The story begins with a perilous winter railroad journey through the Nevada Territory in the 1870s in the midst of a blizzard. Aboard the train are Nevada governor Fairchild and his niece Marica, along with U.S. cavalry Colonel Claremont and two carloads of troops. Joining them are U.S. Marshal Pearce, the governor''s aide, and Pearce''s old Army buddy Major O''Brien. Pearce, a lawman and Indian agent is transporting dangerous murderer and gunman John Deakin. Their destination is the remote Fort Humboldt deep in the Nevada mountains, whose troops have recently been decimated by a cholera epidemic. Dr. Molyneaux, a tropical disease expert, is also accompanying the group. As the journey continues we slowly learn that all is not what it seems, and that none of the characters is telling the whole truth. Maclean meticulously obliterates the lines defining exactly which characters are the good guys are and which are the bad. As the story winds down, the cunningly devious nature of the plan is finally revealed.

Breakheart Pass

War between Earth and insectoid-dominated Alpha III ended over a decade ago. (According to the novel, "Alphane" refers to the nearest star to our own system, Alpha Centauri). Some years after the end of hostilities, Earth intends to secure its now independent colony in the Alphane system, Alpha III M2. As a former satellite-based global psychiatric institution for colonists on other Alphane system worlds unable to cope with the stresses of colonisation, the inhabitants of Alpha III M2 have lived peacefully for years. But, under the pretence of a medical mission, Earth intends to take their colony back. Against this background, Chuck Rittersdorf and his wife Mary are separating. Although they think they are going their separate ways, they soon find themselves together again on Alpha III M2. Mary travels there through government work, Chuck sees it as a chance to kill Mary using his remote control simulacrum. Along the way he is guided by his Ganymedean slime mold neighbour Lord Running Clam and Mary finds herself manipulated by the Alphane sympathiser, comedian Bunny Hentman.

Clans of the Alphane Moon

In Black Powder War, Captain William Laurence and Temeraire - along with the surviving members of their crew - are ordered to make all haste and return from the mission to China via Istanbul, where they are to pick up a collection of three dragon eggs purchased from the Ottoman Empire by the British Government. Laurence and his first lieutenant John Granby are confused at the provenance of these orders, as there must surely be some British dragon nearer to Istanbul than they, but the promise of three eggs spurs them on. In a prologue, Laurence also observes the burial of Prince Yongxing, the primary antagonist of the previous novel, and the mourning of his much-distrustred albino dragon Lien. She is seen in company with the French diplomat De Guignes, which Laurence cannot feel bodes well. Deciding to eschew the Allegiance, which suffers fire damage at the opening of the novel, Laurence takes the services of a guide named Tharkay, the well-bred but unwelcome child of a British diplomat and a south-asian woman. With his help, the group survives ambush in the Central Asian deserts, befriends a pack of feral dragons in the mountains of Turkestan, and makes its way to Istanbul. Once there, however, they face clear betrayal; the Sultan has accepted the exorbitant payment offered him by the Crown whilst simultaneously reneging on any intent to hand over the eggs in return, perhaps due to the now-established presence of Lien in his court. Lien makes a private visit to Temeraire and announces that she has set herself to his destruction; as opposed to merely killing him, she wishes to see Temeraire deprived of all he holds dear, and live out the rest of his life in squalor and despondency. In the end, Laurence and his crew decide to steal the promised eggs, especially once they discover that one of them is of the Kazilik breed; when hatched, this dragon will increase Britain''s complement of fire-breathers to a grand total of one. She hatches before the end of the book, naming herself Iskierka and accepting Granby as her captain. Temeraire and company escape to Europe, making an eventual landing in Austria. Laurence, who has been out of touch for over a year, learns more details of Napoleon''s crushing victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, which he had only received scant details of during the voyage to China. The only good news to emerge from that battle is a Prussian declaration of alliance against Napoleon for what history today calls the War of the Fourth Coalition, and Laurence routes his travel through that nation. However, upon landing, Temeraire is immediately requisitioned: the Prussians were promised twenty dragons by the British Aerial Corps and have received precisely none of them. Temeraire integrates into their ranks without much complaint, but the Prussian tactics, developed by Frederick the Great, are outdated and easily countered not only by the creativity of Napoleon but of Lien, who has once again made common cause with their enemies. Despite the personal presence of King Frederick William III of Prussia and his wife Queen Louise, the Prussians are soundly defeated in the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, and Temeraire is forced to ferry the royal family away. Thereafter the British crew find themselves at the fortress of Danzig, soon about to fall under siege. The turning-point of the siege is the arrival of Tharkay, now at the head of the flock of Turkish ferals. Using these dragons and techniques observed in China, Laurence is able to rig out the entire flock as public transportation and evacuate the city, dropping the civilians into the waiting arms of the Royal Navy. Despite a harried exfiltration under fire and the loss of the city, Temeraire and Laurence are relieved to finally, finally be returning to Britain.

