Herzog is a novel set in 1964, in the United States, and is about the midlife crisis of a Jewish man named Moses E. Herzog. At the age of forty-seven, he is just emerging from his second divorce, this one particularly acrimonious. He has two children, one by each wife, who are growing up without him present. His career as a writer and as an academic has floundered. He is in a relationship with a vibrant woman, Ramona, but finds himself running away from commitment. Herzog''s second marriage, to the demanding, manipulative Madeleine, has recently ended in a humiliating fashion. While still actively married, Madeleine convinced Moses to move her and their daughter Junie to Chicago, and to arrange for their best friends, Valentine and Phoebe Gersbach, to move as well, securing a solid job for Valentine. However, the plans were all a ruse, as Madeleine and Valentine were carrying on an affair behind Moses''s back, and shortly after arriving in Chicago, Madeleine throws Herzog out, securing a restraining order (of sorts) against him, and attempting to have him committed to an asylum. Herzog spends much of his time mentally writing letters he never sends. These letters are aimed at friends, family members, and famous figures. The recipients may be dead, and Herzog has often never met these people. The one common thread is that Herzog is always expressing disappointment, either his own in the failings of others or their words, or apologizing for the way he has disappointed others. The novel opens with Herzog in his house in Ludeyville, a town in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. He is contemplating returning to New York to see Ramona, but instead flees to Martha''s Vineyard to visit some friends. He arrives at their house, but writes a note – this one an actual note – saying that he has to leave: :"Not able to stand kindness at this time. Feeling, heart, everything in strange condition. Unfinished business." He heads to New York to start trying to finish that business, including regaining custody of his daughter, Junie. After spending a night with Ramona, he heads to the courthouse to meet his lawyer to discuss his plans, and ends up witnessing a series of tragicomic court hearings, including one where a woman is charged with beating her three-year-old to death by flinging him against a wall. Moses, already distraught after receiving a letter from Junie''s babysitter about an incident where Valentine locked Junie in the car while he and Madeleine argued inside the house, heads to Chicago. He goes to his stepmother''s house and picks up an antique pistol with two bullets in it, forming a vague plan of killing Madeleine and Valentine and running off with Junie. The plan goes awry when he sees Valentine giving Junie a bath and realizes that Junie is in no danger. The next day, after taking his daughter to the aquarium, Herzog is in a car accident and ends up charged with possession of a loaded weapon. His brother, the rational Will, picks him up and tries to get him back on his feet. Herzog heads to Ludeyville, where his brother meets him and tries to convince him to check himself into an institution. But Herzog, who had previously considered doing just that, is now coming to terms with his life. Ramona comes up to join him for a night – much to Will''s surprise – and Herzog begins making plans to fix up the house, which, like his life, needs repair but is still structurally sound. Herzog closes by saying that he doesn''t need to write any more letters. Through the flashbacks that litter the novel, other critical details of Herzog''s life come to light, including his marriage to the stable Daisy and the existence of their son, Marco; the life of Herzog''s father, a failure at every job he tried; and Herzog''s sexual molestation by a stranger on a street in Montreal.

Herzog

Gabriel Noone is a gay writer whose late-night radio stories have brought him into the homes of millions. Noone has recently separated from Jess, his partner of ten years. Noone''s publisher sends him the galleys of a memoir apparently written by a 13-year-old boy, Peter Lomax. The author claims to have been the victim of sexual abuse and infected with AIDS. According to his memoir, his father started beating him at two and raped him at four; his mother videotaped the "sessions". When he was eight years old, his parents started pimping him and selling videotapes. When Pete was age 11, he ran away with the pornographic tapes, and his parents were jailed. A psychologist named Donna Lomax took the boy in and eventually adopted him. Noone contacts the boy and they start exchanging a series of phone calls that develop into a kind of father/son relationship. He begins to suspect that Pete does not exist and that he and his memoir are fabrications by Donna. Even a visit to their home is inconclusive, and the novel ends with Gabriel feeling that the value of the relationship to him is more important than whether or not Pete is real. Subplots in the novel revolve around Gabriel''s relationships with his lover and his father. Important themes are the nature of father/son relationships, the power struggle involved in caring for and being cared for by another, the embellishment of truth, and the secrets we keep even in the most intimate relationships.

