainment for the court which ends in disaster. The novel's most famous line is spoken by Tintomara's dying mother, Clara: "Tintomara, two things are white - Innocence and Arsenic." She continues "You have the Innocence - I have the Arsenic". |
The Painted Man | null | null | The novel follows three POV characters in their passage from childhood to maturity. They are inhabitants of a world plagued by the attacks of demons known as corelings, which rise from the planet's core each night to feast upon humans. The ongoing attrition of these attacks have reduced humanity from an advanced state of technology to a 'dark age'. The only defense against the corelings are wards (magical runes) that can be drawn, painted, or inscribed to form protective barriers around human settlements. These are, however, fragile and prone to failure unless properly maintained. As the novel progresses, the protagonists each embark upon their own "hero's journey" in an effort to save humanity. In writing the tale, Brett was keen to move beyond a simple adventure story, to present a fantasy novel about fear and its impact. He was particularly interested in the effect of fear "causing some to freeze up and others to leap into action". |
Stranglers' Moon | Stephen Goldin | 1,976 | Jules and Yvette D'Alembert are a brother and sister team of aerialists in the D'Alembert family Circus of the Empire. But they are also legendary agents "Wombat" and "Periwinkle" in SOTE, "The Service of The Empire", the imperial intelligence agency, sent to investigate the disappearance of a planetary economist and his wife on a moon devoted to recreation: seemingly a vacationers' paradise... The plot is based in part on Thuggee. |
Degrees of Connection | Jon Cleary | 2,003 | Scobie Malone as been promoted from inspector to superintendent, while Russ Clements is now head of Homicide. He investigates the murder of the personal assistant to Natalie Shipwood, the CEO of development company Orlando. Malone's son, Tom, seems to have impregnated a girlfriend who is subsequently murdered and his daughter Maureen is an ABC journalist covering the Securities Commission investigation into Orlando. |
The Sound of One Hand Clapping | Richard Flanagan | 1,997 | The book focuses the relationship between a woman, Sonja Buloh, and her father Bojan. Bojan is a European immigrant from the post-World War II period who came to work on the Tasmanian Hydroelectric Schemes, and a drunkard. While working on a remote construction camp in the central highlands in the winter of 1954, when Sonja was just three, Bojan's wife walked into a blizzard never to be seen again and leaving Bojan to raise his daughter. When Sonja returns to visit Tasmania and her father in 1989 as a balanced middle-aged woman, the past begins to intrude, changing both their lives forever. |
The Gone-Away World | Nick Harkaway | 2,008 | The book is primarily a science-fiction fantasy/comedy/epic that focuses on the events of the unnamed main character and his best friend Gonzo Lubitsch. The book starts with the characters in the "Nameless Bar," a title that is a reference to the main character's namelessness. They are in a world that is profoundly different from our own, with constant references to "the go-away war" and the "reification." They are all shocked when there are power failures and a news report shows that the Jorgmund pipe is on fire. The pipe is referred to as being the back bone of the world, the characters all thinking that this is the end of the world. The Haulage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company is hired by Jorgmund, which seems to be half corporation, half government body. As the company sets off, the unnamed protagonist starts thinking about his past, from the day he first met Gonzo. It then goes from this to a recount of a war between all of the world's factions with "go-away bombs," which remove information from matter, making it disappear entirely. The unnamed country that the protagonist is from uses these bombs in a mysterious foreign war, thinking that it is a revolutionary secret weapon. This sparks a war between all of the worlds factions using these go-away bombs, reducing the worlds population to 2 billion. The bomb that was supposed to be the cleanest weapon ever has an unexpected side effect in that the matter left over, referred to as "stuff," remains, floating around the world in great storms. Because it has no information, however, when ever it comes into contact with the noosphere it takes the form of whatever that person is thinking about. This causes horrific apparitions and creates people out of nothing who become known as "new." However, there is a way to stop this "stuff": the material that comes out of the Jorgmund pipe, known as FOX, which allows for a small strip of the world to become livable. In this way it is similar to nuclear holocaust fiction, as the world is completely different from what we know today. |
The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage | null | null | The novel centres on the mystery of who could have set fire to Mr Hick’s cottage. The five children, Larry and Daisy Daykin, Pip and Bets Hilton, and newcomer Frederick Algernon Trotteville (later nicknamed Fatty from his initials), meet at the scene of the fire and end up solving the mystery together. Their suspects include an old tramp, a dismissed servant, a hostile colleague, and the housekeeper. They find certain clues: Broken-down nettles in a ditch, a footprint in a grassy field, jet planes (by Mr. Hick’s seeing). The children realise that as Mr Hick claims to have been in the London train when the cottage was burnt, but by his own report he saw the planes which flew over the village at the same time, he is contradicting himself. Fatty finds out that the cottage and the burnt papers Mr Hick describes as 'most important' were insured. The children deduce that Mr Hick burnt his own cottage for the insurance money. |
Corduroy Mansions | Alexander McCall Smith | 2,009 | The story is set in a fictional housing unit in London nicknamed Corduroy Mansions, and details the lives of the inhabitants of the large Pimlico house and others. The main characters are Barbara Ragg, Basil Wickramsinghe, Berthea Snark, Caroline Jarvis, Dee Binder, Eddie French, Freddie de la Hay, Jenny Hedge, Jo Partlin, Marcia Light, Oedipus Snark, Terence Moongrove, and William French. Book two in the award winning Corduroy Mansions series, "The Dog Who Came in from the Cold" ran from 21 Sept 2009 until 19 Dec 2009. Book three in the series, "A Conspiracy of Friends" ran from 13 Sept 2010 until 17 Dec 2010. |
Kandide and the Secret of the Mists | null | 2,008 | As the beginning of the story, all is well in the Kingdom of Calabiyau. King Toeyad, ruler of the Fée, a race of fairies, is benevolent and just, and the twelve clans of fairies live in relative peace. When the king dies, his teenage daughter, Kandide, is expected to ascend to the throne. While preparing for her coronation, one of Kandide’s wings is crushed. The Fée value beauty above all else and so, to prevent the disgrace of having an “Imperfect” take the throne, Kandide’s mother banishes her to the Veil of the Mists, a land to the East populated by treacherous creatures and imperfect Fée. Without a clear heir to the throne, Calabiyau is thrown into turmoil. Kandide’s mother is put in mortal danger and cruel Lady Aron threatens to take the throne. Kandide’s younger sister, Tara, and brother, Teren, are sent to find Kandide and bring her home in hopes that she can set everything right. |
The Dream Millennium | James White | 1,974 | John Devlin, a 26-year-old medical doctor, is the captain of a sleeper ship built to colonize planets in other solar systems. The spacecraft's trajectory is such that it will make passes of eleven stars thought to have a good chance of supporting habitable planets, over the course of about a thousand years. Most of the starship's systems are automated, so Devlin does not have to do much maintenance, but he is required to look at potential planets for colonization and solve problems as they arise. Except for being awoken at long intervals to eat, exercise, and perform his duties as captain, Devlin spends all of his time in hibernation, during which he dreams the entire lives of people and other creatures that lived and died on Earth in the past. The story switches back and forth between Devlin's life and dreams on the starship and his life on Earth before the starship's launch. On the starship, Devlin's dreams during hibernation are the lives of creatures of the prehistoric past, then as men, moving closer to the present day with each dream. Most of the lives he dreams are unpleasant, with painful deaths. He dreams of being: * a microorganism floating in the primordial ocean * a trilobite forced to take greater and greater risks to find more and more food as he grows, until his luck runs out * a vegetarian dinosaur, who survives an attack by a predator only to die later of gangrene when the wounds the predator inflicted become infected * the runt of a litter of small, primitive mammals * a medieval king, who wins a glorious battle in his youth but is compelled to turn to deceit as he ages to keep his kingdom in order * in the modern era, a smooth-talking salesman who dies in an automobile accident * a soldier killed in action during urban warfare * an airline pilot killed during a hijacking * a schoolteacher who becomes an early casualty of a nuclear war * Devlin's own father In the first half of the starship's voyage, Devlin finds only two planets that had any potential for human colonization, and found both unsuitable. One planet was entering Roche's limit and would not remain habitable for much longer, and the other was already inhabited by hostile aliens whose planet was in even worse shape than the Earth he had left behind. Devlin's life on Earth had been unpleasant. Although Earth's economy was strong, the abundance of food, consumer goods, and leisure time did not make people happy. Pollution and overcrowding reduced quality of life, and boredom led inevitably to crime and violence. This, in turn, led to the formation of rival bands of vigilantes, who turned on each other when they had stamped out