A dirigible with a dead pilot has been passing over Victorian London in a decaying orbit for some years, arousing the interest of the Royal Society, as well as scientist-explorer Langdon St. Ives and the evangelist/counterfeiter Shiloh. Shiloh is convinced that the dirigible carries his father, a tiny space alien, but withholds this knowledge from vivisectionist Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, who he is paying to reanimate Shiloh''s dead mother. Narbondo and the evil millionaire Kelso Drake have their own interest in the alien; Drake possesses its spacecraft, which he uses for perverse purposes in one of his chain of stop-and-go brothels. St. Ives and his friends of the Trismegistus Club are more concerned with the inheritance of Jack Owlesby, a fine young fellow affianced to Dorothy, the beautiful daughter of toymaker/inventor William Keeble, who builds jolly boxes for space aliens, oxygenators, and gigantic emeralds. Jack''s late father bequeathed him just such a gem, but also left behind dark knowledge developed in association with the evil Narbondo. St. Ives and the heroic tobacconist Theophilus Goodall suspect that Narbondo and his assistant, the pimply Willis Pule, are using this knowledge to raise the dead, possibly for nefarious purposes. When poor Bill Kraken steals what everyone assumes to be Owlesby''s emerald in a fit of alien-induced delirium tremens, the ambitions of Shiloh, Narbondo, Drake, and Pule collide with the heroism of St Ives and Goodall and the scientific greed of Parsons of the Royal Academy as Hampstead Heath turns into a carnival of flying skulls, crumbling ghouls, crashing spaceships, and the sparking perversity of the dreadful Marseilles Pinkle.

Homunculus

In this book Sten goes to flight school to learn the ins-and-outs of space combat and then heads off to the front lines of the impending war with the militaristic Tahn. Being assigned on the planet Cavite to Admiral van Doorman, Sten assumes his command, 4 new tacships (Bulkeley Class) with Alex Kilgour having somehow "assigned" himself (We''ll never quite find out exactly how he managed that...). They have a rather interesting time evading van Doorman (who is revealed as more of a social admiral rather than a military one), crewing their tacships with a mix of ex-cops and ex-convicts, and finding ways to get their much needed supplies (with the help of an alien spindar). Eventually, due to events from the previous book, the Empire ends up at war with the Tahn, a war that Sten sees coming but is powerless to prevent. Sten''s tacships stop first invasion attempt, but Sten is unable to protect planet indefinitely and eventually loses all his ships (one due to friendly fire, second mysteriously "vanishes", third and fourth are destroyed while defending from second invasion). Sten, Alex and his surviving crew continues in defense of planet as infantry, but eventually situation on Cavite becomes unsustainable and Sten is forced to evacuate all remaining military forces Unfortunately, Tahn fleet intercepts Sten''s convoy and he has no choice than attack his numerically superior opponent. When his transports manage to escape, Sten surrenders his heavily damaged ship and both Sten and Alex are captured by Tahn.