The Night Listener

Brothers Arcite and Palamon are captured and imprisoned by Theseus, duke of Athens following his intervention against Creon. Their cell is in the tower of Theseus''s castle which overlooks his palace garden. In prison Palamon wakes early one morning in May, to see Emily (Emelia) in the courtyard; his moan is heard by Arcita, who then too wakes to see Emily, and falls in love with her as well. The competition brought about by this love causes them to hate each other. After some years, Arcita is released from prison through the good offices of Theseus''s friend Pirithoos, and then returns to Athens in disguise and enters service in Emily''s household. Palamon eventually escapes by drugging the jailer and while hiding in a grove overhears Arcita singing about love and fortune. They begin to duel with each other over who should get Emily, but are thwarted by the arrival of Theseus, who sentences them to gather 100 men apiece and fight a mass judicial tournament, the winner of which is to marry Emily. The forces assemble; Palamon prays to Venus to make Emily his wife; Emily prays to Diana to stay unmarried and that if that should prove impossible that she marry the one who really loves her; and Arcita prays to Mars for victory. Theseus lays down rules for the tournament so that if any man becomes seriously injured, he must be dragged out of the battle and is no longer in combat. Because of this, the story seems to claim at the end that there were almost no deaths on either side. Although both Palamon and Arcita fight valiantly, Palamon is wounded by a sword thrust from one of Arcita''s men, and is unhorsed. Thesus declares the fight to be over. Arcita wins the battle, but following an intervention by Saturn, is wounded by his horse throwing him off and then falling on him before he can claim Emily as his prize. As he dies, he tells Emily that she should marry Palamon, because he would make a good husband for her, and so Palamon marries Emily. Therefore all prayers were fulfilled by the gods for those who asked for their assistance.

The Knight''s Tale

Apart from a prologue following the formation of the Boer nationalist group Broederbond in 1918, the story takes place in 1992. The plot follows two parallel patterns, one during late apartheid South Africa where incumbent president F.W. de Klerk, leader of the Afrikaner minority which is on the brink of losing power to the African majority under the leadership of the ANC, about to end 44 years of suppression by the Broederbond rule. Simultaneously, detective chief inspector Kurt Wallander is investigating a case of a missing female Methodist real-estate agent outside Ystad. Upon the eventual recovery of her body, as well as the discovery of a black cut-off finger at the crime scene, detective Wallander realizes the case has deep roots in the history and current development in South Africa, where an extremist cell of the Broederbond is about to orchestrate the assassination of Nelson Mandela, wishing to plunge the country into a long and devastating civil war. Mankell, who himself is deeply interested in questions concerning South Africa and its history and who resides in the country part-time, released the book in 1993 during the reign of the National Party and the Afrikaner rule.

The White Lioness

The orphanage outside Mill Valley has closed for Christmas, and the children have been dispatched to various homes for the holiday. Only one child, Ivy, is overlooked. The head of the home cannot take Ivy home with her, so she decides to send her to an infants'' orphanage some distance away. Ivy suggests that she could instead go to her "grandma''s house"&nbsp;&ndash; but she has no grandmother. Ivy is put on a train, which passes through the town of Mill Valley. While it is stopped, Ivy looks out of the window and notices that, due to a malfunction, the illuminated welcome sign no longer reads MILL VALLEY but instead reads I V Y. She takes this to indicate that she really does have a grandma, and that she lives in that town. She leaves the train, and it departs without her. Meanwhile, a beautiful new Christmas doll named Holly is standing in the display window of Mr. Blossom''s toy store, wishing for a little girl to come and take her home. The toy owl next to her, Abracadabra, treats her with undisguised contempt, and suggests that, since no one will want Holly after the holiday, she will wind up spending the year in the back room with him. Elsewhere in Mill Valley, Mrs. Jones suggests to her husband that they have a Christmas tree that year, but her husband refuses, saying that it would be a waste of money since they have no children to enjoy it. Despite his words, Mrs. Jones buys a Christmas tree and decorates it. After a very hectic afternoon, Mr. Blossom''s toy store finally closes. Neither Holly nor Abracadabra has been sold. Mr. Blossom is tired from a long day''s work, so he asks Peter to lock up the store for him, telling him that he can pick a toy for himself as a bonus. Peter locks up the store, but the key slips out of a hole in his pocket without him noticing, landing in the snow outside the shop. Meanwhile, Ivy''s search for her grandma has not gone well. Feeling very discouraged, she is walking past the toy store when Holly catches her eye. The doll is exactly what she wanted, but she is outside, and the store is locked. She finds the key that Peter dropped, and decides to keep it. Night falls, and she takes shelter in a nearby alley. The next morning, she returns to the toy store to look at Holly, and overhears a conversation between Peter and Officer Jones, who has been on patrol all night. Peter is distraught about losing the key to the shop. Ivy realizes that was the key that she found, and returns it. Peter goes in to check the store. Officer Jones quickly realizes that Ivy is on her own, and decides to take her home for breakfast. Peter ensures that the store has not been robbed. Since little Ivy saved his job, he decides to use his bonus to select a present for her, and chooses Holly. Abracadabra, furious that Holly''s wish is about to come true, hurls himself at Peter and winds up in the trash. When Mr. Blossom goes to retrieve him later, he has mysteriously vanished. At the Jones''s house, Ivy realizes that they have a beautiful Christmas tree and no children, which means that she has found her grandma. Shortly after, Peter delivers a beautifully wrapped box, which contains Holly. Everyone''s wishes have come true: Ivy has a family and a Christmas doll. Holly has a little girl love her. And when they adopt Ivy, the Joneses have the child they always wanted.

