The story falls broadly into three parts. In Post-World War II London, Jean Paget, a secretary in a leather-goods factory, is informed by solicitor Noel Strachan that she has inherited a considerable sum of money from an uncle she never knew. But the solicitor is now her trustee and she only has the use of the income until she inherits absolutely, at the age of thirty-five, several years in the future. In the firm''s interest, but increasingly for his own personal interest, Strachan acts as her guide and advisor. Jean decides that her priority is to build a well in a Malayan village. The second part of the story flashes back to Jean''s experiences during the War, when she was working in Malaya at the time the Japanese invaded and was taken prisoner together with a group of women and children. As she speaks Malay fluently, Jean takes a leading role in the group of prisoners. The Japanese refuse all responsibility for the group and march them from one village to another. Many of them, not used to physical labour, die. Jean meets a young Australian soldier, Sergeant Joe Harman, also a prisoner, who is driving a truck for the Japanese and they strike up a friendship. He steals food and medicines to help them. Jean is carrying a toddler, whose mother has died, and this leads Harman to believe that she is married; to avoid complications, Jean does not correct this assumption. On one occasion, Harman steals six chickens from the local Japanese commander. The thefts are investigated and Harman takes the blame to save Jean and the rest of the group. He is beaten, crucified, and left to die by the Japanese soldiers. The women are marched away, believing that he is dead. When their sole Japanese guard dies, the women become part of a Malayan village community. They live and work there for three years, until the war ends and they are repatriated. Now a wealthy woman (at least on paper), Jean decides she wants to build a well for the village so that the women will not have to walk so far to collect water: "A gift by women, for women". Strachan arranges for her to travel to Malaya, where she goes back to the village and persuades the headman to allow her to build the well. While it is being built, she discovers that, by a strange chance, Joe Harman survived his punishment and returned to Australia. She decides to travel on to Australia to find him. On her travels, she visits the town of Alice Springs, where Joe lived before the war, and is much impressed with the quality of life there. She then travels to the (fictional) primitive town of Willstown in the Queensland outback, where Joe has become manager of a cattle station. She soon discovers that the quality of life in ''Alice'' is an anomaly, and life for a woman in the outback is elsewhere very rugged. Willstown is described as ''a fair cow''. Meanwhile, Joe has met a pilot who helped repatriate the women, from whom he learns that Jean survived the war and that she was never married. He travels to London to find her, using money won in a lottery. He finds his way to Strachan''s office, but is told that she has gone traveling in the Far East. Disappointed, he gets drunk and is arrested, but is bailed out by Strachan. Without revealing Jean''s actual whereabouts, Strachan persuades Joe to return home by ship and intimates that he may well receive a great surprise there. While staying in Willstown, awaiting Joe''s return, Jean learns that most young girls have to leave the town to find work in the bigger cities. Having worked with a firm in England that produced crocodile- leather luxury goods, she gets the idea of founding a local workshop to make shoes from the skins of crocodiles hunted in the outback. With the help of Joe and of Noel Strachan, who releases money from her inheritance, she starts the workshop, followed by a string of other businesses; an ice-cream parlour, a public swimming pool and shops. The third part of the book shows how Jean''s entrepreneurship gives a decisive economic impact to develop Willstown into "a town like Alice"; also Jean''s help in rescuing an injured stockman, which breaks down many local barriers. The story closes a few years later, with an aged Noel Strachan visiting Willstown to see what has been done with the money he has given Jean to invest. He reveals that the money which Jean inherited was originally made in an Australian gold rush, and he is satisfied to see the money returning to the site of its making. Jean and Joe name their second son Noel, and ask Strachan to be his godfather. They invite Noel to make his home with them in Australia, but he declines the invitation, returns to England and the novel closes.