Fleet of the Damned

The novel is set on year 2016 Earth, with several interstellar ships being launched by the US and the EU in the hopes of finding habitable worlds to alleviate the overpopulation of Earth, only to find that while inhabitable worlds exists aplenty, they are all taken by a Commonwealth of alien races. This device allows the author to explain why his colonists are sent to the one world available, devoid of any life form because of its unexplainable lack of metals. Zahn describes briefly the conflicts between the military and civilian parts of the Astra expedition, the latter further divided between scientists and colonists, then introduces the main device of the novel - the planet itself somehow absorbs the metal, leading to equipment literally vanishing into the ground. Soon after the disappearance, what was thought to be a dormant volcano launches into orbit a cable of an unknown material, which turns out to be superconductive, of great tensile strength and with the ability to atomically bond with anything it touches. From this fact the author derives the novel''s title: Astra is actually the "Spinneret" of this cable. What once was a resource-less dirtball soon becomes the most popular factory in the galaxy, with several alien races, the UN and the United States all jockeying for rights to the cable, with the colonists stuck in between. Looming over this tableau lies the question of who the Spinners were - or are, why they disappeared, and what they could have used such huge amounts of cable for. In the epilogue, an Astra expedition on a newly recovered Spinner craft discovers the Spinner world - englobed in a Dyson sphere of Cable material, designed to project the same spectrum of a red giant. The scientists conclude that the Spinners, involved in a war with some other than extinct race, had decided to disguise their home star in the unsuccessful attempt not to be found and destroyed. The Spinners'' world becomes the new Earth population outlet, with the proceedings of Cable sales bootstrapping its economy. The alien races depicted by Timothy Zahn are the ctencri, shrewd merchants not unlike Star Trek''s Ferengi; the rooshrike with their warrior code of honour; the m''zarch, a foolhardy race bent on war for war''s sake, reminiscent of Klingons; the pom, a marine race resembling dolphins; the orspham; and the whissst, a race whose whole culture is based upon humour and practical jokes.

Spinneret

Bud Corliss is a young man with a ruthless drive to rise above his working-class origins to a life of wealth and importance. He serves in the Pacific in World War II, and upon his honorable discharge in 1947 he learns that his father was killed in an automobile accident while he was overseas. The most pivotal moment in his life occurs during the war, when he first wounds, then kills a Japanese sniper, who is so terrified that he wets his pants and begs for mercy. Corliss is elated by the total power he holds over the soldier; at the same time, he is disgusted by the man''s display of abject terror. Upon returning to the U.S., he enrolls in college and meets Dorothy Kingship, the daughter of a wealthy copper tycoon. Seeing an opportunity to attain the riches he has always craved, he becomes Dorothy''s lover. When she tells him she is pregnant, however, he panics; he is sure that her stern, conservative father will disinherit her. Resolving to get rid of Dorothy, he tricks her into writing a letter that, to an unknowing observer, would look like a suicide note, and then throws her from the roof of a tall building. He runs no risk of getting caught, having urged Dorothy to keep their relationship a secret from her family and friends. He continues to live with his mother, who dotes on him and has no clue as to what he has done. Corliss lies low for a few months until the press coverage of Dorothy''s death has subsided. Then he pursues Dorothy''s sister, Ellen. The romance is going according to plan &mdash; until Ellen begins to probe into Dorothy''s death, convinced her sister did not kill herself. Eventually, Ellen uncovers the truth about Corliss and confronts him. Corliss nonchalantly confesses to the crime and kills Ellen as well. Unfazed by this setback, Corliss courts the last remaining Kingship daughter, Marion. This affair is the most successful; Corliss sweeps her off her feet and charms her father, and soon he and Marion are engaged. Local college DJ Gordon Gant, who met Ellen during her investigation of Dorothy''s death, begins investigating the case, and is immediately suspicious of Corliss. He breaks into Corliss'' childhood home and steals a written plan for meeting and seducing Marion to get her family''s money, as well as news clippings about Dorothy''s and Ellen''s deaths. Days before the wedding, he shows up at the Kingship family home and presents Marion and her father with the evidence of Corliss'' deception. On a trip to one of the Kingship family''s copper manufacturing plants, Marion, her father and Gant all corner Corliss while he is standing over a vat of molten copper and threaten to expose him. Corliss frantically pleads his innocence, but his accusers are unmoved. Realizing his luck has finally run out, Corliss panics and wets his pants &mdash; just as the Japanese soldier, his symbol of pathetic cowardice, had done. Delirious with fear and shame, Corliss stumbles and falls to his death into the vat below.