The Story of Holly and Ivy

The first four stanzas describe a pastoral setting. The Lady of Shalott lives in an island castle in a river which flows to Camelot, but little is known about her by the local farmers. :And by the moon the reaper weary, :Piling sheaves in uplands airy, :Listening, whispers, " ''Tis the fairy ::Lady of Shalott." Stanzas five to eight describe the lady''s life. She suffers from a mysterious curse, and must continually weave images on her loom without ever looking directly out at the world. Instead, she looks into a mirror which reflects the busy road and the people of Camelot which pass by her island. :She knows not what the curse may be, :And so she weaveth steadily, :And little other care hath she, ::The Lady of Shalott. The reflected images are described as "shadows of the world," a metaphor that makes clear that they are a poor substitute for seeing directly ("I am half-sick of shadows.") Stanzas nine to twelve describe "bold Sir Lancelot" as he rides by, and is seen by the lady. :All in the blue unclouded weather :Thick-jewell''d shone the saddle-leather, :The helmet and the helmet-feather :Burn''d like one burning flame together, ::As he rode down to Camelot. The remaining seven stanzas describe the effect on the lady of seeing Lancelot; she stops weaving and looks out of her window toward Camelot, bringing about the curse. :Out flew the web and floated wide- :The mirror crack''d from side to side; :"The curse is come upon me," cried ::The Lady of Shalott. She leaves her tower, finds a boat upon which she writes her name, and floats down the river to Camelot. She dies before arriving at the palace. Among the knights and ladies who see her is Lancelot, who thinks she is lovely. :"Who is this? And what is here?" :And in the lighted palace near :Died the sound of royal cheer; :And they crossed themselves for fear, ::All the Knights at Camelot; :But Lancelot mused a little space :He said, "She has a lovely face; :God in his mercy lend her grace, ::The Lady of Shalott."

