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Regan Quinn, the sole survivor of a fleet of colony ships, wakes up in a featureless room. His only clue to his surroundings is an ever-changing window. Following the arrival of a familiar face, the room begins to give up its secrets. But is Quinn being told the truth? Views: 25
Old acquaintances, made in the two other stories, reappear: Tars Tarkas, Tardos Mors and others. There is a happy ending to the story in the union of the Warlord, the title conferred upon John Carter, with Dejah Thoris. Views: 25
Tomas and Cathal have escaped from Naearu, Cathal's mystical homeworld, but happily ever after is never as straightforward in real life as it is in books. Then again, most people don't deal with the complication of a lover who's magically bound to a tree or have an interfering cat for a cousin. Views: 25
Welcome to the Thousand Cultures--in which humanity's hundreds of settled worlds are finally coming back together, via the recently invented technology of instantaneous travel. And in which Giraut and Margaret work as professional diplomats, helping to finesse the stresses and strains of so much abrupt new contact among wildly diverse cultures.
Now, however, their task is to bring in the terrifyingly hostile world of Briand, a planet of broiling acid oceans whose only habitable portions are Greenland-sized subcontinents that project out of the abyssal heat of the planetary surface into it stratosphere.
But Briand's physical hostility is nothing compared to the venom its two human cultures bear toward one another. Into this terrible world come Giraut and Margaret to try to do the right thing by the Cultures, by the inhabitants of Braind, and by one another.
**Amazon.com Review
In a sequel to A Million Open Doors, John Barnes writes another novel in the universe of the Thousand Cultures. Humanity dwells in colonies (some natural and some artificial) spread over hundreds of planets that lost touch with each other for over a thousand years. Due to the invention of the springer, an instantaneous teleportation device, the worlds are communicating again. But after centuries of isolation, reunification results in intense cultural and economic stress.
Giraut and Margaret, characters from the earlier book, are now a husband and wife diplomatic team for the Council of Humanity. They also do clandestine work for the Office of Special Projects, an undercover organization that deals with serious problems that result when local governments prove intractable. Their next assignment: promote peace and cooperation on Briand, a hellish planet whose physical hostility is matched only by the hatred its two cultures show to each other.
Tamil Mandalam was founded by classical Tamils, and Kintulum was founded by classical Mayans. Tamils believe themselves to be perfect and believe that once the springer does open Briand to humanity, they will show the rest of the universe how to live. The Mayans, when they communicate at all, apparently feel the same way. The magnificence of each culture's accomplishments in art and literature is overshadowed by citizens' bigotry.
A difficult assignment indeed; as if high gravity, high temperatures and ethnic attacks weren't enough, Giraut and Margaret's mission grows even more troublesome because of their marital problems, Margaret's depression, and the bureaucratic thick-headedness of Briand's Ambassador. --Bonnie Bouman
From Booklist
The sequel to A Million Open Doors (1992) begins 12 years later. Giraut and Margaret Leones, now seasoned troubleshooters for the Office of Special Operations of the Council of Humanity, are having marital difficulties. They travel to the planet Briand, where, as if the planet's near lethal environment weren't trouble enough, two of the universe's synthetic Thousand Cultures--Tamil and Maya--are at each other's throats. The Leoneses weave their way through both sides' intrigues and their own superiors' rivalries until the Maya priests create a prophet to bring a message of peace to the world. The message is going over well, when the prophet falls in love with a Tamil woman, and all hell, not to mention riots and antimatter bombs, breaks lose. Barnes writes with his usual intelligence and attention to detail, producing a book that succeeds as a character study of a troubled marriage, an exercise in world building, and an exploration of just how that old sf standby, a future where old cultures are re-created, might work in practice. Highly recommended. Roland Green Views: 25
Told in a voice that's honest, urgent, and hilarious, Struts & Frets will resonate not only with teenage musicians but with anyone who ever sat up all night listening to a favorite album, wondering if they'd ever find their place in the world.Music is in Sammy's blood. His grandfather was a jazz musician, and Sammy's indie rock band could be huge one day—if they don't self-destruct first. Winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands would justify all the band's compromises and reassure Sammy that his life's dream could become a reality. But practices are hard to schedule when Sammy's grandfather is sick and getting worse, his mother is too busy to help either of them, and his best friend may want to be his girlfriend.When everything in Sammy's life seems to be headed for major catastrophe, will his music be enough to keep him together? Views: 25
The beloved and bestselling author of Inkheart returns with a chapter book full of mischief, heart, hilarious illustrations, and pet monsters! Goodbye, earthworms. Hello, chocolate cake! Ruffleclaw is a furry red monster who lives under a toolshed, and he's sick of eating bugs. When he decides to move in with a family of humans, he climbs right into bed with a boy named Tommy. Tommy wants to keep Ruffleclaw as a pet, but it won't be easy. Ruffleclaw makes huge messes--he spits, he drinks shampoo, and he eats everything in the fridge . . . along with the plates! Can Tommy teach his monster to behave? Cornelia Funke's signature touch of imagination and humor delights young readers in her chapter books--Emma and the Blue Genie, The Pirate Pig, and Ruffleclaw. From the Hardcover edition. Views: 25
