On the eve of the Second World War, David Spaulding, a radio voice actor, is recruited by Colonel Ed Pace to run a secret network in Lisbon. The plot advances to 1943. Both the Allies and the Axis find themselves facing key shortages that impede their ability to win the war. The Allies lack gyroscopes capable of operating at high altitudes; thus they are losing an unacceptably high number of bombers. If they do not procure gyroscopes soon, the D-Day invasion of Normandy will need to be postponed. The Germans find themselves without high quality diamonds, which are necessary for the rocket development program at Peenemünde. Ironically, each side has what the other needs: the Allies control access to high quality diamonds from the Belgian Congo; the Germans have a design for a gyroscope able to operate at high altitudes. The German intelligence agency, the Nachrichtendienst, discovers that the Allies are in need of gyroscopes, and proposes an exchange, to take place in neutral territory: Buenos Aires, Argentina. David Spaulding has, in the meantime, become an invaluable spy for the Allies. His Lisbon network ferries agents and defectors back and forth from German occupied territory. He is selected, however, to oversee the receipt of the gyroscopes - critically, he does not know that diamonds are being exchanged for the gyroscopes. The Germans select the exiled industrialist Erich Rhinemann to supervise the exchange at their end. He is a clever choice because, although he is Jewish, he is committed to German victory and believes that he will be welcomed back after a German victory. Rhinemann is immensely influential and powerful in Buenos Aires. Although puzzled at his assignment away from Lisbon, Spaulding accepts his new assignment. However, there are several attempts made on his life: one occurring at an airfield in the Azores, another in New York City. While he is in New York, awaiting details on his assignment, he encounters an old flame, Leslie Jenner Hawkwood who, having drawn him away from his apartment, seemingly vanishes into thin air. Spaulding''s mentor, Ed Pace, is meanwhile murdered. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, Spaulding meets and falls in love with Jean Cameron, a woman employed by the embassy. Attacks on him continue, and he suspects he is being trailed by the Gestapo. He meets with Rhinemann to acquire the gyroscopes, but tries to draw out his mysterious assailants - Rhinemann and the other Germans are adamant that the Gestapo is not active in Buenos Aires. To his profound shock, Spaulding discovers that the people trying to stop him work for the Haganah, a Jewish terrorist group set on stopping the exchange. When he captures Asher Feld, the Haganah leader, Feld informs him that he is a party to an exchange of diamonds for gyroscopes. From then on, Spaulding decides that the exchange must be stopped. He pretends to carry out his end, all the while facilitating a Haganah attack on Rhinemann''s estate. Spaulding succeeds in killing Rhinemann (who had planned to kill him after the exchange) and Rhinemann''s Nazi controller. Having acquired incriminating evidence about the exchange, Spaulding blackmails the Americans who had arranged it and arranges to retire with his beloved Jean.

The Rhinemann Exchange

In the Philippines, Chua explains, the Chinese Filipino is 1% of the population but controls 60% of the economy, with the result being envy and bitterness on the part of the majority against the Chinese minority—in other words, an ethnic conflict. Similarly, in Indonesia the Chinese Indonesians are 3% of the population but control 70% of the economy. There is a similar pattern in other Southeast Asia nations. According to Chua, examples of what she calls ethnic market-dominant minorities include overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia; whites in Latin America; Jews in Russia; Croats in the former Yugoslavia; and Ibos, Kikuyus, Tutsis, Indians and Lebanese, among others, in Africa. In her book, Chua discusses different reasons for the market dominance of different groups. Some groups achieve market dominance because of colonial oppression or apartheid. In other cases, it may be due to the culture and family networks of these groups. For many groups there is no clear single explanation. Americans can also be seen as a global market-dominant minority, in particularly when combined with using military might and flaunting political domination, cause resentment. She believes that democratization can increase ethnic conflicts when an ethnic minority is disproportionately wealthy. "When free market democracy is pursued in the presence of a market-dominant minority, the almost invariable result is backlash. This backlash typically takes one of three forms. The first is a backlash against markets, targeting the market-dominant minority''s wealth. The second is a backlash against democracy by forces favorable to the market-dominant minority. The third is violence, sometimes genocidal, directed against the market-dominant minority itself.". Also, "overnight democracy will empower the poor, indigenous majority. What happens is that under those circumstances, democracy doesn''t do what we expect it to do – that is, reinforce markets. [Instead,] democracy leads to the emergence of manipulative politicians and demagogues who find that the best way to get votes is by scapegoating the minorities." She writes, "Ballot boxes brought Hitler to power in Germany, Mugabe to power in Zimbabwe, Milosevic to power in Serbia -- and could well bring the likes of Osama bin Laden to power in Saudi Arabia." Chua states that she is a "big fan of trying to promote markets and democracy globally," but that it should be accompanied by attempts to "redistribute the wealth, whether it''s property title and giving poor people property, land reform .... Redistributive mechanisms are tough to have if you have so much corruption."

