The novel features HMS Ulysses, a light cruiser that is extremely well armed and among the fastest ships in the world. (Ulysses is similar to the real Dido-class cruisers. MacLean had served in of that class.) Her crew is pushed well beyond the limits of endurance and the book starts in the aftermath of a mutiny. Ulysses puts to sea again to escort FR-77, a vital convoy heading for Murmansk. (The fictitious convoy FR-77 is based on the ill-fated convoy PQ-17.) They are beset by numerous challenges: an unusually fierce Arctic storm, German ships and U-boats, as well as air attacks. All slowly reduce the convoy from 32 ships to only five. The Ulysses'' is sunk in a failed attempt to ram a German cruiser after all her other weapons had been destroyed. This echoes events in which British G-class destroyer and HMS Jervis Bay, an armed merchant cruiser, sacrificed themselves by engaging larger opponents. The book uses a set of events to paint moving portrayals of the crew and the human aspects of the war. His heroes are not especially motivated by ideals, they rarely excel at more than one task and they are outfoxed by a respectable enemy. It is only their resilience, as they redefine the word, that pushes this bunch of seamen to genuine acts of heroism. The realism of the descriptions, the believable motivations of the characters and the simplicity of the line of events make the story all the more credible, though the number of coincidental accidents that plague the crew are startling, robbing them of any real victory.

HMS Ulysses

The story takes us behind the Vatican walls during the reign of a dying pope. Clement XV, a gentle, poetic German, keeps visiting the archives where the Third Secret of Fatima is kept. He is clearly troubled by something, but won''t fully confide in his secretary, Father Colin Michener. He sends Michener to Romania with a message for a priest who runs an orphanage under appalling conditions, and gives him other strange errands. Michener is an Irish-American who fell in love and broke his vows of celibacy with reporter Katerina Lew, now involved with another priest who has gone public with his sexual affairs and demanding that the Church allow priests to marry. All that Michener knows about Clement''s problem is that it has to do with the third secret, which was (actually) written in Portuguese by Marian visionary Lucia Santos in the 1940s and (in the novel) translated into Italian for Pope John XXIII by the Romanian priest who now runs the orphanage. It was supposedly revealed to the world in 2000, but (as many suspect in real life) rumor exists that what was revealed was only the first part of a longer message. As Michener gathers information for Clement, it is confirmed that there is a second part, and also that the Romanian priest kept a copy (a "facsimile") of both parts, which he later sent to Clement with a letter saying "Why is the Church lying?" Michener learns that John XXIII started Vatican II partly as a response to what he read in the third secret, but without revealing it in 1960 (as Lucia actually said Mary had asked). Ambitious Cardinal Valendrea and his secretary/lover Paolo Ambrosi carry on Machiavellian conspiracies behind the scenes, including having Katerina spy on Michener during his mysterious travels. Valendrea is determined to be Pope and bring back pre-Vatican II traditions. Equally determined to keep him from ever assuming the chair is the tough but decent Cardinal Ngovi. Clement dies without revealing what is really bothering him, and we get an intimate look at the kind of political jostling that takes place as an impending conclave looms. Amid all the dirty campaigning a secret exists that will either usher the church into a new era, or bring down the entire establishment. The actual contents of the third secret are revealed and confirmed in a startling climax. The book is solidly based on the visitations of Our Lady of Fatima and other important Marian apparitions and also the Prophecy of the Popes. Clement''s obsession with the Fatima messages is based partly on that of Pope John Paul I, who as Patriarch of Venice met Lucia Santos and spoke with her for several hours. Deeply moved by the experience, he vowed to comply with Mary''s reported request, not the release of the third secret, but the Consecration of Russia. John Paul''s attitudes toward birth control and homosexuality may also be reflected in certain aspects of the novel.