The Lady of Shalott

Rise the Euphrates begins with Casard’s story. At the time of the genocide, Casard is ten and still goes by her original Armenian name Garod. In Armenian, “Garod” means yearning which is what Casard does the rest of her life: yearn for an Armenia which no longer exists. Casard’s mother’s name is Seta, the same name given to Casard’s granddaughter. The Turks invaded Garod’s town of Harput, murdering the men and raping many women and girls. Among those to escape rape and death, Garod and her mother Seta are driven out of town into the desert. After walking for two weeks without water or food, the caravan reaches the Euphrates River. The river lies in front of the caravan, and a band of murdering Turks emerges from behind, forcing a choice; death by drowning or death by Turkish sword. Seta takes Garod’s hand and prepares to jump into the Euphrates. At the last second, Garod remains on the bank and watches her mother drown. Turning around, Garod sees the band of Turks departing. Garod then wanders in the desert for several days, forgetting her name in the process. Later, under the care of nuns, Garod is given the name Cafard, which is a French word meaning melancholy of the soul. She eventually emigrates to the United States. At Ellis Island, immigration officials hear her name as Casard. While at Ellis Island, Casard meets, and after an afternoon of courtship, marries her husband Vrej; another exiled Armenian. Casard and Vrej had one daughter, Araxie. Araxie grows up and marries an odar, a non Armenian husband, named George Loon. George and Araxie have three children, Van, Seta, and Melanie. When Seta is born, Casard takes Seta into her arms and whispers her story of the genocide. Casard then tells Seta that her task is to recover Casard’s forgotten name. Araxie was also given the task to find Casard’s name. However, one generation removed from the genocide has left Araxie near Casard’s pain to achieve the type of reconciliation Seta is capable of. Seta’s younger years are marked with the tensions occurring between her mother and grandmother. Casard dies unexpectedly when Seta is twelve from a fatal car crash. Similar to the Armenian genocide, the Loon family life after Casard’s death is never the same once Casard is gone. The remainder of the book highlights Seta’s growing up years. However, with Casard’s passing, Seta’s life becomes more American and less Armenian-American. Araxie finds herself without a final opportunity to reconcile with her mother and becomes depressed. Later she divorces George Loon. Without Casard, the family structure and its place in the Armenian- American community disintegrates. Despite this, Seta remembers Casard’s hidden story and the desire that her lost name be recovered. This recovery is achieved through another Armenian-American girl, Theresa Van. Several years later, Seta betrays Theresa with a lie in order to secure her own popularity. After this betrayal, the girls do not interact for several years. Shortly after Seta and Theresa turn 15, Theresa’s mother dies. A few weeks after her mother’s death, Theresa is abducted and severely beaten by a well known member of the town. While Theresa is recuperating, Seta brings offerings of sorts to Theresa’s house. Her interaction with Theresa and the offerings she brings draw Seta back into the Armenian community. At the end of the book, Seta and Theresa play the duduk together. That night after playing the duduk with Theresa, and wholly embracing her Armenian heritage, Seta dreams of the women who were at the Euphrates River the day Casard forgot her name. The women tell the story of what Casard was only able to verbalize as “the indignities”. When she wakes up from her dream, Seta has recovered Casard’s name, Garod, which she then relays to Araxie.

Rise the Euphrates

The play is set in Palermo in Sicily, in Massinger''s era &mdash; during the Spanish Habsburg rule of southern Italy. The plot involves the intertwined marital fortunes of the younger generation of two prominent families &mdash; those of the (otherwise unnamed) Viceroy of Sicily and Duke of Messina. The Viceroy has a son, Don Pedro, and a daughter, Almira; the Duke has a son, Don Martino Cardenes, and a niece, Leonora. The two couples, Pedro and Leonora and Cardenes and Almira, are in love and hope to be married. One source of contention clouds their matchmaking: another wealthy and prominent nobleman and a close friend of Pedro''s, Don John Antonio, the Prince of Tarent (or Taranto, in southern Italy), had come to the Viceroy''s court in Palermo with great display and expense, hoping to win the hand of Almira. She, however, has refused his suit in favor of Cardenes, and none too subtly or gently. As the play opens, Antonio has asked permission to pay his farewell respects to Almira; but in her arrogance she refuses this last courtesy. Pedro protests her rudeness, but Cardenes, an insecure and touchy young man, supports her decision. He goes a step further, confronting the departing Antonio, picking a quarrel with him, and striking him. The two draw their swords, and Antonio inflicts a severe and almost fatal wound upon Cardenes. Antonio is arrested and confined to prison &mdash; but his friend Pedro helps him escape. Cardenes survives his wound but endures a long convalescence and a bout of deep depression; Almira, burdened with grief and guilt, is sometimes hysterical, and those around her fear that she is losing her sanity. The Duke of Messina is incensed that Antonio has escaped the Viceroy''s authority, and suspects collusion, though Pedro denies it. The Duke has Leonora accompany Almira in her convalescent seclusion, to keep her away from Pedro; both women are put under the watch of a court functionary named Cuculo and his wife Borachia. Antonio returns to Palermo, but appears in the slave market in the guise of a Turk; he is purchased by Cuculo and becomes a household servant, where he impresses everyone with his manners and breeding. Borachia thinks he must be the son of the Turkish sultan. In his slave guise, Antonio acts as the go-between for Pedro and Leonora. Both Cardenes and Almira are enduring their own versions of recovery from mental stress; Cardenes is under the cure of a prominent physician, while Leonora helps Almira regain her emotional balance. Almira loses some of her arrogance and acquires a measure of humility and sense; she also develops an infatuation with the Turkish slave who is really Antonio, her spurned suitor. When pirates break into Cuculo''s house and attempt to abduct Almira and Leonora, Antonio plays a crucial role in fighting off the would-be kidnappers and rescue the two women. But while their fathers are expressing their gratitude, Almira provokes her father by announcing that she is in love with the Turkish slave. The irate Viceroy sends the man to prison, but Almira refuses to back down, saying that she will inflict upon herself whatever torture he suffers. The matter is resolved once Antonio reveals his true identity. Cardenes is now fully cured, restored to physical and mental health &mdash; but the court is astonished when Cardenes rejects the idea of marrying Almira. His near-fatal wound, his long convalescence, and his depression have given the young man a more mature and austere view of life, and he has turned away from egotism and sensuality. With Antonio substituted for Cardenes, the two couples who began the play can proceed to the altar. The comic relief in the play involves subjects &mdash; alcoholism and slavery &mdash; that are now generally considered questionable sources of humor. Borachia is an alcoholic, who turns aggressive and caustic when drunk; one of the slaves is an Englishman who has lived in France and absorbed French manners, a source of amusement for the play''s original audience. On the more serious side, the drama displays Massinger''s strong interest in medical and psychiatric matters and especially in the subject of clinical depression and its treatment. Samuel Taylor Coleridge reportedly once called the piece "one of the most perfect plays we have" &mdash; an extreme of enthusiasm that no other commentator has matched.

