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The Scarecrows | Robert Westall | 1,981 | The story is a third-person narrative, but the point of view is entirely that of Simon Wood - his thoughts, feelings and memories, the things he sees and experiences, conversations he has, conversations he overhears. The novel opens at Simon's boarding school in the south of England, where the poisonous atmosphere of bullying and denigration has nurtured Simon's "devils", as he describes his blind rages. He first sees Joe Moreton there, when the man has given Simon's mother a lift to an event at the school. Simon loathes him at first sight and regards him as a "yob", unimpressed by his fame as an artist. At an art gallery the boy overhears a conversation making clear that Joe and his mother are dating, which enrages Simon. When mother tells him she intends to marry Joe, he vainly begs her not to, and then refuses to attend the wedding. But he must finally join his mother, his sister, and Joe at their new home in Cheshire. There both his mother's happiness and his sister's adoration of Joe incense him, for he regards them as betraying his father's memory. A neighboring unused water mill, separated from the house by a turnip field, provides a refuge, but it harbours a sinister secret. During the war, the miller was murdered by his wife and her lover. By his own attitude and actions, Simon becomes increasingly isolated. When he is driven to call on his father's spirit for support, it appears that the call is intercepted by the spirits at the mill, which manifest as scarecrows and imperceptibly advance across the turnip field to threaten the family. Simon's friend Tris la Chard comes to stay, and helps Simon to face up to reality and defeat the spirits. |
Jan's story | null | null | In Jan’s Story, Jan Petersen is introduced as an amazing, lively, and vivacious woman whose love for her husband, Barry, led her around the world and back again. Jan’s laughter and passion for adventure made her perfect for CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen, whose job took them from postings in San Francisco to Tokyo to Moscow to London and then again to Japan and China. In 2005 Jan was diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and Barry was suddenly forced into a world of caregiving for which virtually no one is prepared. At only 55 years of age, Jan’s life began to slowly deteriorate, and while medications slowed the disease, they could not conquer it. After years in a profession where bearing witness to tragedy was an everyday occurrence, Alzheimer’s proved the one hurdle cruel enough to bring Barry to his knees. Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bosnia were no match to watching his precious Jan fade away. Barry and Jan fought the disease with all they had, but no amount of strength could assuage their anguish. Jan’s behavioral unpredictability, Barry’s determination to control the uncontrollable, paired with the aching and inevitable knowledge that Jan needed to go into an assisted living facility ultimately proved detrimental to both Barry’s physical and mental health. For Barry, then living in Asia, this meant locating a facility for Jan in the United States and moving her half a world away from him. Barry would soon find that in his attempts to do what was best for Jan, he would face both approval and condemnation. There existed those who fervently disagreed with his decisions and those who applauded his strength and offered their own doses of hope and advice. There were fellow caregivers who gave their support and who were able to warn Barry of the changes and challenges that still lay ahead. When the worsening of Jan’s memory caused her to lose Barry, he faced an unenviable dilemma: surrender or survive. In his never ending battle to protect, honor, and cherish his darling Jan, Barry shares his journey in Jan’s Story. |
The Carnal Prayer Mat | Li Yu | null | The novel's protagonist, Weiyang Sheng (未央生; literally: "The Unrealised One" or "The Unfinished One"), visits a Buddhist temple. He meets a monk, who notes that the young man exhibits wisdom, but also lust. Weiyang Sheng says that the monk's purpose in life is to sit on a zafu (or prayer mat) and meditate, while his desire, however, is to marry a beautiful woman and enjoy sitting on a "carnal prayer mat" (肉蒲團). The title of the novel comes from this line said by Weiyang Sheng. Weiyang Sheng is an egoistic young scholar who often boasts of his aspiration to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. He seeks neither fame nor glory, and prefers to indulge in women and sex. A monk called Budai Heshang (布袋和尚; Monk with a Cloth Sack) once urged him to give up on his philandering ways and follow the path of Buddhism, while his father-in-law Taoist Tiefei (鐵扉道人) also attempted to persuade him to be more decent, but Weiyang Sheng ignored both of them. Once, on a trip to the capital city, Weiyang Sheng encounters a bandit called Sai Kunlun (賽崑崙) and becomes sworn brothers with him. Sai Kunlun introduces Weiyang Sheng to a Taoist magician called Tianji Zhenren (天際真人), who embeds a dog's kidney into Weiyang Sheng's penis, causing it to be enlarged and become more "powerful". With the help of Sai Kunlun, Weiyang Sheng gets involved in illicit sexual relationships with many married women. They include: Yanfang (艷芳), wife of Quan Laoshi (權老實); Xiangyun (香雲), wife of Xuanyuanzi (軒軒子); Ruizhu (瑞珠), wife of Woyun Sheng (臥雲生); Ruiyu (瑞玉), wife of Yiyun Sheng (倚雲生). When Quan Laoshi learns of his wife's relationship with Weiyang Sheng, he is furious and is determined to take revenge. He disguises himself and infiltrates Weiyang Sheng's household, and has an affair with Weiyang Sheng's wife Yuxiang (玉香), causing Yuxiang to become pregnant. Quan elopes with Yuxiang and later sells her to a brothel to be a prostitute. Later, he realises that he has committed a grave sin and decides to show penitence by becoming a monk, studying under Budai Heshang. Meanwhile, in the brothel, Yuxiang is trained in a special technique - writing calligraphy by clutching a brush with her genitals. Later, she meets Xuanyuanzi, Woyun Sheng and Yiyun Sheng, and has sex with each of them. When Weiyang Sheng visits the brothel, Yuxiang recognises her husband and she commits suicide in shame. Weiyang Sheng is given a good beating, which makes him finally come to his senses. He decides to follow in Quan Laoshi's footsteps and become a monk under Budai Heshang. |
Damned | Chuck Palahniuk | null | The novel opens with Madison "Maddy" Spencer waking in Hell, unsure of the details surrounding her death (she believes she has died of a marijuana overdose). Maddy quickly gets to know her nearby cellmates. The group (loosely modeled on the character traits in "The Breakfast Club," i.e., a rocker, a nerd, a beauty and a jock) take Maddy on a tour of Hell. In Hell, Madison works as a telemarketer, calling the living during mealtimes and asking them to answer inane survey questions. Throughout the novel, we see Madison's interactions with the living as well as the dead as she tries to piece together the events surrounding her death, and figure out how best to cope with the idea of spending the rest of eternity in Hell. |
Lankar of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | Throughout the series, author Lin Carter has portrayed himself as the recipient and editor of the manuscripts of protagonist Jonathan Dark (Jandar), teleported from the Jovian moon Callisto (moon) (or Thanator, as its inhabitants call it) to the ruined Cambodian city of Arangkhôr. In this volume he finally travels to Cambodia, hoping to learn what became of Jandar after the conclusion of the last volume of his memoirs, Mind Wizards of Callisto. Once in Arangkhôr Carter accidentally falls into the well-like teleportation device himself, and is duly transported to the jungle moon as Jandar had been. A literal babe in the woods, he is hardly cut out to become an interplanetary hero; indeed, he spends much of his sojourn on Thanator mooning over its extraordinary sights like a tourist, likening them to wonders of which he has read or seen portrayed in various works of fantastic literature and art. Fortunately, Carter is soon taken in hand by an Othode, a forest creature with the personality of a faithful dog, which becomes his companion and protector against the local perils. It defends him against a Vastodon and later saves him from an immense spiderweb. Carter acquires another companion in the native boy Tarin, who had also been trapped in the web, and an abbreviated native-style name, "Lankar," which Tarin finds easier to pronounce. They subsequently encounter warriors from Shondakar, the kingdom of Jandar's love interest Princess Darloona, and join the expedition against the hidden city of Kuur, lair of the evil Mind Wizards who hold the hero captive. Carter's Othode even manages to uncover the secret entry to the city, but Carter himself is caught and imprisoned with Jandar. All comes out well, as they are rescued by Tarin and in a climatic battle the Mind Wizards are almost all killed. (One is later revealed to have escaped, to permit sequel possibilities.) At the end of the story Carter manages to catch the return beam to Earth, content to resume his role as redactor, rather than participant, in Jandar's adventures. |
Renegade of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | In the final adventure set on the Jovian moon Callisto, or Thanator, three comrades of series hero Jandar are lost in a damaged airship. Jungle boy Taran, Yathoon warrior Koja and their pet othode Fido, drift away from the city of Shondakar into the plains ruled by the insectoid Yathoon hordes. Taken captive by one of the hordes, they meet fellow prisoner Xara, princess of Ganatol, waylaid on her way to Shondakar to secure an alliance against the mercantile Perushtar city-states. Koja and Borak, another Yathoon prisoner, escape and find sanctuary with Koja's own horde, while Taran and Xara are saved by another airship sent by Jandar to locate the missing protagonists. Xara falls in love with Vandar, the ship's captain. Unfortunately, rescued and rescuers are quickly retaken by the Yathoon and carried away to Sargol, the hidden capital of all the insectoid hordes. Koja, who has reassumed the leadership he once held over his own horde, is there as well. He challenges the Yathoon emperor to a duel for the right to rule the combined hordes. The contest takes the form of a game of Darza (Thanatorian chess), utilizing as pieces live players who must fight to the death. Taran, Xara and Valkar become some of Koja's "pieces." The game is interrupted by Fido and other othodes, and Koja and the emperor end up fighting singly. Koja is triumphant, becoming the new emperor of the hordes, and his human companions are saved. Jandar shows up in the denouement to help celebrate and take the protagonists home to Shondakar. |
Thin Air | Robert B. Parker | 1,995 | Belson returns home one night to find his young wife, Lisa, missing, with no clue as to her whereabouts. He suspected that she may have left him, but circumstances seem to indicate she was kidnapped. Shortly after confiding in Spenser, Belson is shot returning home one night. Since he is unable to search for her himself as he is hospitalized, Spenser undertakes the search himself. The investigation leads him to the impoverished town of Proctor where he has to undercover details of Lisa's life previous to meeting Belson to discover where she might be now. |
Ylana of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | The storyline begins during events covered in the previous volume in the series, Lankar of Callisto, in which most of the evil Mind Wizards threatening the Jovian moon of Callisto, or Thanator, were wiped out in the climactic battle. One last survivor of the villainous band seizes as hostages Ylana the jungle girl and her lover Tomar, and flees to take refuge with the Cave People, a tribe dominated by his race. Together with Ylana's father, lately deposed as chief of the tribe, the two captives escape and head for the territory of the rival River People, pursued by a hunting party. Ylana is kidnapped by a River faction intent on fomenting war between the tribes, but the eventual conflict is limited to young malcontents from both, strengthening the power of the traditional authorities. The threat of the Mind Wizard is ended when he is devoured by a plesiosaur, and all ends happily for Ylana and Tomar. |
Time Travelers Never Die | null | null | After his father Michael Shelborne mysteriously disappears, Adrian "Shel" Shelborne receives a package from his father with instructions to follow if something were to happen to him. Inside the package there are four devices that the note instructs him to destroy. After toying with the device a little, Shel discovers that the devices have the ability to take you anywhere at any point in time. After figuring this concept out, Shel decides to go back in time to the last time he talked to his father on the phone and find out why he disappeared. After finding his father in the past, his father explains to him the dangers of time travel. Shel's father explains that the devices can be used to go to events in time and become a part of them, but to interfere with the events could lead to fatal consequences. After taking this into consideration Shel's father decides to go back in time and return to the present to avoid causing a paradox in time. When his father still doesn't return, Shel enlists the help of his best friend Dave Dryden to help him find his father in time. They eventually find his father's tomb stone stating that he died in 1637. Going back to the year 1604, Shel finds his father to be a very old man. Shel's father explains to him that when he went back in time, the device got damaged when he was teleported on to a sheet of thin ice rather than dry land. He also explains that he can not leave because Shel and Dave have seen his grave site, and taking him out of that time line would cause a dangerous paradox. After finding Shel's father, Dave and Shel return to their base time period. They spend the next few months time traveling to the many events of the time line. However, tragedy strikes when a lightning bolt strikes Shel's apartment, burning the place to the ground. After a brief investigation and autopsy, it is determined that the burnt body found at the apartment is Shel. After the funeral, Shel appears before Dave to explain to him that the body in the grave is not his body, but the body of his future self. Feeling that his fate is sealed in the event of what happened that night, Shel runs away to live his life out in the timeline. Dave not wanting to let his friend live in fear of his own fate, enlists the help of Shel's fiancee Helen. Together they are able to fake the death of Shel by stealing a body from the scene of an auto accident and placing it in the apartment on the night of the fire. After eliminating the possibility of a deadly paradox, Dave and Helen set off to find where Shel ran off to. When they find him, they discover that a few years have passed since they last saw him. Knowing that they can never return to his life that has already ended, Shel and Helen live out their married life as time travelers. |
Mind Wizards of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | A force of four airships bearing Jonathan Dark (Jandar) and his allies explores the unknown far side of the Jovian moon of Callisto (or Thanator), to seek and destroy Kuur, the secret stronghold of the evil Mind Wizards. The fleet is attacked by a flock of flying creatures called Zarkoons, and Jandar and the cabin boy Tomar are captured. Flown to the Zarkoons' lair, they meet another captive, the jungle girl Ylana, with whom they manage to escape. A flier piloted by Jandar's allies Lukor and Koja spots and retrieves them, but damaged by the pursuing Zarkoons it subsequently crash lands. The five find themselves in the Cor Az, forest home of the Cave People, Ylana's tribe, where all but Ylana are again imprisoned, the Cave People being under the thumb of the enemy. With Ylana's assistance they escape once more, only to be retaken and held for the Mind Wizards. Their ultimate fate is a mystery. An airship from the fleet later finds the memoir Jandar composed in captivity and returns with it to the civilized hemisphere of Thanator, whence it is afterwards teleported to Earth to become the basis of the present volume. The other three ships continue the quest for Kuur, but nothing has been heard from them as of the time of the last notation on the manuscript. With this cliffhanger the novel ends. |
Truman | David McCullough | 1,992 | The book provides a biography of Harry Truman in chronological fashion from his birth, to his rise to Senator, to Vice President, to President, and to his activities after his presidency until death. The book explores many of the major decisions that Truman made as president including his decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, his meetings and confrontation with Joseph Stalin during the end of World War II, the decision to create the Marshall Plan, the decision to send troops to the Korea War, the decision to recognize the state of Israel, and the decision to desegregate the United States armed forces. |
Pollard | null | null | The novel concerns Anne, a teenager who leaves her chaotic home life and finds sanctuary in the nearby woods where she makes a new life for herself, foraging and hunting for food and building a house... |
Search for the Doctor | Dave Martin | null | The year is 2056, and the Doctor is trapped in toroidal stasis by arch enemy Omega. But help is at hand from the Doctor's old friends Drax and K9 - and you! Now open the covers and join the Doctor in an adventure through Time and Space ... *This story takes place in the mid-21st Century and at the time it was published it was assumed that it featured the K-9 model that was featured in K-9 and Company and The Five Doctors. However, the events of the 2006 episode School Reunion, in which that version of K-9 was destroyed, suggest that the version of K-9 encountered by the Doctor is actually K-9 Mark IV and the model featured in The Sarah Jane Adventures although as far as the Sixth Doctor is concerned, it's the same one he gave Sarah Jane initially. *Drax returns who was first featured in The Armageddon Factor. *The story marks as the latest in chronology in which Omega appears. |
Crisis in Space | Michael Holt | null | Garth Hadeez, overlord of the grim and gruesome Golons, has released a black hole into the solar system. His plan is to annihilate Earth. Only the Doctor - and you - can save it! Now open the covers and join the Doctor in an adventure through Time and Space ... *The story marks the return of Turlough in the latest chronology. The book states he's already with the Doctor and Peri meaning in a not told yet adventure Turlough joins the two. |
The Creature in the Teacher | Christopher Pike | null | Adam, Sally, Watch and the gang can't wait for the first day of school. Though, their new science teacher, Mr. Snakol, is very weird. Later in the day, everyone starts to think that he's an alien. Soon Sally goes missing and their suspicious grow. When the gang goes deeper into school grounds, they find out Mr. Snakol is an alien! Now the kids MUST find a way to stop him. What can a few kids do to get their friend back and save the world in time? |
The Chess Master | Zhong Acheng | null | The story takes place in China during the Down to the Countryside Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The unnamed narrator and the chess master Wang Yisheng are two young intellectuals among many who are sent to a remote farm in the mountains to work. During the train ride to the mountains, Wang Yisheng and his friend talk about how he learned to play Chinese chess, and how he evolved his current strategy. Wang Yisheng tells his friend that his family was very poor, and his mother did not want him to be such a chess maniac, since chess could not earn money. However, Wang Yisheng was very devoted to chess. One day, while gathering garbage to sell, Wang Yisheng meets an old man who is a chess master. Using the principles of Daoism, the old man teaches Wang everything he knows about chess. Wang Yisheng also tells his friend about how his mother always disapproved of his chess habit, but before she died, she painstakingly made him a chess set out of discarded toothbrush handles, because she knew how much he loved chess. The two friends then debark the train and head their separate ways to different farms in the countryside. A couple months later, Wang Yisheng takes a vacation and visits his friend in the mountains. One of the narrator's friends at the farm, Legballs, happens to be a good chess player. Legballs is very impressed with Wang's ability, and the two become good friends. After a while of working at the farm, there is a local festival with a chess tournament. The narrator, Legballs, and their friends all take a vacation to attend the festival. Wang Yisheng arrives too late to enter the official chess tournament, but he challenges the winners to an unofficial match after the tournament is over. Word spreads of his challenge, and many people decide to challenge him. He ends up playing 9 people at once without any chess boards in front of him (effectively playing blind), and he beats most of them easily. He eventually defeats the winner of the official tournament, an old man. zh:棋王 (阿城小说) |
The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow | Thea Astley | 1,996 | The novel is based on a violent event that took place on Palm Island, Queensland (called Doebin in the novel) in 1930, in which the white Superintendent of the settlement, Robert Curry (Brodie in the novel), ran amok, setting fire to buildings and killing his own children in the process. He was eventually shot dead by one of the indigenous inhabitants, Peter Prior (Manny Cooktown in the novel), under orders from the white deputy Superintendent. Astley focuses most of the novel on various white characters who were present on the Island at the time, but intersperses their experiences with briefer passages spoken by the Aboriginal man, Manny Cooktown. The novel spans a long time period, from 1918 when the settlement was established to 1957 when Aboriginal workers went on a strike, but most of the action takes place after 1930. |