crime. The government had abandoned its efforts to intervene in the violence, instead using the police force only to contain it when it broke out. People had become very thin-skinned and sensitive to any perceived slight, and disputes were usually settled by duelling. Guns and military-grade weapons were available to most civilians, making the violence very bloody indeed, and keeping the doctor busy treating gunshot wounds of those lucky enough not to be killed. Men were considered full citizens only if they were armed. Those who chose to go unarmed became second class citizens. Unarmed sheep, as they were called, were prohibited from duelling and could not be called out, but they were always considered to be in the wrong in a dispute. Women were chattel. Certain men, Devlin among them, were legally considered full citizens even though unarmed, because of their professions (in Devlin's case, a doctor). In practice, though, these technical citizens got little respect from regular citizens, many of whom were little more than thugs and bullies. Immersed in this decaying society, Devlin realizes that to make even his own life tolerable will be a daunting task, but he goes about it the best he can, until he meets a pastor, Brother Howard, who believes that the decay of society will accelerate into a final collapse when population growth and exhaustion of natural resources bring down the only remaining healthy human institution, the economy. If mankind is to survive, he says, it must colonize the stars. Brother Howard wants to recruit Devlin and his girl friend, Patricia Morley, for the starship. After their encounter with the aliens, Devlin makes several unsettling discoveries. One is that everyone on board the ship is having the same, or almost the same, dreams during hibernation. Another is that the dreams are slowly driving him insane, along with everyone else on the ship, driving one colonist to suicide. With Morley's help, he solves these problems, only to be presented with a new problem. The starship's electronic and electromechanical systems are failing as the starship ages. Only one more potentially habitable world can be reached before the life support systems begin to fail en masse, and Devlin and Morley discover to their horror that the world is inhabited by the same species of alien that attacked the ship during the flyby of one of the earlier star systems. Faced with the alternative of dying with the starship as it travels forever as a derelict hulk, they decide to land on the world anyway and take their chances with the aliens. Once in orbit around the planet, preparing to land, Devlin and Morley find that the aliens fled their home world for the same reason they themselves fled Earth, to escape from the pollution and violence of their home world to found their own space colony, a possibility that neither Devlin nor Morley had thought of. These aliens are happy to coexist with humans, and welcome them to their new home. |
It Had to Be You | null | null | The Windy City isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville-the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not ready for the Stars' head coach, former grid iron legend Dan Calebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Calebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy new boss is everything Dan despises-a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound. So why is Dan drawn to the shameless sexpot like a heat-seeking missile? And why does the coach's good ol' boy charm leave cosmopolitan Phoebe feeling awkward, tongue-tied...and ready to fight? |
The Longest Memory | Fred D'Aguiar | 1,994 | A young slave, Chapel, falls in love with the daughter of the plantation owner. He attempts to run away and join his lover in the north. However his father, Whitechapel, betrays his whereabouts, fearing that his son will die if he is not captured and returned home to the plantation. Chapel is captured and brought back to the plantation where he is whipped by Sanders Junior, the overseer. Chapel catches a fever after the whipping and dies, due to his weak state. Everybody blames Whitechapel for Chapel's death. Mr. Whitechapel, the owner of the plantation was away from the plantation that day, and was unaware of the occurrences taking place. He had given specific instructions to hold the slave until he returned, which were not carried out by Sanders Jr. Mr Whitechapel is angered when he finds out that Sanders Jr. whipped his half brother to death. Then the book goes back in time to the diary of Sanders Senior, the memories of Cook and Lydia. It is then finished with extacts from the Virginian local newspaper of the year 1810 having direct connections with the events of the story. |
Whispers in the Graveyard | Theresa Breslin | 1,994 | Solomon is a Scottish boy in the last year of primary school who is considered to be stupid and lazy, though he is actually dyslexic. He is bullied by his form teacher at school, and at home his father, who it is revealed is also dyslexic, drinks all the time and neglects him. Solomon often goes to the local graveyard for refuge. Overhearing a discussion between a council official and Professor Miller, he is upset to hear that his special place is to become a construction site. When the graveyard's protective rowan tree is uprooted by workmen, he has bad dreams and hears mysterious whispers. Driven by his father's behaviour to spend the night in the graveyard, he witnesses one of the workmen being swallowed up by the ground after unearthing a mysterious chest marked with the word "Malefice". He later discovers that the word means "witchcraft", and that a victim of the Scottish witch hunt is buried there. It seems she has awoken and is intent on vengeance. Amy Miller, the professor's young daughter, who has struck up a friendship with him, is drawn to the graveyard. Solomon follows to protect her from the evil presence which tries to possess her. With his father's help, he manages to rescue her and save himself. With the encouragement of Ms Talmur, one of the teachers from school who has helped him throughout the book but leaves to get a promotion at the end, he begins to change his life, although he knows it will be an uphill struggle. His father agrees to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous class to perhaps change his life also. |
The Last Temptation | null | null | Across northern Europe a sadistic serial killer has been gruesomely drowning experimental psychologists, and the case takes on a rare personal aspect for Tony Hill when one of his friends falls victim. Teaming up in Germany with old sidekick Carol Jordan, who's undercover on the trail of some very dangerous crime kingpins, he finds himself drawn into a complex web of Nazi atrocities, child abuse and retribution... |
Why I Will Never Ever Ever Ever Have Enough Time to Read This Book | null | null | A busy girl tries to find time to read, but something always stops her. By nightfall, she hasn't managed to read her book. |
Lolita | Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov | 1,955 | The novel's fictional "Foreword" states that Humbert Humbert dies of coronary thrombosis upon finishing his manuscript, the events of the novel. It also states Mrs. Richard Schiller dies giving birth to a stillborn girl on Christmas Day, 1952. Humbert Humbert, a literary scholar, has harbored a long-time obsession with young girls, or "nymphets". He suggests that this was caused by the premature death of a childhood sweetheart, Annabel Leigh. After an unsuccessful marriage, Humbert moves to the small New England town of Ramsdale to write. He rents a room in the house of Charlotte Haze, a widow. While Charlotte shows him around the house, Humbert meets her 11-year-old daughter, Dolores, affectionately known as "Lo", "Lola", or "Dolly" with whom he immediately becomes infatuated, partly due to her uncanny resemblance to Annabel, and privately nicknames her "Lolita". Humbert stays at the house only to remain near her. While he is obsessed with Dolores, he disdains her crassness and preoccupation with contemporary American popular culture, such as teen movies and comic books. While Dolores is away at summer camp, Charlotte, who has fallen in love with Humbert, tells him that he must either marry her or move out. Humbert agrees to marry Charlotte in order to continue living near Lolita. Charlotte is oblivious to Humbert's distaste for her, as well as his lust for Lolita, until she reads his diary. Learning of Humbert's true feelings and intentions, Charlotte plans to flee with Lolita and threatens to expose Humbert as a "detestable, abominable, criminal fraud." However, fate intervenes on Humbert's behalf, for as she runs across the street in a state of shock, Charlotte is struck and killed by a passing car. Humbert picks Lolita up from camp, pretending that Charlotte has been hospitalized. Rather than return to Charlotte's home, Humbert takes Lolita to a hotel, where he gives her sleeping pills. As he waits for the pills to take effect, he wanders through the hotel and meets a man who seems to know who he is. Humbert excuses himself from the strange conversation and returns to the room. There, he tries molesting Lolita but finds that the sedative is too mild. Instead, she initiates sex the next morning, having slept with a boy at camp. Later, Humbert reveals to Lolita that Charlotte is dead, giving her no choice but to accept her stepfather into her life on his terms or face foster care. Lolita and Humbert drive around the country, moving from state to state and motel to motel. Humbert sees the necessity of maintaining a common base of guilt to keep their relations secret, and wants denial to become second nature for Lolita. He tells her if he is arrested, she will become a ward of the state and lose all her clothes and belongings. He also bribes her for sexual favors, though he knows that she does not reciprocate his love and shares none of his interests. After a year touring North America, the two settle down in another New England town, where Lolita is enrolled in a girls school. Humbert becomes very possessive and strict, forbidding Lolita to take part in after-school activities or to associate with