A Very Woman

When Tara Hawrami is returning from school one day, she witnesses Iraqi troops shoot a mullah and an innocent boy reading a newspaper in broad daylight. This sight changes her thinking forever. However, when she returns home she is stunned when her mother, Teriska Khan shows a very muted reaction; Teriska Khan reveals that she and Tara''s father have been concealing the horrors of the ongoing war between Iraq and Iran from Tara, including shootings like the one Tara had witnessed. That night, an injured intruder enters Tara''s house, who turns out to be her Uncle Rostam, a resistance fighter. The following morning, Tara''s father, Kak Soran, suddenly returns with Tara''s brother, Ashti, and her grandmother from Baghdad. Tara''s life changes quickly and drastically from that moment on. When Rostam and Ashti leave to join the resistance fighters, the pesh murgas, Kak Soran is soon forced to go into hiding as well when the authorities suspect he has been indirectly supporting the pesh murgas. Tara''s apprehension only grows when the rest of her family must escape into a village in the mountains soon afterward. Life in the mountains is peaceful, but boring for Tara until the area ends up being bombed repeatedly, injuring Tara. When Ashti arrives in the village after being injured, Kak Soran and Teriska Khan plan a risky escape to Iran through the mountains all the way to Iran where they wind up in a refugee camp for several months. Ashti, fearing conscription into the Iranian army, runs back to Iraq while Teriska Khan becomes very ill and sad as her son does not return for many months. Gradually Teriska Khan does recover after Tara finds a friendly neighbour willing to help. Tara has to care of her mother and younger sister Hero, until Teriska Khan recovers. Kak Soran''s connections eventually come through and Tara''s family manages to find help in the form of Kak Soran''s cousin. However, with no available jobs in Iran, the family realizes that they must escape the country to become refugees in another country. Using the last of their savings, the family manages to arrive in London, where they apply for refugee status. In London, Kak Soran manages to get in contact with a family friend, who offers them a place to stay. In every place that Tara has been displaced to, she has experienced culture shock and needed to adjust quickly; At first the family has a hard time getting used to the new language and the new lifestyle. Tara''s English gradually improves and despite the traumatic experiences she has endured, she manages to make some friends at her new school. Her family is overjoyed they hear that Ashti will soon arrive in London after several years apart. Though their new life is difficult and less comfortable than their old home in Iraq, Tara learns not to take anything for granted. The family gets back together and begins to live a better, new life.

