Pin0cchi0

Pin0cchi0

Geppetto’s workshop was a magical place.there were cuckoo clocks and music boxes that tinkled merrily. There were ducks and geese and puppets all made of wood. And there were endless shelves of toys. the kindly woodcarver loved to make children smile, and so each toys was made with special care. But there was one toy more colorfully painted than the rest-a boy puppet made of wood. it sat on the workshop table, still needing a few finishing touches. Geppetto stood before the puppet and carefully painted on eyebrows and a mouth. his cat, Figaro, and his goldfish, cleo, looked on. now; sad geppetto; I have just the name for you – pinnochio! do you like it; Figaro? Figaro shook his furry head. No? well,you will grow to like it, said geppetto . Pinnochio’ it is’’ Later that evening,geppetto put pinnochio away for the and climed into bed .before he fell asleep, geppetto looked out his window at the brightly lit sky. Oh, Figaro-look!’ he exclaimed. The wishing star!. Geppetto made a wish.it was one dear to his heart. Star light, star bright. First star I see tonight. I wish I may,I wish I might,have the wish I wish tonight! Figaro;do you know what I wished? I wished that my little pinnochio might be a real boy,said geppetto. Then he settled into bed.while the village slept.a brilliant light sparkled and transformed itself into the blue fairy. Good geppetto,said the fairy to the sleeping man,you have given so much happiness to others.you deserve to haveyour wish come true!the blue fairy glided across the room to pinnochio.she lifted her golden wand and waved in through the air. Little puppet made of pine,wake!the gift of life is thine! She proclaimed.as jimmy cricket watched,pinnochio opened his eyes.he moved first one arm,then the other,then he opened his mouth. Pinnochio exited . I can talk! Yes pinnochio,said the blue fairy;I have given you life because tonight geppetto wished for a real boy. Am I a real boy? Asked pinnochio. No, pinnochio.said the fairy,you maybe a real boy someday,but first,you must prove your self brave.ect. as geppeto began to sink,pinnochio grave him and carried him on his back.swim for shore!save your self;the old man moaned;gasping for air; eventually they were washed up on shore.geppetto looked around to see if everyone was there.to his dismay,he saw pinnochio lying face-down in the water.my grave little boy, geppettto cried;lifting the still body into his arms.the sad group stumbled back to the willage.geppetto laid pinnochion his bed and klent by his side.little pinnochio,you risked your life to save me.sobbed the old man,lowering his head in sorrow.all of a sudden,the room was lit up by a brilliant blue light.the blue fairy appeared;waving her magic wand over pinnochio,she said,now you have proven yourself brave,truthful and unselfish. Today you will become a real boy.awake,pinnochio,awake!.the lifeless wooden boy was suddenly transformed into a real live little boy.sitting up,pinnochio blinked his eyes .why are asked.pinnochio! you’re alive’ gasped geppetto with joy. And you’re a real, live boy; Cleo jumped with joy and Figaro danced a jig. At last the gentle woodcarver’s wish had come true. Jiminy cricket watched the joyous scene.now I know that wishes do sometimes come true,he said with tears in his eyes..

- Tell Me Your Dreams -

Title: ~ ♥ Tell Me Your Dreams ♥ ~

Author: Syndey Sheldon

Setting: California

Characters

~ ♥ Toni Prescott ♥ ~

We quickly learn that Toni is a mischevious, bold character. She's young, independant, not afraid to speak her mind and free-spirited. It seems that there is a lot more to her than that though...and there's plenty that we don't yet know...

~ ♥ Alette Peters ♥ ~

She's the exact opposite of Toni - perhaps this is why they get on so well. Toni tries to bring Alette, who is a sweet but shy, kind-hearted young woman, out of her shell. Alette's very in touch with her creative, artistic side but she has a lot of pent up anger building up inside her...

~ ♥ Ashley Patterson ♥ ~

Described as 'elegant yet haunted', Ashley is the main character of the three. As I mentioned, she's convinced that someone is stalking her, but there's plenty more troubling her besides...