The Third Secret

Whosemoralsarelastix, the chief of a neighboring Gaulish village, is a mean and greedy man who often does business with the Romans. When the Romans levy new taxes, Whosemoralsarelastix asks the people of Asterix''s village to guard a cauldron full of money, his village''s treasures, claiming that he is trying to keep the money away from the imminent visit of the Roman tax collectors. Asterix is left in charge of the cauldron full of sestertii, which is promptly stolen during the night. The strict laws of the Gauls demand that Asterix be banished until he has atoned for his negligence. Obelix immediately “banishes” himself to stay with his friend. In order to regain his honor, Asterix, with Obelix''s help, must find money to refill the cauldron and repay Whosemoralsarelastix. Asterix and Obelix engage in many futile attempts to earn back the money. This includes questioning the Romans at Compendium (only to trigger a riot when the Romans know nothing about the theft and assume that the Gauls are there to get them to pay for being in the legions), trashing the pirates in the belief that they stole the money (although the pirates were for once trying to engage in an honest profession by turning their ship into a restaurant), selling boars (only to sell them at a ridiculously low price), prize fighting (only to win worthless statuettes), acting (Obelix insults the audience and ruins the company), gambling (only to lose their money when the tip doesn''t pay off) and even trying to rob a bank (which is empty of money due to the recent tax increases by the Romans). With little else to gain or lose they take the cauldron back to Whosemoralsarelastix''s village, Asterix hoping that he will be able to save the village''s honour by clarifying that he alone is responsible for the loss. As they approach the village''s area, they stumble upon and rob a Roman tax collector at the last minute. They beat up his escort and Asterix steals the money the taxman has obtained. But as they set off to take the money to Whosemoralsarelastix, Asterix catches a suspicious smell on the coins. The cauldron had previously been used for cooking onion soup &mdash; and the coins, fresh from the collector''s coffers, smell of onion soup as well. Asterix and Obelix go to Whosemoralsarelastix''s village, which lies on a high cliff at the coast. Asterix confronts Whosemoralsarelastix with the onion soup-smelling money, having correctly guessed that Whosemoralsarelastix stole back his own money and paid his taxes to the Romans to retain their favor, knowing that Asterix would go to any lengths necessary to get the money back and make up for his debt; essentially, Asterix was to pay Whosemoralsarelastix''s taxes for him. A fight between Obelix and the villagers &mdash; although Obelix fails to fully understand why they are fighting &mdash; and Asterix versus the treacherous chief ensues. Asterix and Whosemoralsarelastix duel with their swords due to Asterix having exhausted his potion, but Whosemoralsarelastix is the better swordsman. Just as he is about to strike Asterix down, however, a section of the cliff suddenly gives way, the cauldron of money falling towards the sea while Whosemoralsarelastix barely manages to hold on to the side. Asterix rescues the treacherous chief and he and Obelix return to their own village while Whosemoralsarelastix cries his heart out over the loss of his money. The money itself, however, falls right into the ship and the lap of the pirates, who for once conclude an adventure on a happy note for themselves. Back at Asterix''s village a celebration is held for the return of the two heroes and the recovery of their honour, though Obelix, still a little confused over matters, asks why the cauldron was used to contain money instead of onion soup in the first place.

Asterix and the Cauldron

Once the unquestioned master of countless solar systems, the Empire is tottering on the brink of total collapse. Once commanding and invincible armada of Star Destroyers, its fleet has been reduced to a skeleton force. Day by day, neutral systems are rushing to join the New Republic coalition. But with the end of the war in sight, the New Republic has fallen victim to its own success. An unwieldy alliance of races and traditions, the confederation new finds itself riven by age-old animosities. Princess Leia struggles against all odds to hold the New Republic together. But she has powerful enemies. An ambitious Moff Disra leads a conspiracy to divide the uneasy coalition with an ingenious plot to blame the Bothans for a heinous crime that could lead to genocide and civil war. At the same time, Luke Skywalker, along with a mysterious group of pirate ships whose crews consist of clones. And then comes the most startling news of all: Grand Admiral Thrawn--believed to be dead for ten years--is alive. The most cunning and ruthless warlord in an Imperial history has seemingly returned to lead the Empire to triumph. As Han and Leia try to prevent the unraveling of New Republic in the face of this fearful and inexplicable threat from the past, Luke sets out to track down the rogue pirate ships. To do so, he will team up with Mara Jade, with whom he will share his growing mastery of the Force and the ever- present threat of the dark side. All the while, lurking in the shadows is the enigmatic Major Tierce, a disciple of Emperor Palpatine, sharing his long-dead master''s lust for power, schooled in the devious stratagems of Thrawn himself, and armed with his own dark plans for the New Republic and the Empire.