Black Powder War

Dana Halter is an American woman in her early thirties who at the age of four suffered an infection which left her profoundly deaf. Since then, she has been able to master her life astonishingly well: she has acquired an academic degree and teaches at a school for the deaf in San Roque, likely analogous to Santa Barbara, California. Her boyfriend, Bridger Martin, is a "hearie", a man a few years younger than herself who creates special effects for the film industry. Out of love, Martin has gone to great lengths to accommodate her disability. For example, he has taken a course in sign language to be able to communicate with her as best as possible. William "Peck" Wilson is an American raised in Peterskill, New York who is angry with society for failing him. Once a promising young restaurateur, he enters into a sour marriage, has a child with his wife, becomes dependent on his father-in-law''s money, and is eventually dumped by his wife. Subsequently, his life takes a turn for the worse, he has to serve a short prison sentence. When he is released from jail, he moves to Marin County, California, takes up a criminal career of stealing others'' identities and spending these identities'' money to furnish his elaborate tastes. One such stolen identity belongs to Dana Halter, the deaf woman. Peck believes Dana is a man, and now has a driver''s license and a credit card in "his" name. He lives together with an attractive Russian gold digger called Natalia and her daughter by a former lover. He has made Natalia believe that he is a physician. Peck and Natalia live a luxurious life at the expense of Dana Halter. After Dana Halter is put in jail on a charge perpetrated by Wilson in her name, she and Bridger Martin are irate. They decide to track down the identity thief, and a cross-country chase ensues that ends in Peterskill, New York.

Talk Talk

Troy Phelan, an eccentric elderly billionaire, commits suicide minutes after leaving his vast fortune to an illegitimate daughter, Rachel Lane, instead of his six children by three marriages. His reason is revulsion over years of fighting with, and embarrassment from, his family, as well as their greed &mdash; much of which was due to his neglect of his children and multiple affairs (both personal and business). His lawyers are now tasked with protecting Troy''s wishes as well as finding the heiress. Nate O''Riley, a high-powered litigation lawyer and now recovering alcoholic, is sent to Brazil, where Rachel is believed to be living as a missionary. While Nate is trying to find Rachel, Troy''s family does everything in their power to contest the new will. They argue that although Troy was examined by three of the top psychiatrists in the nation, he was lacking sanity at the time of the new will. The journey into the Pantanal of South America by way of Corumbá nearly kills Nate, but finally he and his guide locate the tribe with which Rachel Lane is living. She refuses the legacy or anything connected with it. Nate is unable to convince her otherwise, and returns to the United States after contracting dengue fever from a mosquito. In the meantime, the ex-wives, children and respective lawyers continue attempting to destroy and disprove all evidence of Troy Phelan''s sanity and even the will itself. They finally decide not to contest the will in court, fearing that their testimony during the deposition will further hurt their case. They also realize that two witnesses for the plaintiff are lying and would be torn to shreds by Nate should a trial ever take place. To settle the matter, Nate agrees that the relatives of Troy Phelan will be paid fifty million dollars each (minus lawyers'' fees) to stop turning the will contest into a legal quagmire. When all is over, Nate returns to the jungle in order to get Rachel to sign off on the settlement, but when he arrives he learns that Rachel has died from malaria. She has, however, left instructions that the money be put into trust for the benefit of the indigenous peoples and that Nate will have control of the trust. The end of the book shows Nate riding off in a boat into the Pantanal, not caring if it took a month to get back to civilization.