boys. However, most of the townspeople see this as the action of a loving and concerned, though old-fashioned, parent. Lolita begs to be allowed to take part in the school play, and Humbert reluctantly grants his permission in exchange for more sexual favors. The play is written by Clare Quilty. He is said to have attended a rehearsal and been impressed by Lolita's acting. Just before opening night, Lolita and Humbert have a ferocious argument, and Lolita runs away while Humbert assures the neighbors everything is fine. He searches frantically until he finds her exiting a phone booth. She is in a bright, pleasant mood, saying that she tried to reach him at home and that a "great decision has been made." They go to buy drinks and Lolita tells Humbert she doesn't care about the play, rather, wants to leave town and resume their travels. As Lolita and Humbert drive westward again, Humbert gets the feeling that their car is being tailed and becomes increasingly paranoid, suspecting that Lolita is conspiring with others in order to escape. She falls ill and must convalesce in a hospital while Humbert stays in a nearby motel, without Lolita for the first time in years. One night, Lolita disappears from the hospital, with the staff telling Humbert that her "uncle" checked her out. Humbert embarks upon a frantic search to find Lolita and her abductor, but eventually gives up. During this time, Humbert has a two year relationship (ending in 1952) with an adult named Rita, who he describes as a "kind, good sport." She "solemnly approve[s]" of his search for Lolita. Rita figuratively dies when Humbert receives a letter from Lolita, now 17, who tells him that she is married, pregnant, and in desperate need of money. Humbert goes to see Lolita, giving her money in exchange for the name of the man who abducted her. She reveals the truth: Clare Quilty, an acquaintance of Charlotte's, the writer of the school play, and the man Lolita claims to have loved, checked her out of the hospital after following them throughout their travels and tried making her star in one of his pornographic films. When she refused, he threw her out. She worked odd jobs before meeting and marrying her husband, who knows nothing about her past. Humbert asks Lolita to leave her husband, Dick, and live with him, to which she refuses. He gives her a large sum of money anyway, which secures her future. As he leaves she smiles and shouts goodbye in a "sweet, American" way. Humbert finds Quilty, whom he intends to kill, at his mansion. Before doing so, he first wants Quilty to understand why he must die, for he took advantage of Humbert, a sinner, and he took advantage of a disadvantage. Eventually, Humbert shoots him several times (throughout which Quilty is bargaining for his life in a witty, though bizarre, manner). Once Quilty has died, Humbert exits the house. Shortly after, he is arrested for driving on the wrong side of the road and swerving. The narrative closes with Humbert's final words to Lolita in which he wishes her well, and reveals the novel in its metafiction to be the memoirs of his life, only to be published after he and Lolita have both died. |
The Cat Who Talked Turkey | Lilian Jackson Braun | 2,004 | A gentleman gets shot and dies in the woods on Qwill's property, Koko howls his "death howl" at the exact time of the murder. The death is almost neglected because of the excitement about the neighboring town of Brr's bicentennial celebration. In order to write a story for the celebration, he interviews Edythe Carroll, who is a wealthy widow. Edythe, who now lives in Ittibittiwasse Estates, doesn't know that that her granddaughter Lish(Alicia) and her "driver"(Lush) trashed her mansion while they stayed in it. After Qwill convinces Mrs. Carroll to turn her historic mansion into a museum, "Lish & Lush" are evicted from the house. Gary Pratt (owner of the Hotel Booze) suggests Alicia to handle sound effect on Qwill's new one man show "The Great Storm". After Qwill hires her to research Koko's ancestry in Milwaukee, she is unable to assist with the show and is replaced by Maxine Pratt (Gary's wife and owner/operator of the marina in Brr). Alicia finds out "facts" about Koko's heritage (which are made up stories) and charges him an outrageous fee for the "research". After the dedication of the Carroll Museum, Edythe and Qwill return to Edythe's home to discover "Lish" has burglarized the place. She stole many valuable miniature porcelain shoes her grandmother had collected. Later it is revealed that she dies in a car accident, but the porcelain shoes are all fine, because they were wrapped in thick towels and in suitcases in the car. In the end "Lish & Lush" are revealed as the shooters of the man in the woods. Lush visits Qwill's barn, not knowing "Lish" was killed in an accident. After revealing that he was her "shooter" and learning he would be arrested, put on trial, etc. for the crimes they committed, he ends up shooting and killing himself in Qwill's gazebo. Koko "talks turkey" and begins attracting wild turkeys back to Moose County after a long absence. |
For Rent One Grammy One Gramps | Ivy Duffy Doherty | 1,982 | When the Barnes family come across a for a grammy and gramps for rent, the twins and their parents can't believe it, but respond anyway and become involved in a rewarding adventure they couldn't have imagined. . |
The Garden of the Gods | Gerald Durrell | null | This book is a humorous description of events that took place on the Greek island of Corfu between the years 1935 and 1939. The author was just ten years of age when he moved to Corfu with his family: his mother, Louisa Florence Durrell, his brothers Lawrence Durrell and Leslie Durrell, and his sister, Margaret Durrell (referred-to in the book as Margo). As in the first two volumes of the Corfu trilogy, the book is filled with amusing and atmospheric descriptions of the author's exploits catching, and making pets of, many of the local fauna, and the subsequent effects on his family who again feature as major characters. Other characters from the prequels also reappear here, such as Spiro (their Greek friend and chauffeur), Theodore Stephanides (family friend, doctor, poet and naturalist) and Mr Kralefsky (Gerald's one-time tutor in Corfu). Humour is also brought in the form of several new and colourful characters, including Lumis Bean, Harry Bunny, Prince Jeejeebuoy, and Count Rossignol. The Garden of the Gods was first published in 1978 by William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, and simultaneously in America by Simon and Schuster (ISBN 0-671-24729-8). gl:The Garden of the Gods |
Satan from the 7th grade | null | null | Adam Cisowski, a precocious and "devilishly clever" high school pupil (the "satan" of the title) spends a summer holiday at a run-down country house, presided over by "The Professor" - an aristocratic, eccentric mathematician who is friendly and affable but completely improvident. Suddenly, treasure hunting is launched by the discovery that an officer of Napoleon's Grand Army, who was taken care of by the Professor's ancestors in the aftermath of the disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia, may have left to his benefactors a hidden treasure (which would be very great help for their impoverished present-day descendants). However, the subtle trail of hints left by the French officer defy all minds but that of the "devilish" Adam. Adam energetically takes up the challenge, seeking to help his hosts - and in particular, win the heart of Wanda, the Professor's beautiful daughter. Throughout the book, he follows the perplexing trail, clue after clue, using hints from such sources as Dante's Inferno. Adam must, moreover, play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with a nasty gang of criminals, who also got the scent and who are very determined to lay their own hands on the treasure. At a certain moment the search looks like having gotten to a dead end - a vital hint had been written on the door of an outbuilding, but the door is not there any more. It turns out, however, that the door in question was used as an improvised stretcher on which a wounded rebel was carried to a neighbouring village during the Polish 1863 uprising against Russian rule - and that after this use, the door had been installed at the village church, where Adam duly finds it and writes down the clue. Finally, Adam finds the treasure - not before providing the criminals which he knows to be following him with a red herring and letting them "rob" from him a heavy old cask full of worthless scrap iron. They open the cask with much trouble, suspect each other of cheating, get into a violent quarrel, and get arrested by the police. The true treasure, meanwhile found hidden in a stork's nest, is more lightweight - a small sack full of jewellery which the French officer presumably looted in Russia, and whose worth is more than enough to provide for the Professor and his family. In the book's final sentence, Adam looks from the glittering jewels to Wanda's eyes, and finds them "more precious than all treasures in the world". Israeli reviewer Aryeh Klein noted that in retrospect, the book assumes an unintended wilfulness: "The present-day reader knows, as the writer could not, that this is 1937 and that the horrors of Nazi occupation are just two years ahead for all these sympathetic characters in their pastoral countryside. In order to survive, Adam would all too soon need to outwit enemies far more brutal and ruthless than the book's rather clumsy gang of criminals". fr:Satan de la septième classe pl:Szatan z siódmej klasy |
Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn | Ridley Pearson | 2,008 | The story begins with DHI (Disney Host Interactive, or Daylight Hologram Imaging) day at the Magic Kingdom. Finn and the other DHIs are riding on a float when Philby (a DHI) notices a gray balloon on the castle. Due to the growing thunderstorm, however, it disappears in the crowd. The kids also notice that Chernabog, a character supposed to be on one of the floats, has gone missing. As the parade continues, Finn sees his old friend Amanda, and her sister Jez (Jess). We learn in this book that the characters have begun to be called Kingdom Keepers because of an adopted name given from a local newspaper. Amanda is trying to warn Finn about something when Charlene notices a pair of monkey-like creatures following the float in the crowd. Jez slows, and Amanda (still trying to warn Finn) puts a green leaf to her cheek. Realizing what she means, Finn knows that Maleficent is in the castle. Together with Philby, the boys go to Escher's Keep and make it to the apartment Wayne (an old Imagineer) had shown them months before. A Dapper Dan, (who Finn immediately guesses as Security) follows the boys up the stairs, Finn trying to trick him by crossing over to his DHI state. Meanwhile the boys are trying to find out what's going on in the castle, Maybeck, Charlene, and Willa go to meet up with Amanda. Amanda realizes that Jez is a matter of fact a DHI, and doesn't know where her real sister went. Philby and Finn find Maleficent in the castle, who was moved there from the jail-cell from under Pirates of the Caribbean. Maleficent conjures her powers and breaks the bars on the window using the lightning storm, and she flies down the Tinkerbell rope from "Wishes" and flies off to the Animal Kingdom. Finn and Philby rescue the Tinkerbell actress and fly down the rope to Tomorrowland. That night, as they await to meet up online, Finn receives an IM from Wayne. Wayne tells him to meet him on a website, DGamer, a private place where VMK is still open (being that VMK closed in the book and in real life.) Wayne talks to Finn on a webcam, and Finn tells him about the nights events. Wayne tells Finn that the Overtakers have managed to clone one of the original, messed-up DHI servers from the first book and hide it somewhere in the Animal Kingdom. The Overtakers are using it to make DHIs out of animals as their army, and if any of the Kingdom Keepers (or Wayne) fall asleep, they will become their DHIs, controlled by the Overtakers' server, and can be put into permanent comas, similar to what happened to Maybeck in the first book. Wayne tells Finn that he and the other Kingdom Keepers must find Jez and destroy the second server in the Animal Kingdom, before they fall asleep and are at the Overtakers control, and must get to the Animal Kingdom at dawn, before opening, to get into the park. Finn warns the others, and they decide to use their Nintendo DS systems to chat using DGamer and meet up at the Animal Kingdom at dawn. Finn sneaks out of his house at 1 AM, and uses his bike to get to Amanda's house. He discovers that they live alone in an abandoned church. She tells him that she and Jez, who are not really sisters, are Fairlies, which means they are 'fairly human'. They have special powers, but Jez's powers are much more powerful, even more so than Maleficent's, which is why the Overtakers kidnapped her. Finn believes her, promises not to tell, and Amanda also shares that she and Jez grew up in the same orphanage, and both ran away, being that both of their parents died or disappeared. She also tells Finn that Jez had dreams before, about the future. She drew dreams in the diary, on a page filled with monkeys, a castle being struck by lightning, a sticker, a mountain, other drawings, and the words "CHANGE ROB" written over and over. Finn takes the page, being that it will help them, since the castle being struck by lightning happened the night before. While in the church, Finn and Amanda spy a large bat, suspiciously watching them. Later, at 4 in the morning, Finn sneaks back into his house and tells his mom he's going to the skate park and it is six in the morning. She believes him, and 'winning the rest of the day' tells her he will probably go to Blizzard Beach later with his friends. He and the DHIs, along with Amanda, meet up at the Animal Kingdom an hour later. They go into a type of warehouse, and discover that the Dapper Dan who chased Finn and Philby in Escher's Keep is in fact with Wayne. They change into cast members' clothing, Charlene notably dressing up as DeVine, a costumed vine character on stilts. Charlene and Willa discover a bat in the girls' room the size of a bowling pin, the same bat who was at Amanda's apartment. Maybeck catches it, and puts it in a pillowcase. The DHIs set out into the empty park, each as a different person. With Cast Member ID badges, they are free to go anywhere backstage as long as they aren't found out. In Animal Kingdom, Willa sets out into the jungle, she attempts to go to a feeding place disguised as a stump on the savanna. She is chased and nearly eaten by a dragon-type creature, but is safe once she enters the stump and zebras scare the dragon away. Willa notices that Jez is gone, and 'Change Rob' is written on the wall, just as in Jez's diary. Once the coast is clear, she goes back to the actual park to find Finn. Maybeck has orders from Finn to put the bat-hostage in the bat enclosure. However, he is attacked by thousands of birds who were stalking him all over. He isn't hurt by them, but the bat is taken away by a monkey. He desperately chases the monkey, following it into the monkey enclosure. However, Maleficent is in the enclosure and stops him and Maybeck is sent running for his life back to Finn. Philby, at the Convervation Station, has talked to Wayne on VMK and found out how to rig the cameras there and give him security camera access to all the cameras around the park. Charlene, who is posing as the DeVine character, is unseen by everyone, therefore giving her an advantage. She offers to watch the bat enclosure, because Amanda (who is at the Conservation Station) is watching all the cameras she can. Finn listens to Willa and Maybeck's stories, but all are equally puzzled. At this point, the park has opened to guests, and suddenly, the song "Under the Sea" (covered by Raven-Symoné) begins playing on the radios around the park. Amanda is in shock- this is Jez(Jess)'s favorite song, its on her iPod, and this song has never played anywhere in the Animal Kingdom—it's all out of area. Finn and Amanda deduce that Jez(Jess) must be playing this song from her iPod, and that this must be a clue about something. Willa and Finn each decide to check out this mystery by following the song's clue to other parks. Finn goes to Disney's Hollywood Studios and heads to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater show. While walking in the park, he notices a broomstick character from Fantasia is following him. Finn manages to hide in the show and watch, only to notice the broomstick character stop and study the show. Finn is confused. Meanwhile, Willa has gone to the Magic Kingdom to Ariel's Grotto, a picture station themed to The Little Mermaid. While there, she seems to cause a fuss by asking to open a fake treasure chest in the area, thinking it might contain something. It is revealed to be empty, and Willa is pushed away by a cast member, who remarks that a Captain Hook costumed character had also tried to do the same thing earlier. Willa eventually falls asleep at Mickey's Philharmagic and is taken away by the Overtakers, to be put in a hotel room with sleeping Philby. After following a clue, Finn and Amanda go to the vetrinary clinic and are confronted by Maleficent. Finn crosses over and Amanda uses her abilities to counter Maleficent's attacks. However, Finn's DHI begins to fail after seeing Maleficent show signs retreat and Amanda takes a blow. Enraged by this, Finn attacks Maleficent and demands for her to release Amanda. After she fulfills this, Finn knocks her down and he and Amanda escape. Jez is eventually found inside the Animal Kingdom's tiger enclosure, was found using the "Under the Sea" music clue. According to Google Earth, she was literally under the C in the ladn. Finn, Jez and Charlene have a near-death experience escaping from the tigers. The Keepers, Amanda, and Jez meet up and discover that Maleficent is going to free Chernabog at Expedition Everest, due to the fact Maleficent can only stand the cold. By the time they get to the attraction, the park has closed to guests, and the kids scale into the empty climactic end of the attraction. However, they are too late as Maleficent releases Chernabog from his trapped form as the animatronic ride Yeti. Chernabog tries to kill Finn, when Amanda saves him and the kids escape in an oncoming ride car. In the end, the Kingdom Keepers have failed to stop the Overtakers, who have reportedly hid away in Disney's Hollywood Studios in the back of an ice truck. The kids decide they must quickly find the stonecutter's quill if they want to regain leverage against the Overtakers, who have most likely been the cause of Wayne's sudden and mysterious disappearance. Amanda and Jez are now Kingdom Keepers. *Jez's real name is Jessica. It was only changed to Jez after Maleficent put a spell on her. * In the first book, it is not mentioned that Finn has a sister, but in this book, Finn tells us that his sister loves Stitch, and Amanda uses Finn's sister's DS (Username: panda) for communication with the others. |
The Cat Who Brought Down the House | Lilian Jackson Braun | 2,003 | A native of Moose County, Thelma Thackeray, is returning to die. She is 82, has fame and fortune, and owns a vacant opera house downtown. She wants to have fun before she dies. Everyone is curious about her. Local historians say that her twin brother, Thurston, had died from an accidental fall near Lockmaster. His son, Richard, has now moved in with Thelma. When Thelma decides to turn the opera house into a film club, Dick is offered the job of manager. The first public event is a fund-raiser, with wealthy citizens and their cats. That is when Koko brings down the house. |