Kiss the Dust

The story begins with Urza becoming a Planeswalker. After the cataclysm at the end of The Brothers'' War, the ''walker spark within Urza, giving him the ability to traverse between worlds, as well as immortality. He swears to avenge his brother by destroying the plane of Phyrexia. From within Phyrexia, he saves a newt by the name of Xantcha, and brings her to live with him on Dominaria. Together, they plan attacks and moves against the Phyrexian hordes. Xantcha is sent on a mission to Efuan Pincar, where she buys a slave boy by the name of Ratepe. When she brings him home to Urza, he believes that Ratepe is his brother Mishra reincarnate. Ratepes family and village had been destroyed by the Red Stripes, and they soon find out that the Red Stripes are under the control of Phyrexian sleepers. Urza invades Phyrexia with several Dragon Engines, but is defeated without being able to cause severe damage to the core of the world. He manages to Planeswalk away, and slinks back to Dominaria to recover his losses. During a visit to Efuan Pincar, Xantcha and Ratepe see a group of men who they believe to be sleepers leaving for the forest, and follow them to stop them from opening a portal to their home plane. They engage in battle, and Xantcha slays the sleepers, but not before a Phyrexian priest comes through the portal. She defeats the priest, but has much more trouble destroying the portal. Using an incendiary artifact that Urza constructed, she blows the portal apart, and severely injures herself. As a newt however, she does not have nerves, and is able to stay alive. While Xantcha is unconscious, Urza takes her to Serra''s Realm, a haven of Angels and White mana, where the air sustains your hunger. Urza is injured from his endeavours with the Phyrexians, and is given use of Serra''s cocoon, a healing device. Xantcha, however, is labelled as evil due to her Black Mana source, and is sentenced to be killed by exile. She survives her ordeal, and is returned to Serra''s palace by a group of Archangels by Urza''s command. She too is healed in Serra''s cocoon, and the two soon return to Dominaria. As the Phyrexian occupation in Efuan Pincar is getting out of hand, Urza constructs devices (called spiders) which cause the destruction of glistening oil (a Phyrexians Lifeblood) by emitting a high frequency sound. He begins to build thousands of them, to spread all throughout Dominaria. They are created to be set off at the peak of the Glimmer Moon. Ratepe also helps to create the devices, as well as creating a few variations. One of which is made to destroy stone. Urza and Xantcha begin to deposit these devices throughout the land, and Ratepe begs Xantcha to deliver his stone destruction spiders to the church and Red Stripes Barracks. While inside the church, Xantcha is led down to a lower chamber. Here, she encounters Gix, the supposedly destroyed Demon Lord of Phyrexia. She escapes, but is not able to distribute spider through the rest of the building or the barracks. Afterwords, Urza and Xantcha seek out a world called Equilor, near the edge of the universe. It is said that all the knowledge of the universe can be found here, and Urza wants to find out the origins of the Phyrexians. When they arrive, they find out that the Phyrexians were descendants of the Thran, an ancient artifact race, not a rebel Planeswalker. Urza tries to take control of the plane, saying the knowledge they have could make them ultimately powerful, but the people refuse, and Urza is forced to go back to Dominaria. Urza and Xantcha finish distributing the spiders, and the night of the Glimmer Moon draws near. Ratepe and Xantcha, who have fallen in love, stay within Pincar City to watch the destruction of the Phyrexians. When the Moon begins to rise, sleepers begin to scream as their glistening oil boils within them. When the Moon strikes its Zenith, the oil explodes, killing all the Phyrexians within the town, except one. Gix emerges from the temple, and begins to exact his revenge upon the citizens. Urza comes to destroy him, and engages in a battle of Sorcery. Losing, Gix flees and hides within the confines of the Temple. Urza follows, along with Xantcha and Ratepe. Urza begins strongly, but Gix focuses all his power into a beam, which sucks Urza''s eyes (Mightstone and Weakstone) from his head and begins dragging them towards a Phyrexian portal. If the eyes were to go through the portal, Urza would lose his power, and become defenseless. Ratepe and Xanctha, who have just reached the bottom chamber, recognize the peril. Together, they step into the beam, breaking the link between Gix and the stones. Urza regains his power, and quickly vanquishes Gix. Ratepe and Xantcha, are stuck within Phyrexia, sacrificing themselves to save the entire plane of Dominaria. pl:Wędrowiec (powieść Lynn Abbey)

