While investigating an alien derelict, Geordi La Forge and Data are sent to a solar system several light-years away by a transporter with interstellar range, to a similar derelict orbiting an Earth-like planet. Once there, they are mistaken for "the Builders", those who the planet''s native populace, a culture similar to late-20th-century Earth, believe are the creators of the derelict, which they call the "Repository of the Gifts". One of the natives, Shar-Lon, discovered the Repository some years before and used its "Gifts" (advanced technology) to end planetary wars that were leading to a possible nuclear holocaust. However, Shar-Lon''s use of the Gifts since that time has led to a worldwide perception of himself and his supporters, the Peacekeepers, as a suppressive force that has limited the social and technological advancement of their people. Assuming the role of "Builders" in order to assess their situation, La Forge and Data are drawn into the social politics of the Peacekeepers and their world, and must extract themselves from the situation and find a way back to the Enterprise without further harming the natives'' culture and violating the Prime Directive.

The Peacekeepers

By 1965, the United States and Canada have been at war with the Soviet Union and the Chinese People''s Republic for three years. Both sides'' atomic weapons are ineffective as anti-aircraft missiles shoot down any bombers or guided missiles, so ground forces have done most of the fighting. The Communist nations&mdash;whose armies greatly outnumber the North Americans&mdash;conquered Western Europe, invaded South America, and are moving to Texas. All American males are required to either perform agricultural work to feed the armed forces or be drafted into military service. Food, electricity, and gasoline are rationed, and New York City is reportedly under martial law. Billy Justin, a 37 years-old commercial artist and Korean War veteran, is working as a dairy farmer in Chiunga Center, New York when the radio announces that Soviet and Chinese forces have overrun the Canadian-American line at El Paso, Texas. The last American naval forces were destroyed three months earlier but the news had been kept secret. The Communist armies destroy in Los Alamos, New Mexico the incomplete Yankee Doodle, a satellite capable of dropping hydrogen bombs from orbit that are impossible to shoot down. The President surrenders to the Communists, who over the next several months divide the United States at the Mississippi River, and together form the North American People''s Democratic Republic. Other than a military garrison, a formal disarmament, searches for fissionable material, and the establishment of production quotas for food, the surrender of the United States leaves Chiunga Center largely untouched. The Soviets kill the Communist fifth column members who had secretly aided the invasion to prevent them from organizing against the new government, but are otherwise relatively peaceful and amenable to the black market. A paraplegic comes to Justin''s farm asking for work; he is General Hollerith, a veteran of the previous war. He and Justin join a conspiracy to finish the real satellite, a manned space station buried in Chiunga County that the United States had been building for 15 years. It requires parts and engineering knowledge to launch. MVD troops arrive, shoot the corrupt Soviet soldiers, and are much more cruel. They capture, to Justin''s knowledge, all of the conspirators but himself and the general. Justin deduces that the contacts he needs to make are in Washington, Pennsylvania. With a traveling preacher, Sparhawk, Justin walks the hundreds of miles from Chiunga Center to Washington, benefiting from the Democratic Republic''s policy of respecting the Americans'' freedom of religion. At Washington Justin receives instructions from the nationwide resistance movement for an attack planned for Christmas Eve on Chiunga Center to liberate the satellite. Despite the Soviets'' arrest and torture of a local farmer, they are ignorant of what "Christmas Eve", a mild oath they have heard sworn by various citizens, means until the battle begins. Coordinated by Hollerith, bridges around the area are blown up and nearby arsenals are sabotaged. The townspeople, many of whom are veterans, battle the Soviets as the space station launches. Hollerith''s forces triumph, and the Americans transmit an ultimatum to the Soviets and Chinese: The satellite is armed and will destroy Moscow and Peiping in 24 hours if occupation soldiers do not leave American soil and free all prisoners of war. Hollerith offers Justin important positions in the new government and society, but he refuses them and kneels in prayer with Sparhawk, fearing the fulfillment of mutual assured destruction.

Not This August

Storm of Steel begins with Jünger as a private entering the line with the 73rd Hanoverian Regiment in Champagne. His first taste of combat came at Les Eparges in April 1915 where he was first wounded. After recuperating, he took an officer''s course and achieved the rank of Ensign. He rejoined his regiment on the Arras sector. In 1916, with the Battle of the Somme underway, Jünger''s regiment moved to Combles in August for the defence of the village of Guillemont. Here Jünger was fortunate to be wounded again, shortly before the final British assault which captured the village &mdash; his platoon was annihilated. In 1917 Jünger saw action during the Battle of Arras in April, the Third Battle of Ypres in July and October, and the German counter-attack during the Battle of Cambrai in November. Jünger led a company of assault troops during the final German Spring Offensive, 21 March 1918 when he was wounded again. On 23 August he suffered his most severe wound when he was shot through the chest. In total, Jünger was wounded 14 times during the war, including five bullet wounds. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class and was the youngest ever recipient of the Pour le Mérite.