Theme:

Toni is mischievous, ebullient and venturesome, very attractive kind of girl. Loves singing and dancing.
Alette is timid, quiet and virtuous though there is something always burning inside her. Loves painting
Ashley is intelligent, elegant and attractive. She's convinced that some one is stalking her and the nightmares come along in every sleep of her.

Toni and Aiette are friend but Ashley may never be aware of them if it did not happen. 'It' here is serial brutal murders with all men victims and all link to three women. One is Ashley's colleague who has had a crush on her. One is Toni's chat friend and one is Aiette's artist friend.

Three beautiful young women are the main characters of this thrilling story and they all work together at the same company - Global Computer Graphics Corporation. After a series of brutal murders take place on men all linked in one way or another to one of these women, we are lead to an unexpected turn. Who killed these men, and why? What skeletons are hiding in these women's closets? It seems that each character has some deep, dark past and it becomes fascinating as a reader to see their stories intertwine.

Plot

Ashley Patterson is 28 years old, from Bedford, USA.
Toni Prescott is 22 years old, from London. England.
Alette Peters is 20 years old, from Rome, Italian.
They three work at Global Computer Graphic Corporation in Cupertino, California.

Three women work for a computer company. All of them have very different personalities. Ashley is sensible and career minded, Toni is fun loving, always looking for a good time, and Alette who is shy and of an artist nature.

Men known to all three women end up dead and after an investigation it is discovered that Ashley’s fingerprints and DNA are present at all the murder scenes. After being arrested she is seen by a psychiatrist and it transpires that she is suffering from MPD (multiple personality disorder) and that Toni and Alette are actually manifestations of Ashley personality. Whilst she did physically commit the murders, it was actually her alter-ego, Toni that was driven to kill them.

Meanwhile Ashley had no prior knowledge of her alter-egos or suffering from MPD, so she had no knowledge of killing anyone. This all leads to a lengthy court room battle to plead her case and eventually she is cleared on ground of insanity. She is sent to psychiatric hospital for years to be treated and after many hypnotherapy sessions it comes to light that she created these alter-egos because she couldn’t cope with being molested by her father as a child. It is now that you discover that the men were killed because they had attempted to take advantage of her sexually, provoking childhood memories causing her alter ego Toni to take control of her. After years of different therapies Ashley finally accepted that this had all happened to her and that she was suffering from MPD and even got to know her Alter egos and to put them to rest and she was finally released back into the community. As she left the hospital she felt free and was ready to start her life again, cured of her illness, or so it would seem.

Resolution

The book could easily be classed as a psychological thriller or belonging to the genre of crime. At the same time as finding out who killed these men we are unwittingly learning more about out three leading ladies...there's just something about each of them...something lurking in their pasts. Sheldon creates depth and builds up the story to a climax we were not expecting. The pace of the story is good, with it moving it one direction at a steady pace before taking an unexpected turn.
The anti-climax then makes for extremely interesting reading as loose ends then become tied up. But there's no neat ending, Sheldon's conclusion is one that makes you think the story isn't ending. Oh no, it's just about to begin....

But it's readable. He doesn't mess about, describing every little detail to the point where you forget the point he was trying to make in the first place - a lot of his writing is actually dialogue between characters. I have to say though, that I favor this style, and think it's the best and most appropriate for this particular story.
There are some snippets of French and Italian in there with the dialogue, mostly due to the fact that part of the story is set in, and one character lives in, Quebec. Also, Alette Peters is Italian. It won't affect your understanding nor your enjoyment of the story if you don't understand these snippets. Sometimes they're subtly translated - that is, either the speaker will translate as they are speaking, or sometimes the speaker is just repeating what the other person in the conversation said, 'See you tomorrow, ''A demean'.

I like it when books do this, it's just a small touch and doesn't make a huge amount of difference, but just makes it that little bit more authentic. Alette Peters is Italian, and though throughout the book she is speaking English, it makes sense that from time to time she might say something in Italian. Still, this might annoy some potential readers.

We also get an insight into the thoughts of some of the characters - Sheldon writes these in italics as thought we can hear the voice inside the particular character's head. It's an effective device, which makes a reader want to find out more about these complex characters.