Tiger Moon | null | null | Sold to be the eighth wife of a rich and cruel merchant, Safia, also called Raka, tries to escape her fate by telling stories of Farhad the thief, his companion Nitish, the white tiger, and their travels across India to retrieve a famous jewel that will save a kidnapped princess from becoming the bride of a demon king. |
A Quiet Belief In Angels | Roger Jon Ellory | 2,007 | A Quiet Belief In Angels is written from the perspective of Joseph Vaughan, growing up in a rural community in early 1940s Georgia. Early in the novel, Joseph's father passes away from a fever, and Joseph likens a white feather on his pillow to his father's angel. Afterwards, a serial killer begins committing a spree of murders, abducting and brutally killing young girls. Joseph and his friends form a group known as "the Guardians" devoting themselves to protecting the town's girls from any further harm. The townsfolk begin to suspect a German farmer named Gunther Kruger, mainly due to rising tensions because of the Second World War, and burn down his family home, killing his youngest daughter, whom Joseph had sworn to protect when the killings began. The Kruger family leave town, and the townsfolk seem satisfied the killings will leave with them. |
The Lilac Bus | Maeve Binchy | null | It is about a group of seven people from the West of Ireland village of Rathdoon, who all live in Dublin and return home every weekend on the Lilac Bus. |
Mushroom in the Sand | null | 2,009 | Dr. Rostam (Ross) Shaheen, 53, is a world-renowned Iranian-American physicist holding a senior position at the Berkley Lab with extensive expertise in nuclear weapons research and design. His wife of 25 years, Oksana Pugachov, happens to be the only daughter of a high-ranking government official of the Russian Federation. Dr. Shaheen is lured to Iran by the Iranian secret service, MOIS, agents. Amir Meshkin, the head of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, brings Ross to the subterranean plant at Natanz to force him to provide the "missing link" for the project. To ensure Ross' cooperation, MOIS goes to extreme lengths and will stop at nothing to get what they need. With the CIA, Mossad and the Russians all in play, Ross is forced into a dangerous game of chess with deadly, and potentially catastrophic, consequences. |
Monsieur Beaucaire | Booth Tarkington | null | The setting is Bath during the eighteenth century. Before the action of the novel begins, Beau Nash, an historical figure who served as Master of Ceremonies of Bath, has ordered M. Beaucaire out of the public rooms because of his low status. A barber to a French noble, Beaucaire has since that incident established a reputation for honesty while gambling with English notables in private. In the opening scene of the novel, he catches the Duke of Winterset cheating and threatens to expose the Duke, whose honesty is already the subject of gossip. Beaucaire insists Winterset take him to a ball and introduce him as the Duc de Chateaurien to Lady Mary Carlisle, “the Beauty of Bath." Beaucaire as Chateaurien wins the lady’s affection and the admiration of Bath society. In the days that follow Beaucaire twice emerges successfully from duels with men who pretend to insult him on their own behalf but are in fact acting on behalf of Winterset. Beaucaire and several British gentlemen accompany Lady Carlisle en route from a party. Beaucaire and Lady Carlisle engage in amorous conversation. Highwaymen attack Beaucaire shouting “barber!” and the others leave him to defend himself. He does so successfully for a time, then is overwhelmed, only to be rescued at last by his servants who were travelling some distance behind. Lady Carlisle denounces those who failed to come to Beaucaire’s defense. Winterset then emerges from the shadows and, over Lady Carlisle’s objections and with Beaucaire’s indulgence, tells the story of Beaucaire’s true background as a lackey and an imposter, adding some fabrications to explain his own behavior in introducing Beacaire/Chateaurien to Bath society. Beaucaire mocks his words as a mixture of truth and invention. Questioned by the others, he asserts he has never been a barber but admits that he did arrive in England in the role of barber to the French Ambassador and is named Beaucaire. One of the English, Molyneux, the only one to demonstrate some sympathy for Beaucaire, notes that his swordsmanship was that of a gentleman. Winterset warns Beaucaire not to appear in public in Bath again. Lady Carlisle, aghast, refuses to look at Beaucaire and orders her carriage to depart. That even Lady Carlisle and Winterset are the center of attention in Bath as Nash and fashionable society anticipate the arrival of the French Ambassador and the Comte de Beaujolais, a French prince. The movement of the crowd impels Lady Carlisle to step aside into a small chamber where she finds Beaucaire and Molyneux gambling. Attempts at explanation fail, Lady Carlisle insists that Molyneuz escort her from the room, and Beaucaire is left alone in tears. After more confrontations, Beaucaire reveals himself as a French prince, hiding from his cousin, King Louis XV of France, who is angry at him for failing to submit to an arranged marriage. The Ambassador has come to Bath to escort him home now that his royal cousin has relented. In the course of recounting his adventures, Beaucaire calls Winterset "that coward, that card-cheat." Lady Carlisle asks his forgiveness and he gives it lightly. He announces his intention to return to France and marry the woman the king had chosen for him. |
Max and the Cats | null | 1,981 | Max is forced to leave Nazi Germany after he and his friend, Harald, have an affair with Frida, whose husband denounces them to the secret police for inappropriate behaviour. He flees the country on the Germania, a ship bound for Santos, Brazil, with zoo animals in the hold and very few passengers, but the captain is involved in an insurance scam, and the ship is deliberately sunk. Max finds a dinghy on board with some provisions, and manages to lower it into the sea. The next day the sun is beating down on him, and he fears for his life without cover. He reaches out for a large closed box that has fallen from the ship next to him, hoping he can use it for shelter, but when he opens the padlock, something jumps out of the box and into the dinghy, knocking him unconscious. When he opens his eyes, "[t]he howl that he let out resounded in the air." Sitting on the bench in front of him is a jaguar. Max and the jaguar are stranded on the dinghy together for days, with only some basic provisions stored in the dinghy for emergencies. Max decides to start fishing to make sure the jaguar is not hungry, and briefly wonders whether he could train him. A shark approaches at one point, but the jaguar bats it away, saving them both; Max is so grateful that he hugs the animal, then pulls himself away in horror. At the very moment Max decides he cannot stand being alone with the jaguar anymore—after watching him tear a seagull apart—the jaguar appears to have a similar thought, and they both lunge at each other, colliding in midair. Max loses consciousness, and when he opens his eyes finds he has been rescued by a Brazilian ship. He asks about the jaguar, but the sailors assume he is delirious. |
Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel | James Patterson | 2,011 | It has been a week since the love of Max's life, Fang, has left the flock. Max is suffering from mild depression at her mother's house. She reveals that Dylan is becoming more wise to her, and learning to fight from her, as they have an early physical disagreement. Dylan finds her in a tree, and kisses her, prompting the fight. Back inside, the Flock is hanging low, until Angel (who Max says has been "sweet" to her since Fang left) notifies everyone that Jeb and Dr. Gunther-Hagen are coming. Max is informed that she is to be the leader of the new generation of mutants, the Gen 77 kids (The Flock was generation 54,and the Erasers were generation 17), who have powers similar to the Flock's, as well as being heatproof, seeing thermal images, and more. Dr. Gunther-Hagen, despite warnings from Jeb, says that Max needs to breed soon, and that he has prepared a home in Germany where she and Dylan will be able to. Dr. Gunther-Hagen says that emerging civilizations are better with a line of leaders in a family, as in a king and queen; otherwise there will be a struggle for power. Dr. Gunther-Hagan continues his case until Dr. Martinez puts the conversation out of the question because she thinks that Max is too young. Fang, meanwhile, is busy forming his own flock, which is dubbed "Fang's Gang." The first member, Ratchet, is a teenage boy who has enhanced senses, and must wear sunglasses and sound-blocking headphones. He had been kicked out recently by his mother, and had joined a gang before Fang recruited him. The second member, Star, is "rail thin" with blond hair and "cold blue eyes." In the first encounter with Star, it is learned that she almost wrecks a restaurant after finding out they didn't serve hamburgers, due to her massive appetite, easily exceeding that of Max or Fang. She has the power of super speed and is believed to be cross bred with a mouse or a hummingbird. She and Ratchet don't see eye to eye, which is proven when Star threatens to "cut him off at the knees without a blink." She spent ten years in a Catholic school. Another new character, Kate, is Star's friend from school, although they are total opposites. She has thick, glossy black hair that "won't stay behind her ears, supermodel cheek bones, and an easy smile." She seems to be the peacemaker between Ratchet and Star. Kate has enhanced strength which is helpful throughout the book. Ratchet lusts for Kate. Another member is Max II, who now calls herself Maya. Fang is overwhelmed by his feelings when he first speaks to Maya and feelings for Max seem to manifest in his relationship with Maya. She also seems to have feelings for Fang, shown by when she tells him that he is "great" and tells him that " I love it when you talk all sciency." Holden Squibb (aka. Starfish) is the last member of "Fang's Gang." He is about 15, but looks like a 10 year old and can heal at an accelerated pace and regenerate various limbs like a starfish. Fang chose teenagers for his "flock", in hopes that he wouldn't have to worry about them. Fang discovers that being a leader (what Max does) is harder than he thought it would be because of all the talking he would have to do to solve problems and motivate his members etc. Dr. Martinez convinces the flock (mainly Max) that they should visit the Gen-77 kids. They all take a plane to see the kids, but Max decides to fly herself. On the way the plane runs into a trap. Transparent floating balloons connected to the ground with razor wire, hit the plane and rip its wings off. As the plane spirals out of control the flock takes action. Max's mom, Jeb, and Dr. Hans can't fly so they try to carry them. Iggy and Nudge get caught in the wire and begin to free fall, Max catches her mother, but Jeb is falling. Gazzy tries to catch him, but is too weak to support the weight, Jeb tells Gazzy "the human race will have to die, to save the planet...just as I will have to die to save you." Jeb lets go. Before he plummets to his death Dylan catches him. Angel, and Gazzy then help stabilize Iggy and Nudge. Everyone lands relatively safe. In the confusion Dr. Hans disappears. Dylan and Max go to look for his body, but do not find him. They stop by a school on the way and snipers shoot at them. Max thinks that they are "whitecoats" but Dylan saw (with his super vision) that they were kids without eyes. They then camp out in a part of a cave where Dylan tells Max about the constellations. Max begins to get more comfortable with Dylan and eventually falls asleep beside him, with his arm around her shoulder. She notices how well her body fits in with his and calls it a "perfect fit" Angel finds Max and Dylan and they go back to the Gen 77 headquarters where the three of them encounter the "kids without eyes" again. After a brief fight, Max, Dylan, and Angel get a closer look at the children. In reality, they have eyes all around the middle of their head, giving them 360 degree vision, hence the aim. The Gen-77 kids then tell Max and the others that they are more advanced and that they need to "kill the humans" to make the world better. They then proceed to attack the group again. Max, Dylan, and Angel are able to get away but while they are flying, they notice a familiar face. They land and find Mike, the computer guy, under the hypnotic spell of the Doomsday group. When they get home, Ella and Iggy are under the spell also. Dylan, Max, Angel, Iggy, and Ella go to a rally at Ella's school, where Iggy begins a chant of "kill the humans!" The gang takes Iggy back home, leaving Ella behind. They are able to revert him back to normal with a cold shower and some mind control by Angel. They find out from Nudge, Gazzy, and Total that Jeb and Dr. Martinez have disappeared without a trace. They all reluctantly come to the conclusion that they are involved with the Doomsday Group. They make a pact with each other to never again trust a grown-up. The group finds Ella at a campfire, singing a song about saving the earth. They are able to capture her and change her back to normal, but they quickly lose her again. She leaves a note saying that she was meant to have wings. In California, Fang's gang is not getting along so well. Maya and Fang have a conversation in which Fang notices some minor differences between the two. Maya is softer than Max, easier to talk to. She is also more vulnerable, emotionally. Fang is about to kiss her when the rest of his gang attacks the two with Cheez Whiz. Soon Fang surprises Max by calling her, saying that he needs her to meet him in San Diego. Fang isn't very happy because Max would rather throw Dylan in his face and Max is mad because Fang would rather throw Maya in Max's face. Fang is "mad" at Dylan because he is "Max's perfect other half". The reason that he wants them to meet is because he has found a convention where it is said that the Doomsday Group will be. Coincidentally, Max and the flock have also been looking at this group for the past little while. Both groups meet at the hotel where "Fang's Gang" is staying. They start of with all of them having a meal, but soon Fang and Max are throwing Dylan and Maya in each others' faces. This ends with them flying out and talking about how they felt. After this event they all headed to the Convention looking for the group. The group finds out that the Doomsday Group is indeed at the Convention, and they listen in to one of their speeches. The group decides to fly to Paris on a private jet, where Fang and Max get in another fight. Angel calms everyone down, and they proceed talking about their plans. They land in Paris and find out the Doomsday Group is planning to release toxins and detonate "enough C4 to leave a crater the size of Texas" to kill the population of Paris during a firework display. Angel and Gazzy try to stop them by infiltrating the headquarters, but end up getting captured and strapped to the bombs. Max, Fang, and Dylan go to rescue them, while the rest try to warn the people to flee. All of a sudden, everything explodes around them. Everyone seems to be okay, but Angel is missing. After searching for hours, Angel is presumed dead and the flocks part ways. At the epilogue, Angel is said to be captured by what is assumed the Doomsday Group who wants to use her powers. They are presumably treating her wounds, and tell her that they will take good care of her. |
A Pack of Lies | Geraldine McCaughrean | 1,988 | The narrative follows the age-old pattern of separate stories embedded within a primary story, as in the Panchatantra, the Arabian Nights and the Canterbury Tales. Each of the stories is linked to a different piece of furniture in an antique shop, and the question arises as to whether the stories are pure invention ("a pack of lies") or could perhaps be true - and what their being "true" would mean about the narrator. A young man with the unlikely name of MCC Berkshire ("from Reading") follows Ailsa home from the library and talks himself into an unpaid job in her mother's run-down antique shop - all he asks is somewhere to sleep and books to read. He has a wonderful way of assessing the customers and suiting the provenance he gives the furniture to their interests. Moreover, he seems to adapt himself - his accent, his manner, his personal history - to the story being told, which also seems to be inspired by the book he has just been reading. When chided by Mrs Povey for telling lies, he responds: "'Not lies, madam.... Fiction. That's the thing to give 'em. That's the thing everyone wants. Fiction, madam! " Ailsa and Mrs Povey, while grateful to MCC for his help and enjoying his company, often have doubts about him, while Uncle Clive, on a brief visit, is positively hostile. After the Poveys' financial problems are suddenly solved, literally from the pages of a book, the scene is set for MCC's departure. In the final chapter Ailsa realizes the shocking truth, while the reader realizes that Ailsa's reality is another of MCC's tales. |
The Anti-Politics Machine | null | null | This book is a critique of the concept of "development" in general, viewed through the lens of failed attempts, specifically the Thaba-Tseka Development Project in Lesotho from 1975-1984. He writes about the countless "development agencies" that have their hand in the so-called "Third world" but points out the consistent failure of these agencies to bring about any sort of economic stability. This is what Ferguson calls the "development discourse fantasy," which arises from backward logic. |
The True Deceiver | Tove Jansson | null | "Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions." |
Mad Empress of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | Jonathan Dark (Jandar) is now well settled in to his new life as husband of Princess Darloona of Shondakar on the Jovian moon of Callisto (or Thanator). While out hunting with some companions they are kidnapped in a balloon by a force from the rival city of Tharkol. Their capture is part of a plot by Zamorra, empress of Tharkol, who under the mental influence of her advisor, the Mind Wizard Ang Chan is making an attempt to conquer all of Thanator. Sprung from her dungeon by the thief Glypto, they turn the tables by kidnapping Zamorra and escaping in the balloon. Unfortunately, their craft is later attacked and brought down by a Ghastosar (a Thantorian flying creature resembling a pterodactyl), and the group falls into the hands of the insect-like Yathoon nomads. Once again Glypto is the key to their escape. Striking out for Shondakar on foot, they encounter a caravan from the Soroba, only to find it a front for a military expedition from that city. They are rescued from the Sorobans by an airship, which they assume to be from Shondakar -- but it is a Tharkolian ship, another unit in Zamorra's new airfleet! The empress having gradually proven to be a decent sort during the party's adventures, Darloona tries to talk her out of her mad scheme. Discovering she has been controlled by Ang Chan, Zamorra is persuaded, and the upshot is a new alliance against the Mind Wizards made up of Tharkol, Shondakar and Soroba (ably represented by Glypto, now revealed to have been a Soroban spy). |
Apollo 23 | Justin Richards | null | The Doctor and Amy arrive at a shopping centre much to The Doctor's disappointment. When arriving they discover that a spaceman has appeared out of thin air. They both decide to materialize to the moon which they successfully do and find the secret Base Diana. Investigating, they learn of a plot by the evil Talerians to take over the Earth by possessing human bodies. The Doctor ends up trapped on Earth and working with secret government officials, manages to return to the moon on Apollo 23, there having secretly been Apollos 18 through 22 before a link was established between Earth and the Moon that allowed instantaneous travel before sabotage caused it to break down, causing the spaceman to appear. On the moon, Amy is captured and possessed and lures the Doctor into a trap, but he manages to escape with the help of Major Calisle who managed to secretly remain unpossesed due to a power failure caused by Amy attempting to stop sabotage. With Calisle's help, the Doctor finds a back-up copy of Amy's personality and restores her to normal and later manages to do the same using the fire suppression system to everyone but the alien leader, Jackson, who had kept his back-up with him. Restoring everyone's minds through their back-ups also erases the alien minds possessing them. Jackson manages to summon an invasion force of actual Talerians and reveals that the real Jackson's experiments had allowed him (the alien possessing him) to transfer himself to Jackson in the first place and start the invasion. The Talerians are revealed to be balloon-like aliens that are extremely fragile and are dying out. They want human bodies to survive. The Doctor restores the real Jackson by secretly giving him his back-up in his tea and he sacrifices himself to destroy the Talerians by shooting out a window, causing a depressurization that kills the Talerian invaders due to their fragility, and also kills him. |