World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability

After her resignation as Virginia''s Chief Medical Examiner and the horrifying events which threatened her life in The Last Precinct, Kay Scarpetta has abandoned her elegant home in Richmond, Virginia, and is quietly living in Florida, beginning to get some balance back in her life and slowly establishing herself as a private forensic consultant. (Her first class involves the blow fly, which sometimes lays eggs on corpses.) But her past will not let her rest, and her grief for Benton Wesley continues to grow, not diminish, as does the rage within Lucy, her niece. Then the architect of her changed fortunes contacts her from his cell on death row: deformed, blinded by Scarpetta''s own actions, incarcerated in Texas'' strongest prison, Jean-Baptiste Chandonne still has the ability to terrify. But, unknown to Scarpetta, there are other forces behind the wolfman''s apparent actions, invisibly shepherding her and those closest to her towards eliminating those who threaten them all. And it is all orchestrated by the one man in her life who knows every nuance of her soul. Bizarre incidents: in Szczecin, Poland, Lucy and a colleague apparently commit a premeditated murder, using blow-fly larvae to dispose of the evidence. The novel then ends with the killing of four further people by Scarpetta''s associates.

Blow Fly

The novel begins with the protagonist of the novel ''John Hilliard'' in a military hospital, recovering from a wound he received; he briefly speaks to Crawford, a doctor, whom he knows from childhood and greatly dislikes. It is when Hilliard returns home that he has trouble sleeping. This is not because of his memories of war, but from being at home, a place which he greatly dislikes. The opening pages of the novel concern his brief period of sick leave back in England where his sister Beth, mother Constance and father are blind to the horror of the trenches. John finds it hard to adapt to life back in England and is happy to return to the war; especially after the new distance between him and his sister, to whom he was previously close. When Hilliard returns he finds that his batman and many other faces he knew have been killed. The group''s Commanding Officer, Colonel Garrett, appears to have aged greatly in the short time Hilliard has been away, due to the stresses of war, and has taken to drinking quantities of whisky. His old batman is replaced with a new one called Coulter and he is placed in a room with a new Officer called David Barton in a rest camp while they wait to be called up to the front. During this time he becomes great friends with Barton, who is as yet untouched by the war. Throughout this chapter, the new Adjutant, a character called Franklin, appears expressionless and remote from the group. The chapter ends with Hilliard and Barton witnessing the wreckage of a German plane crash which shocks Barton, who has not seen a dead body yet. In Part Two, the group that Hilliard and Barton are in, B Company, is travelling to the front line at Feuvry. There are not enough horses so David walks alongside for the duration of the journey. He writes a letter home describing what a terrible place Feuvry is; the town has few buildings left intact after being shelled and occupied by the Germans in 1914. When they arrive at their billets the Officers are informed that a soldier called Harris won''t come out of the cellar. Harris is a new recruit who has broken down in terror; Barton manages to talk him round and lead him from the cellar. While Barton goes to fetch some rum ration for the still unstable Harris, a shell falls on the billets, killing Harris. Barton blames himself for the soldier''s death because he would have been safe had Barton not talked him out of the cellar. In another letter home Barton confesses that he has become hardened by his experiences in the war. He also states that John thinks that one of the most difficult experiences is getting used to the new faces as so many soldiers die. The chapter ends with Barton being chosen to go to the front lines to draw a map of the surrounding area with a runner called Grosse. In the front line he witnesses a shelling and the deaths of several men; he also sees a Private killed by a German sniper. After returning from the front line Barton admits that he feels that the war is changing him because he is unable to feel emotion for every soldier killed due to the sheer numbers killed each day. The final chapter of the novel begins with one of Barton''s long letters complaining that "we are drones not fighting men". He is concerned that his letter may be censored by the military but he wants to tell those back home the truth. John gets a letter stating that his sister Beth is to marry the lawyer Henry Partington which causes John to become angry at those back home. Hilliard and Barton are sent on a reconnaissance mission which requires the men to spy on the enemy trenches. They can see little and after a flare exposes their position they are forced to retreat with some casualties. Barton feels guilty that he left Coulter, the batman, to die in No Man''s Land. In another letter home, Barton states that the constant death erodes his courage. Midway through the letter, the C.O. states that he is leaving the platoon after arguing with Generals that reconnaissance missions are a waste of lives. After this news, a Private called Parkin is worried about the news that they will soon be going over the top. Barton and Hilliard begin to talk about how they will meet after the war before they realise they are assuming that they both will survive. During the military advance, Barton and Hilliard lose track of each others'' positions. Hilliard is injured by a shell and is forced to hide in a hole by several dead bodies. At nightfall he crawls back to his trench. His leg is amputated in France and at first he is too ill to return to England. The inconclusive end of the novel is Hilliard being informed by a letter from Barton''s parents that Barton is missing and presumed dead. Hilliard writes to inform Barton''s parents that it is extremely unlikely that Barton is alive. Once he gets back to England, he goes and visits Barton''s family and friends, and feels he knows the place already from Barton''s descriptions.