A Kiss Before Dying

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is a beautiful and inspiring book written by Charlie Mackesy. It tells the story of four unlikely friends that come together and explore life’s many questions. The book follows the four friends as they have conversations about life, love, friendship, and courage. Through the conversations, the four friends learn about themselves and each other, and ultimately, about the power of friendship and kindness. The book is full of vivid illustrations and wise words that will move readers of all ages. It is a book about hope, empathy, and the possibility of finding light in the darkest of times. Through their conversations, the four friends explore topics such as self-doubt, fear, courage, and belonging. They ask questions and share stories in an effort to better understand life’s complexities. The conversations are full of wit and wisdom, and readers will be inspired by the lessons that each of the four friends learn. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is an uplifting story that will bring joy and hope to all who read it.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Bertie Wooster and Gussie Fink-Nottle swap their identities, while Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright pretends to be the faux-Gussie''s valet Meadowes and Jeeves pretends to be the faux-Bertie''s valet, before complications ensue. Together, they find themselves at the Aunt-ridden Deverill Hall, Hampshire, seat of the imposing Dame Daphne Winkworth, where Gussie''s on-off engagement to Madeline Bassett is once again in danger, leaving Bertie at risk of becoming reattached to her. Bertie must also defend his friend Catsmeat''s girl Gertrude Winkworth, daughter of Dame Daphne, from the attentions of the attractive Esmond Haddock, while avoiding fulfilling his Aunt Agatha''s wish that he marry her himself... All of Jeeves'' considerable powers are required to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion. The story was adapted during the 1990-1993 British TV series Jeeves and Wooster (episode #15 "Right Ho! Jeeves", fourth of season three, aired 19 April 1992 in the UK). The story contains a synopsis of Mervyn Keene, Clubman which is the most complete example of the works of Rosie M. Banks ever given in the works of Wodehouse. Its recitation by Madeline Basset leaves hearer Bertie Wooster in a state of dazed horror. At the time of writing there was bad blood between Wodehouse and fellow author A. A. Milne. The book included several satirical jibes aimed at Milne, for instance after Bertie (pressured by Madeline Basset) agrees to recite Christopher Robin poems at the village concert, he laments: "A fellow who comes on a platform and starts reciting about Christopher Robin going hoppity-hoppity-hop (or alternatively saying his prayers) does not do so from sheer wantonness but because he is a helpless victim of circumstances beyond his control."

The Mating Season

The core of the plot is the romantic triangle formed by the protagonist, a conscripted soldier named Private Brigg; a worldly professional soldier named Sergeant Driscoll, and Phillipa Raskin, the daughter of the Regimental Sergeant Major. The location is a British army base in Singapore during the Malayan Emergency. Brigg and Phillipa are virgins in every sense of the word; they''re both barely out of adolescence. Brigg is fearful of Phillipa''s father and hardly dares go near her. He is equally afraid of the Malayan and Chinese prostitutes in the nearby city. His only outlet is with his mates in the barracks, who fantasize endlessly about what they might do without actually knowing how to go ahead and do it. Phillipa is getting more and more rebellious, eventually setting herself up with Sgt. Driscoll as a lover while she leads Brigg on in the romance department. Brigg, meanwhile, has finally summoned up the courage and the cash to approach a prostitute, called Juicy Lucy by the troops. The encounter starts out disastrously, but after Lucy realizes Brigg is a virgin, she takes pity on him and begins his education in her own way. This develops into a long-term relationship, at least for Brigg, who she calls affectionately "Bligg". Brigg tries not to think about what Lucy does when he is not with her. Driscoll is seething with his own inner demons. He keeps taunting a Sgt. Wellbeloved with the phrase "Rusty nails!". Wellbeloved boasts constantly of keeping the Japanese busy during WW2, as a one-man guerilla army. Towards the end of the tale, the secret is revealed: Wellbeloved was a coward, and Rusty Nails was the nickname of the soldier he betrayed to the Japanese. Driscoll beats Wellbeloved into a pulp on behalf of the victim. The novel crystallizes around violent incidents involving rioting in the city and an attack by Communist guerillas on a train. Several of Brigg''s friends are killed. Brigg tries to find Lucy for solace, only to be told she was beaten to death by soldiers. (In the film, the locomotive destroyed was one of the last four used to haul mainline BR steam - the famous Fifteen Guinea Special.) Mere days before he is to be sent home, he confronts Phillipa with his frustrations, with unexpectedly pleasant results. For Phillipa, however, he is a passing fancy. Her Sergeant awaits ... Eventually Brigg and his remaining friends are about to embark for home. The final scene has them shouting the name of a laundryman whom Brigg''s has mistakenly shot in the hand in an earlier episode, a certain Fuk Yew. It symbolizes their relation to Malaya, and Malaya to them, when the tailor responds with the appropriate hand signal, using his damaged hand. One may compare the British-made ''Virgin Soldiers'' serving out their 2 years of National Service in Malaya, with the American-made ''MASH'' portraying US soldiers serving out their 2 years of the draft in Korea in the same period. There is a stark difference in the style of the humour.