A Town Like Alice

The graphic novel is a self contained story, venturing into political ground that Jamie Delano is well known for. The story starts with a scene in Iraq, where a small town was bombed. The U.S. Army manages to detain a man said to be responsible. While being interrogated, the man unleashes a supernatural power that kills the soldiers and destroys the camp. In London, chance encounter with a young Muslim girl on the tube leads a curious Constantine to the British Museum. The museum is bombed, but Constantine and the girl manage to escape. However upon reaching home, Constantine was framed for his involvement in the bombing and is captured. As a result, John Constantine is forced by MI6 to visit Iraq and investigate a supernatural entity that has been plaguing the war torn place. While in Iraq, the Muslim girl shows up again, introducing herself as Assera Al-Aswari and is an agent of MI6. The two later drive into an army camp to discuss the events. Constantine deduces that the place they were at was an ancient city, containing an ancient Sumerian temple. Aseera later explains that the place is named Kutha. In the cover of night, John uses magic to sneak out and investigate more. He later finds out that the city is actually a den of demons, before he is detained by Aseera for sneaking out. The next day, John and Aseera later visits the mysterious detainee who has been plaguing the army. John discovers that the man isn''t human, but is a djinn. He later traps it inside a bottle, before the camp they were at was attacked by insurgents. John, Aseera, and the djinn escapes, but is soon stranded in the road. While waiting, John explains to Aseera that the detainee is actually a djinn, and that Kutha is actually a city that once worshiped a god named Nergal, who is also John''s longtime adversary. The two was soon kidnapped by insurgents, and was handed over to Nergal. Nergal welcomes John to Hell, where he explains his involvement in the war. Nergal was actually collecting the souls of those who died, and traps them in Hell to power himself up, using djinns as his workers. John later challenges Nergal for the souls in a game of poker. Nergal and his confidants agreed, but in turn if John looses he will be "cleaning [Nergal]''s ass with his tongue". John cheats his way to victory, and Nergal is forced to free the souls with John and Aseera. With his mission completed John returns to London for his end of the bargain. In the MI6 headquarters, he releases the djinn and intimidates the MI6 officials to free Aseera in Iraq and give her a new life with luxury, while John''s gain will be doubled. The officials later agrees. Upon hearing this, John walks out, happy that he straighten everything out.

Hellblazer: Pandemonium

The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a Danish Norse cruise ship hostess &mdash; and who loves every minute of it. Enduring a shipwreck, an earthquake, and a series of world-changes brought about by Loki (with Jehovah''s permission), Alex and Marga work their way from Mexico back to Kansas as dishwasher and waitress. Whenever they manage to make some stake, an inconveniently timed change into a new alternate reality throws them off their stride (once, the money they earned is left behind in another reality; in another case, the paper money earned in a Mexico which is an empire is worthless in another Mexico which is a republic). These repeated misfortunes, clearly effected by some malevolent entity, make the hero identify with the Biblical Job. On the way they unknowingly enjoy the Texas hospitality of Satan himself, but as they near their destination they are separated by the Rapture &mdash; Margrethe worships Odin, and pagans do not go to Heaven. Finding that the reward for his faith, eternity as promised in the Revelation, is worthless without her, Alex''s journey through timeless space in search of his lost lady takes him to Hell and beyond. Heinlein''s vivid depiction of a Heaven ruled by snotty angels and a Hell where everyone has a wonderful, or at least productive, time &mdash; with Mary Magdalene shuttling breezily between both places &mdash; is a satire on American evangelical Christianity. It owes much to Mark Twain''s Captain Stormfield''s Visit to Heaven. The novel is linked to Heinlein''s short story, "They", by the term, "the Glaroon", and to his earlier novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by referring to the Moon colonies "Luna City" and "Tycho Under".

Job: A Comedy of Justice

This book is told from the point of view of a young boy named Melvin. Borgel shows up one day at the house where Melvin and his family live, claiming to be somehow related to the family, although no one (apparently not even Borgel himself) is entirely sure how. Borgel is eccentric, to say the least, but in time he befriends Melvin. Melvin often goes to a local cafe with Borgel where Borgel often talks in a strange language with other patrons. One night Borgel invites Melvin to go for a walk with him and the family dog, Fafner. Borgel ends up using a wire hanger to break into his car, a Dorbzeldge. As they are traveling along the highway Borgel tells Melvin about traveling though time-space and the other. He explains that he is a time tourist, that time is like a map of New Jersey, and that space is like an elliptical bagel with poppy seeds. Melvin thinks Borgel has gone crazy but soon they are traveling on an invisible highway in space. In space Fafner can speak, and he repeatedly criticizes Melvin and everything Melvin does. The trio end up meeting multiple interesting people such as a bloboform, a man who sleeps upside down in trees, and Hapless Toad (the weak son of the genius Evil Toad, who has met the Great Popsicle), among others. They eventually pick up a strange person called Freddie Nfbnm*. Freddie Nfbnm* persuades the group to search for the Great Popsicle, one of the 26 most powerful living beings in the universe. They go to an island in space with a Glugo, an ape they meet in the suburbs of Hell who agrees to help them find the Great Popsicle. Glubgo warns the group that Freddie is a Grivnizoid—a large and viscous species capable of disguising itself, in this case as a normal person. The popsicle is seen frolicking peacefully in the fields and he is surrounded by a feeling of love that rubs off on all others who see the popsicle. In an attempt to gain the power of the popsicle, Freddie eats it (confirming that he is, in fact, a Grivnizoid). Instead of gaining fearsome powers he becomes like the popsicle and begins skipping around the island. The original trio leaves and returns to Earth. They arrive at the same time they left as they had traveled through time.