Specter of the Past

The title character, Charles Dexter Ward, is a young man from a prominent Rhode Island family who (in the story''s introduction) is said to have disappeared from a mental asylum after a prolonged period of insanity accompanied by minor, but unheard-of, physiological changes. The bulk of the story concerns the investigation conducted by the Wards'' family doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, in an attempt to discover the reason for Ward''s madness and the physiological changes. When Willett learns that Ward had spent the past several years attempting to discover the grave of his ill-reputed ancestor, Joseph Curwen, the doctor slowly begins to unravel the truth behind the legends surrounding Curwen, an eighteenth century shipping entrepreneur rumoured to have been an alchemist, but in reality a necromancer and mass-murderer. As Willett''s investigations proceed, he finds that Charles had recovered Curwen''s ashes, and through the use of magical formulae contained in documents found hidden in the wizard''s former town house in Providence, Rhode Island, was able to call forth Curwen from his "essential saltes" and resurrect him. Willett also finds that Curwen, who resembles Charles enough to pass for him, has murdered and replaced his modern descendant and resumed his evil activities. Unfortunately for Curwen, due to culture shock, he is unable to entirely successfully impersonate Charles - his lack of understanding of the modern world leads to him (as Charles) being certified insane and imprisoned in an asylum. While Curwen is locked up, Willett''s continuing investigations lead him to a bungalow in Pawtuxet Village, which Ward had purchased under the influence of Curwen. It turns out that this house is on the site of an old farm which was Curwen''s headquarters for his nefarious doings; beneath is a vast catacomb that the wizard had built to serve as his lair during his previous lifetime. During a horrific journey through this labyrinth, Willet discovers the full truth about Curwen''s crimes and also the means of returning him to the grave. During the expedition it is also revealed that Curwen has been engaged in a long-term conspiracy with certain other necromancers (associates from his previous life who have somehow escaped death) to raise and torture the world''s wisest people in order to gain knowledge that will let them gain horrible power and threaten the future of mankind. Finally, while in Curwen''s laboratory, Willett accidentally raises an ancient spirit (its identity is not made clear) which is an enemy of Curwen and his fellow necromancers. The doctor faints at this eventuality: he wakes up back in the bungalow. Willett finds that the entrance to the vaults has been sealed as if it had never existed, but finds a note from the spirit written in Latin in an Anglo-Saxon hand telling him to kill Curwen and destroy his body. Armed with this knowledge, Willett confronts Curwen at the asylum and succeeds in reversing the spell, reducing the undead sorcerer once again to dust. News reports reveal that Curwen''s prime co-conspirators have met brutal deaths along with their households and their lairs have been destroyed, presumably the work of the spirit whom Willett raised. Much of the plot is revealed in letters, documents and other historical sources discovered by both Ward and Willett.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