The Third Option | Vince Flynn | 2,000 | Mitch Rapp is sent on a highly sensitive mission in northern Germany to assassinate Count Heinrich Hagenmiller V, a powerful arms dealer that has been selling weapons to Saddam Hussein and other enemies of the United States. Rapp successfully slays Hagenmiller, only to be betrayed by his mission companions "Jane and Tom Hoffman", who attempt to kill Rapp by shooting him twice in the chest, not knowing he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Jane (the one that shot him) quickly stages the scene to implicate Rapp and then flees the location with Tom. A shocked Rapp eventually awakes. His injury has left a small pool of his blood on the floor. Not wanting to leave the forensic evidence behind, he sets the room on fire and quickly escapes. Back in Washington D.C., the situation in Germany quickly becomes known to politicians and officials, with a few trying to use the situation to their own advantage. Democratic Congressman Albert Rudin is not fooled by the CIA's denial of involvement, and argues that it is further proof that the CIA is bad for America and the world, and should be shut down. Henry "Hank" Clark, who is a corrupt, ambitious, and calculating Republican U.S. senator with his eye on the Presidency, is the one that ordered the hit on Rapp, hoping that his dead body would embarrass President Robert Xavier Hayes, and ruin the career of CTC Director, Dr. Irene Kennedy. Clark, along with Rudin and Secretary of State Charles Middleton, are in an alliance to stop Dr. Kennedy from succeeding the dying Thomas Stansfield as Director. Unbeknownst to Rudin and Middleton, Clark dispatches a group of contract killers led by "Professor" Peter Cameron, to initiate a widespread blood-purge that will eliminate any person that can leave a paper trail back to him. Rapp hides in France and gathers his thoughts. He believes it is possible that his boss, Dr. Irene Kennedy, the Director of the Counter Terrorism Center and "friend", ordered the Hoffmans to assassinate him in order to cover the situation up. Rapp eventually returns to Washington and confronts her and her boss, the CIA Director, Thomas Stansfield at his house. Also found in the room was retired SEAL Team Six Commander, Scott Coleman. With gun drawn, Rapp demands answers; after a brief discourse between him and his bosses, Rapp comes to realize that they had nothing to do with the attempt on his life. Rapp learns that many of his colleagues are being killed and that his girlfriend Anna Reilly has been kidnapped by the assassins. They kidnapped her in order to set a death trap for Rapp. The Hoffmans, (AKA The Jansens) are assassinated outside their home by Cameron. Rapp, along with Coleman and a few other agents, eventually rescue Anna, killing all of Cameron's men in the process. Cameron, who was talking to one of his men on the phone while the assault was executed, quickly learns that all has failed. Rapp contacts Cameron and pledges to kill him unless he confesses the identity of his employer. Cameron refuses to answer and quickly makes plans to leave the country. However, only moments before Rapp reaches Cameron, he is killed by an Italian assassin named Donatella Rahn, who was hired by Clark. The president soon learns about the coup d’état against him, and summons two of the main movers of the conspiracy, Rudin and Middleton. The president lambastes them in two separate meetings for betraying their party. He then demands them to tell him everything they know, so he may find out who ordered the hit on Rapp. Both of the men do not give the president any useful answers. Rudin is left without power within the Democratic Congressional caucus and Middleton is told he will be fired as Secretary of State. Shortly afterward Middleton is found dead in his apartment, ruled a suicide. It was Clark that ordered the hit, but pretends to know now nothing about it, even to his close friend Jonathan Brown, the Deputy Director of the CIA who hates both Stansfield and Dr. Kennedy. Clark announces to a shocked Brown that he is backing Dr. Kennedy's nomination, but assures him that Kennedy "will never make it through the confirmation process." |
The Story of Egmo | Ben Cormack | 2,006 | The protagonist, 'Egmo' is an ill-fated anti hero whose many eccentricities put him firmly out of step with the world and everyone in it. When he unearths the global domination plans of local would-be-criminal-mastermind Krapodkin he sets out on a fantastical mission to restore relative normality. |
The Ambassador's Mission | null | 2,010 | Twenty years after the "Ichani Invasion" the Guild has witnessed some major changes. Talented children from all social ranks are now accepted into the Guild even though tensions arise between the various groups. Upon learning the secrets of Black Magic the Rank of Black Magician was created. However, there are some restrictions since the guild is afraid a Black Magician might abuse his or her power. Sonea and the second Black Magician, Kallen, are thus supposed to control each other. Sonea now runs the Hospices which offer free healing to all (as seen at the end of "The High Lord"). Her son Lorkin has graduated and does not yet know what to do with his life. He is intrigued when reading Dannyl's records of old, forgotten magic. Dannyl however wants to visit Sachaka as the Guild's Ambassador and so Lorkin decides to join him which brings tensions to the Guild, some of the members fearing that sending the son of the man who killed so many Sachakans may be seen as an insult. After long discussions Lorkin is allowed to leave with Dannyl. Meanwhile the Thieves have broken their truce and no longer work together leading to a greater rivalry than before. Even worse, someone starts killing off Thieves; one after the other. When Ceryni's family is killed while he is at a meeting with Faren's successor Skellin, he takes a personal interest in finding the culprit. Upon learning that the "Thief Hunter" uses magic he informs Sonea of the rogue. They decide that if Cery can find her Sonea will trap her and bring her back to the Guild for investigation. They also decide not to inform the Guild fearing a similar unsuccessful manhunt as seen in "The Magicians' Guild". In Sachaka, Lord Lorkin and Ambassador Dannyl have difficulties adjusting to the fact that there are only slaves and no servants. Lorkin tries to befriend a female slave called Tyvara to learn from her. The Advisor to the King Ashaki Achati introduces them to many important people, some of whom have a lot of information about the history of magic, the Guild and the Sachakan war (which are of great interest to Dannyl and Lorkin). One night, Lorkin wakes up to a woman bedding him and thinking it is Tyvara (to whom he has struck a liking) lets her be. The woman is then surprised and killed (with Black Magic) by Tyvara. Lorkin finds out that there is a mighty rebel organization called “The Traitors” (of which Tyvara is a scout) who are led by women. Fearing further assassination attempts they decide to flee to the “Sanctuary,” the Traitors' headquarter in the Sachakan Mountains to the North. During their travels Lorkin finds out there are two factions of the Traitors which do not agree what to do with him. Twenty-five years previously, Akkarin had learned Black Magic from the Traitors and promised to teach them healing magic (of which the Sachakans have no knowledge). After killing Dakova he fled and thus broke his promise, which led to the death of the Queen’s daughter. This was the reason for one faction wanting to punish Lorkin for his father’s actions, the other wanting to learn healing magic from him. Dannyl, thinking that Lorkin has been kidnapped, decides to follow him and learns a lot about Sachakan culture from his companion Ashaki Achati. Meanwhile in Imardin Cery has informed his estranged daughter Anyi (from his first marriage) that she might be in danger and has taken her as his bodyguard, so that he can keep an eye upon her without anyone knowing of their relationship. He finds the traitor who to his surprise is a woman of the same race as Skellin. He informs Skellin of his progress and receives a tip on where the woman might be. After informing Sonea and Regin (with whom Sonea is now on speaking terms) they set out to capture the woman, only to realize she is not the rogue they originally discovered. Anyi, who watches the action from a distance, observes the original rogue and informs Sonea who (with the help of two other magicians) manages to capture her. After reading both womens' minds, Sonea discovers that the real traitor is Skellin’s mother and the Thief Hunter. The other woman was blackmailed and set up to be caught by Cery. At the hearing, Anyi and Cery were also questioned and Anyi recognizes Black Magician Kallen to be an accomplice of Skellin’s, setting a new mystery to be investigated in “The Rogue”. In Sachaka, Tyvara and Lorkin meet Speaker Savara and travel to Sanctuary with her. Dannyl and a group of Sachakan Ashaki gain on the Traitors. Dannyl gets deliberately separated from the group and talks to Lorkin, who convinces him to give up since the Traitors would otherwise kill Dannyl. Lorkin then continues on to Sanctuary, where he speaks upon Tyvara’s behalf in the trial held against her for murder. Thanks to Lorkin she is found as not guilty but is confined to Sanctuary. Lorkin, as an outsider, is also confined but is committed to help in some way. As a twist of fate they send him to the sick houses to heal. Lorkin hopes to arrange a deal with the Traitors involving trading some old forgotten magic (like Storestones) for healing magic. |
Necessary Heartbreak | M. J. Sullivan | 2,008 | Michael Stewart is a single dad in modern-day New York struggling to raise his feisty 13 year-old daughter, Elizabeth. Feeling beaten down by life, he shuts out new relationships but fate, or perhaps something more divine, has other plans. When they stumble upon a root-cellar door in a church basement, they discover a portal leading back to first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Christ’s life. There they encounter Leah, a grieving widow, and a menacing soldier, determined to take Elizabeth as his own. Trapped in the past - both literally and figuratively - Michael comes face to face with some of his most limiting beliefs, and realizes he must open himself up to the possibility of a deeper faith in God, people, himself, and love if he is to find his way home. |