Borgel

The story begins with the last four Herald-Mages, Vanyel among them, creating a magic barrier around their nation of Valdemar. This barrier prevents hostile mages from using magic. Vanyel intends to add other defenses when he has the time. Valdemar''s King Randale is dying of a mysterious ailment. Vanyel has taken over nearly all the responsibilities of the throne, while young Prince Treven is trained. A young bard named Stefen is discovered in the Bardic Collegium. He has the unusual ability to block pain with his music. Vanyel arranges for Stefen to play for Randale during an official audience, proving his ability. Stefen is openly shaych (homosexual) and falls in love with Vanyel. Vanyel hesitates to love anyone because he fears his enemies will attack those he cares about, but finds that he and Stefen have become lifebonded—that is, they are complementary soulmates. It is unheard-of to have more than one lifebond in one lifetime, and Vanyel had already had such a link with (now dead) Herald-Mage apprentice Tylendel when very young. While visiting his family with Stefen and his aunt and mentor Savil, Vanyel wanders alone to think things over and is ambushed by a rogue mage, whom he overcomes and delivers to the family priest. The mage escapes and attacks a group of women who are listening to Stefen''s music. Yfandes tries to help but is injured; Vanyel shows up just in time to step in front of a thrown dagger meant for his mother. Savil recognizes the dagger as a leech-blade, which sucks life energy from its victim. Savil Gates away to the land of the Tayledras Hawkbrothers, to ask for help; she returns with Vanyel''s former mentors, Moondance and Starwind. They discover that Vanyel''s lifebond with Stefen may have saved his life and speculate that Stefen is the reincarnation of Tylendel. Vanyel is not told, as the Hawkbrothers think it would complicate his relationship with Stefen. Vanyel, Stefen and Savil return to Haven, bringing Vanyel''s parents along for their protection. King Randale has deteriorated further. Shavri, his lover and King''s Own, has decided to provide him with strength through a psychic link. When Randale dies, so will Shavri. To make matters worse, Karse, the traditional enemy of Valdemar, is about to declare a holy war. Vanyel departs to negotiate a treaty with the land of Rethwellan. Upon his return he finds that Herald-Mages are dying in what look like accidents. Savil doesn''t believe it and asks Vanyel to strengthen the protective wards around her home. Vanyel is tired and puts it off; the same night a mage-made creature murders Savil. Vanyel is now the last Herald-Mage. Vanyel sets out to find the mage behind the deaths, followed by Stefen. They are ambushed by bandits who work for the mage, whom they call Master Dark. As instructed, Stefen runs away to hide and returns later. He finds Yfandes injured and Vanyel kidnapped. A blocking spell has been put on Vanyel to prevent him from using his powers. The bandits rape and beat Vanyel savagely and he nearly dies; they send for a healer to revive him. This man sees the magical block on Vanyel''s mind and removes it. Vanyel revives, and temporarily loses his sanity, killing everyone in sight. Stefen and Yfandes arrive and so do a pack of Kyree, who take the humans in and help them. Vanyel is healed, but is determined to find "Master Dark", whom he now suspects of having been behind a number of mysterious deaths in Valdemar. Vanyel finds a mountain pass, where the mage intends to take his troops down into the heart of Valdemar. Vanyel sends Yfandes and Stefen to the guard post for help; knowing he may never see them again. The dark mage''s army shows up. Vanyel defeats them and finally faces Leareth, "Master Dark" himself. Yfandes returns and together they invoke the ultimate spell, Final Strike, which kills not only one''s enemy but oneself. Vanyel and Yfandes die together. Stefen, who has felt Vanyel die, finds only a cracked and burned amber focus-stone—a present he had given Vanyel—and a few strands of blood-soaked horse hair. Some months later, King Randale and Shavri have died. Lost in grief and despair, Stefen returns to the site of Vanyel''s death, intending to commit suicide, but Vanyel''s spirit appears before him. Vanyel tells Stefen that in order for Stefen to be free to join him, he must convince all of Valdemar that Herald-Mages are no longer necessary, and that Heralds are enough; a nearly impossible task. Stefen agrees and spends the rest of his life working for this change, until his death when he is able to join Vanyel on the other side.