In the course of solving the mystery of an old man''s disappearing fortune, Nancy both starts and ends a family feud and reveals the identity of an orphan of unknown parentage. The second of three novels by ghostwriter Walter Karig, this story focuses on Nancy''s encounter with a 100-year-old man at "The Sign of the Twisted Candles," a roadside inn and restaurant. Nancy, Bess and George take afternoon tea there while waiting out a storm; Nancy''s roadster was blocked by a fallen tree. They encounter Asa Sidney, celebrating his 100th birthday, and the pathetic maid/waitress, Carol Wipple, mistreated by her adoptive parents, Frank and Emma Jemmit. Nancy discovers that Mr. Sidney is an elderly relative of Bess and George, and her willingness to communicate with him launches a family feud upon his death a few days later, and leaves her chumless, as the cousins refuse to associate with Nancy. Carol is named as the major benefactress, and Nancy must prove that Frank and Emma Jemmit have misappropriated property. Relatives of Mr. Sidney and his wife from the Sidney and Boonton families fight over the money. Nancy also must discover why Asa was interested in the young woman. While investigating, Nancy is reunited with her friends, and later, in the climax, is nearly killed when she is pushed while climbing a ladder against a tower window (illustrated as internal art in the original 1933 edition; this illustration and two others were dropped in 1936). Carol is discovered to be the great-niece of Asa Sidney, and thus owns the rights to a number of inventions awaiting patent from Sidney, in addition to securities. The family feud is resolved due to Nancy''s discoveries.

The Sign of the Twisted Candles

Prisoner of Time follows Strat''s younger sister, Devonny, as she accidentally slips one hundred years into the future, to Annie Lockwood''s time, and begins to fall in love with Annie''s younger brother. This happens at both an inopportune, and an opportune time, as she was about to marry a young man whom she does not love. Devonny is an independent minded young woman with her own ideas for business ventures. However, in a time when the role of women are to stay at home and please their husbands, Devonny soon finds herself engaged to a British noble she does not love nor respect. With the family''s business and reputation hanging in the balance, Devonny agrees to marry the noble, despite how she knows he is an avoidant person and she will be dominated by her mother-in-law. In the meantime, Devonny tries to help her friend Flossie, who has fallen in love with an Italian construction worker, elope. In the present, Todd Lockwood, Annie''s brother, tries to find his own place in the world. With failed business enterprises and difficulty living up to Annie, Todd finds confidence only when he is coaching a girls'' soccer team. In the past, Devonny despairs at her circumstances, with the disappearance of her brother Strat and the death of her friend Harriet, hoping that at least Flossie will find happiness. She discovers at the wedding that her father was blackmailed into ensuring Devonny would marry nobility and that the blackmailer was Aurelia Stratton, Devonny''s mother who has been incarcerated and driven to desperation to ensure her own escape. Devonny calls out to Time for help, in hopes that Strat or Annie will come to save her. Instead, she arrives in the present and meets Todd. In the modern age, she is able to find strength within herself that the women of Todd''s age possess that embolden her to take action regarding her own future once she returns. When she returns Lord Hugh David, the Britishman to whom she was supposed to marry, Devonny finds that he really does love her.

Prisoner of Time

In the year 2040 scientists created a drug (called Longevity) to prevent the aging process and stop dying. However, because people are still being born yet no one is dying, the Earth quickly becomes too crowded. Therefore, in the year 2080, anyone who wants to take Longevity is forced to sign The Declaration, agreeing that if they take Longevity, they will not have any children. Of course, there are people who resist, and refuse not to bear children. The children of those individuals are offensively referred to as "Surplus". In some countries, the Surpluses are killed the moment they are born, but in countries such as Britain, they are taken from their parents at birth to live in "Surplus Halls" where they are taught that their existence is a crime against Nature, and that they ought to work hard if they want to redeem for their parents'' sins and become a "Valuable Asset", in which case they would be able to work for "The Legals" and be partially free. Surplus Anna is nearly 15 years old. She lives in Grange Hall (a surplus hall), and is a prefect. She was taken away from her parents at the age of two and now, in year 2140, she has learned to hate them for bringing her to this world. Anna has already worked for a legal lady for a month (Julia Sharpe), as a part of her pending process, by which she ought to become Valuable Asset the moment she comes of age. Mrs Sharpe has given her a small pink diary in which Anna writes every night, but is forced to hide it away in the bathroom, in order not to get in trouble with Mrs Pincent, the House Matron in charge of Grange Hall. Then one day, Peter arrives at Grange Hall, and Anna''s world is turned upside down. Peter defies everything she believes in, insists upon calling her Anna Covey, and keeps telling her that he knows her parents, and they love her. Anna is at first annoyed with him, but soon she becomes intrigued by his bold attitude and bravery. When Peter offers for them to run away, to find her parents, Anna is torn between her curiosity and the rules she has been following her whole life. She then accepts Peters invitation to run away from Grange Hall, leading to a lot of trouble. They then have a close call with the Catchers and are helped by a lady named Julia Sharpe. The plot proceeds to Anna reuniting with her parents and later, them killing themselves to make her, and her brother Ben, legal. Meanwhile, Margaret Pincent kills Peter''s father, making him legal as well. The two legals arouse a lot of suspicion leading to the next book, The Resistance.