Strange Meeting

Stylistically the novel belongs to the genre associated with John Osborne, John Braine, Shelagh Delaney and other realist writers who were to find their voices in the new wave of British "verismo" art forms. The narrative allows the reader to examine the internal conflicts that Johnnie Byrne negotiates as he attempts to find some merit in his desultory existence. Under scrutiny are his relationships with his cold, politically driven wife, Alice, whose own politics are a point of contention for Johnnie. His neighbour, Mary and the young woman, Pauline illuminate Byrne''s darker aspects. As a piece of literature it may be considered light weight but re-readings will reveal a tight structure and a credible analysis of the way powerful individuals, the makers of social change, are paradoxically vulnerable cyphers in a world where they too may be ill-served by cupidity. Even though the weak ending of his relationship with a much younger woman may seem cliched and trite by twenty-first century standards, it is handled with a certain amount of legerdemain and irony so that it escapes being trite. There is a sense that Byrne lands on his feet by his very own inaction in political matters. By the novels'' end, it is clear that Byrne himself has failed to influence his own life. and appears to be a pawn at the mercy of events around him.

No Love For Johnnie

Morton Cargill, Korean War soldier, accidentally kills a girl named Marie while driving drunk. He runs from the scene. A year later, he gets a letter from the girl asking to meet him. But this is not Marie, but a remote descendant from the future, who is suffering an inherited form of neurosis which time travelers, called ''The Shadows'', have traced back to his negligent crime. The only therapy to cure her is if she witnesses him being murdered. He then wakes 400 years into the future, to the Shadow City to be executed. He escapes, with help from Ann Reece, who represents a group called ''Tweeners'', who are organized by a Shadow named Grannis. Grannis is apparently a traitor to the Shadows and wishes the Tweeners to attack and destroy the Shadow City. Cargill is overcome by suspicions against the Tweeners, so during his rescue he escapes into the woods where he is immediately captured. His captors this time are futuristic nomads or ''trailer trash'' called ''Planiacs'' who live in floating airships. The Planiacs have rejected civilization and its intolerable psychological pressures. Their airships are stocked and repaired by the Shadows, and they live utterly purposeless lives floating from place to place, occasionally stopping to fish. Grannis the Shadow shows up among the Planiacs, apparently to seize Cargill. Cargill escapes by seducing his jailer''s daughter, Lela Bouvey, and stealing an airship. He spends several months as a nomad, and begins to organize a political revolution among them, but is recaptured by the Shadows, and sent back in time to the same night he escaped. Ann Reece, the Tweener agent, again frees him, brings him to their city, where he is hypnotically programmed. He has no choice but to carry out his mission, to enter the Shadow city and shut off its defensive energy field, so that an air raid might destroy the Shadows. The Tweeners are those Planiacs who attempted to join the Shadows, but could not pass their tests. They plan to destroy the Shadows and force the Planiacs out of their nomadic existence and back to earthbound labor. Cargill has several dreams where is encounters beings from previous or future eons, which convinces him that the fate of the universe hangs in the success or failure of the Shadow-Tweener war. As a delaying tactic, he advises the Tweeners how to reorganize their air force to make a successful raid, he again seduces his jailer (which this time is Ann Reece), and he again begins to organize a political revolt among his captors, hoping an uprising of peacelovers among the Tweeners will stop the coming attack. Now firmly convinced that the Shadows are innocent, and that the planned Tweener attack is wrong, Cargill is unable to halt or even hinder the hypnotic programming that forces him to enter the Shadow City. The Shadows are superhumans able to travel through time, walk through walls, and revive the dead. Once in the city, Cargill is given the Shadow training, which consists of a single lecture hypnotically imprinted on his brain. Now armed with all their powers and abilities, Cargill emerges from the training session to witness a celebration of