A Darker Domain | Val McDermid | 2,008 | During the infamous UK miners' strike, a wealthy young heiress and her infant son are kidnapped in Fife, before a botched payoff leaves her dead and the child missing. Twenty-two years later, DI Karen Pirie, an expert on cold cases, interviews a journalist who may have found a clue to the enigma while on vacation in Tuscany. However, she soon becomes preoccupied with another missing persons case from about the same time. Fellow mine workers and even his own wife believed that Mick Prentice notoriously broke ranks and left to join a group of 'scab' strike breakers far south in Nottingham, but recent evidence suggests that his disappearance might not have been as simple as that. Moreover, Mick's grown daughter Misha desperately needs to find her estranged father for critical reasons of her own. DI Pirie soon finds herself stumbling through a darker domain of violence, greed, secrets and betrayal. The novel jumps back and forth between the time of the key events of both cases during the miners' strike and the current day. The flashbacks provide scattered, nonsequential background for the facts in the order that Pirie and present-day others discover them or relate them. This structure allows the author to present intricate plotlines and reveal facts in a manner that sustains the suspense. Because the plot is convoluted, however, and McDermid didn't offer the readers graphics to help them orient themselves in the local landscape, readers may want to glance at maps of the Fife area and Tuscan countryside where the plot locations are noted. |
Absolution | Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson | null | When he died, Peter Peterson left behind the trappings of a seemingly charmed life: a vast fortune, two children, and a stately Park Avenue address. But he left something else behind: a sheaf of confessions about a dark period of his youth. In pages written weeks before his death, he reveals a crime of passion, committed in the throes of unrequited love, that has burdened him for his entire life. Yet as he finishes his story, he encounters a surprise that will shake the very foundation of his past. Spanning a boyhood in Iceland to the Nazi occupation of Denmark to a cunning business career in modern-day Manhattan, Absolution echoes Dostoevsky and Ibsen as it masterfully plumbs the darkest corners of a sinister mind and a wounded heart. |
Expiration Date | Tim Powers | null | There are two main protagonists and two main antagonists. The protagonists are Koot Hoomie "Kootie" Parganas and Pete "Teet" Sullivan. Kootie is an eleven-year old boy and Sullivan is a man in his early 40's. The novel takes place mostly in Los Angeles in the year 1992, and there are references to the United States presidential election. The main antagonists are Sherman Oaks and Loretta deLarava. As in Last Call, the previous novel of Tim Powers' Fault Line series, a prominent theme is the quest for immortality. Oaks' age is unknown, deLarava's age is 76 (but she often appears to be younger); both have been prolonging their lives by ingesting ghosts. There is a magical system surrounding these ghosts - their behavior, how they are ingested, how to catch them so that they may be ingested, and even a mysterious market where the bottled ghosts are bought and sold. In their ready-to-be digested state, they are known as "smokes" or "cigars". The narrative is propelled by this chase for ghosts. Koot Hoomie Parganas has unwittingly ingested the ghost of Thomas Edison. However, because Kootie hasn't yet reached puberty, he isn't able to digest it. In its undigested state, the ghost of Edison functions as a helper to Kootie. Because of Edison's powerful personality, this ghost is particularly sought after by both antagonists who wish to ingest it themselves. In addition, Loretta deLarava is pursuing the ghost of Pete Sullivan's father. If Loretta deLarava manages to capture Pete Sullivan, it will help her to locate Pete Sullivan's father's ghost, Arthur Patrick "Apie" Sullivan. Pete Sullivan has his own helper, a former psychiatrist named Angelica Anthem Elizalde. Loretta deLarava also pursues Solomon Shadroe. Shadroe is the former Nicky Bradshaw. Shadroe/Bradshaw is also a son of Arthur Patrick "Apie" Sullivan, albeit a godson. Shadroe/Bradshaw played "Spooky" in a fictional situation comedy called "Ghost of a Chance". |
Before I Die | Jenny Downham | 2,007 | Tessa is diagnosed with leukemia. Despite her four-year devotion to chemotherapy she has discovered that her cancer is terminal and her doctors don't give her very long to live. Tessa with the help of her best friend Zoey comes up with a list of things she wants to do before she dies, including some risky behaviors that she deems necessary to have "lived". Tessa's dad is resistant to Tessa's behavior from the start but realizes he has little influence and can only enjoy the time they have left. Best friend Zoey is excited and supportive of the outrageous bucket list until an unplanned pregnancy test comes up positive. Tessa's parents are divorced and have very different views on her desire to experience the dangerous side of life before she passes. Her mother is loving and joking about the situation and seems supportive whereas her father is timid and just wants to spend time with his daughter. Her father's main mechanism for coping is denial. She mentions that he spends hours on the computer looking up possible treatments for her even after the doctors have told her that the cancer has consumed her body. Tessa's brother Cal is a brutally honest individual that has mixed feelings throughout the novel ranging from lack of care to jealousy to sadness. In the beginning of the novel Cal says to his sister "I'm gonna miss you" during a joking situation. One of Tessa's last wishes is to find love, of which she thinks she has with her neighbor Adam. Adam is shy and his main priority is taking care of his sickly mother after their father died. The book, written in first person from Tessa's point of view, follows her last few months of life, explores her relationships with her loved ones, and her personal feelings about being trapped in a failing body. At the end of the novel Tessa does pass away. |
Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys | H. A. Rey | 1,939 | The story follows the exploits of Cecily Giraffe, or simply "Cecily G." for short. She is saddened by the loss of her fellow jungle animals and family, all of whom had been captured and placed in a zoo. In another section of the jungle lived a female monkey named Mother Pamplemoose. She and her eight offspring were left homeless by the loss of all the trees in their forest due to woodcutters. It is here the character of Curious George is introduced, who declares that it is time for the family to pack their belongings and move on. Eventually, the monkeys can go no further due to a deep ravine. It is baby Jinny, the youngest monkey, who notices the dejected Cecily G. on the other side of the ravine. Cecily G. notices the monkeys as well, immediately stops crying and asks the monkeys if they would like to cross. To assist them in crossing, Cecily G. leaps forward across the divide, bridging it with her body. Curious George is the first monkey to cross and introduces the family to their rescuer. When each learns of the other's plight, Cecily invites the monkeys to stay and live with her. The climax occurs when a fire breaks out in the upper floors of Cecily's tall, giraffe-shaped house. The monkeys work as a team with Cecily; two of the strongest monkeys work an emergency water pump while the remaining six guide the hose to the top of Cecily's neck, using her height to reach the fire. That incident cements the bond of friendship, so much so that James, one of the young monkeys, composes a song in Cecily's honor. The final page of the book features the lyrics and musical notation of the song with the monkeys serving as notes and Cecily as the treble clef. |
Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream | null | 1,910 | Although Minor Tactics begins in the forward with thanks and appreciation to F. M. Halford for his Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice published in 1889 as the last word on chalk stream fishing for trout, the book marks Skues' long campaign to restore the wet fly to its rightful place on the chalk streams of England from which the wet fly had been banished during the dogmatic dry fly period of the last 19th century. From the Foreword: Rising from the perusal of "Dry-Fly Fishing in Theory and Practice" on its publication by F. M. Halford in 1889, I think I was at one with most anglers of the day in feeling that the last word had been written on the art of chalk-stream fishing—so sane, so clear, so comprehensive, is it ; so just and so in accord with one's own experience. Twenty years have gone by since then without my having had either occasion or inclination to go back at all upon this view of that, the greatest work, in my opinion, which has ever seen the light on the subject of angling for trout and grayling; and it is still, as regards that side of the subject with which it deals, all that I then believed it. But one result of the triumph of the dry fly, of which that work was the crown and consummation, was the obliteration from the minds of men, in much less than a generation, of all the wet-fly lore which had served many generations of chalk stream anglers well. The effect was stunning, hypnotic, submerging; and in these days, if one excepts a few eccentrics who have been nurtured on the wet fly on other waters, and have little experience of chalk streams, one would find few with any notion that anything but the dry fly could be effectively used upon Hampshire rivers, or that the wet fly was ever used there. I was for years myself under the spell, and it is the purpose of the ensuing pages to tell, for the benefit of the angling community, by what processes, by what stages, I have been led into a sustained effort to recover for this generation, and to transmute into forms suited to the modern conditions of sport on the chalk stream, the old wet-fly art, to be used as a supplement to, and in no sense to supplant or rival, the beautiful art of which Mr. F. M. Halford is the prophet. How far my effort has been successful I must leave my readers to judge. I myself feel that in making it I have widened my angling horizon, and that I have added enormously to the interest and charm of my angling days as well as to my chances of success, and that, too, by the use of no methods which the most rigid purist could rightly condemn, but by a difficult, delicate, fascinating, and entirely legitimate form of the art, well worthy of the naturalist sportsman. In the course of my too rare excursions to the river-side, I have elaborated some devices, methods of attack and handling, which I have found of service, some applicable to wet-fly, some to dry-fly fishing, or to both. In the hope that these may be of interest or service, I have included papers upon them. |