The Declaration

Patrick Lanigan, a junior partner in a law firm in Biloxi, Mississippi, gets wind of a plan masterminded by Benny Aricia to defraud the U.S. government over a shipbuilding overcharging scheme. His firm is deeply involved in the scam and the firm stands to gain $90 million. However, they''re planning to keep Patrick from sharing in the profits, despite his status as a partner in the firm. He bides his time, secretly collecting evidence. He knows that simply stealing the money and running won''t work, so he feigns his own death in an automobile accident. When the body is found, it is identified as Patrick, though it is badly burned, and subsequently cremated. Patrick watches his own funeral from a safe distance. His wife Trudy received $2.5 million in life insurance. Although he pretended not to know, Trudy had been cheating on him throughout their marriage, and his daughter was the result of that relationship. Six weeks later, $90 million vanishes from the law firm''s off-shore bank account. The associates know that only an insider had the knowledge to pull it off and eventually they start wondering if Patrick is really dead after all. Without the money, the associates and Benny Aricia are in deep financial trouble. Benny hires specialist Jack Stephano to track down Patrick. Over four years later, Patrick is finally discovered living a new life in Ponta Porã, Brazil, a small town on the border of Paraguay under the name Danilo Silva. His girlfriend is Brazilian lawyer Eva Miranda. Patrick is kidnapped and tortured by thugs hired by Jack Stephano. They try to get him to reveal the location of the money, which, conveniently, Lanigan doesn''t know. Before he is tortured more or even killed the FBI intervenes, tipped off by Eva. The FBI leans on Jack Stephano to hand over the fugitive and Patrick is repatriated. After arriving back in Biloxi in custody of the FBI, a series of legal battles ensue. The insurance companies Monarch-Sierra and Northern Case Mutual that paid $2.5 million to Trudy, who has subsequently been a complete spendthrift as well as openly resuming her once-adulterous relationship, immediately sue and block access to the insurance money. Trudy is now in a difficult position, as she can no longer afford even the most basic trappings of her extravagant lifestyle. She sues Patrick for divorce, in hopes of receiving some financial compensation. The federal government sues Patrick for theft and fraud on charges of stealing the $90 million. The state charges Patrick with murder, because a dead body was found in Patrick''s car. One by one he defeats his opponents. He defeats the insurance companies by revealing that they colluded with Benny Aricia to find and torture Patrick. He blackmails Trudy with her adultery. He convinces the federal government by revealing that Benny Aricia defrauded them. Finally he defeats the state lawsuit by revealing that he didn''t murder, but stole the body of a dead client. He makes a deal with the federal government to pay back all the money he stole, plus interest. In the years that he was on the run he had instructed Eva to invest the money. Even after paying back the federal government there are still millions left. In the end, Patrick is defeated by his own clever scheme. As he knew they would torture him if he ever was found, he gave Eva control over the bank accounts. When he goes to their pre-arranged rendezvous she does not show up. Finally he realizes that she has betrayed him. A broken man, he starts looking for her knowing that he will never find her.