Outcast | Michelle Paver | 2,007 | We find out at the start of the novel that in the previous book the Soul Eaters marked Torak with the Soul Eater symbol. This is discovered and Torak is set to be cast out from the clans, unless his own clan, the Wolf Clan, decides he is innocent. When the Wolf Clan arrives, the Leader says that his mother announced him 'Clanless'. This has never happened before, but as Torak has no clan to decide his innocence, he becomes an outcast. He leaves the clans with Wolf. Renn repeatedly tries to help him, but Torak won't let her as if anyone sees Torak they are supposed to kill him. Torak attempts to cut out the Soul Eater mark from his chest and, thinking it has worked, he goes back to the Raven Camp and watches them. Saeunn, the Raven Clan's mage, says that there is a Soul Eater among them, so Torak flees, knowing that he is the Soul Eater of which she speaks. While in hiding, he suffers from a kind of madness called soul sickness, and attackes Wolf with fire. Meanwhile, Renn and Bale meet up and decide to find Torak and prove his innocence, even though in doing so they are breaking clan law. Renn sends help to Torak in the form of two ravens (named Rip and Rek by Torak). While Torak is recovering his reason, Seshru the Viper Mage, a Soul Eater, uses her powers to draw him to her so as to control him (he is a Spirit Walker and therefore controlling him would supply her with even greater power). Seshru is revealed to be Renn's mother. Meanwhile, Renn realizes that a giant flood is coming and encourages Torak to spread the word and therefore prove his innocence. Torak therefore tells Fin-Kedinn, and the clans flee. Torak gets into a fight with a boy from the Boar Clan, but then climbs up a tree to escape the coming flood. The Boar Clan boy hears the water coming and tries to climb the tree too, but he cannot reach the first branch so Torak jumps down to help him. Torak then finds he cannot climb back up the tree, and he and Wolf are swept away by the water. When he wakes up, all the clans are there, and when Seshru appears Torak shows the clans that destroying him will not help them in their struggle against the Soul Eaters, and they accept him back. Bale uses Renn's bow to kill Seshru, and she dies with the fire opal in hand and thus both die as one. fr:Le Banni (Chroniques des temps obscurs) |
The Ninth Avatar | null | 2,010 | The following description is from the publisher's website: For Starka, an outcast priestess accused of incest, life is simple until a nightmare prophecy of the ascension of the Avatar of Darkness forces her to return to a world of intrigue and treachery. Pushed unwillingly into an epic journey with a priest who despises her, Starka finds allies in a mysterious warrior bent on protecting her, the last surviving members of two feuding nations, and a rebel wizard seeking revenge for his fallen comrades. Faced with the sweeping onslaught of the Carrion Army led by Zion and his three murderous generals, time is running out. With each battle, the ranks of the carrion swell with freshly killed recruits. New terrors are constructed from the heights of the Great Watchtower. Ancient enemies must band together, Starka must survive the assassins within her own order, and prophecy must somehow be stopped. The price of failure is absolute destruction. The Ninth Avatar is coming. |
Goggle-Eyes | Anne Fine | 1,989 | The story is told in the first person, by Kitty Killen. It is set in Scotland in the 1980s, when anti-nuclear protests were prominent in the news. When Helen runs out of the classroom in distress, Mrs Lupey sends Kitty after her, despite the two not being particular friends. Kitty soon realizes that Helen dislikes the man her mother is going to marry, so she tells her the story of how she first loathed Gerald, her mother's boyfriend, and how she gradually got used to him, despite his anti-CND views. "Goggle-Eyes"' is the nickname Kitty gives Gerald, because of the way he stares ("goggles") at Kitty's mother. The story is told in a cloakroom cupboard during one morning, with occasional interruptions from Liz and Mrs Lupey. |
Sky Pirates of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | Jonathan Dark (Jandar), earthman mysteriously transported to the Jovian moon of Callisto (or Thanator), has in concert with the native Ku Thad succeeded in freeing the city of Shondakar from the occupying Black Legion and the opportunistic Zandaharian Sky Pirates. The only fly in the ointment is that Shondakar's rightful ruler, the princess Darloona, has been abducted by the fleeing Prince Thuton of Zandahar. To free her Jandar adopts the wild plan of taking one of the Sky Pirates' own captured airships to raid the enemy city. A Zandaharian prisoner brought along to help operate the craft treacherously scuttles the scheme by throwing Jandar overboard and sabotaging the airship. Plopped into the Corund Laj, Thanator's greater sea, Jandar finds himself close enough to land to swim to safety, only to be enslaved by the mercantile Perushtar who rule its waves. Ironically, this results in him reaching his destination after all, as he is sold to the Zandaharians as gladitorial fodder. He has his hands full simultaneously surviving as a gladiator, hiding his identity as the Sky Pirates' arch enemy, and stirring up a revolt among his fellow slaves. As the revolution ignites and he if found out, his allies' airship, now repaired, swoops in to administer the coup de grace. Zandahar is destroyed and the menace of the Sky Pirates ended by the explosion of the pocket of "lifting gas" over which the city is built and on which its air power is based. Best of all, Jandar at last finds favor with the rescued Darloona, whose relationship with him amid the perils and reverses of the previous books has been decidedly rocky. |
The 9th Judgment | Maxine Paetro | 2,010 | SFPD sergeant Lindsay Boxer and her squad are tracking down a man who approaches young mothers in shopping center parking garages and kills them and their infant children. This happens several times and causes widespread panic. The man then makes contact and demands a $2 million ransom in exchange for stopping the killing. He strikes at such random places and times that, despite Boxer's protests, the police decide to pay the ransom. Boxer is selected to deliver the ransom and has the man guide her via cellphone. After forcing Boxer to strip to her panties to prove she is not wearing a wire, the man has her drive throughout San Francisco. The trek culminates on the Golden Gate Bridge where Boxer drops the suitcase with the ransom in it to a boat waiting below. The Coast Guard is able to apprehend the man in the boat, who turns out to be uninvolved in the killings—he had been told his picking up the suitcase was for a movie. Upset at having not gotten his ransom, the man kills another mother and child. While at that crime scene, however, he was noticed by the owner of a store on Fisherman's Wharf. The owner recognized him as having bought a prepaid cellphone from his store earlier and gives Boxer and her team the surveillance tape from his store. From the tape, Boxer and her team identify the man and begin tracking him down. Before they can find him, however, the man strikes again. However, the woman he chose was armed with a 22 caliber pistol—carried in response to the general panic caused by the shootings. She shoots the man and he dies just as Boxer and her team arrive. In the plot's secondary case, a notorious female cat burglar dubbed 'Hello Kitty' breaks into the home of an aging movie star and his wife whilst they are eating dinner, the latter of whom happened to be law school classmates with Boxer's friend Yuki Castellano. The star and his wife come upstairs unexpectedly and the burglar is forced to wait in the closet until they fall asleep before she can escape. She waits, but in the process of escaping, knocks over a table. The movie star pulls out a gun and searches for the intruder before coming up with the idea of shooting and killing his wife in the hope that he can blame it on the burglar, who escapes unnoticed before the killing occurs. Through their investigation, Boxer and her team discover that the star had a girlfriend and wanted out of his marriage and that murder was cheaper than divorce. When confronted with the evidence, the star falsely claims that he shot his wife in self defense after she attempted to shoot him. It is also revealed that the cat burglar is actually a school teacher in an unhappy marriage. She is also in love with a female colleague and is only burglarizing in order to get enough money so that she and the colleague can escape to another country and start a new life together. At the end, it is revealed that the female colleague the burglar has fallen in love with is also unhappily married—to the man who was killing mothers and children whom Boxer was tracking. |
King Matt the First | Janusz Korczak | 1,923 | Matt is a child prince who is catapulted to the throne by the sudden death of his father. At the beginning of his reign, Matt enacts several bold reforms aimed at improving life for the people of his kingdom, especially the children, but in spite of his best intentions reality gets in the way producing many unintended consequences from silly to sinister. Matt tries to read and answer all his mail by himself and finds that the volume is too much and he needs to rely on secretaries. He is exasperated with his ministers and has them arrested, but soon realizes that he does not know enough to govern by himself, and is forced to release the ministers and institute constitutional monarchy. When a war breaks out, Matt cannot accept being shut up in his palace, but slips away and joins up, pretending to be a peasant boy - and narrowly avoids becoming a POW. He takes the offer of a friendly journalist to publish for him a "royal paper" -and finds much later that he gets carefully edited news and that the journalist is covering up the gross corruption of the young king's best friend. Matt tries to organize the children of the entire world to hold processions and demand their rights - and ends up antagonizing other kings. He falls in love with a black African princess and outrages racist opinion (by modern standards, however, Korczak's depiction of blacks is itself not completely free of stereotypes which were current at the time of writing). Finally, he is overthrown by the invasion of three foreign armies and exiled to a desert island. |
Black Legion of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | Jonathan Dark (Jandar), earthman mysteriously transported to the Jovian moon of Callisto (or Thanator), has succeeded in rescuing Princess Darloona of Shondakar from the Sky Pirates of Zandahar, only to see her fall into the hands of the Black Legion, the mercenary force that had previously occupied her native city and driven her and her followers into exile. Journeying to Shondakar, Jandar improbably finds himself in the Legion's good graces after saving the son of its leader, the very man that leader intends to have Darloona wed in order to cement his control of the city. Having essentially been given a free hand to spy on the enemy, Jandar scouts out the city's defenses and weaknesses, particularly its underground tunnel system. He disrupts the wedding as Darloona's Ku Thad people infiltrate Shondakar through the tunnels and take the occupiers by surprise. Jandar kills the mastermind behind the princess's misfortunes, the supposed priest Oola, who is secretly one of the Mind Wizards conspiring to take over all of Thanator. But during the battle the Sky Pirates invade, and while the Ku Thad are ultimately victorious over both foes, Prince Thuton of Zandahar escapes, carrying Darloona back to the captivity from which Jandar sprung her in the previous volume. Back to square one... |
Power Hungry | Robert Bryce | 2,010 | As in his earlier book Gusher of Lies (which was about the idea of energy independence), Bryce argues that the United States needs to continue to use large amounts of fossil fuels including imported oil. However he does contemplate ways in which reliance on fossil fuels might be reduced: * Energy efficiency: Bryce claims that the United States' record in improving energy efficiency puts it in the top three of the developed countries, but addicted to prosperity. * The use of nuclear power Bryce argues that some renewable sources, such as wind farms, are not truly green and that carbon capture and storage will not work and will prove to be an expensive mistake. |
The School for Atheists | Arno Schmidt | 1,972 | The novel is presented as an experimental drama, making extensive use of Schmidt's playful language and typography. The story is set in 2014 and it concerns a summit of world leaders. The summit is held at the home of William T. Kolderup in [Tellingstedt]. A nested narrative in this story is that of the adventures of Kolderup and the mother of Isis, the American Secretary of State. In Kolderup's story, the ship that carries him and the mother of Isis is wrecked, testing the atheistic beliefs of the stranded characters. de:Die Schule der Atheisten |
The Owl Tree | null | null | While their Mum is in the hospital and expecting a baby, Joe and his sister Minna are taken to their Granny Diamond's house, as no one else is able to take care of them at this time, because their parents are in the hospital. After showing Joe his room, Granny Diamond tells him about an owl tree outside the house which grows in her neighbour Mr Rock's lawn. She tells him how she had once seen an owl perched on one of the branches of the tree one night and it had cheered her up, which is why she calls it the owl tree. Then one day Joe finds out that Mr Rock is going to cut down the tree soon. After that, Joe tries to find a way to save the tree, as its cutting down could affect his Granny Diamond greatly if it happened. Joe thinks that it is time for him to meet the owl in the owl tree. |
The September Society | Charles Finch | 2,008 | A student at Lincoln College at the University of Oxford goes missing. His mother engages Charles Lenox to solve the mystery of his disappearance. Lenox, himself a graduate of Oxford, revisits his alma mater to piece together the clues in this kidnapping case which, upon the discovery of a body, becomes a murder investigation. Eventually the trail leads Lenox back to London and the headquarters of a mysterious society. Lenox’s evolving friendship and potential romance with Lady Jane is a central subplot. Additionally, the book introduces Lord John Dallington, a young wastrel aristocrat, as Lenox’s apprentice. |
Ice | null | 2,009 | When Cassie Dasent was a little girl, her grandmother would tell her of what became to her mother: she was taken by a polar bear king to be the daughter of the North Wind, who expected the girl to become the bear's wife when she grows up. But one day, the North Wind's daughter meets Cassie's father and falls in love with him. When the polar bear king comes to get the woman, she refuses him but comes up with a bargain for him: if she has a daughter, the daughter will be his wife. He agrees and allows his would-be wife to marry the man she loves. The North Wind, furious at his adopted daughter, seeks her out, and when he finds her, she had given birth to a daughter (Cassie). Cassie's mother begs for her father to take her and leave her husband and child alone, and the North Wind blew her far away, where she was captured by trolls. Years later, Cassie is eighteen, and she has accepted the story as a nice way of saying her mother had died. She lives at the Eastern Beaufort Research Center in Alaska with her father and fellow researchers Owen, Scott, Liam, Jeremy, and pilot Max. While out on the ice, Cassie spots a large polar bear, but when she plans on tranquilizing and tagging him, he vanishes into the ice. Upon telling her father Laszlo of this, he decides that she must go to live with her grandmother in Fairbanks. It turns out the story about her mother was true after all. Determined to find the bear and prove the story isn't real, Cassie plans to go out after him, only to find that the bear had found her. He tells her to marry him in exchange for the release of her mother, who is alive. Cassie reluctantly agrees. The polar bear (who is referred to as "Bear") takes Cassie to his elaborate ice castle, where the latter learns that he is a "munaqsri," a transporter of souls. He is currently the only munaqsri for the polar bears, and tells Cassie that there must be more of their kind for everything to be in balance. That night, while Cassie is in bed, she is confronted by what she thinks is an intruder who tells her that he is Bear and adds that it is their wedding night. She chases him out, and upon finding out from Bear that the intruder was truly him, she finds out that they are to have children together. Though she initially plans on leaving, Cassie decides to stay, knowing that her father lied to her about her mother dying. Weeks later, the polar bear birth season arrives, and Cassie is left alone in the castle as Bear sets out with souls for the cubs. After a while Cassie grows bored and Bear allows her to visit her home again. Upon returning home, Cassie finally meets her mother Gail (short for Abigail), who is traumatized after all those years with the trolls. After spending only a few days there, Cassie returns to Bear with information on bear den sites she received from Owen. Also, she takes with her more gear than before, including birth control pills, which she uses on their wedding night. Despite this, Cassie winds up pregnant, realizing that Bear "magicked" her into becoming this (he referred to her use of the pills as a "chemical imbalance.") Feeling betrayed, Cassie waits until evening before turning on her flashlight and seeing his face. She discovers him in his human form, as a man with dark skin and white hair. Bear wakes up and sees what she is doing. He ends up having to be sent to marry the princess of the trolls; it was part of the bargain to release Cassie's mother (Cassie must also not see his face whatsoever). He leaves Cassie alone. Cassie is determined to go out after him, despite her pregnancy. |
Jandar of Callisto | Lin Carter | null | The story is told in the first person by the hero, Jonathan Dark, who is represented to be its author. Carter, the actual author, claims to have merely edited the manuscript, which, like subsequent works in the series, supposedly found its way to him from the ruins of the ancient city of Arangkhôr in Cambodia. Dark, a helicopter pilot transporting medical supplies in Southeast Asia, is forced down in the jungles of Cambodia, where he discovers Arangkhôr. There he slides into a well made of a mysteriously slippery substance, which proves to be a device of unknown provenance that teleports him to another world. The world in question is eventually determined to be the Jovian moon of Callisto, which beneath a projected illusion of airless desolation turns out to have a breathable atmosphere, an alien biology, and human inhabitants (presumably descended from victims of the well during the period before Arangkhôr was abandoned). Callisto is known to its inhabitants as Thanator. After nearly falling victim to a Yathib, one of the local predators, Dark is saved by a nomadic tribe of Yathoon, a race of intelligent insectoids. Rescue proves a mixed blessing, as he is also enslaved. While with them he learns Thanator's language, which is shared by Yathoon and human alike, and his captors learn his name, more or less. "Jandar" is the closest they can render "Jon Dark," and he remains Jandar through the rest of the series. Escaping, he encounters one of the latter, a beautiful woman in peril. For Jandar, it's love at first sight; she takes a bit longer to warm to him -- three whole books, actually. She is the princess Darloona, who has been exiled from her native city-state of Shondakar by the conquering Black Legion. His attempts to aid her are not very effective, and they fall into the hands of another tribe of Yathoon. They are delivered from this second captivity by the appearance of an airship commanded by Thuton, prince of the city-state of Zanadar. The Zanadarians are "Sky Pirates" -- raiders who use the aerial technology they alone possess to abstract the possessions of others, in this instance Jandar and Darloona from the Yathoon. Thuton proves well-disposed to his fellow royal, but less so toward Jandar, who jealously goads him into a fight. As the prince is a master of the sword and the earthman has never picked up that particular skill, the outcome is predictable -- and humiliating. The upshot is that Dark is once again a slave, this time in Zanadar. In the Sky Pirates' city he manages to escape again, learns to fence, and raises his fellow slaves in a rebellion against their oppressors. In a bid to rescue Darloona, he takes on Thuton a second time. Fortunately, his comrades, who have taken over one of the Zanadarians' airships, are able to extract both him and the princess before he can be killed. Fleeing the city, they restore Darloona to her people, the Ku Thad, who have been living in the jungles of the Grand Kumala since their exile from Shondakar. The celebration is short-lived, however, as the princess is shortly afterward carried off by a raiding party from the Black Legion. |