The Perfect Pumpkin Pie | null | null | On Halloween, Mrs. Wikinson bakes a perfect pie for her grouchy husband and reminds him that when they die, there will be no pie. After she said that, her husband yells that he isn't going then. Soon after, he falls dead into his pumpkin pie. The widow buries him in the yard and moves away. Jack and his grandmother moves in and they bake a pie. The husband returns as a ghost to eat some pumpkin pie. He rejects the first, but he eats the third one and then goes underground... He comes back above the ground when he smells apple pie. |
January | null | 1,998 | The book is divided into four parts, the Prologue, Part I that contains chapters one through five, Part II that contains chapters six through twelve, and Part III that contains chapters thirteen through fifteen. The series starts on January 1, 1999 in a Russian military installation north of the Arctic Circle, five minutes before the countdown to the year 1999 in the Pacific Time Zone. In the midst of a toast inside, the base is suddenly attacked by a very mysterious group of female teenagers. With the stationed soldiers dead, secret weapons contained in the base are launched. The series starts with a Prologue on January 1, 1999 in a Russian military installation north of the Arctic Circle, five minutes before the countdown to the year 1999 in the Pacific Time Zone. In the midst of a toast inside, the base is suddenly attacked by a very mysterious group of female teenagers. With the stationed soldiers dead, secret weapons contained in the base are launched. The first chapter introduces seventeen year old Ariel Collins, Jezebel Howe, Brian Landau, and Trevor Collins in Washington, USA. Just two seconds before the end of 1998, a solar flare occurs, resulting in a power outage. The plot then moves to New York City, introducing characters Julia Morrison and her boyfriend Luke at a nightclub. At 3:01 AM, about a minute after the secret weapons are launched, Julia, in the midst of watching her boyfriend dancing with someone else finds that the music abruptly stops and the lights turn off. Strange things begin happening, and Julie receives a mysterious vision. She wakes up to find that the person next to her has disappeared and has left a puddle of what seemed to be wet putty. Moving on, the book introduces twenty year old Dr. Harold Wurf in a hospital in Austin, Texas, where he is on a New Year's thirty-two hour shift. Seven minutes after the launch of the weapons, the hospital, University of Texas Hospital still has power. He decides to check up on an attractive patient he's forgotten about. After a tedious conversation, the patient tells him that she feels very hot and needs some water and suddenly develops strange symptoms. But soon enough, she melts into a black puddle before his eyes. Harold Wurf is consumed by terror, and runs out of the room only to find out that absolutely everyone has vanished, leaving articles of clothes and thick black puddles. At last the plot moves to Jerusalem, Israel, introducing eighteen year old atheist Sarah Levy who decided to study in Israel and her brother Joshua Levy on a bus with their granduncle Elijah. Ten minutes after the launch, and after learning about the sudden blackouts of major cities around the world, Sarah is left with a bus filled with silent prayer. A radio reports that there has apparently been a massive solar flare. Elijah suddenly begins babbling about a prophecy on a scroll but becomes ill and sure enough, disintegrates into a black puddle. With everyone except for Sarah and her brother reduced to piles of blood, pus, blackness and clothing, the bus becomes out of control. Meanwhile, back in Washington, fifteen minutes into the new year, as the four teenagers begin suspecting the launch of a nuclear war caused the outages, Ariel's ill tempered father comes back to their house early. Entering, he finds a large supply of empty beers and four drunk teens. He begins to throw a fit when he suddenly collapses. Sure enough, he melts into a puddle. After nearly twenty-four hours of unconsciousness, Sarah wakes up in a crash yard, nearby the bus she was on, with her brother taking care of her. Josh believes the world is falling apart, but Sarah have a very hard time believing him. Chapter seven introduces punk-like George Porter and very obese Eight Ball, two sixteen-year-olds jailed for hot-wiring a car on New Year's Eve. Three days after any adult over twenty disintegrates, the two are found starving and thirsty in a jail cell, on the verge of cannibalistic ideas. Out of anger, George kicks the hard metal cell door, cracking a few bones in his right foot and loosening a screw. While in immense pain, Eight Ball manages to knock out the screw from its place and squeeze through the door. But instead of helping George through the door, Eight Ball runs off. In the midst of a fight between Julia and her drunk boyfriend in their New York City apartment, Julia acts on impulse and runs away from him. She only makes it to the bottom floor when she is confronted with three 'love' searching thugs. Luke manages to catch up to her with a bottle of booze. After a negative conversation, Luke fatally bashes one of the three with the bottle. He then decides that they should leave the city and go west, where Julie wanted to go anyway, even though Luke thinks her visions are 'pretty wild.' Back in Texas, Harold finds himself extremely overloaded with teenage medical issues, barely having received more than a trinkle of sleep over the past week. After a few quickly solved cases, the teenagers start believing he has the magical power to heal. Harold realizes that there isn't much he can do to make them believe otherwise, so he just goes with it. |
The Charioteer of Delphi | Caroline Lawrence | 2,006 | September, A.D. 80: Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus are celebrating Nubia's birthday with their families and their friend Porcius, when a teenaged boy named Scopas arrives from Delphi with a message from Lupus’s mother, Melissa. She sends her love to her son, and asks, as a favor, that he help Scopas find a job with one of the chariot racing factions in Rome. He has already won races in Greece, despite being barely 13 years old. Though Scopas is awkward and strange in his manner, Flavia agrees to help him, and sends him to Rome with a letter asking her uncle and avid racing fan, Senator Cornix, to arrange an introduction. A few weeks later, Scopas sends a letter to Ostia, saying that he has been taken on by the Green faction at the Circus Maximus, which is facing a crisis: their prize racing horse, Sagitta, has disappeared, and the Greens are offering a 100,000 sestercii reward for his safe return before the start of the next games. Flavia and the others arrange a trip to Rome when Flavia's father has to commission some repair work on their home, and leave on another voyage. Arriving in Rome with Aristo, they are taken to the Greens’ stables to meet Scopas, who works as a groom. The lead trainer, Urbanus, says Scopas is the best groom he has ever known, but the other grooms despise him for his strange behavior (and possibly out of jealousy). Among the Greens' recently acquired horses, Nubia recognizes a stallion named Pegasus, who was previously owned by Publius Pollius Felix (in The Sirens of Surrentum). Nubia confides that she has been having nightmares about being trapped in a burning tent; showing a surprising empathy with the horses, she believes that both she and Pegasus have terrible memories of losing family members to fire when they were very young. As the children leave the stables to begin looking for Sagitta, a one-legged beggar says he knows exactly where to find the horse. Flavia is skeptical, but Nubia gives him a coin, and to everyone's amazement, the horse is indeed waiting right where the beggar said he would be. The horse is healthy, though there are signs that his legs have been burned. They lead the horse back to the stables in triumph, earning the reward, free entry permits to the stables, and a complimentary ride in the team's chariots during one of their practice runs. When Flavia and Co. attend the first day of the races with Senator Cornix and his family, things begin to go wrong for the Greens. Inexplicably, the horses being driven by the most prestigious charioteers go berserk on the track, throwing their riders and causing terrible, often fatal, crashes. In the stables, the four friends find other examples of sabotage, including stealing the charioteers' personal votive statuettes, and replacing the pins of the chariots with wax replicas. Flavia theorizes that someone has a grudge against the Greens, or else is trying to fix the race to win at gambling. She suspects Urbanus, who is strangely ambivalent about their success in exposing several of the sabotage tricks. But her theory seems to fail when two charioteers from the Red faction are also put out of action. Lupus scouts out the track during the next race, and sees a boy, disguised as one of the Greens’ stable boys, hiding near the track with a bone whistle. Flavia realizes that several of the Greens' star horses have been abducted, and then returned, after being tortured with fire and conditioned to fear burning when they hear a high-pitched sound. Urbanus is skeptical, until Nubia blows a note on her flute and Sagitta goes berserk inside his stall. Urbanus panics, realizing that without Sagitta, he does not have a team ready to run in the next day’s race. Scopas steps forward, volunteering to drive a team with Pegasus in Sagitta's place. Urbanus grudgingly agrees. Flavia realizes that all of the targeted charioteers were drivers for the Greens in the previous year, including the two who now race for the Reds. The only one left is a man named Hierax, who they