The Partner

The story revolves around a girl called Prue who lives with her bossy, often scary dad who loses his temper very easily, a sweet yet pressured mum and an immature but kind hearted young sister, Grace. Her dad is very temperamental and he gets mad on silly things like art classes for Prue and he thinks going to school is an absurd idea. He insists on educating Prue and Grace himself while running a not-so-successful book shop. One day a man from the education system comes and tells Prue’s dad that Prue will have to go to school so she can get her GCSE’s. After much grumbling her father decides to send her to Maths tuition but not school. After the class, Prue gives up and bunks her classes, while spending £60 in the process on chocolate which she later shares with Grace and some lacy undies. Prue’s father finds out and gets so worked up about it that he has a stroke and has to leave for the hospital immediately. After much thinking over, the girls’ mother decides to send them to the nearest public school, Wentworth High, while still keeping it a secret from their sick father. Prue and Grace go to their new school and find it a slightly scary place. Prue meets the school art teacher, Mr Raxberry(Rax as everyone calls him) and develops a crush on him. Prue tries to be confident but Grace shows that she is scared. The girls give admission exams but while Grace finds most questions easy, Prue panics as she thinks the easy questions are trick questions and can''t do the hard ones. She writes an essay in hope that it will be counted as good intelligence. Grace passes with flying colors while Prue does not get a good score and is sent in the class where dense kids are put. She finds it a struggle and is very unhappy. Grace on the other hand is very happy and makes new friends who nicknamed themselves as Iggy and Figgy. The next day is also difficult for Prue as there are PE lessons and she has to change with the other girls where they see Prue''s lacy under-garments and starts calling her a slag but she has Rax’s art lessons to look forward to. She enjoys immensely and Rax even tells her that “You’re going to be the girl that makes my teaching worthwhile, I love you''. A boy named Toby likes Prue though the feeling is not mutual and Toby’s girlfriend is very jealous of them. Prue helps Toby with his reading as he is dyslexic and continues to visit her father, who is being extremely uncooperative in trying to recover his speaking skills, on regular bases. Prue finds out while talking to Rax that he is married to a blonde woman who had been his childhood sweetheart and has a son and daughter. Soon Prue and Rax’s relationship starts to develop and they share the 10 minutes of peace they have without anyone in the way, to talk and laugh, as Prue starts to baby-sit for Rax’s children. After having an argument with Rax, Prue confronts him and asks if he loves her, he then confesses that he does and cannot stop fantasising about her but says that he cannot risk his marriage and his job. She then kisses Rax, who at first pulls away but Prue is persistent and kisses him again and soon Rax begins to kiss Prue back. Afraid they will be spotted Rax drive off to a place he used to go to with his wife when they were young, they talk and continue making out. However when she arrives back home Prue’s dad has come home, he finds out about their going to school but cannot do much because of his still stiff position. Afraid that he will ban her and Grace from going back to school and therefore not seeing Rax anymore, she confides her troubles to Rax, who is really agitated about them being seen together and asks her to calm down. Finally he hugs her trying to calm her but then another student named Sarah spots Prue hugging Rax and telling him that she loves him. Sarah then proceeds to tell everyone else about the incident. The end consists of the head teacher of the school expelling Prue, Rax comes and says goodbye to Prue for the last time, where they briefly consider running off together. Later with the help of Tony Prue''s family discovering a set of antique books and selling them to pay off their heavy debts. Prue is sent to Kingtown High School while Rax gets to keep his job.