Storm of Steel

The book takes place in 1850 partially in Mexico but the main setting is London. This story starts of with Jack Harkett, a street urchin living on the docks of London. One night Jack sees a merchant ship sailing into port. He finds this an opportunity to make some money. But Jack feels strange as the ship stops and a number of bats suddenly fly out of the back of the ship. Then Jack watches a man, with proper clothes, walk down from the ship. Jack gets an eerie feeling as the man brushes past him, Jack also got a slight glimpse of a young boy on the ship, who had started to walk down from the ship. He runs after the boy and finally catches him. The boy told Jack his name was Benedict Cole and that he just returned from an ill-fated trip from Mexico. Benedict or Ben tells Jack how he, his father (Harisson Cole), Ben''s godfather (Edwin Sherwood), Sir Donald (the man who brushed past Jack) had a very interesting voyage to Mexico and also tells Jack about Sir Donald becoming possessed by the Mayan bat-god Camazotz. During the voyage, Sir Donald killed, one by one, some tribe people helping them and got hold of some bats which are Vampires as well as Harisson Cole and Edwin Sherwood. Jack joins Ben in helping him to destroy Sir Donald, which they later realize is Camatotz, a fearsome vampire God banished over a thousand years ago during the Mayan Empire. There is a sequel to this book called Vampire Plagues Paris, Vampire Plagues Mexico, Vampire Plagues Outbreak, The Bitch Vampire, Vampire Plagues Epidemic, and Vampire Plagues Extermination.

Vampire Plagues:London 1850

Rebecca and Douglas (known as Becca and Doug in the books) return to their home town of Lucknow, in India, after their adventures in Operation Typhoon Shore. They continue their quest to find their parents and uncover the secrets of the Guild. They become reunited with Miss Liberty Da Vine whom they rescued from Sheng-Fat on Wenzi Island in Operation Red Jericho and travelled with aboard the Expedient in Operation Typhoon Shore. Operation Storm City is the final installment of the trilogy. From India to the desert wastes of China, Becca and Doug must follow every clue and scrap of information discovered so far in their adventures to guide them to the truth about their missing parents. Old friends join them in new alliances, for Becca and Doug know now that they must find Ur-Can the fabled machine at the very heart of the story which is hidden deep in the Taklamakan Desert - the so-called ‘Desert of Death’. They now know Ur-Can holds the answers they seek, as it was the destination of their parents’ lost expedition. But Ur-Can has fallen into the hands of a mad Russian general intent on using the machine’s colossal power for his own evil ends. Becca and Doug are tested beyond anything they have so far endured in the trilogy as they try to conclude their gruelling quest.

Operation Storm City

Moominpappa has written his autobiography of his amazing life, and he tells it to his son Moomintroll, and to Moomintroll''s friends, Sniff and Snufkin. In his tale, he at first was left at an orphanage, but after finding it boring and disliking the strict headmistress Hemulen, he leaves and meets a new friend, Hodgkin. Hodgkin and Moominpappa meet the Joxter (Snufkin''s father) and the Muddler (Sniff''s father). Together they build a boat, in which to live. They fool the enormous Edward the Booble into helping to set the ship off. After realising their trickery he becomes very angry, but they sail away. They rescue a Hemulen from being eaten by a Groke, however the Hemulen is very bossy, and soon they abandon her with the Niblings. One young Nibling stows aboard their ship, and travels with them. They eventually reach a far away land, where they meet the Mymble family. The Mymble''s daughter befriends them and together they go to Daddy Jones (the King''s) 100th birthday party where they all win prizes. They then set up new homes on an island, however are spooked by the island ghost. They manage to make a deal with the ghost, and they befriend him. Meanwhile, Hodgkins has designed the Amphibian - a sort of land/sea ship for Daddy Jones. On its maiden voyage, it is attacked by a giant fish, but they are saved when Edward the Booble steps on the fish. The Muddler then marries the Fuzzy, and Moominpappa rescues another Moomin and her handbag from the sea. She turns out to be Moominmamma. The story ends, and links chronologically with The Moomins and the Great Flood.