are told retired after being maimed in a crash a year ago. The friends return to their seats with Senator Cornix, to watch the remainder of the races. But when they get up to leave, Flavia realizes that Nubia and Lupus are gone. Running back to the stables, they see that Pegasus is also gone. It turns out that the one-legged beggar who helped them before has convinced Nubia to lead Pegasus away from the stables, rather than risk him being hurt in the races. Nubia has come to love the horse, and seizes on the chance to take him to a better place. The beggar leads them to a supposedly abandoned house in Rome, which has a stable outfitted to receive Pegasus. But Nubia realizes that the house isn't abandoned at all, it belongs to the “beggar” who reveals himself to her at the same time Flavia and the others learn his true identity: he is Hierax, the former charioteer. After losing his celebrity and his leg after the chariot accident, he has become bitter and vengeful; in his paranoia, he now believes that the crash and everything that came after was a conspiracy by Urbanus and the Greens to get rid of him. He has arranged the whole series of accidents to get his revenge on the Greens. But as he steps forward to tie Nubia up, Pegasus rears and knocks over a lamp, setting the stable on fire. Lupus has followed Nubia as far as the house, and runs back to the Circus to fetch reinforcements. Urbanus, Flavia, Jonathan, and Senator Cornix rush to the house as it begins to burn. Inside, Nubia douses herself and Pegasus with water and then mounts him, whispering that the only way to save their lives is for Pegasus to brave his fears and jump through the flames. He does so, and they escape the house. But Urbanus has already run inside to see if there are any others, and is trapped by falling debris. Remembering the other victims of the great fire in Rome, that he blames on himself, Jonathan rushes inside and drags Urbanus to safety, suffering a near-fatal asthma attack as a result of smoke inhalation. Everyone recovers, and Hierax and his accomplices are caught. The next day, Scopas convinces Nubia that, although chariot racing may be very dangerous, both he and Pegasus truly love it. Nubia senses through her bond with Pegasus that this is true. She gives Pegasus her blessing before he runs his first race. To everyone's great amazement, Scopas wins the race, something unheard of for a novice charioteer in his first run. The children's friend, Senator Cornix's slave Sisyphus, wins his freedom on a bet from Senator Cornix, and makes a small fortune betting his savings on Scopas. Scopas receives his victory crown from the Emperor himself, and as he takes his triumphal ride around the track, he invites Nubia to join him, calling it her victory as well as his. Senator Cornix's two young children, yelling Scopas’s name, say “Scorpus” by mistake, and the crowd takes up the chant with enthusiasm. Scopus says he doesn't mind. “It can be my new name for my new life.” |
The Way of a Trout with the Fly | null | 1,921 | The of Way of a Trout was originally intended to be a treatise on the theory and practice of dressing trout flies but, by Skues's own admission, does not do a very good job of it. The book does include a number of original and interesting chapters on fly dressing and Skues's theories on the vision of trout. Additionally, the Minor Tactics section expands on Skues's exploration of nymph fishing for trout. |
The Sky Is Falling | Kit Pearson | 1,989 | Norah and Gavin Stoakes live in a peaceful English village until WWII causes them to be evacuated to Toronto. Norah, an independent ten year old, is angry with the evacuation and resents having to care for Gavin. Five-year-old Gavin does not understand the evacuation and is confused and frightened. When they arrive in Canada, Norah and Gavin are placed with Florence Ogilvie, a bossy and cold widow and her timid spinster daughter, Mary. The Ogilvies only wanted Gavin but were convinced to take Norah as well. Norah is acutely aware of their preference toward Gavin, rather than her. While Gavin quickly settles into his new home where he is spoilt and coddled by Florence, Norah cannot settle. She dislikes Florence, is bored in her strict new home, is unpopular at her new school, begins to wet the bed (something she was very angry at Gavin for doing on the boat), and constantly worries about what is happening to her family in England. As weeks go by, Norah’s resentment of Florence increases. Although she begins to make new friends, her misery increases as she realizes she cannot return to England for much longer than she originally thought. After Florence and Norah have an argument, Norah decides to run away and return to England on her own. She originally leaves without Gavin but decides she cannot leave him to be spoilt by Florence in a foreign country. She takes him with her but they only get as far as the train station before Norah realizes her plan is impossible. They return to the Ogilvies, expecting punishment but find that Florence and Mary have been very worried. Florence apologizes for ignoring Norah in the past months and asks if they can begin again. Norah accepts the offer and attempts to try live happily in Canada. Life begins to improve and Norah accepts Canada as her temporary home for the duration of the war. |
Fire Study | Maria V. Snyder | 2,008 | Yelena and friends set off to capture Cahil and Ferde, the soul stealer, only to find that they are not the biggest threat to Sitia anymore. A clan of magicians using Blood magic is trying to take over the Citadel and they will kill anybody that stands in their way. But with the possibility of someone close to her being a traitor and the added stress of finding out what it means to be a Soul finder, Yelena may not be able to stop the Fire Warper from taking control of Sitia. Especially when her loyalty is tested and she may have to pick a side with the possibility of a war between Sitia and Ixia on the horizon. |
The Secrets of Harry Bright | Joseph Wambaugh | 1,985 | Paco Pedroza is chief of police in Mineral Springs, California, a small nondescript desert town near Palm Springs. The Los Angeles Police Department informs him that they have developed a new lead in a notorious, unsolved Palm Springs homicide in which the body was found in Solitaire Canyon, a notorious biker hangout within Mineral Springs. While Paco unenthusiastically prepares for a visit by an LAPD homicide team, desert rat drunkard Beavertail Bigelow, the object of a prank by one of Paco's cops, stumbles across an antique ukelele in the desert that will become a key piece of evidence in the renewed investigation. On election day 1984 in Los Angeles, LAPD Sgt. Sidney Blackpool is invited to the corporate office of high tech industrialist Victor Watson, who son Jack was the victim in the Palm Springs homicide. Over drinks, Watson tells Blackpool he pulled strings with LAPD to arrange for Blackpool to investigate a new lead that tenuously ties the case to Blackpool's jurisdiction in Hollywood. Blackpool suspects that the lead is a pretext to draw in the resources of LAPD after both Palm Springs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation failed to solve the case. Watson knows that Blackpool's son died at approximately the same time, and using that to engage his sympathies, persuades Blackpool to work the case as part of an expenses-paid golf vacation for himself and his partner, Otto Stringer, in Palm Springs. His inducement is a suggested promise of a retirement job for Blackpool as head of security for Watson Industries. During the search for the missing Jack Watson, Officer O.A. Jones of Mineral Springs PD became lost in the desert, where he accidentally became a witness in the investigation, and in finding the lost O.A. Jones, other officers found the victim's body in a burned out car. While O.A. Jones tries to unravel his delerium recollections of a song he overhead being sung at the crime scene, other officers confiscate the ukelele, which Bigelow has sold to another desert rat, as the weapon used in a domestic violence case. Blackpool and Stringer check into a posh Palm Springs hotel with $10,000 in $500 bills ("President McKinleys") as expense money. Their investigation starts slowly, as both are more interested in vacation amenities than work. After a visit to the Watson house, where they interview the live-in "houseboy", Harlan Penrod, and then a phone call to the Palm Springs PD, the investigation picks up speed as both conclude that a kidnapping was highly unlikely and try to figure out why Jack Watson would have gone to Solitaire Canyon. Harlan provides a photo of Jack with a possible suspect. The investigation, with rounds of golf sandwiched in between, takes them to the Mineral Springs PD, the Eleven Ninety-nine Club (a cop bar in Mineral Springs), a gay bar in Palm Springs, a biker's shack in Solitaire Canyon, the Thunderbird Country Club, and a nursing home in Indio. The ukelele and the LAPD cops intersect at the cop bar, where Blackpool makes the connection linking it to O.A. Jones's memory. As suspects are investigated and eliminated as possibilities, Sidney Blackpool and Otto are forced to confront the possibility that either of two sergeants of the Mineral Springs PD, Harry Bright or Coy Brickman, might be Jack Watson's killer. A tryst with Harry Bright's ex-wife provides the final clues for Sidney Blackpool, who confronts Paco Pedroza with his suspicions. After a heated confrontation, Pedroza agrees to cooperate in arranging ballistics tests of his officers' pistols but before that can take place, fate intervenes. Blackpool and Otto confront Coy Brickman, who reveals a hypothetical solution to the case to avoid implicating himself, tying off all loose ends raised by the investigation. Blackpool demands to see for himself proof of Harry Bright's invalid condition, which is far worse than he had considered. Afterwards, Otto washes his hands of the case and returns to Los Angeles without Sidney Blackpool, who takes the information to Victor Watson. When the interview shatters Blackpool, Sidney returns to Mineral Springs and finally discovers Harry Bright's secret. |
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