The Life You Can Save | Peter Singer | null | Singer argues that it is obvious that we, as individuals, ought to save a child from drowning unless we are risking something as valuable as the child's life. He then contends that as many as 27,000 children die every day (about 18 per minute) from poverty that could be easily and cheaply helped by existing charities (see also List of preventable causes of death). Singer asks the reader to imagine just how much they could give up, starting with bottled water, before their only possessions would be of a value anywhere near that of a human life. He then asks whether (without giving up everything one owns) the reader would give up that daily bottled water if one found a charity where most of one's donation got to those in need. Singer says that having a right to spend money any way one wants does not change the way one ought to spend it. He also notes that other people may each be indifferent to the life they can save, that doesn't make a difference about whether specific people ought to act. This is the origin of the title of his book: even if other people do nothing to help those in need, individuals should still do as much as they can. Addressing readers directly, therefore, he challenges them what they will do about "the life you can save". To try and uncover why citizens of richer nations do not donate as much as they could, if they give at all, Singer mentions psychological theories including cognitive dissonance, diffusion of responsibility and evolutionary history of our ancestors. For instance, cognitive dissonance theory predicts that humans are rationalizing creatures, making it difficult to change their minds on topics that cause any anxiety unless they are highly motivated to bear it during long contemplation. The author contends that humans are highly capable of establishing a society where giving is the norm (for instance, Bill Gates's "Giving Pledge"). Singer hopes that a culture of giving would allow individuals to fully admit to themselves how selfish certain individuals have become with their money. For example, he contrasts individuals like Paul Farmer (a physician whose sacrifices Singer describes) with billionaire Paul Allen, who spent $200 million to build "The Octopus", a 413 foot personal yacht that requires a crew of sixty. Philosopher Thomas Nagel says that nobody, not even Singer, will act according to Singer's ideal of giving up all possessions that are less valuable than a human life. Nagel says that our unwillingness to do sacrifice may not be entirely an issue of motivation. Nagel says we can make moral objections, although he calls Singer's principle "plausible". Singer asks, "the question does not seem to be 'do you care about others more than yourself' but rather 'do you care about others a little?'" Singer attempts to debunk the idea that all charities are inefficient or corrupt. He endorses GiveWell as a way to identify the best charities. Singer describes some common causes of death and suffering in poor countries along with the costs of their solutions. Barnes and Noble reviewer George Scialabba writes that "Some of the most affecting pages in The Life You Can Save describe the low-tech, low-cost programs that have restored sight to a million people blinded by cataracts and have rescued many thousands of women and children from lives blighted by cleft palates or obstetric fistulas". The author also mentions that $50 nets can protect children from catching malaria from mosquitos during the night. Singer emphasizes that there are many costs involved with putting these solutions into practice. He refers to charity estimates that roughly $1000 can save a human life). The author argues against the idea that the earth's limited resources are an argument against donating; Singer contends that education and development actually lead to lower birth rates and decrease the risks of overpopulation and that affluent nations consume much more food than they need by feeding it to animals and eating the animals. Singer states, "the only looming 'danger' is mass vegetarianism". Singer settles on a standard of at least 1% of net income (although he goes into more detail about how this percentage might increase as one's income increases). He justifies his decision by saying that, although we ought to give much more (as he claims to have proven), it is not practical to demand much more, and trying to do so may turn people off from giving anything at all. Singer emphasizes the importance of being practical when it comes to getting as much money as possible to the poor, even if that means holding people to lower standards as a means of changing their habits. Christian Barry and Gerhard Overland (both from the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics) described the widespread acceptance for the notion that "the lives of all people everywhere are of equal fundamental worth when viewed impartially". They then wonder, during the book review in the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, why "the affluent do so little, and demand so little of their governments, while remaining confident that they are morally decent people who generally fulfil their duties to others?". The authors discuss other practical ways to fight poverty. According to the author, there are several steps that one can take to become a part of the solution to world poverty. Singer first recommends visiting the book's website, www.TheLifeYouCanSave.com, for resources, but also to consider taking a pledge to meet his (presumably low) standards of giving. This pledge, Singer argues, increases the odds that you will give. Singer next argues that one should use those provided resources, including www.givewell.net, to effectively decide which organization(s) to donate to. The author then says that one can use their last tax return to determine how much Singer's standard (1% of net income) suggests that you give. Singer next suggests deciding how much to donate, contending that even donating less money than his "standard" is undebatably still a good thing to do. Finally the author says that one should donate. Singer further suggests taking steps to foster a culture of giving. He recommends using all available social networks to let others know that they, like you, can be a small part of the solution. This is to be done carefully, staying positive and completely avoiding the emotion of guilt (since cognitive dissonance is already quite high in discussions of charity). He also argues that one should suggest, to their employing institution, that they set up pay scheme in which employees can explicitly opt-out of giving 1% of their pre-tax income to charity. Writing a letter to one's local representative (to let them know you want your country's foreign aid directed to the world's poorest people only) is recommended by Singer. Singer maintains that the last, important step of donating is to feel good about making a difference. He argues that too much guilt may result in inaction, dooming the poor. |
Gears of War: Anvil Gate | Karen Traviss | 2,010 | Gears of War: Anvil Gate follows two storylines: one begins shortly after the events of Jacinto's Remnant, and the other flashes back to 32 years earlier, seventeen years before E-Day. The book opens on Vectes with Bernie setting out to hunt Stranded with the aid of a dog named Mac. At the same time, Chairman Prescott welcomes the Gorasini refugees to Vectes, although many Pendulum War veterans living in the native population are not very welcoming. Hoffman receives word that the Gorasini frigate, which Captain Michaelson had been looking forward to adding to the COG Navy, has apparently run aground in the middle of the ocean with all hands lost. At this point the tensions between the Gorasini and COG are made clear: Delta Squad aboard a King Raven is told to leave the search for the frigate to the Gorasini alone. Bernie and Anya patrol in a Packhorse and move to ambush a group of Stranded, but their vehicle hits a trap and is disabled. Bernie, joined by Marcus and Baird, continues the hunt on foot. Mac leads them to a cave, which they enter and explore; they soon find a large Stranded cache of explosives. The Gears exit the cave after marking the explosives for engineers and eventually find the Stranded with orders to take them alive for Gorasoni Commander Trescu to interrogate. Mac badly mauls one, a second is hit by fellow Gear Sam Bryne's motorbike, and the third- the first one's son- is captured by Dom and Cole. Dom, Baird and Sam are called aboard the patrol boat Amirale Enka. While they escort the COG fishing fleet, one of the trawlers, the Levanto, suddenly explodes, suggesting that either there is something under the sea, or that the Stranded are much more powerful than the COG had thought. Trescu begins his interrogation of the Stranded prisoners, shooting one and then threatening the father to make the boy cooperate. Aided by the son, the COG forces begin a sweep of the island. This is one of the factors which causes a near riot between the Gorasini, the Stranded population, and the Old Jacinto citizens, which is only averted by one of Dizzy's only angry outbursts against the Jacinto citizens for identifying him- and treating him accordingly- as Stranded. Delta Squad goes out on another fishing expedition, but one of the trawlers catches a Lambent creature which mutates at a very rapid pace. It explodes, taking down the trawler; the COG finally has an explanation for all the recently lost vessels. Another unidentified small ship, the Steady Eddie, begins drifting towards Vectes later that night; investigating forces find a kind of "tree" on board. Baird discovers that the "tree" is incredibly resilient to damage. With this new knowledge, the COG goes out to search for the missing Gorasini frigate again with the submarine Clement, but at the area, there is no sign of any underwater obstacle that the frigate could have grounded on. Just as they actually find the wreckage, though, the sea around them fills with Lambent creatures. Clement surfaces, but a pair of Lambent stalks appear close by and start spewing polyps onto the Clement's hull. Baird fights them off from on top of the Clement before being extracted by a King Raven with the rest of Delta, minus Cole, aboard; the Clement submerges again. The COG realized that the stalks appear to be headed for Emerald Spar, the Gorasoni oil platform. The COG quickly reinforces the platform's badly undersized crew, many of which have brought their families with them. The humans prepare to defend the platform's exterior against the Lambent, but instead a stalk burrows through the bottom of the platform, bypassing the defenses. A large firefight quickly begins throughout the platform as the humans struggle to repel the polyps, but the combined weapons fire and explosions of the polyps eventually sets off a fire in the platform. With more Lambent still coming, the humans are forced to evacuate the platform, leaving them bereft of an imulsion supply. As they leave, the platform explodes due to the fire and stored fuel. Hoffman and Trescu convince Chairman Prescott of the need to fortify Vectes against the inevitable Lambent incursion. A Stranded armada of small craft is spotted en route, ostensibly to evacuate their friends and families from the doomed island; however, they end up joining the COG, not for any moral purpose, but simply because banding together is the only way for humans to survive at all. Before the Lambent attack begins, the COG submarines near New Jacinto detect a large contact underwater; from the tentacles and the size, they conclude that it is a Leviathan. At Pelruan, Bernie, Sam and Anya find a Leviathan moving inshore; instead of fighting stalks, the Leviathan- now clearly Lambent- drops off hundreds of polyps. A King Raven moves in to assist the local Gears and civilians fighting them off, but the Leviathan uses a tentacle to fling polyps at it, taking it down. The distance between the two incidents forces the COG to conclude that there are multiple Leviathans operating; a total of three. As the Gears, Gorasini and Stranded struggle to repel their disgorged polyps, the COG searches for a way to destroy the Leviathans themselves. A King Raven crew manages to kill one by expending all of its ammunition into its head. The remaining two are lured into respective traps; the first is killed by the COG submarines with torpedoes, while the second is lured to the surface where Baird manages to kill it with the Hammer of Dawn. However, Baird is forced to fire the Hammer very close to shore badly damaging the base. The Stranded also decide to abandon Vectes and leave the COG to be destroyed by the Lambent, ending the Stranded Insurgency. Hoffman has convinced Prescott that, for his own safety, Prescott must leave New Jacinto and move further inland. After Prescott leaves, Hoffman's distrust of the Chairman forces him to raid his office, discovering data disks which do not match any known COG encryption. Not knowing how to access the disks, he gives them to Baird to uncover. Baird tells him that, not only does it match no current COG encryption codes, but it does not match any codes at all, suggesting that the Chairman had had technology built for himself. Baird promises to access the disks someday. Bernie discovers that her dog, Mac, has disappeared once the Lambent invasion started. Delta finds him ten days later during a routine patrol aboard a King Raven. Mac bears numerous recent burns, indicating that the polyps are still on Vectes; the King Raven soon discovers a large grouping of stalks in the middle of the island. As the Raven crew calls Control for backup, they fly closer to the stalks. Baird closes the novel by wondering what the blisters on the stalks are for, and deciding that he was about to find out "the hard way." The newlywed Lieutenant Victor Hoffman is posted to the COG garrison of Anvil Gate, a fort protecting a mountain pass leading from the neutral country Vasgar into the especially imulsion-rich COG province of Kashkur. At the same time, Captain Adam Fenix bids farewell to his wife and four-year old Marcus as he leaves for the Kashkur front. Vasgar's president faces a vote of no-confidence and is forced to step down; UIR troops, ostensibly to maintain order in Vasgar, invade the country, providing them with a backdoor to Kashkur. Bai Tak, a Pesanga herder, is severely affected by a drought and is forced to join the COG army in order to ensure a steady money supply for his wife, Harua. After weeks of inactivity, the COG CO at Anvil Gate is killed by a UIR RPG; at the same time, Anvil Gate's land connection to the rest of the COG is severed by UIR saboteurs who collapse the cliffs around the pass. The COG and UIR artillery trade a few shells; the small engagement turns into a minor COG victory as the Indie shells are incapable of damaging Anvil Gate's fortifications. Anvil Gate's water supply is also sabotaged by the UIR. Hoffman, now in charge, calls for Pesang reinforcements and gets Bai Tak's squad, which immediately begins clearing the local hilly country of UIR mortars and snipers. Fenix and his subordinate, Lieutenant Helena Stroud, are forced to fight an urban battle for Shavad. They are plagued by the efforts of UIR snipers and saboteurs in their rear. In particular, an art museum seems to have either an artillery observer or sniper in it; Fenix reluctantly calls in artillery to demolish the building. He is horrified by the act of destruction against the artworks inside, as well as all the deaths of his men. Lieutenant Stroud clears the museum of the sniper before the COG is forced to withdraw after losing a key bridge to the UIR. Fenix vows to never allow wanton destruction like this happen again by preventing wars in the first place, accepting a previous offer in weapons research. With supplies becoming increasingly scarce, barely supplemented by Pesang hunters, Hoffman is forced to ration Anvil Gate's water and food among the local citizens. One of them is caught with a secret hoard of stolen COG rations and Hoffman is forced to execute him. With disease also becoming an issue, and with resupply from the air choked off due to UIR anti-aircraft fire, Hoffman comes up with a desperate plan. He feigns surrender, accepting the UIR's offer to allow the citizens to leave provided that the Gears evacuate along with them. Hoffman allows a few hundred UIR infantrymen into Anvegad before his men trap and incinerate them. With the UIR besiegers seriously weakened, the COG manages at last to reopen the air route to Anvil Gate, lifting the siege. In the aftermath, Fenix accepts the offer and is promoted to Major, while Stroud and Hoffman are both promoted to Captain. Hoffman also receives the Sovereign's Medal for his defense of Anvil Gate. |
The Castle in the Attic | Elizabeth Winthrop | 1,985 | William is given a realistic model of a castle by the housekeeper, Mrs. Philips, who tells him that it has been in her family for many many years and that its silver knight is said to be under a spell. The silver knight, Sir Simon, comes to life and tells William stories about olden times and an evil wizard who is ruling his kingdom. Desperate to stop Mrs. Philips from going away, William has Sir Simon shrink her with a magic token he stole from the wizard, Alastor. However, William and Sir Simon lack the ability to return Mrs. Philips to her true size as the half of the token that can do so is with Alastor, and Mrs. Philips falls into a depression. Learning of a legend that states that when there is a lady, a knight, and a squire, a quest can be undertaken to stop Alastor, William decides to become a squire to undo his mistake. As he will be shrunk willingly, he will return to his world at the exact moment he left, but Mrs. Philips will lose all the time she spent in the castle until William enters. William has Sir Simon shrink him and he enters the castle to join his two friends. Mrs. Philips and Sir Simon spend a week training him before Sir Simon and William leave, exiting the castle in Sir Simon's time. While traveling through a magical forest, Sir Simon is tempted by the apparition of his old horse Moonlight, leaves the path and disappears, after having warned William that doing just that will cause one to get lost forever. William manages to make it through the forest on his own and encounters an old man at an apple tree. After getting a specific apple for him, the old man reverts into a young man and reveals he was under a spell. In gratitude for William's actions, the man, Dick, reveals how to defeat the dragon guarding Alastor's castle. William defeats the dragon and uses the pretext of a fool seeking work to enter the castle, with the guards hiding the secret that he defeated the dragon to enter. Alastor accepts him as his fool and reveals to William's horror that he has defeated Sir Simon again and turned him to lead, keeping him in a gallery with his other victims. However, he also turned to lead Dick's son, a young boy named Tolliver William, and thus believes he has defeated the threat from the legend, not knowing it's really William. William learns from Sir Simon's old nurse, Calendar, that he needs to get Alastor's necklace with his tokens on it and defeat his mirror that reflects what's inside of you. When Alastor shows up, William knocks him down, gets the necklace, and faces his own fears in the mirror. He then turns it on Alastor, who cowers from it. Calendar uses the lead token to turn Alastor into lead and send him away, defeating him and breaking all of his spells but the last. William is hailed as a hero and the new ruler of the kingdom, but he instead revives Sir Simon and the rest of the lead victims so Sir Simon can regain his rightful place as ruler. William returns to the castle in the attic with the other half of the token and he and Mrs. Philips return to their right sizes. She leaves, taking with her the token and Alastor who was sent to the castle, planning to drop both into the ocean. |
The Immortals of Meluha | Amish Tripathi | null | Meluha is a near perfect empire, created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived. However, the once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis who have joined forces with the Nagas, a cursed race with physical deformities. The present king of Meluha, Daksha, sends his emissaries to North India in Tibet, to invite the tribes that live there to Meluha. One of those invited are the Gunas, whose chief Shiva is a brave warrior and protector. Shiva accepts the proposal and moves to Meluha with his tribe. They reach the city of Srinagar and are received there by Ayurvati, the Chief of Medicine of the Meluhans. Shiva and his tribe are impressed with the Meluhan way of life. On their first night of stay at Srinagar, the Gunas wake up amid high fever and sweating. The Meluhans, under Ayurvati's orders, carry on the healing process. However, Ayurvati finds out that Shiva is the only one devoid of these symptoms and that his throat has turned blue. The Meluhans announce Shiva as the Neelkanth, their fabled saviour. Shiva is then taken to Devagiri, the capital city of Meluha, where he meets King Daksha. While staying there, Shiva and his comrades, Nandi and Veer Bhadra, encounter a mysterious woman, who though very beautiful, has a look of penance on her face. They later come to know that she is Princess Sati, the daughter of Daksha and is a Vikarma, an untouchable in this life due to sins of her past births. Shiva tries to court her, but she rejects his advances. Ultimately Shiva wins her heart and they decide to get married, even though the Vikarma rule prohibits them from doing so. Enraged by the so-called obsolete law, Shiva declares himself as the Neelkanth and swears to dissolve the Vikarma law. Daksha allows Sati to get married to Shiva, amid much joy and happiness. During his stay in Devagiri, Shiva comes to know of the treacherous wars that the Chandravanshis are carrying on the Meluhans. He also meets Bŗahaspati, the Chief Inventor of the Meluhans. Brahaspati invites Shiva and the royal family on an expedition to Mount Mandar, where the legendary Somras is manufactured using the waters of the Saraswati river. Shiva learns that the potion which made his throat turn blue was actually undiluted Somras, which can be lethal when taken in its pure form. However, Shiva was unaffected, which was the first sign that he was the Neelkanth. He also learns that Somras was the reason why the Meluhans lived for so many years. Brahaspati and Shiva develop a close friendship and the royal family returns to Devagiri. One morning, the whole of Meluha wakes up to loud noises coming from Mount Mandar. Shiva and his troops reach the hill to find out that a large part of Mandar has been blasted off and many of the inventors killed. There is no sign of Brahaspati, but Shiva finds the insignia of the Nagas, confirming their involvement in the treacherous wars of the Chandravanshis. Enraged by this, Shiva declares war on the Chandravanshis. With consultation from the Devagiri Chief Minister Kanakhla and the Head of Meluhan Army, Parvateshwar, Shiva advances towards Dharmakhet, the border area of Swadweep, the land of the Chandravanshis. A fierce battle is fought between the Meluhans and the Swadweepans in which the Meluhans prevail. The Chandravanshi king is captured and brought in front of Daksha. He becomes enraged upon seeing the Neelkanth and is taken away. The Chandravanshi princess, Anandmayi, tells them that they too have a similar legend that the Neelkanth will come forward to save their land by launching an assault against the 'evil' Suryavanshis. Hearing this, Shiva is dumbfounded and utterly distressed. With Sati he visits the famous Ram temple of Ayodhya, the capital of Swadweep. There he meets the priest from whom he comes to know about the karma, his fate, and his choices in life, which will guide him. As Shiva comes out of the temple, he notices Sati standing out of the temple waiting for him and the naga(who attacked them in Meru) standing near a tree. The book ends with Shiva charging to save Sati. |