The Exploits of Moominpappa

Twin fawns (from the ending of the first novel), Geno and Gurri learn the pleasures as well as downsides of nature and their forest home, as their mother Faline raises them to adulthood. Their father, Bambi, watches over them and, at times, takes care of them while their mother is busy. During their lives, they interact with Lana and Boso, twin fawns of their Aunt Rolla. One day, Gurri gets attacked by a fox, but survives. She''s then taken away by a gamekeeper (but is mostly known as the, "brown He" by some of the animals, because of the brown coat he wears). When she''s brought to the "brown He''s" place. She meets his dog, Hector, and an owl, that He found awhile ago. The owl is chained to a post, and he tells Gurri about the times when the small birds (that the owl preys on) came to attack him. Then Bambi comes, and he tells Gurri that he''ll come at anytime to teach her how to jump over the gate. When the "brown He" comes, Bambi runs back into the forest, and when he does that, the "brown He" opens the gate and leaves. Gurri then takes the opportunity to leave. When she comes back, tension''s between her family and Rolla''s family start to rise. First, Rolla asks Gurri to tell her what had happened, but she is too tired to talk about it. The next day, Rolla again demands Gurri to tell her, but she just wants to play with Lana and Boso. Then one day, Rolla gets attacked by a wolf-dog. And while trying to escape him, she accidentally lures the wolf-dog to where Faline and the others are hiding. The wolf-dog immediately turns his attention to Geno, and chases him instead. When Faline gets word of Geno''s disappearance, she blames Rolla for "sacrificing" her son. After Bambi saves Geno from the wolf dog, Geno finds Rolla, and he is then reunited with his sister and mother. When they go to see Rolla, Lana gives them a warm welcome, while Boso, starts developing a hate for them. He starts antagonizing Geno a bit, then scolds Faline for not sending them a messenger about their mother being injured. When Faline and her children leave, a feud between the two families is then started. When Geno starts to grow his antlers, he and Gurri discover two orphaned male fawns named Nello and Membo. Faline decides to adopt them as new friends for her children, so they can forget about their new enemies. When Geno gets older, he meets Lana again, and starts developing feelings for her. But then Boso comes out and challenges Geno to a fight, but Geno refuses. Boso starts to spread rumors across the forest about Geno being a coward. When Geno has had enough, he fights Boso and defeats him, he offers a truce, but Boso instead turns away. Geno tries to apologise to Lana, but she refuses to talk to him after that. Then one day, Boso is shot by a boy hunter, but before the boy could kill him he escapes. He then runs into Bambi, and Bambi has him do the same techniques that his father, the Great Prince, told him to do when he got shot. The boy then returns and tries to kill Geno, but right when he is about to kill him, Bambi jumps out and kills him. In the end, Lana forgives Geno for what he did to Boso, and the two families end their feud and become friends again. When they have all left, Faline notices a "well-beloved shadow" in the bushes (obviously Bambi), and she goes towards it.

