Thirteen stories of impossible futures and otherworldly adventure, from one of science fiction's most thoughtful authors In "Hillary Orbits Venus," a young Hillary Rodham pursues her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, while in the Nebula Award–winning "Danny Goes to Mars," former US vice president Dan Quayle embarks on the first expedition to Mars. "The Sleeping Serpent" reveals what might have happened if the Mongols had conquered all of Europe and then crossed the Atlantic to the New World, "Collectors" follows an American expatriate in France during a most unusual alien invasion, and "All Rights" offers a humorous look at a writer and a literary agent forced to negotiate deals in the multiverse. Whether satirizing the ambitions of a politician, exploring an alternate history, or delving into the consequences of immortality, there is no finer author of short science fiction than Pamela Sargent. This collection displays both her narrative... Views: 39
After more than twenty years confined behind high walls, Sister Mary Hilary runs away, on impulse, from the strict contemplative convent she entered at the age of seventeen; hits the crowds of London on chaotic Christmas Eve. She has been living in strict silence in the rural depths of Norfolk with just a dozen fellow nuns, has never handled money, never dressed in anything but long medieval robes, yet now she is confronted with superstores and towering blocks, confused by noise and neon, jostled by the rude mob battling home. She has no home – nor any plans of prospects; has lived for God alone; has lived for God alone; her chief work prayer, her duty to deny and punish self. But can she survive without a self, in a self-regarding world she barely recognises, a greedy, permissive and amoral world, where media hype runs riot, a celibate priest seduces her, and even a Charismatic Conference seems a hotbed of hysteria? Wendy Perriam takes a sharp... Views: 39
The second book in the Children of the Red King series, TIME TWISTER offers more magical fantasy that is fast paced and easy to read.January 1916:Henry Yewbeam and his younger brother, James, have been sent to stay with their cousins at the Bloor's Academy. It is one of the coldest days of the year, and all Henry wants to do is hide from his mean cousins and play marbles. He finds a nice, long hall and begins to roll his marbles. Then he discovers a marble that doesn't look familiar to him. Suddenly a series of strange events takes place. Henry begins to disappear. He quickly scribbles on the floor GIVE THE MARBLE TO JAMES, and then he vanishes from the year 1916.From School Library JournalGrade 4-7-In this sequel to Midnight for Charlie Bone (Scholastic, 2003), Nimmo continues the saga of the endowed descendants of the Red King, who attend a very Hogwarts-like boarding school called Bloor's Academy. "The Time Twister," a marblelike ball with the power to transport people through time, brings Henry Yewbeam from 1916 to present day Bloor's. His evil, scheming cousin Ezekiel, who was responsible for sending him to the future, is still alive, and Charlie Bone must protect Henry and find a way to send him back into the past. This is a breezy read, even at its 400-page length. Sadly, there are plot elements that seem to come totally out of the blue or that just don't make sense. The power with which each individual child is endowed, such as the ability to create storms or to transform into a bird, seems arbitrarily created to provide dramatic rescues. A painting of a wizard named Skarpo is left for Charlie by one of his aunts. As readers of the first book know, Charlie can hear voices in pictures, and they now discover that he can actually enter them as well. Oddly, Henry seems unfazed by his trip through time and by the modern world. The unexpected plot twist at the end is strangely unclimactic, and seems to pass by so quickly that any sense of triumph at the outcome is lost. Charlie Bone is a likable character to whom kids will turn to for a fix after they've finished the latest Harry Potter for the fifth time. For libraries where fantasy is popular.Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistGr. 5-7. In the second volume of a planned five, young Charlie discovers new dimensions to his magical talents while helping an age-mate who drops from thin air at wizardly Bloor Academy (and turns out to be a long-lost great-granduncle) escape the clutches of the Red King's less savory descendants. Like the first installment, this stays solidly in the Harry Potter slipstream--there's even a hidden chamber and a miraculous bird flying to the rescue. But it has some ingenious features of its own, including a cafe that admits only customers with pets, and such oddball magics as one character's involuntary ability to make every nearby light bulb explode. Nimmo's world is also darker than Rowling's (so far, at least), with the line between good guys