The Testament

An intern in a mental hospital relates his experience with Joe Slater, an inmate who died at the facility a few weeks after being confined as a criminally insane murderer. He describes Slater as a "typical denizen of the Catskill Mountain region, who corresponds exactly with the ''white trash'' of the South", for whom "laws and morals are nonexistent" and whose "general mental status is probably below that of any other native American people". Although Slater''s crime was exceedingly brutal and unprovoked he had an "absurd appearance of harmless stupidity" and the doctors guessed his age at about forty. During the third night of his confinement, Slater had the first of his "attacks". He burst from an uneasy sleep into a frenzy so violent it took four orderlies to strait-jacket him. For nearly fifteen minutes he gave vent to an incredible rant. The words were in the voice and couched in the paltry vocabulary of Joe Slater but the onlookers could construe from the inadequate language a vision of: :green edifices of light, oceans of space, strange music, and shadowy mountains and valleys. But most of all did he dwell upon some mysterious blazing entity that shook and laughed and mocked at him. This vast, vague personality seemed to have done him a terrible wrong and to kill it in triumphant revenge was his paramount desire. In order to reach it...he would soar through abysses of emptiness ''burning'' every obstacle that stood in his way. The ranting stopped as suddenly as it had started. This was the first of what would become nightly "attacks" of a similar nature. The peripheral otherworldly images of Slater''s visions were different and more fantastic with each successive night, but always there was the central theme of the blazing entity and its revenge. The doctors were perplexed with the Slater case. Where did a backward man like Slater get such visions, when surely an illiterate rustic like him would have had little if any exposure to fairy tales or fantasy stories? Not that there were stories similar to Slater''s. Why, too, was Slater dying? As an undergraduate, the intern had built but never tested a device for two-way telepathic communication. The device was designed around his principle that thought was ultimately a form of radiant energy. Heedless of any ethics, he attached himself with Slater to the device as Slater lay near death. With the device switched on, he received a message from a being of light whose experiences had been what were transmitted through the medium of Joe Slater. This being explained that, when not shackled to their physical bodies, all men are light beings. The thought-message went on to explain that, as light beings within the realm of sleep, humans can experience the vistas of many planes and universes which remain unknown to waking awareness. The intern understood that the light being would now become completely incorporeal, and undertake at last a final battle with its nemesis near Algol. Joe Slater died then, and there were no further transmissions. That night an enormously bright star was discovered in the sky near Algol. Within a week it had dimmed to the luminosity of an ordinary star and in a few months it had vanished completely.

Beyond the Wall of Sleep

In rural Hunan province, Lily and her friend Snow Flower are a laotong pair whose relationship is more close than a husband and wife''s. Lily''s aunt describes a laotong match this way: "''A laotong relationship is made by choice for the purpose of emotional companionship and eternal fidelity. A marriage is not made by choice and has only one purpose — to have sons.''" The two girls experience the painful process of foot binding at the same time, and write letters to one another on a fan with Nü Shu, a secret phonetic form of ''women''s writing.'' In addition to the language itself, the young women learn Nü Shu songs and stories. Both friends are born under the sign of the Horse, but they are quite different. Lily is practical, her feet firmly set on the ground, while Snow Flower attempts to fly over the constrictions of women''s lives in the 19th century in order to be free. Their lives differ as well. Although Lily comes from a family of relatively low station, her feet are considered beautiful and play a role in her marriage into the most powerful family in the region. Lily is later known as Lady Lu, the region''s most influential woman and a mother to four healthy children (three sons and one daughter). Although Snow Flower comes from a formerly prosperous family, she is not so fortunate. She marries a butcher, culturally considered the lowest of professions, and has a miserable life filled with children dying and beatings at the hand of her husband. The novel depicts human suffering in many ways: the physical and psychological pain of foot binding; the suffering of women of the time, who were treated as property; the terrible trek up the mountains to escape from the horrors of the Taiping Revolution; the painful return back down the mountain trail with dead bodies everywhere. Some estimate that the number of people killed during the Revolution was approximately 20 million. The detailed treatment of the suffering which Lily and Snow Flower experience in their laotong relationship is a major aspect of the book. Lily''s need for love and her inability to forgive what she considers to be acts of betrayal cause her to inflict harm on many people, Snow Flower most of all. Believing that Snow Flower has not been true to her, Lily betrays her by sharing all her private secrets to a group of women, virtually destroying Snow Flower''s reputation. When Snow Flower is dying, Lily is called to her bedside and tends to her until the end. As the book returns to the present (1903), Lily is an 80 year old woman who has lived 40 years after her friend''s death. Her own husband and children have since died, and she quietly watches the next generation in her home.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