Magic''s Price

Hairstyles of the Damned is told by a typical protagonist, Brian Oswald. Brian Oswald is an average high school outcast. He has trouble coping with his identity and fights to find it throughout the novel. Even though Brian is an outcast at his Catholic school, he still manages to find friends in a mix of misfits. Gretchen is a tough, punk girls who makes Brian mixed tapes. Brian envies Gretchen because she does whatever she wants. "She did the things I wish I could do but didn''t have the guts to" (Meno 15). He is infatuated with her, but she is interested in losers. Brian’s other friends include Rod, an African American nerd who had the largest record collection of anyone Brian knew. Mike is a burn out whose long hair was more popular than he was at school. Brian''s family was a bit dysfunctional. His father begins sleeping in the basement and when Brian questions his father, he plays it off like it is no big deal. Joe Meno captures the meaning of adolescence and all that goes along with it such as awkwardness, finding your identity, first crushes, puberty, and the constant power struggle between parents and teens. There is a common theme throughout the novel that ties Brian''s identity all together and that is music. Brian switches his choice of music throughout the story. He starts off liking Gretchen’s punk music, then to Rod''s Chet Baker Albums, to Mike''s Pink Floyd tapes. Brian changes who he is, depending of the music he is listening to. He is so worried about fitting in instead of having his own voice and accepting who he is. Brian does grow and develop over the course of the novel; his identity develops as well does his outlook on life. By the end of the novel Brian realizes it is okay to just be yourself.

Hairstyles of the Damned

In the 1840s an imaginative and mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother, Sid, in the Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. After playing hooky from school on Friday and dirtying his clothes in a fight, Tom is made to whitewash the fence as punishment all of the next day. At first, Tom is disheartened by having to forfeit his day off. However, he soon cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. He trades the treasures he got by tricking his friends into whitewashing the fence for tickets given out in Sunday school for memorizing Bible verses, which can be used to claim a Bible as a prize. He received enough tickets to be given the Bible. However, he loses much of his glory when, in response to a question to show off his knowledge, he incorrectly answers that the first disciples were David and Goliath. Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get "engaged" by kissing him. Becky kisses Tom, but their romance collapses when she learns that Tom has been "engaged" previously;— to a girl named Amy Lawrence. Shortly after being shunned by Becky, Tom accompanies Huckleberry Finn, the son of the town drunk, to the graveyard at night to try out a "cure" for warts with a dead cat. At the graveyard, they witness the murder of young Dr. Robinson by the Native-American "half-breed" Injun Joe. Scared, Tom and Huck run away and swear a blood oath not to tell anyone what they have seen. Injun Joe frames his companion, Muff Potter, a helpless drunk, for the crime. Potter is wrongfully arrested, and Tom''s anxiety and guilt begin to grow. Tom, Huck and Tom''s friend Joe Harper run away to an island to become pirates. While frolicking around and enjoying their new found freedom, the boys become aware that the community is sounding the river for their bodies. Tom sneaks back home one night to observe the commotion. After a brief moment of remorse at the suffering of his loved ones, Tom is struck by the idea of appearing at his funeral and surprising everyone. He persuades Joe and Huck to do the same. Their return is met with great rejoicing, and they become the envy and admiration of all their friends. Back in school, Tom gets himself back in Becky''s favor after he nobly accepts the blame for a book that she has ripped. Soon, Muff Potter''s trial begins, and Tom, overcome by guilt, testifies against Injun Joe. Potter is acquitted, but Injun Joe flees the courtroom through a window. Summer arrives, and Tom and Huck go hunting for buried treasure in a haunted house. After venturing upstairs they hear a noise below. Peering through holes in the floor, they see Injun Joe enter the house disguised as a deaf and mute Spaniard. He and his companion, an unkempt man, plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own. From their hiding spot, Tom and Huck wriggle with delight at the prospect of digging it up. By an amazing coincidence, Injun Joe and his partner find a buried box of gold themselves. When they see Tom and Huck''s tool, they become suspicious that someone is sharing their hiding place and carry the gold off instead of reburying it. Huck begins to shadow Injun Joe every night, watching for an opportunity to nab the gold. Meanwhile, Tom goes on a picnic to McDougal''s Cave with Becky and their classmates. That same night, Huck sees Injun Joe and his partner making off with a box. He follows and overhears their plans to attack the Widow Douglas, a kind resident of St. Petersburg. By running to fetch help, Huck forestalls the violence and becomes an anonymous hero. Tom and Becky get lost in the cave, and their absence is not discovered until the following morning. The men of the town begin to search for them, but to no avail. Tom and Becky run out of food and candles and begin to weaken. The horror of the situation increases when Tom, looking for a way out of the cave, happens upon Injun Joe, who is using the cave as a hideout. Eventually, just as the searchers are giving up, Tom finds a way out. The town celebrates, and Becky''s father, Judge Thatcher, locks up the cave. Injun Joe, trapped inside, starves to death. A week later, Tom takes Huck to the cave and they find the box of gold, the proceeds of which are invested for them. The Widow Douglas adopts Huck, and, when Huck attempts to escape civilized life, Tom promises him that if he returns to the widow, he can join Tom''s robber band. Reluctantly, Huck agrees. The book leaves off where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn begins.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