The White Hart | Nancy Springer | 1,979 | It comes to pass that the stranger reveals himself to be Bevan of Eubaricon, the son of an ancient High King of Isle and Celwony, the goddess of the moon. His appearance offers both hope and threat to Cuin and Ellid, and the mortals they represent. The lands would benefit from a High King who would keep the regional lordlings from warring with each other, but at the same time, Bevan’s presence stirs Pel, an ancient evil who begins preying upon the mortals to raise an army of undead using the Coradel Orre. Ellid falls in love with Bevan and turns away from her engagement to Cuin. Cuin, in turn, finds himself apprenticed to Bevan after Bevan saves him from the Priests of Pel. Bevan decides it is his destiny to return the Coradel Orre to the Gods, so they can refresh their immortality and goes in search of it. On their quest, Cuin discovers he is heir to an ancient kingdom older than Pryce Dacaerin’s holdings. To complete their quest, Cuin must first win a magical sword from those who guard the kingdom, and then Bevan, Cuin, and Dacaerin work together to gather the lords of Isle together to wage war on Pel and his undead army. Bevan and Cuin together win a great victory, but lose the Coradel Orre, marking the end of immortal gods in the world of men. Bevan is crowned High King and marries Ellid. Cuin is absent from the ceremony on a diplomatic journey, but his escort betrays and nearly kills him. Bevan rides to his rescue before the marriage is complete, and in the process triggers a prophecy which makes him unwilling to continue to dwell in the world of men any longer. Ellid and Cuin accompany Bevan as he makes his preparations to leave Isle and they discover they have loved each other all along. Bevan entrusts Ellid to Cuin as he leaves, and hopes for them that in time they will wed. He tells them that he will never return to Isle, but prophecies about future kings and protectors of the land. |
Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years | Fred Singer | 2,006 | Over sixteen chapters the authors present their view of the natural cycles in the earth's climate and argue that the current warming period is not caused by man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The book begins with the earth's climate time-line, starting from the formation of the earth 4.5 billion years ago, and leading up to the Modern Warm Period. The book ends with a chapter entitled "The ultimate failure of The Kyoto Protocol", which predicts that the Protocol will be unsuccessful in curtailing emissions. It covers the localised plummeting emissions associated with the collapse of the Soviet Union and what the book says is Russia's excess amount of Carbon Credits which, the book argues, will be purchased by European nations to offset their rising emissions. |
Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow | Ridley Pearson | 2,010 | In Kingdom Keepers III: Disney In Shadow, the Overtakers’ leaders Maleficent and Chernabog have captured the D.H.I.s’ advisor, Wayne. The teens have reason to believe that the Overtakers have headed to Epcot, so they re-program themselves to automatically cross-over into Epcot instead of the Magic Kingdom when they go to sleep. There, they find that they aren’t the only ones who have free rein in the park—it’s being constantly patrolled by worker bee Overtakers such as the snake from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and the car dummies from Test Track, throwing a wrench into the D.H.I.s’ already-complicated mission. To add another layer of complexity to the situation, the subtitle Disney In Shadow refers to areas where the D.H.I. teens aren’t programmed to be visible, which sometimes gives them an edge over the Overtakers but occasionally works to their disadvantage. |
Carrie Pilby | null | null | Carrie Pilby's eponymous main character is a 19-year-old genius who graduated from Harvard College early and has no idea how to fit in, date, or talk to other people after college. She believes the majority of people in her hometown, New York City, to be sex-obsessed, immoral, and hypocrites. She felt the same way about students who did dangerous things in college, like drinking to excess and having sex, and as a result felt very isolated, although she confesses that she reluctantly lost her virginity to a professor there. Her therapist in New York gives her a five-point plan to test her very black-and-white beliefs, including going on dates and attending parties. She meets a cast of characters who challenge her beliefs, and she even becomes attracted to a man who espouses views she despises. Ultimately, the main character faces the universal coming-of-age decisions about which tradeoffs, if any, are acceptable to make in order to fit into society. |
The Doctor In War | Woods Hutchinson | null | Hutchinson emphasizes the importance that doctors played in the war. One of the major things they have contributed is the decrease in deaths due to disease. In the American Civil War the ratio was five deaths to disease for every one in battle, however during 'The Great War' the ratio was changed to ten deaths in battle for every one to disease. Hutchinson believes that three major points contribute to this protection against infectious disease: inoculations and sanitary measures; surgical skill and hospital organization increasing recovery rate; and the better food provided to soldiers. |
Finch | Jeff VanderMeer | 2,009 | At the time of Finch, Ambergris is ruled by the gray caps, a non-human, "spore-based" species. Their "Rising" followed a destructive civil war between rival human factions. The title character, reluctant detective John Finch, is tasked with investigating a double-murder, one victim a human and the second a gray cap. |
The Incredible Origins of the Onyx Sun | Christopher Mahoney | 2,009 | The book follows the adventures of 11-year-old Zack Goodspeed, a "normal kid" who slowly unlocks a series of secret inventions created by his not-so-normal grandfather, Fyodor. Professor Fyodor Confucius Goodspeed has invented a source of unlimited power, called the Onyx Sun, hidden in the fairly innocuous shape of a , by 5-foot-wide, by 5-foot-long black cube. No sooner does Zack discover the Onyx Sun, than his grandfather disappears into the woods behind his house. Enlisting the aid of his next door neighbor, a rebellious orphan named Angelina "Max" Maximillian, Zack plunges into the woods in search of the Professor. Soon, the two discover a secret passage into an underground cavern where the Onyx Sun is being fitted into a massive spaceship called the Onyx Pioneer. They also quickly learn that the ship is bound for the Moon with intentions of colonizing humanity's first permanent settlement. Zack and Max stowaway on the ship just before it takes off. Hiding out in the ships labyrinthine air ducts, the two overhear an officer of the crew, named Dr. Ian Machvel, planning to steal the Onyx Sun. Zack and Max make Professor Goodspeed aware of their presence, but too late. Machvel and his insurgents attack the Power Tower, the Onyx Sun's lair, and succeed in stealing it. The entire crew is thrown into jeopardy as all life support systems rely on the Onyx Sun. They have no choice but to begin colonization efforts in the mad hope they can finish their self-sustaining base before either life support runs out, or Machvel returns to wipe out the few remaining survivors. Zack and Max meanwhile, fall in league Sanjay Soon, the intellectually gifted 10-year-old son of the officer who takes over Machvel's vacated post on the Engineering Team. Sanjay introduces Zack and Max to the many inventions Professor Goodspeed has concocted to aid in the colonization of the Moon. Onyx Airstriders are four-seat jets, almost like miniature versions of the Onyx Pioneer. Dozers whip around the lunar surface prepping the Aitken Crater where they have landed for the building of their permanent base. Most impressive of all are Mech Leviathans, towering behemoth robots, each powered by a miniature version of the Onyx Sun. These lumbering giants serve as the main construction bots of the base. Zack shows an early aptitude for piloting Mechs in the Mech simulator, and gets his chance to drive a real one when the trio stumble upon Machvel spies attempting to sabotage the early base construction. Professor Goodspeed is thankful Zack and his friends have saved them once again but is also irate they took such risks to do so. He confines them to the Academy, the educational institution for the ships children where Zack is introduced to Memo Files, bursts of cerebrally uploaded content that teach Zack a year's worth of a subject in seconds. Soon however, Zack, Max, and Sanjay discover a new plot by Machvel spies to destroy the Onyx Pioneer. Foiling these usurpers with whatever means they can, the trio is soon caught off guard and Zack is captured. He wakes an hour later in a dark pyramid on the other side of the Moon. Dr. Machvel appears and reveals his ultimate plan: a specially built rocket emerges from a silo in the Moon's surface. Embedded in the rocket is the pilfered Onyx Sun. Machvel explains how he has harnessed the unlimited power of the black cube to create a weapon that will wipe out all human life on Earth, while leaving most of the infrastructure intact so he and his minions may repopulate the species with their own kind. Zack struggles to free himself, but in vain. Just as Machvel launches the rocket however a Mech thunders overhead in chase. It is Angelina with Commander Chase, the primary executive officer under Professor Goodspeed. They race toward the rocket and reach it just in time. They split it in two, destroying the rocket and freeing the Onyx Sun. Their race past the pyramid has cracked the glass and Machvel and his forces abandon the base. A group of Airstryders shoot into the silo vacated by the rocket and soon a small force from the Onyx Pioneer, led by Professor Goodspeed, find and save Zack. Some time later, the crew is assembled in Professor Goodspeed's quarters to inaugurate the opening of their permanent colony, the Citadel Spire. Max reveals that, as an orphan, she doesn't have anything to go home for. She elects to stay under the watchful tutelage of Commander Chase. Zack, however must return home. He loads into the Onyx Pioneer with his grandfather and the two travel home. The Professor drops him in a baseball field by his house, where some bullies who usually bother Zack witness the Onyx Pioneer and run away screaming. Zack returns to his house. His parents are thankful he is home, but refuse to believe his story when he tells them truthfully where he has been. They send him to his room. Later, his mother comes up and concludes that although she doesn't believe his tall tale, that she would rather see him grow up a wild dreamer than to grow up without an imagination. Zack wishes her goodnight, climbs under his covers, and falls asleep watching the silvery silhouette of the Moon rising on the horizon. |
The Sensitive Man | Poul Anderson | 1,953 | Michael Tighe of the Psychotechnic Institute has been kidnapped by Thomas Bancroft, a politician with ties to an authoritarian movement called the Actionists. Tighe's adopted son, Simon Delgatty, sets out to find him, but is himself captured by Bancroft and taken to his base on an island off the coast of Mexico. In the course of raising Delgatty, Tighe has trained him to exert conscious control over what are normally subconscious and autonomic brain functions. This allows Delgatty to speed up or slow down his metabolism at will, and also allows him to tell what other people are thinking by listening to them subvocalize their thoughts. Delgatty escapes from Bancroft's control, and forms an uneasy partnership with Elena Casimir, an undercover FBI agent who has infiltrated Bancroft's organization. Together, Delgatty and Casimir free Tighe and take Bancroft prisoner, then return to the United States. Bancroft will be imprisoned for kidnapping, but the leader of the Actionists, Bertrand Meade, is still free to continue his secret war against the Psychotechnic Institute. |
Fasting, Feasting | Anita Desai | 1,999 | Uma is a spinster who lives with her overbearing parents. They confine her at home, smothering her aspirations of independence. Her sister Aruna, by contrast, brings off a good marriage, whereas her younger brother Arun is sent to study in the USA. |
Why We Disagree About Climate Change | null | 2,009 | Why We Disagree About Climate Change is an exploration on how the idea of climate change has taken such a dominant position in modern politics and why it is so contested. In the book, the author looks at the differing views from various disciplines, including natural science, economics, ethics, social psychology and politics, to try to explain why people disagree about climate change. Rather than being a problem to be solved, the book argues that climate change is an idea which reveals different individual and collective beliefs, values and attitudes about ways of living in the world. |
The Twelve Kingdoms: The Vast Spread of the Seas | Fuyumi Ono | 1,994 | When only an eggfruit, the kirin of the En Kingdom, Rokuta, was transported to Japan for his own protection. But he was abandoned soon after birth by his surrogate parents, left to fend for himself in the mountains. It just so happened that at the same time, a young boy in the En Kingdom named Koya was also abandoned by his own parents, after which he was raised by demon beasts. Their similar circumstances aren't the only thing to bind these two boys, though. Twenty years after their abandonment, their destinies intersect, with potentially disastrous consequences for the En Kingdom. |
The Rogue | Trudi Canavan | 2,011 | The Rogue continues from the events of the Ambassadors Mission. The Ambassadors Mission ended with Lorkin being confined to the Sanctuary (The Traitors' mountainous hidden city), and been given the job of assisting healing the inhabitants as the Sachakan magic users don't know healing magic, though Lorkin is doing this willingly. Ambassador to Sachaka Dannyl is no longer looking for Lorkin and has resumed his duties as Ambassador while awaiting for a new assistant. Sonea has exposed a rogue magician from Igra, with help from Cery and Regin. Though through reading the rogue's mind they have discovered that the Thief Skellin is also a magic user though he is unaware of Black Magic, this Thief is also responsible for the murders that have been plaguing the Thieves and the man directly responsible for importing and selling the drug Roet that is an attempt to gain a measure of control of citizens of Imardin from all the classes, low, high and magician. Living among the Sachakan rebels, Lorkin does his best to learn about them and their unique magic. But the Traitors are reluctant to trade their knowledge for the Healing they so desperately want, and while he assumes they fear revealing their existence to the world, there are hints they have bigger plans. Sonea searches for the rogue, knowing that Cery cannot avoid assassination forever, but the rogue's influence over the city's underworld is far greater than she feared. His only weakness is the loss of his mother, now locked away in the Lookout. In Sachaka, Dannyl has lost the respect of the Sachakan elite for letting Lorkin join the Traitors. The Ashaki's attention has shifted, instead, to the new Elyne Ambassador, a man Dannyl knows all too well. And in the University, two female novices are about to remind the Guild that sometimes their greatest enemy is found within. |
Ghost Story | Jim Butcher | 2,011 | Following the end of Changes, Harry finds himself on a set of train tracks, where he is saved by Carmichael. Taken to a police station, Harry encounters Captain Murphy, Karrin’s father, who tells him he must return to Earth and solve his murder, else those he loves will come to harm, or he can stay and work in Murphy’s department. Electing to return, Harry travels to Mortimer Lindquist's house, which is under siege by wraiths, spirits who have given into despair and rage, led by a powerful spirit, who is aided by Evil Bob, the remnant of Bob that Harry ordered him to excise that contained Kemmler’s knowledge and teachings. Led by Sir Stuart, the mass of spirits that protect Mort’s home drive the attackers away. Reluctantly, Mort agrees to help Harry, and travels to Murphy’s home. After being put through a battery of tests, Molly, now a powerful illusionist and extremely disturbed, arrives and finally confirms Harry’s identity, breaking down in tears. Murphy explains that after Harry destroyed the entire Red Court, the power vacuum it left allowed a group called the Fomor to rise to power. Murphy’s house is then attacked, and Mort flees home. Harry follows the attackers and finds they’re a group of teenagers who live in fear and under the protection of a practitioner named Aristedes, who protects them from the creatures in Chicago that have flocked to the city in Harry’s absence. Harry contacts one of them who’s sensitive to spirits, a youth named Fitz, and convinces him to meet Harry later. Harry returns to Mort to find his home destroyed and Mort abducted. Stuart passes on the last of his memories to Dresden to use as a weapon and becomes a mindless specter like the other spirits guarding Mort’s home. At his grave, Harry exchanges the story of his duel with Justin DuMorne and He Who Walks Behind with his godmother, the Leanansidhe, in exchange for the answer to 3 questions, learning he was murdered by a male he is acquainted with. Harry tracks down Molly and finds that she operates under the pseudonym the Ragged Lady and is now under the tutelage of the Leanansidhe, who uses brutal training methods to teach. Molly is now an adept spellcaster and Harry watches as she drives off a group of Fomor, although he intervenes to aid his former apprentice. Enlisting Molly’s aid, Harry tracks down Mortimer, and finds him trapped by the Corpsetaker, who is torturing Mort with Evil Bob’s help to take his body. During this, Father Forthill, who elected to help the teenagers in Aristedes' thrall, goes to reason with the practitioner and is captured. Daniel Carpenter and Butters try to rescue him and nearly succeed but are overpowered. Harry convinces the sensitive Fitz to confront Aristedes, and wrests control of the group from him, calling for aid for Forthill and Butters. Harry enlists the Alphas, Karrin, Butters, and Molly to assault Corpsetakers hideout, along with the army of spirits from Mort’s home. Harry storms the hideout through the Nevernever, confronting Evil Bob, who overpowers Harry and nearly destroys him before being caught and held by Bob. Harry breaks into the hideout and confronts Corpsetaker, driving her away. However, while pursuing her he discovers Corpsetaker had taken Mort in order to have him summon the homicidal spirits from his home to her hideout. Seeing the army of spirits Harry summoned, Mort is dismayed. The Corpsetaker consumes the spirits, greatly increasing her power. With Harry's friends in a sleep spell, the Corpsetaker entered Butters which leads to Molly assaulting the spirit and casting her own spell which lets the Corpsetaker enter her, Dresden acts quickly grabbing the Corpsetakers ankle and enters Molly as well, leaving Butters's physical body lying on the ground and his Shade standing in disbelief and utter shock. Inside Molly’s mind, Molly uses a memory to aid in her defense after being gradually overpowered, spawning a memory from when Harry had a broken back lying in the Church, she confronts Harry with her feelings for him, as she will get to watch her entire family die of old age, and Harry is the only one whom she can feasibly love. The memory assaults Harry. During Changes, realizing he must become the Winter Knight to save his daughter, and that Mab would then turn him into a monster, Harry contacted Kincaid and asked him to kill Dresden after the assault in South America, and then had Molly remove the memory. Realizing he ordered his own murder, Uriel appears, congratulating Dresden, explaining that, in a moment of despair, a fallen angel whispering seven words "and it was all your fault, Harry" into Dresden's ear. His direct influence allowed Uriel to take active action as well, allowing Harry to return, although he is shocked to learn Captain Murphy lied to Dresden about his loved ones coming to harm. Uriel offers Dresden a choice to work for him or move on to What Comes Next. Dresden asks to see how his loved ones fare, to make an informed choice. Mort, taking control of the wraith swarm in Corpsetaker’s lair in her absence, comes upon Molly, who holds Corpsetaker in place, and the tortured souls Corpsetaker once held in thrall devour her spirit ending the battle. Mort not being able to find Harry standing around the aftermath finds Murphy who is crushed by confirmation of his death, but Mort surprises Harry by being genuinely comforting and wishing he had been bright enough to have known this side of Mort while he was alive, giving Murphy one last look, turns and walks to Uriel and asks to see his brother. Thomas, who Harry had not thought of since becoming a Spirit realizes how he couldn't have thought of Thomas without remembering the truth and shame of his own murder. Destroyed and bitter over Harry’s death, is elated when he realizes Justine has devised a method by which she and Thomas can be intimate once more. Before asking Uriel to show his next loved one, Uriel understands and takes Harry to see his daughter Maggie, who has been adopted by the Carpenters, who love her dearly, with the protection of Mouse, whom Harry embraces one last time. Happy that Michael is under the protection of a squad of angels, realizes those he loves are safe as they can be, Harry elects to move on. He then awakens on Demonreach, under the care of Queen Mab, who saved Harry the moment he fell into the darkness of the lake, her own domain, and the island, which kept him alive. Distrusting of Harry, Mab informs Harry that she knew he would have tried to create a plan to end the contract of becoming the Winter Knight, and that it had backfired; she is simultaneously angry and approving about this, saying that his defiance and ingenuity are the traits she sought him out for. Annoyed at Uriel's influence, tells Harry to prepare himself for her to turn him into her creature, and Uriel uses his opportunity to balance out the actions of the fallen angel who corrupted his free will by whispering seven words to Harry "Lies, Mab cannot change who you are". Harry tells Mab he won’t be her creature, enraging her, but tells her he will be her devoted Knight, the greatest she has ever had, but that he shall do it his way, else Mab can turn him into another mindless, and worthless, thug. Mab, still enraged but also ecstatic, tells Harry to prepare himself, and pulls them into the Winter Court. |