the election results: the Shadows elect their leaders retroactively through time, voting only after the leader''s term of office is up, and reporting it back through time to themselves on election day. To his surprise and dread, Cargill finds he is the new leader. The leader of the Shadows is Grannis; Cargill himself is Grannis. He spends the last chapter of the book traveling back through time to organize the various pointless conspiracies among the Tweeners and Planiacs which brought him here. While being killed and raised from the dead, he recalls that he and all other participants in the life-force of the cosmos created the universe as a game, and became bound to it, and to its tragedies, due to their psychological limitations: greed creates time, the desire for revenge creates death, and so on. Cargill-Grannis discovers he is innocent of the original death of Marie, but now he must arrange that death in order to prevent a time paradox which would otherwise destroy the universe.

The Universe Maker

The nameless student, begins with a seemingly innocent statement by her math teacher- "you know, almost everything in life can be considered a math problem." The next morning, the heroine finds herself thinking of the time she needs to get up along the lines of algebra. Next comes the mathematical school of probability, followed by charts and statistics. As the narrator slowly turns into a "math zombie", everything in her life is transformed into a problem. A class treat of cupcakes becomes a study in fractions, while a trip to the store turns into a problem of money. Finally, she is left painstakingly calculating how many minutes of "math madness" will be in her life now that she is a "mathematical lunatic." Her sister asks her what her problem is, and she responds, "365 days x 24 hours x 60 minutes." Finally, she collapses on her bed, and dreams that she is trapped in a blackboard-room covered in math problems. Armed with only a piece of chalk, she must escape-and she manages to do just that by breaking the chalk in half, because "two halves make a whole." She escapes through this "whole", and awakens the next morning with the ability to solve any problem. Her curse is broken...until the next day, when her science teacher mentions that in life, everything can be viewed as a science experiment.

Math Curse

As originally published, De Quincey''s account was organized into two parts: * Part I begins with a notice "To the Reader," to establish the narrative frame: "I here present you, courteous reader, with the record of a remarkable period in my life...." It is followed by the substance of Part I, ** Preliminary Confessions, devoted to the author''s childhood and youth, and concentrated upon the emotional and psychological factors that underlay the later opium experiences &mdash; especially the period in his late teens that de Quincey spent as a homeless runaway in Oxford Street in London in 1802 and 1803. * Part II is split into several sections: ** A relatively brief introduction and connecting passage, followed by ** The Pleasures of Opium, which discusses the early and largely positive phase of the author''s experience with the drug, from 1804 until 1812; ** Introduction to the Pains of Opium, which delivers a second installment of autobiography, taking De Quincey from youth to maturity; and ** The Pains of Opium, which recounts the extreme of the author''s opium experience (up to that time), with insomnia, nightmares, frightening visions, and difficult physical symptoms. * Another "Notice to the Reader" attempts to clarify the chronology of the whole. Though De Quincey was later criticized for giving too much attention to the pleasure of opium and not enough to the harsh negatives of addiction, The Pains of Opium is in fact significantly longer than The Pleasures. However, even when trying to convey darker truths, De Quincey''s language can seem seduced by the compelling nature of the opium experience: ::"The sense of space, and in the end, the sense of time, were both powerfully affected. Buildings, landscapes, &c. were exhibited in proportions so vast as the bodily eye is not fitted to conceive. Space swelled, and was amplified to an extent of unutterable infinity. This, however, did not disturb me so much as the vast expansion of time; I sometimes seemed to have lived for 70 or 100 years in one night; nay, sometimes had feelings representative of a millennium passed in that time, or, however, of a duration far beyond the limits of any human experience."