In the third installment of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Reynie, Sticky, Kate, Constance, and various loved ones find themselves holed up in Mr. Benedict''s house, which is teeming with security. The evil Mr. Curtain is at large and hunting for the Whisperer—now in Mr. Benedict''s possession—so he can try again to control minds from afar. When a shady businessman shows up with false records claiming that he is Constance''s father, Mr. Benedict is compelled to use the Whisperer to uncover her short past. Distraught and confused after all is revealed, Constance runs away, with the whole household after her—just the distraction Mr. Curtain and his men need to steal the Whisperer and set his evil plans in motion. Of course, the rest of the Mysterious Benedict Society soon find themselves on his trail.http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/mysterious-benedict-society-and-prisoners-dilemma Soon, Reynie receives messages telling him a code number. He realizes it is a library code number, and Sticky tells them that that book''s only copy is located in a library. They find Constance and an apparent clue to where the Whisperer is, but it turns out to be a trap. They are captured by Mr. Curtain. Kate makes several aptempts to escape but none prevail. Finally, their various loved ones come to the rescue, particually Milligan, who throws himself at McCracken, leader of Mr. Curtain''s team of "Ten Men". Mr. Curtain and S.Q. escape but S.Q. prevents him out of love. In the end Mr. Curtain is arrested and sent to prison. Milligan retires, Constance is adopted by Mr. Benedict, and the families settle in the second floor of Mr. Benedict''s bedroom (Or in Sticky''s case, across the street. The Whisperer was disabled by Mr. Benedict. His narcolepsy is cured by Constance.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner''s Dilemma

After the Companions help the slaves escape and kill the Dragon Highlord Verminaard, the Companions lead the refugees into a defendable valley for the winter. Debate begins on what to do next; whereas some would prefer to wait out winter in the valley, others feel the proximity to Pax Tharkas leaves them too vulnerable to attacks from the dragonarmies. With rumours and legends of the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin present in their minds, the Companions set out in search of some entrance to the fabled kingdom. Raistlin, Caramon, and Sturm head to Skullcap, while Flint and Tanis head towards a secret dwarven pass leading to Thorbardin. Finding an enchanted helm, Sturm unlocks the key to entering the dwarven kingdom, While Tanis and Flint find a path for the refugees to follow to the gates of Thorbardin. The refugees are driven on the path, led by Riverwind, when the dragonarmy attacks their camp. The refugees flee into a mountain pass and, utilizing an old dwarven trap, close the pass so that the dragonarmy cannot follow. The Companions, meanwhile, enter the gates of Thorbardin and are immediately captured by a group of dwarves who are horrified to see the enchanted helm that Sturm uncovered in Skullcap, proclaiming that it is cursed. They arrest the heroes under suspicion of being the vanguard of an invading army, and take them before the dwarven council. All is not as it seems as some of the dwarven council are under the influence of the dragonarmy and are supplying the army with much needed steel for weapons. The heroes are placed under arrest, and Flint is persuaded to help Arman Kharas, the self-proclaimed reincarnation of the dwarven hero Kharas, to retrieve the legendary Hammer of Kharas, with the caveat that his friends be released regardless of what happens to him. Tanis, Sturm, Caramon and Raistlin fake death after the dwarven guards give them poisoned mushrooms for their dinner, and manage to overcome the draconians and dwarves that examine the ''corpses''. Taking the draconian as proof of the dragonarmy at the doorstep of Thorbardin, they manage to show the thane of the Hylar clan of the conspiracy between the Theiwar, Daergar and the dragonarmy before the draconian escapes. Meanwhile, Arman Kharas and Flint, followed by Tasslehoff Burrfoot, enter the sacred valley of thanes to retrieve the Hammer of Kharas from the tomb of Kharas. Flint struggles internally over the fate of the Hammer, as it is needed to forge the legendary dragonlances, but can also unite the dwarven clans under one leader, putting to rest the risk of civil war developing in the kingdom. Retrieving the Hammer, Flint, Arman and Tasslehoff join the dwarven thanes in the Temple of the Stars, only to be attacked by draconian forces, allied with the Theiwar dwarves. The dwarven forces, supported by the disillusioned Daergar clan, overcome the invading draconians and, regaining the Hammer, the icon of their race, graciously provide the human refugees with shelter.