The Interpreter | Suki Kim | 2,003 | Suzy Park is a young, attractive, and achingly alone Korean American woman who works as a court interpreter for the New York City court system. She has had two rocky relationships with married men, worked a series of unsatisfying jobs, and cut ties with her family before her parents were shot dead in an unsolved double murder. The life she has chosen as an interpreter is a reflection of Suzy's searching for her own identity and trying to bridge the two cultures to both of which she feels a detachment. During one court case she discovers that her parents were not murdered by random violence, as the police had indicated, but instead had been shot by political enemies. The discovery provides the glint of a new lead for Park, and the novel tracks her investigation into what really happened, which ultimately reveals the mystery of her parents' homicide. |
City Primeval | Elmore Leonard | 1,980 | The original novel takes place in Detroit and tells the story of a seriously crazed 'Oklahoma Wildman' Clement Mansell who knows how easy it is to get away with murder - thanks to some nifty courtroom moves by his beautiful, tough-as-nails lawyer Carolyn Wilder. But now the killer's senseless execution of a crooked Motown judge has inflamed the ire of homicide Detective Raymond Cruz. A good cop who believes in old-fashioned justice. While Mansell tries to extort money from the 'Albanian' Skender Lulgjaraj, Cruz isn't about to let Mansell slip through the legal system's gaping holes a second time. Even if that means maneuvering the psycho into a wild Midwest showdown that only one of them is going to be walking away from... |
The Merman's Children | Poul Anderson | null | Set at the end of the medieval era, The Merman's Children details the end of the last bastion of the kingdom of the Merfolk, one of the Faery peoples being displaced by the advancing tide of Christianity. The city of the Liri king (the Merman of the title) lies beneath the waves off the shores of Denmark, peacefully coexisting with the landbound humans until exorcised by a zealous priest and his churchbells. The majority of the Merfolk are destroyed or scatter, unable to withstand the onslaught, leaving only the king's halfling offspring by a human lover. The story follows them and their various fates as they seek a place to call their own, in locales as varied as the dying Norse colonies in Greenland and the coastlands of Dalmatia. |
Beer in the Snooker Club | Waguih Ghali | 1,964 | Behind the bar at Jameel's in Cairo hang two mugs engraved with the names of Ram and Font. During their years together in London, they drank many a pint of Bass from these mugs. But there is no Bass in Nasser's Egypt – so Ram and Font have to make do with a heady mixture of beer, vodka and whisky. Yearning for Bass, they long to be far from a revolution that neither serves the people nor allows their rich aunts to live the life of leisure they are accustomed to. Stranded between two cultures, Ram and Font must choose between dangerous political opposition and reluctant acquiescence. |
So This Is How It Ends | Tui T. Sutherland | null | The book begins introducing a man named Bill Nichols. He is currently investigating a mysterious house fire whom a little girl by the name of Kali survived. Out of the havoc that was reaped, it seems highly suspicious that out of all of the destruction a little girl survived. He believes it as luck and dismisses any suspician, leaving the fate of Kali unknown. Then down in Chile a boy by the birth name of Catequil and the nickname of Tigre. sits in class. The clouds roll in as he sits there bored. The clouds take control and the boy jumps from class to run outside and enjoy the storm. He loses consciousness and faints. Meanwhile an egyption tomb is broken into by someone who is obviously a child- and stolen from there an ancient artifact said to be god like. Amon (the child who stole it)escapes, knowing this artifact will help him. Then finally the story shifts to Gus. Gus is just getting home from a night out with his girlfriend Lisa, and another couple. As his 3 friends drop Gus off, the conversation shifts into one about a very famous pop singer by the name of Venus. The other couple discusses her concerts and of how the teenage pop star-Venus seems to just enchant you. AFter Gus tells them he has never heard her music, the other couple lends him a copy of Venus's album. Gus gets out of the car, waves his friends bye and procceeds to walk inside his house. He goes to play the cd when the door rings, and his brother's girlfriend comes in and announces that Gus's parents along with his brother-Andrew have been in a horrible car wreck. Venus's most disliked song-discussing the end of the world. The book forwards to December 21, 2012. All of the kids previously mentioned are all around the age of 16. Kali is stuck trying to balance a job she hates but needs to support her family, along with still fulfilling her school requirements. As a result she is portrayed as a very angry teenager. Tigre has grown up with a very controlling, rude girlfriend, named Vicky, whom upon finding out that she's cheating on him, Vicky says he's too weak, crushing Tigre's confidence. And Amon who is still in Egypt, aware of the days significance. And the story then shifts to Gus. It turns out that Gus is now living in Los Angelos, with his older brother Andrew. Andrew had survived the wreck, but his parents had died. Both still coping with the death of their parents were now living with each other, and Andrew was working in a theatre business. Well on December 21 Andrew was preparing the set for the now 16 year old sedutive pop sensation-Venus, whom Gus is a fan of. After realizing how much work was needed to set up for Venus's arrival, Andrew requests Gus's helping, telling Gus to stay clear of the pop star as she is a bit of a diva. As both arrive at the theater Gus and Andrew are separated due to the jobs that were necessary. Gus finishes his job and leaves the room when he hears a crash. Upon returning to the room he finds an extremely attractive, tom-boyish girl who looked less perfect to Venus-whom he assumed to be some sort of relative. However she was in fact Venus, and when Gus returns the two begin to bond. Venus genuinely happy that she was able to spend time with someone who wasn't obsessed with worshipping her, and Gus very happy now that he was with a girl-since Lisa had dumped him. However when the girls true identity-Venus is identified, Gus reacts the way expected-reverence. Venus's bodyguard escorts her away, and Andrew soon scolded Gus for "bothering" Venus. Later, a faulty prop nearly kills Venus, and thanks to Gus she was saved. Then an earthquake began, and the two teenagers fled from the theatre building, hoping that everyone else made it out alive. The two teens ran into the night feeling the shift. Kali feels the quake, and experiences the shift. Tigre slept when the shift hit him, And Amon was ready and awake. When the shift completed Amon stood up, ready for what was to come. |
Lies of Silence | Brian Moore | 1,990 | The plot revolves around the protagonist, Michael Dillon, and his wife, Moira Dillon, who are held hostage in their house by terrorists that are members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The men force Dillon, an apolitical hotel manager, to drive his bomb-laden car to the hotel he manages in order to kill a leading Protestant reverend, members of the Orange Order, and militant Protestants, all of whom are attending the same function. However, various aspects of female psychology are also present throughout the novel, including Dillon's extramarital affair with Canadian writer Andrea and Moira's mental breakdown following the revelation of his infidelity. |
The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip | George Saunders | 2,000 | The village of Frip, consisting of three shacks by the sea, relies entirely on the production and sale of goat's milk. The gappers, an unintelligent lifeform shaped like a spiky fish, crawl up from the sea and sit on the backs of the goats. The gappers are so excited about the goats that they emit a loud, high-pitched noise that never ceases. The families must pluck the gappers from the goats' backs and throw them back into the sea. |
Slave of the Huns | null | null | It is set around the time of Attila the Hun, and part of it is based on the Byzantine diplomat Priscus' account of his visit to Attila's court. The narrator and hero of the novel is a young Byzantine freedman of Priscus nicknamed Zeta who travels with him to Attila. He falls in love with Emmo, the daughter of a Hunnish nobleman (a "princess lointaine" figure). He commits himself to slavery among the Huns in the hope of eventually marrying her, to some extent going native among them. It includes dramatic accounts of the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains between the Huns and the Romans, and the funeral of Attila. |
Don't Look Behind You | Lois Duncan | 1,990 | Because of April's father's work in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a hitman in a black Camaro is after her family so they have to be put under the Federal Witness Protection Program. April and her family have to try to elude the killer with little success when she drives out to try and live with her grandmother again. |
Ralph the Heir | Anthony Trollope | null | The title character is Ralph Newton, the nephew of Squire Gregory Newton of Newton Priory. The Squire has never married; he has an illegitimate son, also named Ralph Newton, whom he loves dearly. However, the estate is entailed, and after his death will go to his nephew Ralph; he cannot leave it to his natural son. Ralph the heir is a spendthrift, and has run himself deep into debt. There are two ways in which he can extricate himself: by raising money on his future interest in the Newton estate, or by marrying Polly Neefit, the daughter of a wealthy breeches-maker who is one of his major creditors. Neither choice is a good one for him: the first might lead to the estate's being seized by his creditors upon the old squire's death; the second would mean allying himself to a family of a much lower social class, thus putting his own social standing at risk. The Squire, anxious to obtain full possession of the estate so that he can pass it to his son, offers to buy the heir's reversion. Ralph vacillates, hesitatingly proposes to and is rejected twice by Polly Neefit, and eventually accepts his uncle's offer. However, before the transaction can be completed, the Squire is killed in a hunting accident and his nephew comes into full possession of the property and its large income. Now safe from his creditors, the new Squire is nevertheless harassed by Polly Neefit's father, who threatens him with legal action and embarrassing publicity if he does not continue seeking his daughter's hand. The matter is eventually resolved by Polly, who accepts the oft-repeated proposals of Ontario Moggs, son of a prosperous bootmaker, and induces her father to consent to the marriage despite his preference for the Squire. In the meantime, Ralph the Squire has proposed to and been rejected by Mary Bonner, the beautiful niece and ward of Sir Thomas Bertram; soon after this, she accepts an offer of marriage from the illegitimate Ralph. The novel also describes a Parliamentary election in the fictional borough of Percycross, in which Sir Thomas, a Conservative, and Moggs, a Radical, are two of the four candidates for the two available seats. Both are eager that the election be conducted fairly and honestly. The other two candidates, one a Conservative and one a Liberal, are the incumbents; they see nothing wrong with the buying and selling of votes that has been traditional at Percycross. Sir Thomas and his fellow Conservative win the election, but it is annulled on petition, and the borough is disfranchised by Parliament because of its pervasive corruption. |
The Dragon's Familiar | null | 2,008 | The novel tells the story of Cory Avalon, an orphan who is lured through an enchanted gateway disguised as a mirror, and ends up in the magical world of Abydonne. Cory meets Prince Taliesin of Caer Dathyl and is adopted by his father King Llewellyn, who makes Cory the apprentice of the royal wizard, Math the Ancient. Early in his apprenticeship, Cory casts a spell to summon and bond with a familiar, and a young golden dragon named Benythonne answers Cory's incantation. The resulting bond grants Cory enormous strength and the ability to fly, as well as amplifying his raw magical power. Math suspects Cory may be the long-prophecised archwizard who will free humanity from the demon threat, and sends Cory to learn from Vainamoinen, another wizard. After several months, the Cory learns that Vainamoinen is his natural grandfather, and Abydonne was the world of his father's birth. Harkening to the ancient prophecy, Cory acknowledges his duty as the prince of wizards, and he sets out to free the captive humans from the demons and destroy their mountain stronghold of Abyolldd. along the way, the young wizard is joined by a group of Math's apprentices, and together they set out for the dark mountain. Cory frees the slaves and has Benythonne and the other apprentices lead the slaves to safety, while Cory battles Asmodeus the Demon Lord alone. During the magical combat, one of Cory's mystic bolts strikes the mirror gateway to Earth, shattering it. The resulting shockwaves bring down the entire mountain, and Cory escapes with his life by teleporting away to his dragon, safely outside Abyolldd. |
The Bay of Noon | null | null | A young Englishwoman, Jenny, is working in Naples some years after World War II. Alone in the ruined city, she follows up a letter of introduction from an acquaintance, through which she meets Gioconda, a beautiful and gifted writer, and her lover Gianni, a noted Roman film director. Meanwhile at work she meets Justin, a Scotsman whose inscrutability Jenny finds mysteriously attractive. As Jenny becomes increasingly drawn in to the lives of the three, she discovers that the past is not easily forgotten. |
The God of the Hive | Laurie R. King | null | Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes are each on the trail, seeking to expose a ruthless villain and ensure the safety of Holmes' artist son, Damian Adler, and Adler's half-Chinese daughter, three year old Estelle. The search involves the British practitioners of a religious cult called The Children of Lights with roots in Shanghai, China. The plot picks up in the summer of 1924 near an ancient circle of standing stones on Orkney Island, shortly after religious fanatic Thomas Brothers, who seeks to unleash psychic energies through human sacrifice, shot Holmes's artist son, Damian Adler. Holmes's search for medical help to save his son's life takes him to Holland, while Mary travels through Britain in an effort to keep Estelle safe from Brothers and his allies. Brothers' shadowy connections have led to a conspiracy deeply entrenched in the highest echelons of government. Mycroft Holmes finds himself questioned and under suspicion and the family members are actively pursued by Scotland Yard. In the process a modern-day Robin Goodfellow emerges to lend aid to Mary and her kin. |
Superman: Earth One | J. Michael Straczynski | 2,010 | Clark Kent arrives on a train in Metropolis, and rents a room at a hotel. The next morning he tries out several jobs: pro footballer, Major League baseball player, and positions in a scientific research company, and in financial services and media industries. Clark realizes he can do anything as each company wants to hire him. He calls his mother and tells her what has happened, to which she replies that she would be happy with his choice of occupation. His last job stop is at the Daily Planet newspaper, where he meets Perry White, James "Jim" Olsen, and Lois Lane. However, upon hearing that the Daily Planet and the wider newspaper industry are in decline, Clark decides not to apply for the job, dumps his application, and flies into space. He thinks upon his history, and how his adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, told him how they found him while hiking through woodland. The Kents saw a spaceship fly past them and crash, creating a sonic boom in its wake. They checked the wreckage for survivors, found a baby boy, and left with the infant and a small fragment of the wreckage. Some time later, the Kents decided to keep the child. Shortly after this, the US government and military arrive at the crash site. The Kents kept a small fragment of debris from the ship and learned of its, and the child's, extraterrestrial origins. Back in the narrative present, Clark talks to his late father's grave and says he feels incapable of being a superhero as he has already conformed to human society. Instead, he decides to begin a career and hopes that his father would accept that. The next day, and twenty years after it crashed, Major Sandra Lee, a soldier working at a US Military base on advanced technology, revisits the crashed spaceship, which has regenerated its damaged and lost parts. The scientists working there have found symbols inside the atomic structure of the ship. Clark discovers his apartment is on fire, and quickly enters the building to recover the fragment of spacecraft and a red and blue outfit his mother made for him from the cloth he was wrapped in as an infant. Alone, Clark checks the fragment with his enhanced vision when he is hit with energy, becomes unconscious, and falls from the sky. The fragment talks and connects itself back to the ship in order to download more information. Just then, an invading alien force arrives and attacks Earth's major cities. The military quickly mobilizes, but the alien attack ships defeat Earth's fighter jets. Jim and Lois are almost killed because Jim wants to take photographs of the invasion. Clark, still unconscious, is given information he could not previously remember: the last moments of his homeworld, the planet Krypton. Clark, born as Kal-El, is the son of Jor-El and Lara, who waited until the last minute to dispatch him so that the shockwaves would hide his escape. The alien armada leader, Tyrell, reveals himself to the Earth but does not reveal his identity and purpose. He issues an ultimatum: the Earth will be destroyed, and millions will die if someone Tyrell has been looking for does not surrender to him. Major Lee and the scientists agree that the person for whom Tyrell is looking was in the crashed ship. Clark tries to attack the aliens without revealing himself, but Jim's photographs show a human-shaped red and blue blur. Clark goes for help at the research company that was about to employ him, but he finds that it is corrupt. Tyrell notices Jim taking pictures and almost kills him until Clark, who can no longer stand by and watch, destroys a robot. Tyrell is now aware of Clark's presence on Earth and prepares to increase the ferocity of his attack. Clark looks at his outfit, remembers wondering why there was no mask and his mother asking whether he wants to hide for the rest of his life, and his adoptive father coining the name "Superman". Clark decides to wear the outfit and reveals himself to the world as Superman. Superman lands and starts destroying the alien robots and ships, and Tyrell reveals himself. He proves to be Superman's physical match, and says that Krypton's destruction was no accident but was an assassination. Tyrell originates from the planet Dheron. Krypton and Dheron were bitter enemies that fought several wars, which ended when a Dheronian war machine, designed to destroy Krypton's core, was provided by an unknown alien race. Although Krypton was destroyed, a scientist's son escaped, and a mission with which Tyrell had been charged―to find and kill the child―was considered a failure. Tyrell proceeds to activate several war machines to destroy Earth, and hits Superman with a red solar energy beam that pins him down. Tyrell explains the nature of their powers and leaves to make final preparations. Because Superman is the cause of the invasion, no one in Metropolis wants to help. Lois and Jim get Superman out of the energy beam using a truck and Superman regains his strength and stands up. He and Tyrell fight again; this time Superman gains the upper hand by burning Tyrell with his heat vision. Superman's ship becomes fully regenerated, takes off to find him, and knocks Tyrell from behind. Tyrell tells Superman that his own spacecraft is almost as impervious as Kryptonian metal, from which Superman's ship is made. Superman enters Tyrell's weakened spacecraft and destroys it from the inside. Tyrell tries to stop him but is defeated, and he warns Superman that others like him will come to finish the job. Superman jumps off Tyrell's ship. The invasion is over, and Superman smiles and flies away. At a government base, Major Lee wonders who Superman is and what he wants, and whether his presence means more trouble for Earth. The general puts her in charge of researching Superman and his origin, and tells Lee to locate him. After his ordeal, Clark walks home. The boss of the research company finds him and offers him a job, which Clark declines. A Dheronian battleship crash-lands in an indoor football field. Clark purchases some new clothing and formulates a "Clark Kent disguise". He returns to the Daily Planet, which is more enthusiastic and successful because its coverage of the invasion and Superman was superior to that of rival news media. Perry does not know what to call the new superhero until Clark suggests the name "Superman". Clark is hired because of an interview he claims he conducted with Superman, and he bonds with his new colleagues. Public opinion of Superman is mixed: some like him and see him as a hero; others do not trust him because he was the cause of the invasion. In the Arctic, Superman has hidden his ship in a secret cave, and its sentience activates and tells him his mission: to survive, use his powers well and wisely, and to avenge the murder of his homeworld. At the close of the story, Lois and Jim are on the Daily Planet rooftop discussing how Superman has changed the world. Jim photographs Superman again. |
