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Cover of THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF ANCIENT ROME

THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF ANCIENT ROME

by contemporaries—not unlike today’s polarized biases—underscores just how unreliable is much of the tradition we have of Rome specifically and the ancient world in general. However, the author does his best to parse the probable from the improbable and rarely takes things at face value."⭐ 4.0/5(74)

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Cover of THE SHROUD PROJECT

THE SHROUD PROJECT

by the name of Michael Fairchild, a cybernetic clone of Christ made from DNA extracted from his 2,000\u002Dyear\u002Dold shroud. Michael wields his spiritual power to convince the masses that “Digital Ascension” is the way to salvation. But when Joshua discovers the truth behind the process, he sets out—alongside a group of like\u002Dminded rebels, including a young woman named Mae Lin and her eerily perceptive little girl, Zen—to stop Michael. The messiah proves a formidable foe, however\u003B he attempts to stop the rebels by whatever increasingly violent means are necessary. When a shocking connection between Michael, Mae Lin, and Zen is revealed, Joshua will have to finally tap into his latent powers if he’s to save the ones he loves—and the world. Zalewski weaves together religion and science to create a kind of parable both entertaining and philosophical. While allusions to Christianity largely form the book’s backbone, they can occasionally be too on the nose (Joshua’s mothers are named Maria and Josephine, a character wears a “neural crown,” etc.). However, the story’s sheer imagination—combined with Zalewski’s smooth narrative voice—propels the story forward with a delicious sense of mounting dread: “From the recesses beneath the altar, articulated mechanical arms emerged like the limbs of some deep\u002Dsea creature, moving with an almost elegant precision born of advanced engineering and dread aesthetics.” The book’s climax, while not particularly surprising, provides a satisfying conclusion to a fun, gripping tale of religious dystopia."⭐ 5.0/5(2)

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Cover of THE SISTERHOOD

THE SISTERHOOD

by marrying Peregrine, Marquess of Harrington. The Goldsborough girls are admired and envied because of their grandmother’s plans to marry them off to great advantage, and Victoria’s death is a terrible blow to the family. Emily and Colin have solved many crimes, and given all the suspects from the cream of society, it’s far better for everyone concerned if they investigate than if it’s Scotland Yard poking around. They question the family for hints of a motive. Victoria died from yew poison that must have been administered within a limited window of time. Peregrine’s mother had a diamond tiara she’d planned to give Victoria. Its disappearance on the night of Victoria’s death leads Emily and Colin to suspect Sebastian Capet, a charming, erudite jewel thief in love with Emily and currently involved in opening what may be Boudica’s grave. Victoria’s closest friend, Frances Price, is the daughter of a suffragette, although neither Victoria nor Frances is involved in the battle for women’s rights, a cause despised by Peregrine and many in his set. Emily finds out that both girls were secretly involved in Boudica’s Sisters, a group of society women planning on marrying well and convincing their husbands to support the suffragette cause. When another debutante is poisoned, the sleuths must step up their game and dig out the real reason for murder."⭐ 3.9/5(189)

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Cover of THE SPACE CAT

THE SPACE CAT

by that harsh reality. But ultimately, Periwinkle puzzles out his place in Nigeria’s feline society and enjoys a disaster\u002Daverting adventure, with help from the curious cast of animals who slink around the local marketplace. Okorafor’s storytelling is intuitively episodic, blurring the realities of everyday pet life with gleeful fantasy. Ford’s sci\u002Dfi comic illustrations, rich with cosmic blues, purples, and oranges, bring a dynamic energy to this eccentric escapade. Periwinkle’s particular syntax (“When I come here, I reminded all things possible,” “Yes, I winning!”) may distract or amuse, depending on the reader."⭐ 4.1/5(147)