Bambi''s Children

Two years have passed after the Night of the Red Stars and the Battle at the Elinarch (in book three of the Codex Alera, Cursor''s Fury). Rufus Scipio/Tavi had been repelling attacks from the Canim forces for two years and the war against Kalare raged on. Senator Arnos who is in charge of the war committee is pushing for the destruction of all of the Canim forces in Alera. Isana is faced with telling Tavi of who his father is and confronting her own abilities. Tavi must find a way to end the conflict between the Canim and Alera or it may mean the destruction of all of his forces. Gaius Sextus, and the Count and Countess of Calderon take on a secret mission to stop Kalare. Senator Arnos comes to the Elinarch to take over command of the battle against the Canim. Senator Arnos is working with Invidia Aquitaine to remove Tavi as leader of the battle and eliminate him entirely. Arnos is accompanied by several singulares who are a constant threat to Tavi and who attempt to eliminate him through the book. Isana, after several attempts of trying to tell Tavi that she is his mother and that his father was Gaius Septimus, was unable to do so. Araris delivers the message instead. Tavi has a meeting with the Canim leader, Nasaug, where he tells Nasaug that he knows that the Canim are trying to build ships to get them back to their homeland. He strikes a deal with Nasaug that he would help them but Nasaug says the only way that a deal can be struck is if Tavi returns Ambassador Varg to them. Arnos spies on this meeting and through the plotting of Arnos, Invidia and Marcus/Fidelias Tavi is removed from his command as Captain for conspiring with the enemy. Prior to leaving Tavi places Crassus in charge of the Alerian forces. Tavi escapes from the prison and with Isana, Kitai, Ehren, and Araris they board a ship to take them to Aleria Imperia. During that voyage they are attacked by Arnos’ singulares and the group uses furycrafting to board the enemy ship and kill the witchmen that are hiding their presence from the leviathans. The enemy ship is destroyed by leviathans but Arnos’ singulares escape. During this battle, Isana’s powers grow and she is able to heal Araris who was seriously injured without a bathtub which is only performed by the most powerful healers and high lords and ladies. Gaius takes Amara and Bernard into Kalarus’s lands as he tells them that Kalarus has woken one of the Great Furies in the Kalare mountains and if Kalare is killed the mountain will erupt and kill everyone in the region, Gaius intends to disarm the Fury. During their journey Gaius cannot use his powers as this will signal Kalare that he is on Kalare’s lands and ruin their mission. Gaius gets an infection as his feet blister from walking 300 miles to the mountain and he must be tended to along the way. As they approach the mountains the group is discovered by a legion of Immortals led by Brencis Minoris, Kalarus’s son. Gaius heals himself and destroys the legion. He then releases the great fury which destroys Kalare and all who reside in the area. Amara, who is angry at the First lord for lying to her, throws her silver coin in his face and leaves him. At the same time Tavi is able to free Varg from the Grey Tower and returns him to the Canim forces. He then announces his identity as Gaius Octavian and challenges Arnos to a Juris Macto. Pharygiar Navaris, who is the deadliest cutter/sword in all of Alera, represents Arnos in the duel. Marcus (Fidelias) is instructed by Invidia to kill both Arnos and Tavi after the duel, using a balest, to make it look like a Canim attack. Marcus aims the balest and is able to strike both Arnos, as he tries to escape after Tavi wins the duel, and Invidia who Arnos grabs for protection. Invidia survives the initial injury but has the poison of the garic oil in her system. Tavi is able to strike a deal with Gaius Sextus allowing the Canim to return home and to send a cohort with them to ensure their safe passage and assist them in destroying the Vord that have taken over their lands. In the end it is also revealed that Tavi is now able to furycraft.

Captain''s Fury

The action revolves around a few characters brought together by a Hollywood millionaire, Jo Stoyte. Each character represents a different attitude toward life. Stoyte, in his sixties and conscious of his mortality, finds himself in deep contemplation of life. Enlightenment eludes him, though, as he is ruled by his fears and cravings. Stoyte hires Dr Obispo and his assistant Peter to research the secrets to long life in carp, crocodiles, and parrots. Jeremy, an English archivist and literature expert, is brought in to archive a rare collection of books. Jeremy''s presence highlights Stoyte''s shallow attitude toward the precious works of art that he affords himself. Other characters are Virginia, Stoyte''s young mistress; and Mr Propter, a professor who lives on a neighboring estate. Mr Propter believes: ... every individual is called on to display not only unsleeping good will but also unsleeping intelligence. And this is not all. For, if individuality is not absolute, if personalities are illusory figments of a self-will disastrously blind to the reality of a more-than-personal consciousness, of which it is the limitation and denial, then all of every human being''s efforts must be directed, in the last resort, to the actualization of that more-than-personal consciousness. So that even intelligence is not sufficient as an adjunct to good will; there must also be the recollection which seeks to transform and transcend intelligence. This is essentially Huxley&#39;s own position. Though other characters achieve conventional success, even happiness, only Mr Propter does so without upsetting anyone or creating evil. Dr Obispo places great faith in science and medicine as saviours of humankind. He sees everyone as a stepping stone to science, the greater good, and thus only derives happiness at others&#39; expense. According to Propter&#39;s philosophy, he is trapped in ego-based &#34;human&#34; behaviour that prevents him from reaching enlightenment. Obispo seduces Virginia in a characteristically egotistical way. She is unable to resist him despite her loyalty to Stoyte. When she is found out by Stoyte, he wants to kill Obispo but accidentally kills Peter (whose thoughts and morals had slowly started to expand under Propter&#39;s tutelage) instead. Obispo covers up the act for money and continued research support. This takes him, along with Virginia and Stoyte, to Europe, where they find an immortal human, the Fifth Earl of Gonister, still alive at 200, who now resembles an ape. Stoyte cannot grasp that transcendence or goodness should be one&#39;s ultimate goal, rather than prevention of death, and expresses his wish to undergo treatment so that he too will live forever.