Night of the Humans | David Llewellyn | null | The Doctor and Amy are caught in the middle of a war between humans and Sittuns on the junkyard planet of the Gyre, and when the Doctor disappears, Amy teams up with a mysterious space traveller to rescue him, little knowing the dangers she has put herself in. |
The Lancashire Witches | William Harrison Ainsworth | 1,848 | Ainsworth based his story largely on the official account of the Lancashire witch trials written by the clerk to the court, Thomas Potts, first published in 1613 under the title The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster. Potts himself makes an appearance in the novel, as a "scheming and self-serving lawyer". Book one is set against the backdrop of the 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace, an uprising by northern Catholics against the English Reformation instituted by King Henry VIII. |
The Fellowship of the Ring | J. R. R. Tolkien | 1,954 | The Prologue is meant partly to help people who have not read The Hobbit to understand the events of that book. It also contains other background information to set the stage for the novel. The first chapter in the book begins in a light vein, following the tone of The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins celebrates his 111th (or eleventy-first, as it is called in Hobbiton) birthday on the same day, September 22, that his relative and adopted heir Frodo Baggins celebrates his coming of age at 33. At the birthday party, Bilbo departs from the Shire, the land of the Hobbits, for what he calls a permanent holiday. He leaves Frodo his remaining belongings, including his home, Bag End, and (after some persuasion by the wizard Gandalf) the Ring he had found on his adventures (which he used to make himself invisible). Gandalf leaves on his own business, warning Frodo to keep the Ring secret. Over the next 17 years Gandalf periodically pays short visits to Bag End. One spring night, he arrives to warn Frodo about the truth of Bilbo's ring; it is the One Ring of Sauron the Dark Lord. Sauron forged it to subdue and rule Middle-earth, but in the War of the Last Alliance, he was defeated by Gil-galad the Elven King and Elendil, High King of Arnor and Gondor, though they themselves perished in the deed. Isildur, Elendil's son, cut the Ring from Sauron's finger. Sauron was thus overthrown, but the Ring itself was not destroyed as Isildur kept it for himself. Isildur was slain soon afterwards in the Battle of the Gladden Fields, and the Ring was lost in Great River Anduin. Thousands of years later, it was found by the hobbit Déagol; but Déagol was thereupon murdered by his friend Sméagol, who coveted the Ring for himself. Sméagol subsequently possessed the Ring for centuries, and under its influence he became the creature named Gollum. The Ring was found by Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit, and Bilbo leaves it to Frodo. Sauron has risen again and returned to his stronghold in Mordor, and is exerting all his power to find the Ring. Gandalf details the evil powers of the Ring and its ability to influence the bearer and those near him if it is worn for too long a time. Gandalf warns Frodo that the Ring is no longer safe in the Shire; he has learned through his investigations that Gollum had gone to Mordor, where he was captured and tortured until he revealed to Sauron that a hobbit named Baggins from the Shire possesses the Ring. Gandalf hopes Frodo can reach the elf-haven Rivendell, where he believes Frodo and the Ring will be safe from Sauron, and where its fate can be decided. Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's gardener and friend, is discovered listening in on the conversation. Out of loyalty to his master, Sam agrees to accompany Frodo on his journey. Over the summer Frodo makes plans to leave his home at Bag End, under the pretence that he is moving to a remote region near the Shire to retire. Helping with the plans are Frodo's friends Sam, Peregrin Took (Pippin for short), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry), and Fredegar Bolger (Fatty), though Frodo does not tell them of the Ring or of his intention to leave the Shire. At midsummer, Gandalf leaves on pressing business, but promises to return before Frodo leaves. Frodo's birthday and departure date approach, but Gandalf does not appear; so Frodo decides to leave without him. Black Riders pursue Frodo's party; these turn out to be Nazgûl or Ringwraiths, "the most terrible servants of the Dark Lord", who are searching for "Baggins" and the Ring. With help of some Elves and Farmer Maggot, they reach Crickhollow beyond the eastern border of the Shire. There Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Fatty reveal that they know of the Ring and of Frodo's plan to leave the Shire. Sam, Merry, and Pippin decide to accompany Frodo, while Fatty stays behind as a decoy. In hopes of eluding the Nazgûl, the hobbits travel through the Old Forest and Barrow-downs, and with the assistance of Tom Bombadil are able to reach the village of Bree, where they meet the ranger Aragorn, a friend of Gandalf who becomes their guide to Rivendell. At the hill of Weathertop, five of the Nazgûl attack the travellers, and the chief of the Nazgûl stabs Frodo with a cursed blade before Aragorn drives the Nazgûl off. Part of the knife remains within the wound, causing Frodo to become increasingly ill as they travel to Rivendell; Aragorn warns them that, unless treated immediately, Frodo will become a wraith himself. As the travellers near their destination, they meet Glorfindel, an elf-lord from Rivendell, who helps them reach the River Bruinen near Rivendell. But the Nazgûl, all nine now gathered together, ambush the party at the Ford of Bruinen. Glorfindel's horse outruns the pursuers and carries Frodo across the Ford. As the Nazgûl attempt to follow, a giant wave commanded by Elrond, the lord of Rivendell, bears down on the Nazgûl. The Nazgûl are swept away by the river, as Frodo finally collapses unconscious on the riverbank. Book II opens in Rivendell at the house of Elrond. Frodo is healed by Elrond and discovers that Bilbo has been residing there. Elrond convenes the Council of Elrond, attended by Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo and many others. Gandalf explains that he had gone to Isengard, where the wizard Saruman, the chief of all wizards in Middle-earth, dwells, to seek help and counsel. However, Saruman had turned against them, desiring the Ring for himself. Saruman imprisoned Gandalf in his tower, Orthanc, rightly suspecting that Gandalf knew where the Ring was. Gandalf, however, did not yield and managed to escape from Orthanc. He learns that Saruman is not yet in Sauron's service, and is mustering his own force of Orcs. In the Council of Elrond, a plan is hatched to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, which will destroy the Ring and end Sauron's power for good. Frodo offers to undertake this dangerous quest, and is thus chosen to be the Ring-bearer, and sets forth from Rivendell with eight companions: two Men, Aragorn and Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor; Legolas, Prince of the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood; Gandalf; Gimli the Dwarf; and Frodo's three Hobbit companions. These Nine Walkers (called the Fellowship of the Ring) are chosen to represent all the free races of Middle-earth and as a balance to the Nazgûl. They are also accompanied by Bill the Pony, whom Aragorn and the Hobbits acquired in Bree as a pack horse. The Fellowship's attempt to cross the Misty Mountains is foiled by heavy snow, and they are forced to take a path under the mountains, the mines of Moria, an ancient dwarf kingdom, now full of Orcs and other evil creatures. During the battle that ensues, Gandalf battles a Balrog of Morgoth, and both fall into an abyss. The remaining eight members of the Fellowship escape from Moria and head toward the elf-haven of Lothlórien, where they are given gifts from the rulers Celeborn and Galadriel that in many cases prove useful later during the Quest. As Frodo tries to decide the future course of the Fellowship, Boromir tries to take the Ring for himself; Frodo ends up putting on the Ring to escape from Boromir. While the rest of the Fellowship scatter to hunt for Frodo, Frodo decides that the Fellowship has to be broken, and that he must depart secretly for Mordor. Sam insists on coming along, however, and they set off together to Mordor. The Fellowship is thus broken. |
Of Love and Evil | Anne Rice | 2,010 | Toby O’Dare, former government assassin, is summoned by the angel Malchiah to fifteenth-century Rome—the city of Michelangelo and Raphael, of Leo X and the Holy Inquisition—to solve a terrible crime of poisoning and to uncover the secrets of an earthbound restless spirit, a diabolical dybbuk. Toby is plunged into this rich age as a lutist sent to charm and calm this troublesome spirit. In the fullness of the high Italian Renaissance, Toby soon discovers himself in the midst of dark plots and counterplots, surrounded by a still darker and more dangerous threat as the veil of ecclesiastical terror closes in around him. And as he once again embarks on a powerful journey of atonement, he is reconnected with his own past, with matters light and dark, fierce and tender, with the promise of salvation and with a deeper and richer vision of love. |
Go | null | 2,000 | Sugihara who was a zainichi chosenjin began studying at a Japanese high-school. Since his father was an ex-pro boxer, Sugihara knew how to fight other Japanese boys who challenges him to a fight because of his nationality. He became friends with a boy whose father is a yakuza and Sugihara's friend invited him to a party where Sugihara meets a girl who would only let him know of her family name: Sakurai. Sugihara never tells Sakurai of his ancestry for he is afraid of her possibility of having racist feelings. One day when one of Sugihara's Korean friends were killed by another Japanese high-school student, Sugihara brought together all his courage to tell Sakurai of his Korean heritage... |
Last Sacrifice | Richelle Mead | 2,010 | The novel begins with Rose in her prison cell contemplating the charges brought against her and occasionally using the bond to slip into Lissa's mind to view goings-on at Court. During Queen Tatiana’s funeral, statues outside the church suddenly blow up, causing chaos, and acting as a distraction for the guardians. Rose is soon broken out of prison by Mikhail, Eddie, Adrian, Abe, and Dimitri. Dimitri takes Rose out of Court and they drive for hours until they reach Sydney, who is also aiding in the escape. They continue traveling until reaching West Virginia, where Rose discovers she is to be kept in a motel until her friends back at Court can clear her name. However, she insists on leaving and helping out, but after Dimitri halts her escape, Rose convinces him and Sydney to look for Lissa’s half-sibling. For safety, Sydney takes them to the Keepers, a strange group of Moroi, dhampirs, and humans. Later, they find out the sole person who holds the information needed to find Lissa’s sibling: Sonya Karp, who was once teacher at St. Vladimir's but is now a Strigoi. The Dashkov brothers invade Rose’s dreams and they later meet up with her at Sonya's house in Kentucky, where Robert changes her back into a Moroi by staking her with a silver stake infused with spirit. After recovering from the initial shock of being restored, Sonya leads them to Jillian Mastrano’s house in Michigan, who is revealed to be the illegitimate child of Eric Dragomir. Not long after they arrive, Guardians raid the Mastrano house, forcing them to scatter and flee again and creating the opportunity for Victor and Robert to kidnap Jill. Using her spirit abilities, Sonya is able to locate where the brothers are hiding Jill and relays the information onto Rose. Upon questioning, Sonya also reveals to Rose that her and Dimitri’s auras shine extraordinarily bright when they are around each other, which shows they are in love. This further confuses Rose about Dimitri's true feelings for her. Back at Court, Lissa, Christian and Adrian try looking for Tatiana's murderer, and discover unsettling information about the Queen, her lover Ambrose and Adrian's own mother, Daniella. While at Court, Lissa is in the running for Queen, despite being ineligible as the result of being without a quorum. The process involves taking a series of tests to prove she is worthy of the throne, and after she passes, there is a huge debate among the Moroi about whether she can actually be queen. Rose, Dimitri, and Sonya quickly find Victor and Robert and fight them to get Jill back. Rose battles with Victor, and in a spirit- induced rage, she inadvertently kills him. She becomes distraught as the group heads to a hotel to recover. In one of the rooms, Dimitri attempts to comfort her and tells her not to blame herself. He admits he loves her and regrets losing her, but refuses to take another man’s girlfriend. Rose tells him she only belongs to herself, and she chooses Dimitri. The two embrace and have sex again, and Rose makes the decision to break up with Adrian when she sees him in person and not in one of his spirit dreams. She tells Dimitri after they make love that in order for them to have a relationship, he must first forgive himself for the guilt he carries over his time as a Strigoi. That evening, the four leave to meet up with Mikhail near Court; Adrian comes along and witnesses a kiss between Dimitri and Rose. More pressing matters are at hand as they head back to Court, Mikhail and Rose having just gotten information from Sydney and the Alchemists confirming who the killer is. Back at Court and in front of the Council and assembled Moroi, Rose presents Jill as part of the Dragomir bloodline, arguing that this enables Lissa to become Queen. Then she reveals to everyone that Tasha is the one who killed the queen, as she hated Tatiana's policies about dhampirs and Moroi. Rose also silently notices that Tasha has longed for Dimitri the entire time, which is why Tasha framed Rose for the murder. As guardians attempt to take in Tasha, she grabs a gun and holds Mia hostage. Lissa hurries forward in an attempt to compel her to stop, but Tasha makes a rash decision, shooting at Lissa. Rose jumps in front of Lissa and takes the bullet in her chest. Her final glimpse is of Lissa and Dimitri standing over her as she blacks out. A few days later, she awakens in a palace room with Dimitri by her side. He joyfully tells her that they have both received full pardons and their guardian statuses again—she is one of Lissa’s guardians and he is Christian’s guardian. Both are finally able to be open about their relationship. When Lissa visits Rose, she realizes they are no longer bonded. They speculate that because Rose was at the brink of death and healed herself without the help of spirit, the bond was negated. Lissa also won the royal election, thanks to Jill being part of the Dragomir bloodline and making her eligible for the throne. Adrian visits Rose and confronts her on why their relationship failed; Adrian blames it on Rose's constant yearning for Dimitri but Rose tells him it’s both that and the fact that they are so different and he depends on her too much, saying that she is his anchor to life. Rose spends the remainder of her convalescence healing and being with Dimitri. The series ends with Lissa’s coronation. As she is crowned the new queen, Lissa shares a humorous look with Rose in the crowd. Rose, embracing Dimitri and feeling happier than ever with his love and Lissa's triumph, tells him she thinks that the future will be good. |
Split Images | Elmore Leonard | 1,981 | The novel begins in Detroit and tells the story of Robbie Daniels, a multimillionaire who guns down a Haitian refugee that broke into his Palm Beach mansion, calling it "practice". Walter Kouza, a 21-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, sees this case as his one chance to quit being a cop and go to work for a big shot. The only one who can stop him is Lieutenant Bryan Hurd, whose unique method of investigation is supported by his good-looking lover and journalist Angela Nolan. The two follow Daniels and Kouza when they travel Florida to find their next victim: a diplomat and drug dealer. |
Third Year at Malory Towers | null | null | Darrell is on the way to Malory Towers once again. On the way they pick up a new girl called Zerelda, who is from the USA. Once they arrive, they see the Bad One, Gwen, making a Fond Farewell with her mother and governess. Suddenly Gwen sees Zerelda and immediately loses her heart to her. The ever-so malicous Alicia notices it and points it out to Darrell. It is then revealed that not only is Zerelda in North Tower but in the Fourth Form. A few days later, the final new girl arrives: Bill Robinson. Bill is short for Wilhelmina, who in turn has truckloads of horses and 7 brothers. She arrives with the brothers and her horse. The brothers and their horses leave leaving Bill to take her horse, Thunder, to the stables. A few weeks later, Zerelda is so remarkably stupid that she is put down in the third form. The next surprise is that Darrell is a reserve for one of the Malory Towers Lacrosse teams. Next up on the event roster is Zerelda gets a tremendous scolding from Ms Hibbert. And all is well until....... After Zerelda gets a misunderstood scolding from Miss Hibbert, a few weeks later the biggie happens: Thunder (Bill's horse) suffers from colic while Darrell and Bill work all night in the rain to stop him lying down and Ms Peters rides for miles in the pouring rain to get the vet and accidentally save the life of the to-be Conceited Opera Singer Mavis Allyson who loses her voice as a consequence). Then everything is right again and the end of term looms. |
It’s a Battlefield | Graham Greene | 1,934 | Drover, a bus driver, stabs a man who is about to attack his wife. Unfortunately for him, the man is a policeman and Drover is a Communist, so he is sentenced to hang. The novel explores the intersecting lives of those close to Drover in the days before the hanging. His Communist colleagues want him to die because this will gain support for the party; his wife and brother begin an affair. There is no hero. With few exceptions, the characters are deliberately limned as, in one critic's view, "mediocre, bleak, uninspiring and at times perverted and stupid". Some of the characters seem only half complete. The resulting interplay of selfish, driven characters creates what Greene called "a panoramic novel of London". In this panorama, the traditional detective story is (sometimes using postmodern techniques) turned on its head.; the hidden villains, according to one critic, are class and capitalism. |
If Israel Lost the War | Edward Klein | null | The book's point of divergence is the assumption that it is the Arab air forces which on June 5, 1967 launch a surprise attack and destroy the Israeli Air Force, rather than the other way around as it happened in actual history. Afterwards the Arab armies launch a lighting ground attack and - in an exact mirror image of the actual Six Day War - conquer the entire territory of Israel by June 10, 1967. The US, embroiled in the Vietnam War, takes no action to save Israel, nor does any other country (except for a valiant but futile sending of some planes from the Netherlands). The book is written in a semi-documentary way, with multiple and constantly shifting points of view characters, detailed maps and numerous fictional quotations from the international media. The three writers had the openly proclaimed aim of helping Israel's case in international public opinion, and justifying its act in having been in actual history the one to attack first. This aim is evident in the book's numerous depictions of atrocities committed by the victorious Arab armies, including detailed depictions of the mass rape of Israeli women, the public execution of Moshe Dayan by the Egyptian occupiers of Tel Aviv and the appointment of Nazi war criminals to run the Arab occupiers' secret police. As depicted in the book, the Palestinians get no benefit from the Arab victory and are as a far away as ever from having a state of their own, with Israeli territory being partitioned between Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Nor are the Palestinian refugees allowed to return to their pre-1948 homes despite these being under Arab rule. The book ends in a relatively upbeat tone, with Yigal Alon - who had commanded the Palmach militia under British Mandate rule - holding a clandestine meeting in Syrian-occupied Tiberias, laying plans for an extensive guerrilla campaign. There is thus the implication that Israel might eventually regain independence, though it would be after a long and harsh struggle. |
The Sporting Club | null | null | The Sporting Club chronicles the friendship and rivalry of Vernor Stanton, an unstable patrician iconoclast, and the protagonist, Stanton's lifelong friend, James Quinn. Throughout the course of the novel, Stanton enlists Quinn on a series of misadventures and wild episodes, the aim of which is to ultimately destabilize the Centennial Club, a summer sporting resort for upper-class Michigan families, of which both men are members. |
Gorgeous East | Robert Girardi | 2,009 | John Smith, an out of work actor, after toxic relationships in Istanbul, and Paris, joins the French Foreign Legion. |