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Cover of THE STORY OF X0

THE STORY OF X0

by Celina soon gives rise to another threat that the allies must confront: She’s the creation of Nyxothar, an immortal being who consumes entire universes. Celina is the key to activating the enigmatic X0 station, which will unleash Nyxothar’s power and be the end of everything. In the meantime, humans who’ve been trying to comprehend the X0 station have opened a small portal releasing the Hollows, an assortment of vicious creatures that periodically attack Dynasty and the others. If the four can stay ahead of a tenacious military force, fight off a host of bloodthirsty otherworldly monsters, and shut down the station without inadvertently activating it and annihilating the universe, then there’s a relatively good chance they’ll survive.This briskly paced yarn features electrifying characters with fantastical abilities. The leads are effectively antiheroes—Dynasty once killed for the Anexsein Empire, Jade yearns for revenge, and both Celina and Death have murky pasts. Trust among the group isn’t easy to come by, especially as Celina initially confides in only one of the others (who keeps her secret) and the consistently unpredictable Death envies and seems intent on taking Celina’s power. As such, the people coming after these four aren’t necessarily villains\u003B the standouts include hard\u002Das\u002Dnails Gen. Capt. Ja Posa and a special forces team called the Royal Flushes with members named Queen, Jack, and Ten (they possess “Skills so ridiculous they might as well have been main characters in their own story”). The authors dish out innumerable action scenes that boast an even mix of gunfire and supernatural powers: One of Death’s abilities is taking control of a corpse for a short window of time, while Dynasty, echoing Jade’s crystal blades, can summon a sword that materializes in his hand. The frenetic pacing does occasionally backfire, especially in earlier, hasty scenes—the allies find themselves on a farming planet that’s more than it appears in a chapter that sacrifices any potential suspense by ending too quickly. The action intensifies as Dynasty and company focus on their mutual goal of taking out the X0 station. The blistering final act begets a few turns that most readers won’t see coming and closes with a hint of a sequel."⭐ 5.0/5(2)

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Cover of The Threads Remain

The Threads Remain

by German soldiers, which upends their lives. Postwar Germany in 1957 finds 16\u002Dyear\u002Dold Friedrich Becker grieving the recent loss of his adoptive mother, Minna. Spurred by her death to investigate the identity of his biological parents, Friedrich meets Sigrid, an orphan who works at an orphanage and joins him in his search. He remembers nothing of the time before his own adoption, but he has a crocheted bear named Bärli, which he had with him at age 4. Over the course of this layered narrative, Shapiro demonstrates an exceptional talent for storytelling as he highlights war’s capacity to separate people, but also to draw them together in common cause. Indeed, the story effectively shows how conflict can bind people together across generations and, as it happens, across time itself. As the various timelines intertwine, the author’s fine attention to detail results in a satisfying reading experience. Overall, the work ably reminds readers that although “there is no hope of creating a better past,” the future is still full of possibility."⭐ 4.7/5(217)

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Cover of THE THRESHOLD AND THE LEDGER

THE THRESHOLD AND THE LEDGER

by both Aeschylus’ Oresteia and artist Douglas Gordon’s seminal video installation 24\u002DHour Psycho. McCarthy’s play is reprinted in this book’s appendix, as is Bachmann’s “Salt and Bread,” in both English and German. Reveling in the subtle delicacy of Bachmann’s wording, the author investigates particularly potent etymologies and scans multiple translations in tandem. Invocations of works by Kafka, Dostoevsky, and Shakespeare add to McCarthy’s storm of citations, all of which usher in a short study of Bachmann’s 1971 magnum opus, the novel Malina. McCarthy’s work is an invigorating and inspiring incantation: Readers will not only marvel at how the author reads but also at his ability to articulate that experience into something both erudite and accessible. Eventually, Bachmann’s importance feels secondary to the journey: McCarthy resists guiding readers to a comprehensive closing statement and instead chooses to create a framework for the reader with a foundation of literary ideas. Ending on “the threshold of both Malina and the poetic event\u002Dfield, all the books\u002Dto\u002Dcome, to which Bachmann’s masterpiece opens the door,” McCarthy invites readers through, toward revelations of their own."⭐ 3.5/5(11)

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