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

The Moviegoer tells the story of Binx Bolling, a young stock-broker in postwar New Orleans. The decline of southern U.S. tradition, the problems of his family and his traumatic experiences in the Korean War have left him alienated from his own life. He day-dreams constantly, has trouble engaging in lasting relationships and finds more meaning and immediacy in movies and books than in his own routine life. The loose plot of the novel follows Binx as he embarks on an undefined "search," wandering around New Orleans, Chicago and the Gulf Coast reflecting philosophically on small episodes and interactions. He is constantly challenged to define himself in relation to friends, family, sweet-hearts and career despite his urge to remain vague and open to possibility. "What is the nature of the search? you ask. Really it is very simple; at least for a fellow like me. So simple that it is easily overlooked. The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life." The novel is heavily influenced by the existentialist themes of authors like Søren Kierkegaard, whom Percy read extensively. Unlike many dark didactic existentialist novels (including Percy''s later work), The Moviegoer has a light poetic tone. It was Percy''s first, most famous, and most widely praised novel.

The Moviegoer

The book begins with a prologue about how Apoletta met Zebulah, her previous husband. Zebulah, a red-robed human mage, was exploring the sunken ruins of Istar, while Apoletta was the Steward of Istar at that time, guarding it from humans. While she secretly watches him, it is mentioned that she was taken by his respectfulness, curiosity, and honesty towards the ruins. After conversing with him to discover his intent, she also becomes impressed by his truthfulness as a "would-be invader". Returning to the present, Chapter One begins with Apoletta finding herself hosting a Conclave concerning the World Gash, a quickly spreading volcanic field, with representatives from many different species, including shoal elves (Dimernesti), merfolk, ocean striders, sea giants, and brathnoc. However, she is annoyed at the petty bickering going on over fishing grounds, even including the Dimernesti, who were supposed to help host the Conclave but hadn''t even selected a representative. Apoletta attempts to quench her anger by seeking advice from Slyphanous, an old Dargonesti elf. During their conversation, Apoletta reveals the depth of the rift between the Dargonesti and Dimernesti, of which the Dimernesti do not trust the Dargonesti anymore. Returning to the task at hand, she attempts to wait for everyone''s attention, but finds out that the bickering has taken precedence over civility and decorum. Forced to resort to magical means, she casts a spell, causing a large sphere of water to vanish from the area, causing the heavy ocean to rush in and fill the void, resulting in a large crack, nudging the delegates and even swaying a large circular slab of coral suspended from the ceiling. Apparently gaining the Conclave''s attention, she attempts to continue, however the merfolk chime in, exclaiming that they haven''t finished "negotiating" with the ocean striders over access to fishing grounds. Redirecting the delegates back to the issue at hand, she again attempts to continue, but this time is interrupted by a male Dimernesti, who sneeringly proclaims "Your so-called World Gash, is it again?" Her temper rising, she attempts to refute him, however is told "You''re wasting my time." The delegates return to their own issues, with the merfolk arguing over hunting domains, the oceans striders concerned about the influx of undead, and the Dimernesti harboring grievances against Dargonesti.