City of Fallen Angels | Cassandra Clare | 2,011 | The book follows Simon's difficult transition into vampirism, but equally shows us more about Jace and Clary's relationship. Simon receives an offer from a vampire named Camille Belcourt who claims to have been usurped by Raphael. She says that if Simon joins her side as the Daylighter, then he will finally earn his place in vampire society. After his meeting with Camille, he returns home worried about what his mother will think as she has been suspicious since he went to Idris (City of Glass) and did not return for a few days. Although Magnus erased memories of his absence, she has been sub-consciously suspicious about everything from his whereabouts to his friends as opposed to before when she was less strict. As Simon tries to adjust to life as a vampire, with the Mark of Cain, he is attacked numerous times and each time the Mark's curse works and the attackers are killed (including the time when on his way home in which two strange looking hooded muggers try to overtake him and one of them quickly meets his graphic and bloody demise through on biblical proportions because of the mark of Cain which disturbs Simon whereas the other muggers flee in terror). Meanwhile, Jace has been having dreams in which he murders Clary by stabbing her or choking her which previously has led to stress between the two of them since he has stopped talking to her and has become closed off from her; worrying Clary. Clary's mother, Jocelyn, is having difficulty adjusting to Jace as Clary's boyfriend when he reminds her so much of Valentine. Clary and her mother also discover that someone is trying to make more children like Jonathan, which again Jocelyn has trouble coming to terms with. At one of Simon's band's gigs, Simon runs off stage ill (mostly due to his lack of blood consumption). Maureen, the band's only fan, follows Simon and asks for his picture. Halfway through taking it, Simon bites her and drinks her blood, interrupted just in time by Jordan, the band's new member. The day after, they receive a message saying someone was holding Simon's girlfriend hostage, and he should go to save her. Calling up Clary, Isabelle and Maia, Simon determines it's a joke, only to find it was actually Maureen, who would always claim to be Simon's girlfriend at gigs being known for having a crush on him, who had been kidnapped and killed when Simon did not show up to save her. Jace and Clary have an intimate moment in one of the spare rooms in the Institute where Clary is healing from the scars she had gotten when fighting a Hydra demon at the Church of Talto. He kisses her passionately (on places other than her lips) and just when they are on the brink of having sex where Clary is in her bra and underwear and Jace is only in his jeans, his belt buckle undone, Jace injures Clary with a knife. Disturbed by his recent nightmares, Jace pours out all his nightmares and the reason he is avoiding Clary. Clary then offers to help Jace by taking him to the Silent City. There, the Silent Brothers tell them that the nightmares Jace is having is due to his vulnerability to demonic influence; which occurred after Jace was resurrected after he died when being stabbed by Valentine (Jace and Clary have confessed to what happened that night when the angel was raised). Afterwards, Jace agrees to stay in one of the cells of the Silent City for one night in order for the Silent Brothers to help him by looking inside Jace's mind. Clary wants to stay with Jace, but the Silent Brothers say that she will be a distraction. Jace tells Clary that he will get better for her and Clary promises to see him, after which Jace says that maybe he'll be healed by then. Clary and Jace say their goodbyes and Clary leaves for the night. In his cell, Jace has a dream that he is back is in Idris while realizing it's still a dream. Max appears to him in a dream and Max persuades him that the dreams are telling him that he is actually hurting Clary and that his father (not Valentine) is worried about him. He cuts his arms after Max convinces him that he will destroy the rotten part. With his blood, Max, who is actually the demon Lilith, draws a rune on his chest which allows him to be under Lilith's influence. Jocelyn and Luke (now engaged after Luke finally confessed to her how he feels about her in the epilogue of City of Glass and are preparing for their upcoming wedding) attend an engagement party organized by Luke's werewolf pack, in which Simon disappears. Clary also disappears after being kidnapped by Jace to which no one else knows about yet. He has lied to Clary about leaving the Silent Brothers early (though he doesn't lie about how he wants to be bound to her as the possession has not affected his feelings for her). Jace tells Clary about a rune that binds them to one another forever and Clary accepts and hands him her stele. He begins to draw a rune, but Clary finds out too late that this is not the rune he told her about as she begins to fall unconscious with Jace catching her and carrying her away. Simon is led away from the party by Maureen, now a vampire, and is taken to Lilith, who has been alive since the beginning of time, who turned up at one of Simon's bands gigs and introduced herself as a promoter called Satrina (one of 17 names given to Lilith). She explains that she needs him to resurrect Sebastian from the dead. When he tells her he cannot bring the dead back to life, she tells him that he has had that power since he became a Daylighter. In order to persuade him to resurrect Jonathan, she possesses Jace, through his dreams (a matter of a protective ritual performed when a Shadowhunter is born; when Jace died in Idris and was resurrected by the Angel, this ritual was undone, leaving Jace vulnerable to possession) and orders him to kidnap Clary. Jace brings Clary to Lilith and she orders him to kill her if Simon does not resurrect Sebastian. Simon reluctantly bites him and drains some of his blood; being poisoned in the process due to Sebastian's demon blood. Isabelle, Alec, Maia, and Jordan follow Simon using a business card they found in his wallet in order to find him. When they get to the building, they check every floor until they find him. However, instead of finding Simon, they find the place that Lilith used as her nursery, with all the children dead. Everyone of them had clawed hands and black eyes, like the one Clary and her mom saw at the hospital. The babies were the outcome of Lilith trying to make half-demon children like Sebastian. While going through the room, Isabelle notices a being in the corner and attacks it, but it turns out to be a mother of one of the babies who then tells them the story of what was happening. Meanwhile, Clary tricks Jace by saying how she does not wish to watch and he embraces her (as the possession has not affected his feelings for her, including his concern for her well-being, as seen when he later asks if she is cold). She then grabs Jace's knife and cuts the rune that Lilith is using to possess him on his chest, learning from Luke earlier in the novel that if a rune is disfigured in any way it will lose all its power, causing Jace to be freed from Lilith's control. Jace tells Clary to run away, and believes that she did, but then Lilith reveals that Clary had stayed and starts torturing her with a whip. The third time that she goes to hit Clary, Simon kills Lilith by throwing himself in between Lilith and Clary, of having the Mark of Cain. This makes Lilith's murderous actions come back onto her sevenfold. The Clave appears at the scene, and Isabelle tells them the story of what happened downstairs while Jace is waiting for them upstairs. Jace and Clary share an intimate moment up on the roof, Jace ashamed of his actions despite literally having no control over himself, and Clary telling him that she loves no matter what happens and the two share a kiss. She then goes down to the lobby to meet her mother and Luke while Simon, Maia, Alec, Magnus and Isabelle are also down there, promising to come back in five minutes. It concludes with Jace's rune healing, hearing Sebastian's voice in his head, and with Sebastian/Jonathan now in control of Jace, Jace is forced to finish the awakening ritual on Sebastian, who is now wholly and fully alive. |
The Hunted | Elmore Leonard | 1,977 | Al Rosen stuck his neck out to help the Detroit government put some goons in prison, only it didn't go according to plan. He is living in Israel off the checks sent his way by the company he helped found. The checks are brought to him by the untrusty sleazy lawyer Mel Bandy. Rosen spends his days hanging out in hotel lobbies, getting sun, and just simply staying out of sight. But one fateful night there's a hotel fire that draws the attention of the media and Rosen gets photographed and wound up getting his face in the Detroit Free Press. Now Rosen's enemies know where he is and they immediately descend on the Holy Land for the purpose of killing him. Sgt. David Davis is about to finish his tour with the marines. The big problem is that he has no idea what to do with himself once he is out. Now Rosen is on the run in Israel with three killers and a sleazy lawyer on his tail and a U.S. Marine for company. Can this Vietnam vet U.S. Marine keep Rosen safe..... |
Life and Death of a Spanish Town | Elliot Paul | null | The book is set in and around the small town of Santa Eulària des Riu, on Ibiza, where Paul had lived since 1931. In the first part of the book Elliot Paul describes the town and many of the characters who live and work there. He details their family lives, their hopes, their aspirations, and their politics. He provides details of the people at work and at play, and describes how he becomes part of the community of the town. Paul also writes of other ex-patriates who have made their homes in and around the town. Part two starts with Paul and his family returning to Ibiza, after some time away. The narrative is set in 1936 in the week leading up to the outbreak of hostilities on Ibiza during the Spanish Civil Warand describes the events that eventually lead to Paul, his family and other refugees from the violence, fleeing the island. It tells the story of civil disobedience, collaboration and the violence that split a once-happy community, although the narrative finishes before the tragic turn of events reaches its conclusion. The postscript, written by Paul, dated 14 June 1937, details events following his departure from Ibiza and describes his hopes and fears for his friends on the island and a way of life that he thought would change for ever. |
The Quants | null | 2,010 | The introduction to The Quants describes the real life, annual, high stakes poker match between Wall Street's hedge fund managers and compares their trading styles to their poker strategies. It focuses on, among other things, the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis and how it helped trigger a sudden and massive unwind of complex, highly leveraged quantitative strategies. The book also delves into critical short-comings of many quantitative strategies, such as their tendency to lead to crowded trades and their underestimation of the likelihood of chaotic, volatile moves in the markets. The book also delves into the background of the various vanguards of quantitative analysis. It tells the history of Beat the Market & Beat the Dealer author Ed Thorp; Peter Muller from Morgan Stanley's hedge fund; Ken Griffin from Chicago's Citadel LLC; James Simons from Renaissance Technologies; Clifford S. Asness and Aaron Brown from AQR Capital Management; and Boaz Weinstein from Deutsche Bank. |
Ghostopolis | null | null | The story revolves around two main characters: Garth Hale, a young teenage boy, and Frank Gallows, a middle-aged agent of the Supernatural Immigration Task Force, a government partition dedicated to locating ghosts amiss in the physical world and transporting them back to the afterlife (here known as the title Ghostopolis). Garth is suffering from an unidentified "incurable disease." It is mentioned that the relationship between Garth's mother and deceased grandfather was strained, Garth's mother referring to him as a "drunk." Frank uses devices known as "plasmacuffs" to apprehend wayward ghosts. On a routine call to remove a Nightmare (a skeletal horse of the afterlife), Frank accidentally ports Garth to Ghostopolis along with the spectre. In Ghostopolis, Garth unintentionally tames and befriends the Nightmare, nicknaming him "Skinny" due to the horse's incorporeal appearance. Before long, the hostile nature of Ghostopolis is revealed by local fauna that attacks Garth and Skinny. Narrowly escaping an attack by several Velociraptor skeletons, Garth determines that his best course of action is to venture into the main city. Meanwhile, Frank is fired from his position on the Task Force for his grievous mistake and instead enlists his ghost ex-fiancée, Claire Voyant, to assist him in traveling to Ghostopolis and retrieving Garth. Dazed and confused by the netherworld around him, Garth eventually happens upon his own grandfather, Cecil. Cecil is younger than Garth in appearance. As explained by Cecil, "There's no physics-based time here in the afterlife... we get put back to our internal age. It gives us a chance to take care of unfinished business." It is mentioned that an argument about earrings was the source of friction between Cecil and Garth's mother, though he now looks down on it as petty. As Garth's time in Ghostopolis extends, and the closer Cecil comes to reconciling for his transgressions against his daughter (Garth's mother), the "older" Cecil becomes. Along the way to the city, Cecil explains to Garth the origins of Ghostopolis itself. Now, however, a malevolent character named Vaugner currently rules over Ghostopolis and its inhabitants. Cecil insists that Garth's best bet for getting back home is to find Joe. It becomes clear, however, that Vaugner and his henchmen wish to capture Garth due to his anomalous status in Ghostopolis. Garth has also displayed numerous supernatural powers when in the realm of the afterlife, piquing Vaugner's interest. In the city center of Ghostopolis, Vaugner addresses the masses alongside the lords of Ghostopolis's various divisions. The Specter King from the South, The Will-o-the-Wisp Queen, the Mummy Pharaoh, the Duke of Goblin, the Bone King, the Zombie Lord, and the King of Boogeymen all hold territory and command citizens in Ghostopolis, although ultimately under Vaugner's reign. When Garth and Cecil arrive at the city center, Cecil recounts the tale of how Vaugner came to be ruler of Ghostopolis. In the city, Frank and Claire meet up with Garth and Cecil. When they are ambushed by Vaugner's henchmen, Cecil is accidentally sent back to the physical world mid-skirmish, simultaneously expending Frank and Claire's ride back home. The remaining trio is secured by the Bone King, whom, as it turns out, is in league with Joe himself. Unbeknownst to Vaugner, Joe is trafficking people from the corrupt Ghostopolis to a more perfect afterlife through a crack in the very wall of Ghostopolis. Garth attempts to leave through the crack, but is told by Joe that it will take Garth "home, but not to Earth." Having exhausted what they thought to be their last option, Garth, Frank, and Claire are escorted by the Bone King to the Firefly power plant, Ghostopolis's main source of energy, in hopes of recharging the set of plasmacuffs that initially transported Garth and Skinny to Ghostopolis. Recharging them would provide enough power to reverse the effect and send the trio back to Earth. Vaugner ambushes the group and the Firefly is destroyed, yet again extinguishing hopes of returning to Earth. Suddenly, a Supernatural Immigration Task Force extraction team from Earth appears and attempts to collect Garth. Vaugner returns, apparently unharmed, and sends the team's ship back to Earth without Frank, Garth, and Claire. Frank's boss is also left stranded in Ghostopolis. It is revealed that Vaugner (now known as Dean Vaugner) survived the explosion due to the fact that he is in fact human, accidentally ported to Ghostopolis by Frank's boss, much in the same manner as was Garth by Frank. The situation becomes Vaugner's vengeance scheme, and he and Garth soon break into combat. In the midst of battle, Frank is killed assisting Garth in Vaugner's defeat. After Vaugner's overthrow, Claire is unanimously elected Lord of the Afterlife. Frank appears, having died and passed to Ghostopolis, and rekindles his relationship with Claire. In the midst of the celebration, Garth meets his anachronistically aged son -- this is attributed to the numerous time inconsistencies in the realm of Ghostopolis. This also implies (and is also explicitly stated by Garth's son) that Garth's "incurable disease" is, in fact, curable at some point in the near Earthly future. Garth's son informs him that all he must do to return to Earth is imagine that he can do so. Returning home with Frank's stranded boss in tote, Garth is reunited with his mother. The graphic novel ends with Cecil, now an aged ghost in the physical realm, flying into the nighttime sky, having apparently made peace with his daughter. |
Sugar and Spice | Lauren Katherine Conrad | 2,010 | Lauren Conrad's second L.A. Candy book opens with the red carpet premiere of season two of the red-hot reality show starring Jane Roberts. But everything isn't as hunky dory as Jane's smiles make it look for the photographers. After Madison's nasty betrayal of her last season, Jane has decided that sticking by her true friends is key. Not dating is equally as important, because boys lead to trouble with a capital T. Of course, when a couple of boys who Jane has history with show up, she conveniently forgets all about her big plans. At the same time, her best friend Scarlett is having boy troubles of her own, namely with her very jealous boyfriend, Liam. |
The Borrowers Afield | Mary Norton | 1,955 | While looking at a cottage with her friend Mrs. May, Kate discovers that the present tenant, Tom Goodenough, knew Arrietty Clock, a tiny "Borrower" that Mrs. May's brother claimed to have met. He tells her what happened to Arrietty and her parents after they were driven from their original home in an old, English house. Homeless, they are forced to live outside. When they discover that the relatives they had hoped to stay with are nowhere to be found, they take up residence in an old boot. Arrietty meets a mysterious, wild Borrower named Spiller who assists them by bringing them meat and saves Arrietty's life from a dog. Although nearly everything outside - cows, moths, field mice, cold weather - is a life-threatening danger for the tiny Borrowers, they learn how to survive in the wild. One night the boot's owner, a gypsy named Mild Eye, discovers his lost property and brings them back to his caravan. With the help of the human boy Tom Goodenough, Spiller rescues them and leads them on to the their next home, the cottage that Tom lives in. There the Clocks find their long-lost relatives and Arrietty finds a friend in Tom. |
Pictures from the Water Trade | John David Morley | 1,985 | Told from the perspective of an authorial alias called ‘Boon’ (‘Bun-san’ to the Japanese), the book describes a series of initiations into Japanese language, family relations, love rites, shodo and the mizu-shobai itself — the ‘water trade’ — a seedy night-world of cabarets, bars and brothels. |
The Savage Coast | null | null | This scenario involves wilderness adventures along the Orcs Head Peninsula on the Savage Coast. In the safe, seaside town of Slagovich, the player characters set anchor and stay at the inn, where they hear stories of Orcs Head Peninsula. Lost cities full of hidden treasures, terrible beasts and cannibals roaming the coast, gold ore piling up at the mouths of rivers, and a secretive religious sect. What would motivate the adventurers to enter the uncharted jungles of the Savage Coast—curiosity, a desire to help others, or simple greed? |
Pappa polis | null | null | This book is about an 11-year-old boy called Julian whose father is police. The latter is shot by a bike gang, but survives. But the criminals are going free and the fear remains. As Julian begins to investigate on his own he meets a boy from the bike gang and they become friends... sv:Pappa polis |
Henderson's Boys: Eagle Day | Robert Muchamore | null | After failing to escape France, Paul and Rosie reunite with Marc and Henderson. With the help of PT Bivott, an American boy in trouble with the law, they help British bombers target ports in France that will be used to invade Britain in Operation Sealion. |
In the Labyrinth | John David Morley | null | Based on months of taped conversation with its real-life protagonist, In the Labyrinth is the fictionalized memoir of Hungarian-born, German businessman Josef Pallehner who, due to bureaucratic inertia and his own guilty conscience, gets lost for six years in a maze of eastern Czechoslovakian prisons in the wake of the Second World War. |
The Case of Thomas N. | John David Morley | 1,987 | “Found by a police officer on a bench by the river” in an unnamed European city, a 16 year-old amnesiac boy is given the name ‘Thomas N.’ by state officials (‘N.’ being a bureaucratic abbreviation of ‘Name Unknown’), before being diagosed as suffering from a “fear of anything that objectively demonstrated his existence”. Explicitly referencing the mysterious 19th century case of Kaspar Hauser, the novel follows Thomas N.'s progress from psychiatric clinic to orphanage to an ostensibly normal existence living in a boarding-house and working in a nearby hotel. But soon he is embroiled in the investigation of an especially vicious and brutal murder, charged with a crime of which he has no memory of committing. |
The Feast of Fools | John David Morley | 1,994 | On the day of her wedding to the artist Brum, Stephanie elopes with the undertaker Max at the autumn equinox. Thus begins an epic novel encompassing astrology, astronomy, antiquarian glossaries, mortuary science, fencing guilds, love, sex and Commedia Dell’Arte, spanning the dream-lives of a community of modern day characters during the medieval carnival season of Fasching. |
The Anatomy Lesson | John David Morley | 1,995 | In Amsterdam, the streetwise, drug-addled, Dutch-American teenager Kiddo lives in the shadow of his hero-worshipped older brother, Morton, a brilliant science student who, having completed his physics and engineering Ph.D., is to take up a fellowship at M.I.T.. But, after Morton’s premature death from a virulent strain of cancer, Kiddo begins to uncover a shadow-side to his brother’s existence, even as he wrestles with the anguished question of Morton’s dying wish: that he attend the autopsy in which his own brother’s corpse will be dissected. |
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