The Virgin Soldiers

Colin "CD" Dobson, lives a humdrum life at a critical point in history. The environment is being destroyed by a series of ''avalanches'' - sudden upsets in the Earth''s ecosystem, causing widespread destruction. The Stark conspiracy is a cabal of the world''s richest and most influential men, who have long been aware that the planet''s ecosystem is approaching total collapse. For decades they have been launching unmanned spacecraft loaded with supplies into orbit around the Earth and the Moon. Seeking to save their own lives and leave everyone else to suffer from ''total toxic overload'', they secretly build a fleet of spacecraft with the intention colonizing the Moon. Using crude intimidation, they purchase land from Aboriginals in Western Australia to use as a launch site. They sell their stocks and commodities to raise cash, dumping the assets at the same time and in high volumes to engineer a worldwide stockmarket crash and lower the price of the resources they need. They buy the Moon from the United States government, along with the hardware to reach it. Six vessels are designed to travel to the Moon, three of which will carry humans, with room for 250 humans on each. The vessels are named ''Star Arks'', referencing the Biblical story of Noah''s Ark. The Star Arks contain human and animal embryos in suspended animation, as well as resources needed for life support. The Star Arks are prepared under the cover story that the consortium is building a desert resort. CD and his friends form a group called ''EcoAction''. Each of them have their own reason for fighting the consortium, with the collective goal of trying to protect the environment. They take action against the consortium''s activities, and in the process uncover the conspiracy. They infiltrate the launch site and wreak havoc. CD and one of the conspirators, Sly Moorcock, compete for the affections of Rachel, who eventually joins the conspiracy as Sly''s intended partner. EcoAction try to warn the rest of the world about the plan, but they are not taken seriously. The cabal kill many of those who have investigated or uncovered the conspiracy. Rachel turns on Sly at the last minute so she can sabotage the launch, but he overpowers and tries to abduct her. She escapes and rejoins the surviving members of EcoAction. The Stark Conspiracy blast off, but find that their existence is frustrating and lonely. Sly Moorcock eventually commits suicide. The narrative ends with an admonishment for the world''s consumers over their inaction on environmental issues in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Stark