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths

Heisuke Sugita, a humble 39-year-old man, enjoys the smaller pleasures in life. He is devastated when his wife and daughter are involved in a bus accident. Naoko, his wife, dies and his 11-year-old daughter Monami is badly injured. Monami makes a miraculous recovery—albeit, with one small twist—her personality and memories are that of her mother Naoko''s, rather than her own. Both Heisuke and Naoko conclude that her spirit is possessing Monami''s body. Unable to explain what has happened, they decide to keep the matter a secret while Monami lives as Naoko from now on. As Monami''s possessed body enters adolescence, she takes the opportunity to live her own unfulfilled dreams. Naoko''s growing independence begins to cause a rift between her and Heisuke, who struggles to remain a faithful husband and also tries to make sense of the tragedy that caused Naoko''s condition by learning more about the bus driver who caused the accident. Heisuke and Naoko have a falling out when he suspects she has become interested in a boy around Monami''s own age, but find they cannot resolve their own relationship as Naoko is now biologically Heisuke''s daughter. When Monami''s consciousness begins resurfacing, Heisuke and Naoko are able to repair their relationship as they ensure that Monami and Naoko, now sharing the same body, will able to function and transition back to the life that Naoko has lived for her. As Monami''s consciousness begins to become dominant, Heisuke and Naoko eventually part ways forever and Heisuke is content to raise Monami as his daughter again. Years later, Monami suggests that Naoko''s possession was the result of a multiple personality disorder brought on by the accident to help her father cope and gradually went away as her own true personality emerged again. However, on the day that Monami is about to marry, a heartbroken Heisuke suspects that Monami never returned and that Naoko eventually abandoned her identity as Naoko in order for them both to move on in their lives.

Himitsu

Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to Alcatraz Island so that his father can take a job as a prison guard and his sister Natalie can go to a special school. Moose misses his old baseball team, and he struggles for recognition in his new school and meets a new girl. His sister, Natalie, who has autism, is rejected from the Esther P. Marinoff, School, crushing her parents'' hopes for Natalie''s education. Moose takes care of Natalie after school because his mother,Helen teaches music lessons, and he must find a way to deal with Natalie''s screaming fits and constant needs (including lemon cake and buttons). Complicating Moose''s life even more is Piper, the daughter of the prison warden. Piper lures Moose into her scheme to make money by collecting laundry from their classmates with the promise that Al Capone is, among the convicts assigned, to laundry duty on Alcatraz. Gradually, Moose learns to like life on Alcatraz, even finding ways to help Natalie fit in with the other children on the island; Moose makes a friend in school and finds a way to play baseball. and he is able to convince his mother that he really does have his sister''s best interests in mind. After the Flanagans have tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully to enroll Natalie in the Esther P. Marinoff School, Moose secretly writes a note to Al Capone, asking him to help Natalie. Piper slips the note into a letter to Al Capone. And a few weeks later, Natalie is accepted to a brand-new wing of the school for older autistic children, to the delight of the entire Flanagan family. Moose also helps out his sister with her obsession of collecting and counting buttons. Moose is a very loving and older brother. The last paragraph or so tells of how Moose got a note in his newly- washed shirt that says "done".

Al Capone Does My Shirts

This is regarded as one of the more plot driven novels in the series-with more emphasis on the story. Erika wants to write a ''great-book'' so Patrik goes on paternity leave to look after the baby whilst this occurs; then unexplained things start to happen: an elderly neighbour is found dead – not just that, but he has been dead for some time. What''s more, this guy knew Erika''s late mother. Erica consults a local historian of World War 2, however, shortly after her visit, he is brutally murdered and it becomes clear that the past is still very much a part of some people''s lives. The plot focuses on the discovery of a child''s blood spattered vest plus other memorabilia. Who would murder so cold-bloodedly to bury secrets so ancient? By way of a side-theme Melberg adopts a stray mutt finding that this leads to a meeting with another pooch owner who happens to be the mater of his new detective, Paul Morales; this provides a counterpoint to the increasingly sordid facts being unearthed in the search for the murderer.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

Read - Listen - Learn

Breakheart Pass

By Alistair MacLean

Clans of the Alphane Moon

By Philip K. Dick

Black Powder War

By Naomi Novik

Talk Talk

By T. Coraghessan Boyle

The Testament

By John Grisham

Beyond the Wall of Sleep

By H. P. Lovecraft

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

By Lisa See

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

By Trenton Lee Stewart

Dragons of the Dwarven Depths

By Margaret Weis

Himitsu

No Author Listed

Al Capone Does My Shirts

By Gennifer Choldenko

The Hidden Child

By Camilla Läckberg