and bad not as well defined. Still, Potterphiles, and many Snicketteers too, will find the territory comfortably familiar. John PetersCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorJenny Nimmo lives in a converted watermill in Wales. Her husband, David, is a painter and print-maker, and all three of her children speak Welsh fluently. She finds Wales, a land of legends, a very inspiring place to live. For as long as she can remember, Jenny has loved books. She feels passionately that every child should have access to as many books as they want. Jenny enjoys writing about magic because it is inexplicable and unpredictable, and anything can happen. In 1986 her book, The Snow Spider, won the Smarties Grand Prix, and in 1987 it was awarded the Tir na n-Og by the Welsh Arts Council. The Rinaldi Ring, was chosen as Guardian Book of the Week and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and received a commendation. Views: 39
In the third novel based on the BattleTech/MechWarrior role-playing game, the planet Mirach now experiences civil unrest. Governor Ortega is at adds with several powers—including his two sons, both aspiring MechWarriors who believe only a hard-won battle can save the planet. Views: 39
DEFENDING THE INNOCENTSomeone was trying to kill Andrea Kirkland. And with good
reason. For she was the only witness to a murder. A murder her mind refused to
recall. A murder assistant D.A. John Cohen needed her to remember so that she
could testify and put an end to the threats, the danger. Until then, John felt
duty bound to protect her. Just until the murderer was found, he told himself.
After all, she was his key witness. But once the passion exploded between them,
the rugged D.A. came to realize that his key witness had come to mean so much
more....
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A feisty beauty tempted by a bold highlander's touch... When a plane crash strands brilliant scientist Grace Sutter on an icy mountaintop in Maine, she finds herself alone in the wilderness with the only other surviving passenger -- Greylen MacKeage, a sexy, medieval warrior who's been tossed through time to find the woman he's destined to love. Forced together to survive the harsh, wintry landscape, neither expects the fierce passion that flares between them. But Grace is not used to letting her heart take control, and Greylen will settle for nothing less than her heart's surrender.... Views: 38
HOW WOULD SHE EVER GET BLOODSTAINS OUT OF HER WEDDING DRESS...?
Well, Livia Kingston would have all of February to think about it while
she got a second chance to take her marriage vows -- instead of a bullet
for a convicted murderer! Surely it wouldn't be too hard to change
places with a man who deserved his fate?
Mark Everett had created a new identity, given up everything to pursue a
twisted madman and reclaim his son. When his and Livia's lives
intersected at the altar, they found they could only turn to each other
when the killer targeted them both. But Livia couldn't let her protector
be shot through the heart...not when hers had already been pierced by
cupid's arrow. Views: 38
Erevis Cale - simple butler or much, much more?
The shadows grow long on the mean streets of Selgaunt... and the sun sets on one man's service to Sembia's merchant lords.
The day's end finds Erevis Cale serving a new master, one who is beyond the petty accumulation of wealth.
After all, what is gold to one who trades in souls? Views: 38
In 2061, Heywood Floyd must once again confront Dave Bowman, a newly independent HAL, and the limitless power of an unseen alien race that has decided that Mankind is to play a role in the evolution of the galaxy--whether it wants to or not. Continuing the spellbinding excitement begun in "2001: A Space Odyssey"... Views: 38
My life changed when I saw the advert in the shop window. Position of employment for a Researcher/Assistant in the field of Occult Resolution. Views: 38
When her parents were murdered, Hannah Keller was 3,000 miles away, on leave from her job with the Miami Police Department. Her family's only survivor on that deadly day was Hannah's six-year-old son Randall. While fishing on the dock behind his grandparents' house, the boy glimpsed the killers, and later discovered his grandparents' bullet-riddled bodies.Five years later the trauma of that day still haunts the boy. He lives in terror that the killers will return for him. Hannah is no longer a cop but now works full time as a novelist, and is trying to do whatever she can to heal her son's wounds. But when she receives a coded message apparently from her parents' killers, the entire episode explodes again. Teaming up with a maverick FBI agent from the Miami field office, Hannah begins to track the killer. As she moves deeper into the labyrinth, she discovers, to her horror, that she and her son are being used as pawns in an elaborate scheme--a trap designed... Views: 38