Love Lessons

The novel is set in the middle of the twentieth century, and opens in Chicago, where the protagonist Edgar Krug has designed an enormous colored-glass exhibition hall. An art exhibit is held there, accompanied by an organ concert. Krug, fiercely dedicated to his esthetic concepts, is unhappy that the bright colors of women''s fashions clash with his architectural scheme. When he meets Clara Weber, the organist, he is struck by her gray dress with white lace trim; he finds it the perfect compliment to the color effect of his hall. Krug impulsively asks Clara to marry him &mdash; providing she agrees to wear the same style of clothing. Clara accepts Krug''s terms, which are specified in their marriage contract. Once married, the couple leave for the Fiji Islands in Krug''s private dirigible (it has a glass-walled cupola, and air conditioning). Though Clara accepts Krug''s strange terms for their marriage, other women do not. Clara maintains a telegraphic correspondence with her American friend, Amanda Schmidt; and Amanda is highly critical of Clara''s subservience in the arrangement. Later in the book, other women also protest its terms. Scheerbart provides portrayals of a number of strong female characters through the book, supporting its subtitle, "a Ladies'' novel." Krug goes to Fiji because he has an ongoing project there, a retirement home for airship pilots. He clashes with the project''s sponsor over how much colored glass the building will accommodate. From Fiji, Krug and Clara travel to other sites throughout the world, to visit other projects. Their first stop is "Makartland" at the South Pole, an artists'' colony for twenty women artists. There, a seamstress makes outfits for Clara that arrange her gray-and-white wardrobe scheme in imaginative ways. Käte Bandel, one of the artists, joins the Krugs in their further travels; she debates artistic assumptions and values with Krug as they travel to Australia and then to Borneo. Bandel enrages Krug when she convinces Clara to wear a plaid scarf. Leaving Bandel behind, they fly to Japan; but Japanese women also react negatively to the gray and white. In the Himalayas and in Ceylon, Krug visits another projects; later the couple travel to an experimental station by the Aral Sea. They also visit Babylon and Egypt. Despite his enthusiasm for colored glass, Krug turns down an offer to build large glass obelisks atop the Pyramids of Giza. In the "Kurian Murian Islands" off the eastern coat of Arabia, Krug meets the tycoon Li-Tung, who commissions him to design houses suspended in mid-air (so that they don''t scratch the majolica tiles with which the islands are paved). Li-Tung is passionate about color, and has Clara change into more varied silk outfits. Krug allows this. Their journey is not a parade of triumphs, however; in most places, Krug''s ideas are resisted, criticized, and rejected to greater or lesser degrees. At Malta, though, a glass architecture museum in established. The Krugs end the novel at their glass house in Switzerland. At Babylon, Krug gives up on his determination about Clara''s wardrobe, and agrees to strike the binding clause out of their marriage contract. By this time, though, Clara has become a convert to her husband''s ideas about glass architecture, and maintains the gray fashion by her own choice.

The Gray Cloth

The novel''s progagonist is Ranald Sigmundson, an Orkneyman who journeys to Vinland as a youth, fights in the battle of Clontarf, and has other adventures. Later in life, Ranald tends his farm and warns his family and friends against becoming too involved in worldly affairs. The story''s prose style is quite minimalistic and vivid, after the manner of an ancient Norse saga. It is, like much of Brown''s other work, a revival of that literary form. Written at a time when Brown''s health was wavering, Vinland is a rare autobiographical insight into the author''s thoughts about death. Like Ranald Sigmundsson, Brown converted to a Christian mentality. In the novel, Ranald yearns for a final voyage back to Vinland. However, the voyage is metaphorical: he dies on Easter Monday, and therefore his voyage is a spiritual rather than a physical one. What Vinland represents is echoed throughout Brown''s work in his search for ''silence'', that is, a sense for Christian peace, unity, meaning and order. He uses the Viking''s belief in fate (wyrd) as a backdrop to his message for Christian order. Ranald starts to despise the Viking way of life, and he soon turns very introspective and isolated, contemplating the meaning of life along emerging Christian principles. In short, his final voyage to the ''west'' is a voyage to heaven, to an Eden - a harmonious world that was lost when the mythological representative of the apocalyptical hound Fenrir, Wolf, swings his axe and kills an native American, destroying any hope of reconciliation.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

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HMS Ulysses

By Alistair MacLean

The Third Secret

No Author Listed

Asterix and the Cauldron

No Author Listed

Specter of the Past

By Timothy Zahn

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

By H. P. Lovecraft

The Sign of the Twisted Candles

By Carolyn Keene

Prisoner of Time

By Caroline B. Cooney

The Declaration

By Gemma Malley

The Partner

By John Grisham

Love Lessons

By Jacqueline Wilson

The Gray Cloth

No Author Listed

Vinland

By George Mackay Brown