The book begins less than seven hours after the end of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger after The Man in Black has described The Gunslinger''s fate using tarot cards. Roland wakes up on a beach, where he is suddenly attacked by a strange, lobster-like creature, which he dubs a "lobstrosity." He kills the creature but not before losing the index and middle finger of his right hand, and most of his right big toe; his untreated wounds soon become infected. Feverish and losing strength, Roland continues to trek north along the beach, where he eventually encounters three doors. Each door opens onto New York City at different periods in time (1987, 1964 and 1977, respectively) and, as Roland passes through these doors, he brings back the companions who will join him on his quest to the Dark Tower. The first door (labeled "The Prisoner") brings Eddie Dean, a heroin addict who is in the process of smuggling cocaine for the drug lord Enrico Balazar. Since Eddie was headed deeper into addiction (at the hands of his brother Henry) or prison (at the hands of the government), or worse (at the hands of his drug lord), he decides to throw his lot in with Roland, although with deep misgivings that he occasionally gives vent to in the form of angry outbursts. The second door (labeled "The Lady of Shadows," so called for her multiple personalities and metaphorically, multiple shadows) reveals Odetta Holmes, a black woman who is active in the civil rights movement. She is wealthy and missing her legs below the knees after being pushed in front of a subway car. Odetta is completely unaware that she has an alternate personality, a violent, predatory woman named Detta. Roland and Eddie are forced to contend with both of these personalities when Odetta''s body is forcibly abducted into their world. Instead of revealing a new companion, the third door (labeled "The Pusher") instead reveals a new adversary for Roland: Jack Mort, a sociopath who takes sadistic pleasure in injuring and killing random strangers &mdash; and the man responsible for the head trauma that created Odetta Holmes''s alternate personality, the loss of Odetta/Detta''s legs, and the death of Jake Chambers. Mort''s murder of Jake led to Jake''s appearance in The Gunslinger. Roland''s decisions while dealing with Mort are crucial to later events in the series. The encounter results in the death of Jack Mort and the fusing of the personalities of Odetta and Detta to form a third woman, who will thenceforth be called Susannah. Although the Gunslinger does not bring "The Pusher" with him into his own world (as might be guessed based upon what has happened regarding the previous two doors), his quest for the Dark Tower is not lost, because Roland does draw his third. His third is Susannah; the result of Odetta and Detta''s fusion of minds. Through his actions both in his world, and in Eddie, Susannah, and Jack Mort''s world, Roland saves Eddie and Susannah. He saves Eddie by curing him of his addiction and bringing Susannah, whom Eddie loves. He saves Susannah by helping her fuse her former personalities, Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker, into a stronger single personality, Susannah Dean. Both owe their lives to Roland, and Roland is acutely aware that he may need to sacrifice them to reach the Tower. Each of these people is essential for Roland to continue his quest. They are all part of a ka-tet, defined as "one made from many" and "sharing the same destiny."

The Drawing of the Three

Frannie Falconer has a crush on someone. For once, it''s on someone who doesn''t look like a Museum of Natural History exhibit- hot vegetarian volunteer Jeffrey Osbourne, who even her gay best friend and ''brain twin'' Marcus Beauregard can''t find anything to laugh about. She''s chronically shy around him, though, so Marcus suggests that she chat with him online, as it takes away some of the nausea of face-to-face conversation. Even that doesn''t work, so Marcus decides to ''help out'' a little- by taking over the keyboard and writing the conversations for her. At first, this works out perfectly, because Frannie''s hovering over his shoulder making sure he doesn''t do anything stupid. Later, however, Marcus becomes tempted to continue on these conversations when Frannie''s not around using her screen name--and it becomes unclear exactly who Jeffrey likes- Marcus or Frannie. Meanwhile, Frannie and Jeffrey''s so-called ''relationship'' is suffering—as chronicled with such madcap adventures as Marcus signing Frannie up for the school carnival''s "Shoot the Freak" booth while he''s online talking to Jeffrey. Frannie begins to worry that Marcus may be jealous of her spending so much time with Jeffrey and his group, especially after Jeffrey''s best friend Glenn makes a somewhat nasty homophobic joke. Eventually, however, Frannie finds out that Marcus has been posing as her online, and they get into a huge fight. She calls Jenn, one of her other friends, and they realize that Jeffrey wasn''t falling for Frannie at all, but actually for Marcus, who he thought was Frannie. This leads them to believe that Jeffrey might be gay. Frannie decides to find out by trying to seduce Jeffrey by wearing a negligee and serving him ginseng-laced hot cacao, but when he throws up, she decides he must be gay. Marcus and Frannie reconcile, and she tells him of her suspicions of Jeffrey''s sexuality. They decide to take Jeffrey to a meeting of the school''s Gay-Straight Alliance, but this doesn''t give them any information. Marcus decides to try and hook up with Jeffrey. The next day, Frannie is waiting outside of the Lincoln Park Cinema, waiting for Marcus to arrive so they can see a special showing of King Kong. To her surprise, Glenn, Jeffrey''s best friend, shows up, telling her that Marcus told him to go there. Marcus calls, telling Frannie he has a flat and will be ''unable to make it,'' and Frannie realizes what Marcus is going to do—and that he''s trying to set her and Glenn up. She tells Glenn about it, and he reveals to her that he''s gay, denying the fact that Jeffrey is. Frannie puts two and two together and realizes that Marcus is about to make the ''most humiliating mistake of his life'' by trying to hit on Jeffrey. They rush over to Buckingham Fountain, where Marcus is just about to kiss Jeffrey. Everything gets sorted out, and Jeffrey confesses that he needed help with the online conversations as well, so Glenn helped him, and eventually the same thing that happened with Marcus and Frannie happened with them as well. Jeffrey and Frannie walk off, while Glenn talks to Marcus and eventually kisses him. Meanwhile, Frannie tells Jeffrey that they would be better off as friends. In the end, Glenn ends up with Marcus, the German girl Astrid is still hitting on Jeffrey, and Frannie ends up with a freaky quasi-cowboy she met at a line-dancing place Marcus''s grandmother made them go.