Planeswalker

Gideon Planish (1943) takes aim at less-than-honorable fundraising organizations. In a similar manner of his other works, the reader follows the self-titled character through his life and numerous (but slightly related) professions dealing with professional "organizationality" which is better known as the for-profit industry of pompous fundraising run by shady "philanthropists" running a wide variety of guilds, committees, foundations, leagues and councils for selfish and greedy purposes. The focus of the book begins with a young Gideon demonstrating a knack for public speaking, and these skills follow him through his self-motivated and selfish undergraduate years at Adelbert College. The book then picks up an older but still vacuous Gideon, now a Professor of Rhetoric at Kinnikinick College, when he finally meets the girl of his dreams; young coed Peony Jackson of Faribault, Minnesota. Motivated by vague dreams of importance, including a dream of becoming a U.S. senator, Gideon begins his campaign for social ascension by moving from one job to another with the hopes of meeting "like-minded thinkers" with vague goals and even more flexible morals when it came to raising money for a wide variety of causes. Over the years, Gideon''s path to easy money with no accountability leads him to: * The Dean of Kinnikinick College where he begins to use this role as a springboard of notoriety by banishing books (Garfield County Censorship Board) and join do-nothing boards (including the Sympathizers with the Pacifistic Purposes of the New Democratic Turkey) to get his name out in the marketplace of opportunity. * Editor of Rural Adult Education publication * Itinerant Lecturer (between jobs) reusing his inventory of high style/low content messages. * Managing Secretary of the Heskett Rural School Foundation * Administration of the Association to Promote Eskimo Culture * Ghostwriter of the autobiography of William T. Knife, creator of Okey-Dokey, a beverage juiced with maximum caffeine for the masses * Assistant General Manager of the Citizen''s Conference on Constituational Crisises in the Commonwealth (Cizcon) * Director General of "Every Man a Priest Fraternity" office * Directive Secretary of the Dynamos of Democratic Direction At 50 years old, when fatigued with the never-ending demands of generating self-importance combined with his realization that he lacked substance and true gravitas, Gideon has an opportunity to return to Kinnikinick College as its next President and allow him to finally begin to achieve something valid. Through a series of realizations by both himself and Peony, he remains in New York and daily regets their decision.

Gideon Planish

Like Nesbit''s Railway Children, the story begins when a group of children move from London to the countryside of Kent. While playing in a gravel pit, the five children—Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their baby brother, the Lamb—uncover a rather grumpy, ugly and occasionally malevolent sand-fairy known as the Psammead, who has the ability to grant wishes. However, the Psammead has been buried for so long, he is no longer able to grant individual wishes. Instead, he persuades the children to take one wish per day, to share amongst the lot of them, with the caveat that the wishes will turn to stone at sundown. This, apparently, used to be the rule in the Stone Age, when all children wished for was food, the bones of which would then become fossils. However, when the children''s first wish—to be "as beautiful as the day"—ends at sundown, it simply vanishes, leading the Psammead to observe that some wishes are too fanciful to be changed to stone. All the wishes go comically wrong. When the children wish to be beautiful, the servants don''t recognize them and shut them out of the house. When they wish to be rich, they find themselves with a gravel-pit full of gold spade guineas that no shop will accept as it is no longer in circulation, so they can''t buy anything. A wish for wings seems to be going well, but at sunset the children find themselves stuck atop a church bell tower with no way down, getting them into trouble with the church gamekeeper who must take them home (though this wish has the happy side-effect of introducing the gamekeeper to the children''s housemaid, who later marries him). After being bullied by the baker''s boy, Robert wishes that he was bigger, whereupon he becomes eleven feet tall and the children show him at a traveling fair for coins. They also wish themselves into a castle, only to learn it''s being besieged, while a wish to meet real Red Indians ends with the children nearly being scalped. Even the children''s infant brother, the Lamb, is the victim of two wishes gone awry. In one, the children become annoyed with tending for their brother and wish that someone else wanted him—leading to a situation where everyone wants the baby, and the children must fend off kidnappers and Gypsies. Later, they wish the baby would grow up faster, causing him to grow all at once into a selfish, smug young man who promptly leaves them all behind. Finally, the children accidentally wish they could give a wealthy woman''s jewellery to their mother, causing all the jewellery to appear in their home. When it seems that the gamekeeper—who is now their friend—will be blamed for robbery, the children must beg the Psammead for a complex series of wishes to set things right. It agrees, on the condition that they will never ask it for another wish. Only Anthea, who has grown close to It, makes sure that the final wish is that they will meet It again. The Psammead assures them that this wish will be granted.

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