After Many a Summer

The Coopers, a family of Christian archaeologists, are recruited by President Al-Dallam, a greedy oil sheik, to journey to the bottom of the dragon''s throat, where many other expeditions have met with gruesome deaths, never having unravelled the mystery of what lurks at the bottom. However, the Cooper family have an edge: their unwavering faith in God, which holds up to scrutiny and testing throughout the book. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Gozan, Al-Dallam''s aide, another fearful and greedy man, who shows them to the Dragon''s throat. After a stakeout and a few scares, they realise that this ''Dragon''s Throat'' is more dangerous than they initially expected, but they journey down anyway. They are met by an earthquake, paranormal activity, and the Door, massive and ornate. While the Coopers continue trying to open the door, their activities are watched and thwarted from time to time by a Chaldean sorcerer. As well as the Shaman''s efforts, Jay''s beliefs are challenged by Gozan, who wants the ''treasure behind the door'' for himself. Jay stands firm and makes himself an absolute model of Christianity for Peretti''s young readers. As the Coopers realise the Door may not be breached by brute force, they hear a rumour of a key, the only thing that can open the colossal doors. As they search the winding eastern city for the ''Street of the Scorpion,'' the key''s location, Jay and Lila are separated and kidnapped by the desert shaman. The sorcerer is converted to Christianity, breaking all the curses upon him, and he becomes an ally. As Keeper of the door, he shows Jay and Lila the key, but tells them that it is not treasure behind the door, but a powerful demonic force awaiting its release upon the world. During this conversation, Gozan steals the key and rushes it to his president. A desperate chase begins to get to the Door before the president. He beats them to it but a last minute action by Jay saves the Earth.

The Door in the Dragon''s Throat

The Alchemist follows the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to a gypsy in a nearby town to discover its meaning. She tells him that there is a treasure in the Pyramids in Egypt. Early into his journey, he meets an old king, Melchizedek, who tells him to sell his sheep to travel to Egypt, and his Personal Legend: what he always wanted to accomplish in his life. And that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto of the book. Along the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity, disaster and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world. During his travels, he meets a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima who explains to him that if he follows his heart, he shall find what it is he seeks. Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who tells about personal legends. He says that people only want to find the treasure of their personal legends but not the personal legend itself. He feels unsure about himself as he listens to the alchemist''s teachings. The alchemist states "Those who don''t understand their personal legends will fail to comprehend its teachings." It also states that treasure is more worthy than gold.

The Alchemist

The novel centers on a wealthy white family group living in New Rochelle, New York, simply called "Father," "Mother," "Mother''s Younger Brother," and "Grandfather." Their young son is not named at all. The family business is the manufacture of flags and fireworks, evidently an easy source of wealth due to the national enthusiasm for patriotic displays. Father joins the first expedition to the North Pole, and his return sees a change in the sexual politics of his relationship with his wife. Younger Brother is an insecure, unhappy character who chases after love and excitement. Into this secure setup comes first an abandoned black child, then her severely depressed mother Sarah. Coalhouse Walker, apparently the child''s father, visits regularly until he wins back Sarah''s affections. A professional musician, well dressed and well spoken, gains the family''s respect and overcomes their racial prejudice initially by his skill playing ragtime music on their badly-tuned piano. Things go well until he is humiliated by a racist fire chief, and his inflexible pride brings him to seek restitution, violent revenge eventually, rather than pursue the course of love and happiness. Mother unofficially adopts the neglected child after Sarah dies as result of police brutality. Younger Brother becomes drawn into the escalating conflict, as a protagonist, and so does Father as a mediator. In the slums of New York city, unhappy Jewish single father Tateh struggles to support himself and his daughter, Little Girl. The girl''s beauty attracts the attention of rich socialite Evelyn Nesbit, who provides support but ultimately drives him to take his daughter away from the city. He appears later in the story, having progressed from the unprofitable business of cutting paper silhouettes on the street, becoming a wealthy pioneer of the moving picture industry. By the end of the novel, surviving members of the three family groups have merged into one in an allegorical representation of the American melting pot, leaving Father financially successful but abandoned and unhappy.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

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The Peacekeepers

By Gene DeWeese

Not This August

By Cyril M. Kornbluth

Storm of Steel

By Ernst Jünger

Vampire Plagues:London 1850

By Ben Jeapes

Operation Storm City

No Author Listed

The Exploits of Moominpappa

By Tove Jansson

Bambi's Children

By Felix Salten

Captain's Fury

By Jim Butcher

After Many a Summer

By Aldous Huxley

The Door in the Dragon's Throat

No Author Listed

The Alchemist

By Donna Boyd

Ragtime

By E. L. Doctorow