M or F?

In The Comet''s Watchmaker, The Count de Champignac goes to visit his great nephew and entrusts the castle to Spirou and Fantasio, who both hope to relax. However, a strange vessel crashes in their garden and an individual resembling the Count de Champignac, accompanied by a strange creature, Snouffelaire, disembark. The individual proves to be the descendant of the Count, Aurélien, come from the future to look for the seeds of some plants that are extinct in his time in order to preserve them, located in the forest of Palombia. Knowing about the hostile environment of the Palombian jungle, Spirou proposes that he and Fantasio accompany Aurélien. However a malfunction sends the vessel to the sixteenth century during the Portuguese colonization of Palombie. Spirou, Fantasio and Aurélien are confronted by the hostile cannibals and the colonists who take them for French spies. Finally, Aurélien''s vessel disintegrates, but strange individuals come from even further in the future to save them and to bring them back to their respective times. <!--

L''horloger de la comète

As the novel opens, Blacky is worried about the imminent grand final and the responsibility he carries as the team’s new first ruck. His opponent will be the unstoppable ‘Thumper’. To protect himself, Blacky has devised the ‘Thumper tackle’ which is the ultimate defence of the coward: it looks like he is trying to tackle his opponent but is really an elaborate dodge. During the teams after-party however, the coaches son is given the honour of the Best On Ground award, which he believes should have been bestowed upon Dumby Red, the star player of the team. Soon after the news reports that Dumby and his two brothers have been shot dead while robbing a Public Bar, resulting in the breakdown of Blacky''s emotional life. Blacky spends much of that winter dodging responsibility in a similar manner. By the end of the following summer, however, he understands the importance of making a stand and is able to do so. His brothers and sisters join him in his stand and the novel ends with Blacky at peace with himself, happy in his relationship with his siblings, and confident that he will be able to deal with the problems that will come with the morning.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

Read - Listen - Learn

Homunculus

By James Blaylock

Fleet of the Damned

By Chris Bunch

Spinneret

By Timothy Zahn

A Kiss Before Dying

By Ira Levin

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

By Charlie Mackesy

The Mating Season

By P. G. Wodehouse

The Virgin Soldiers

No Author Listed

Stark

By Ben Elton

The Drawing of the Three

By Stephen King

M or F?

By Lisa Papademetriou

L'horloger de la comète

No Author Listed

Deadly, Unna?

By Phillip Gwynne