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.

So This Is How It Ends

Conan, under his piratical alias of Amra, continues to develop a pirate empire in the Vilayet Sea. Operating from the rebuilt city of Djafur, located on one of the islands in the Aetolian chain, Conan plays King Yildiz''s Turanian empire against the Hyrkanians. Joining forces with the necromancer Crotalis, Conan and his pirates participate in looting the lost city of Sarpedon. But Crotalis turns on the pirates, forcing Conan to run his ship ashore, where Conan is captured by Hyrkanians but later released after he proves his worth as a warrior. In return for his release, Conan agrees to support the Hyrkanians in their naval invasion of Turan. Crotalis also offers his services to the Hyrkanians, leading to another rogues'' alliance with Conan. Using a magical wind summoned by the necromancer, the Hyrkanian fleet moves to attack the Turanians. After a lengthly naval battle leads to a stalemate, Crotalis re-animates the bodies of all the pirates'' former victims, forcing Conan to battle the undead and Turanians. But before Crotalis claims final victory, he is burned alive; the battle leads both nations'' navies in weakened states, and Conan''s Red Brotherhood becomes the strongest fleet on the Vilayet.

Conan: Scourge of the Bloody Coast

It is the 27th century. The culture featured in the novel is based on the culture portrayed in the last chapter of Accelerando, "Survivor" (full chapter here). Humanity has spread throughout the galaxy using the wormhole technology copied from the alien routers, forming a plethora of societies and ''polities''. Robin, a human male, is recovering from a memory excision process in a rehabilitation centre. Though he remembers nothing of his past life(s), he suspects that he lived through traumatic times as a participant in the series of wars that raged many years before. Suspecting that he has been targeted for assassination by persons unknown, he agrees to sign-up with a radical, isolated social experiment that will attempt to recreate the forgotten "Dark Ages", the late 20th and early 21st centuries. On being transferred to the polity in which the program is being held, he discovers that he has been given the body of a woman, Reeve. As the experiment unfolds, she begins to suspect that all is not what it seems, and that the founders of the experiment are engaged in a very sinister conspiracy. Slowly, she realises that her role is not as clear-cut as she originally thought, which leads her to question, and then struggle against the program. In the context of the novel, "glasshouse" refers to a military prison. The polity in which the bulk of the story takes place was formerly a high-security facility for war criminals. The term was first used to describe the glass-roofed military detention barracks based in Aldershot, UK, in the mid-19th century. Stross also refers to the Glasshouse as a type of panopticon, a prison constructed in such a way that the guards in the center can see everything the prisoners are doing, but the prisoners can never tell if the guards are watching. Philosopher Michel Foucault used the model to represent the way humans tend to conform to and internalize societal ideals based on this kind of omnipresent gaze, an idea Stross exploits in the novel.