The Alien Sea

After the death of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Timothy Zahn''s The Last Command, the New Republic has decided to go after the numerous warlords terrorizing the galaxy. Its first target is Admiral Krennel. The mission seems straightforward at first, but then Isard appears from the dead, offering her services and using New Republic prisoners as bait (the same prisoners with whom Corran Horn spent some time aboard the Lusankya). After several initial victories against Krennel, the New Republic begins taking savage political blows from Krennel thanks to Isard. Meanwhile, Iella Wesseri and Mirax Terrik begin investigating a series of strange events and clues, and discover that somebody is setting up a trap for Rogue Squadron. Unfortunately, they are too late to warn Rogue Squadron. While on a mission, the Rogues are ambushed by an entire wing (6 squadrons, or 72 fighters) of assorted TIE-Fighters. With the unexpected aid of a squadron of TIE Defenders, the Rogues manage to win, but not before losing Janson, Asyr, and their two replacement pilots. It is revealed that they were rescued by Isard, and that the Isard working for Krennel is in fact a clone. She makes a deal with Wedge, saying that in return for helping the Rogues defeat Krennel and retrieve the Lusankya prisoners, she is to be granted amnesty for all past crimes. Wedge has no choice but to agree. While most of the galaxy, including Krennel, believe that Rogue Squadron is dead, Mirax finds out that they are still alive when Whistler and Gate escape Isard''s base. The New Republic then receives a message from Wedge outlining the final decisive attack on Krennel. During the battle, Isard betrays Rogue Squadron and denies their commando and fighter support. Corran decides to land his Defender and liberate the prisoners himself, taking Ooryl and Nrin Vakil with him. Fortunately, Admiral Ackbar suspected a trap and brought secret reinforcements, including a large commando force. Krennel and the Isard clone are killed in the battle, and the Lusankya prisoners are liberated. Meanwhile, Isard takes her extra forces and attempts to steal the Lusankya, which was captured by the New Republic during the Bacta War and almost fully repaired. However, Iella and Mirax predicted her actions and thwarted Isard''s plan. Isard was killed in the process. At a party celebrating the success of the campaign against Krennel, Janson, who survived Isard''s ambush, is reunited with Rogue Squadron. Asyr, who also survived, keeps news of her survival secret, wanting to return to Bothawui and try to change the Bothan way of life for the better.

Isard''s Revenge

The Plot to Save Socrates deals primarily with the concept of time travel, and while the novel rarely discusses time travel directly, it poses several questions about its validity and possibility (or lack thereof). In particular, the characters are trapped in endless Time loops, effectively deprived of free will and having no choice but to take an action which - due to time travel - they already know they have taken. The story begins in Athens, Greece in 2042 with the main character, Sierra Waters, thinking to herself, at which point the rest of the story begins as a flashback (both in her head and in the sense that the characters constantly flash in and out of historic eras). Sierra Waters, a graduate student, receives a copy of a previously unknown dialogue in which Socrates is being offered an escape from his death sentence in ancient Athens by a person named Andros offering to take him into the future and leave a clone behind. The document appears to be genuine, and this takes Sierra onto a path that leads her to a time traveling adventure of her own. On her path she meets up with the great historic inventor Heron of Alexandria but soon realizes that not only is Heron a time traveler himself (from a future later than hers) but is a suspicious and ruthless character. Later on she would encounter the renowned Athenian general Alcibiades, help save his life at the time when history records his death in 404 BC, become his lover and fall deeply in love with him, and help set him on a very extensive and fruitful later long life which would remain unknown to historians. The story tangles itself a bit as more and more characters appear to be intertwined with each other and on occasion even the same person at different points in life. However, the novel ultimately untangles itself, somewhat satisfying the plot''s plausibility although leaving unanswered any deeper metaphysical qualms the reader might have. Together with various fictional characters, the story also involves Plato, and of course Socrates - who only comes onstage in the last part - as well as the 19th Century publisher William Henry Appleton. There are scenes across time, placed in the Ancient Library of Alexandria, Victorian New York City, and Roman London. At various points it is mentioned that Sierra Waters would eventually become the famous mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria. This theme is taken up in a sequel, "Unburning Alexandria", of which the first two chapters were published as a standalone novelette in the November, 2008 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact and which had not yet been published in full as of October 2011.

Over 8000 Takeaways For Your Brain!

Read - Listen - Learn

The Rhinemann Exchange

By Robert Ludlum

World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability

By Amy Chua

Blow Fly

By Patricia Cornwell

Strange Meeting

By Susan Hill

No Love For Johnnie

By Wilfred Fienburgh

The Universe Maker

By A. E. van Vogt

Math Curse

By Jon Scieszka

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

By Thomas de Quincey

The Moviegoer

By Walker Percy

The Alien Sea

By Lucien Soulban

Isard's Revenge

By Michael A. Stackpole

The Plot To Save Socrates

By Paul Levinson