Glasshouse

The main storyline often branches out to flashbacks of significant events in John Wade''s past. John''s childhood is constantly referred to as the advent of his persona, Sorcerer. As a child John was frequently abused verbally and emotionally by his alcoholic father, whom to other children seemed the perfect father. John often visited Karra''s Studio of Magic, where he bought the Guillotine of Death, purchased by his father. John was devastated after his father''s death and channeled his grief into magic. Wade met his future wife Kathy during their college years, becoming intimate with her despite his secretive nature. John spied on Kathy, of which she was aware, just as he was aware of her affair with a dentist. When John was deployed to Vietnam, he and Kathy conversed through letters, some of which frightened Kathy. John became deeply absorbed in his identity as Sorcerer. Charlie Company was involved in a massacre of a village, reminiscent of the real-life My Lai massacre but later, while working a desk job in records, John erased his involvement with the Company. Afterwards, John became lieutenant governor of Minnesota and later ran for the US Senate, with his campaign managed by the business-oriented Tony Carbo. At one point, Kathy has an abortion, despite her great wish to have a baby, because having a child would be problematic for John''s career. After his landslide loss, John and Kathy took a vacation at a cabin in Lake of the Woods. They are continuously troubled by the revelation of John''s Vietnam secrets, but pretend to be happy nevertheless. One night, John wakes up to boil a kettle of water for tea. Instead of preparing a drink, he pours the boiling water over a few household plants, reciting "Kill Jesus", which seems to please him. He remembers climbing back into bed with Kathy, but the next morning she''s gone. After a day of walking around the area and discovering the boat''s absence, John talks to his closest neighbors, the Rasmussens. After some time they call the sheriff and organize a search party. The authorities are suspicious of John''s calm demeanor and noninvolvement in the search effort. Kathy''s sister joins the effort and John begins to search for Kathy as well. After eighteen days the search party is called off and the investigation into John heats up. With a boat from Claude and supplies from the Mini-Mart, John heads north on the lake. Claude is the last person to talk to the disoriented John, over the boat''s radio. O''Brien introduces a number of theories over the course of the story. Maybe Kathy had sped over the lake too quickly, hit a rough patch of water, and had been violently tossed into the lake, where she drowned. Perhaps she had misnavigated the boat and had become hopelessly lost in the wilderness, only to run out of supplies. Or possibly John had returned to the bedroom with the boiling water and had poured it over her face, scalding her. Afterwards he would have sunk the boat and body in the lake, weighed down by a number of rocks. Or the event might have been John''s last great magic trick, a disappearing act. John and Kathy would have planned her disappearance, and to have John join her later on, after the search efforts had been called off, leaving them to a new start at life. O''Brien introduces numerous pieces of evidence to support these theories, and leaves the decision up to the reader. Although the inconclusive ending irritates many readers, O''Brien tries to argue that this is the truest way to tell a story, which is reminiscent of his other book, The Things They Carried.

In the Lake of the Woods

Lia and Cassie become best friends when she later moves in across the street from Lia in second grade. During the summer between fifth and sixth grades, Cassie develops bulimia in a quest to be thinner. By eighth grade, both Cassie and Lia share a goal of being the thinnest girls in their class. From then on, the two engage in a contest to see who can be the thinnest. Lia is hospitalized to treat her eating disorder during their junior year of high school. After her hospitalization, Lia becomes estranged from Cassie, who blames Lia for encouraging her own eating disorder. Nine months later (at the beginning of the novel), Cassie is found dead in a motel. The cause of death is unknown at first; an autopsy later reveals that she died from Boerhaave syndrome, a rupture of the esophagus caused by repeated vomiting. Lia learns the cause of death later, from her mother. Lia, getting a message from a motel employee named Elijah, who told her to come to the motel to meet him, goes to the scene of her friend''s death. When she meets Elijah, he does not know who she is, so she gives him the name of her younger step-sister, Emma. At Cassie''s wake, they meet again and finally, at the funeral, he learns Lia''s real identity. During this time, Lia''s weight drops from 101 pounds to 93 pounds, though she has rigged her family''s bathroom scale so that her parents believe she weighs more. After her father gets back from his trip, and tells Lia she is moving in with her mother because she and he cannot get along, she goes into the bathroom and cuts deep into her skin, from her neck to just below her heart. Her step-mother Jennifer and step-sister Emma find her and take her to the hospital. After this incident, she is supposed to live with her mother, Dr. Chloe Marrigan. Dr. Marrigan feeds her and doesn''t leave her side without having someone else watch her. Lia, who has been haunted throughout the book by Cassie''s ghost, has a confrontation with "her" in her therapist''s waiting room. She explains that to her therapist, Dr. Parker, who advises that she be committed to a psychiatric institution. Lia runs away to see Elijah and asks him to take her with him when he leaves for Mississippi, which he is planning to do the next day. Elijah agrees on the condition that Lia call her family first; Lia refuses, and Elijah tries to convince Lia that her family is trying to help her and that she should let them do so. They go to sleep, and in the morning Lia finds that he has left without her. Lia is near death and has one more conversation with Cassie''s ghost, in which they talk about the good parts of being alive. Lia escapes death and goes to call her mother. The novel ends with Lia in the hospital, working toward recovery.

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