Sphere by Michael Crichton

Title: SPHERE

Author: Micheal Crichton

Setting: Middle of the South Pacific

Characters: Norman Johnson

Beth

Harry

Theme:

The event that brought the team together was the discovery of a space vessel at the bottom of the ocean. It is clearly not an earthly vessel, since it has been lying down there for at least three hundred years, long before humans had even airplanes. Rather than an underground research lab, the scientists are confined to a U.S. Navy deep-water habitat. When they discover the power of the alien force facing them, they realize that not only they are, but the entire world is, at risk.

The ideas presented are no longer based on concrete scientific grounds -- some of them are as far-fetched as time travel, some even more than that. When scientific data is presented, it is done in a fleeting way. In fact, the leading character falls asleep during one of the explanations, a simple narrative device for sparing a boring lecture from the readers while hinting that this is, after all, real science. No maps, computer scan printouts, or diagrams are included.

Synopsis

The novel is built around an incredible discovery; in the middle of the South Pacific, lying all but buried on the bottom of the ocean, rests a spacecraft of unknown origin. Psychologist Norman Johnson, the author of a secret government paper on "Recommendations for the Human Contact Team to Interact with Unknown Life Forms" (a less than serious paper he wrote primarily for the money) is called to the site, where he is informed that he will be part of a team of scientists sent to study the mysterious craft. Alongside him are an irascible Navy project commander, a brilliant, young astrophysicist/planetary geologist, a complicated female zoologist/biochemist and a noted mathematician/logician -- an unlikely team of deep ocean explorers.

They soon find themselves in an artificial habitat resting alongside the location of the mysterious ship. Their exploration of the site yields more questions than answers, as the ship turns out to be an American spaceship from the future. The truly enigmatic discovery onboard, though, is a giant sphere of unknown composition. As the story unfolds, they find themselves effectively stranded on the ocean floor for a period of some days, and strange and frightening things begin to happen after one scientist somehow enters the sphere. The scientists find themselves in communication with a supposedly alien entity who calls himself Jerry; whoever and whatever Jerry is, he seems to have the power to manifest remarkable physical creations and changes in reality. The habitat and the team inside it soon comes under attack by such dangerous creatures as giant squid and killer jellyfish, but the problems eventually internalize themselves inside the group dynamic, a group that is shrinking in size as time goes by. The mysterious sphere imparts an amazing power to those who enter it, a power that such individuals may not even be consciously aware of wielding.

Ultimately, the last remnants of the research team begin pointing fingers at one another and take steps to ensure their own individual survival in the face of an unquantifiable threat, making this novel a gripping psychological thriller based in a fascinating science fiction environment.

Once the team arrives in the underwater habitat, nonstop action ensues. One emergency after another challenges the crew, and the group dynamic of the team ebbs and flows along with each jarring crisis. Along the way, we see ever more clearly into the minds and ways of thinking of our main characters, and a significant amount of ideas are expressed concerning the human condition. Crichton provides for no obligatory rest areas along the way, as he takes the reader for an incredible ride that had me turning pages hand over fist in anticipation of what was to come. Some of the science is questionable, but Crichton surely makes it all sound more than plausible. The only real problem with the novel is a logical breakdown of sorts in the concluding chapters. Still, the desperate attempts of the remaining explorers to survive, when they cannot even trust one another, make for a riveting reading experience.

Resolution

One beautiful thing that Sphere does include is the message encoding scheme used by the alien. The actual code is included in the book, along with an explanation on how it was cracked -- simple enough for every reader to try his hand in the act of deciphering. A computer is needed, but you don't even have to turn it on: it is the form, not the content that matters.

The characters, for example, are much more complete, even though their personalities are taken to such extremes that they are almost caricatures -- Beth, a caricature of a feminist; Harry, a caricature of a depressed child; and so on. But the characters are definitely better presented.

One redeeming feature of Sphere is the surprising twist at the last few paragraphs. It is so subtly hinted, though, that I have actually missed it on first read.

While it is heavy on dialogue, the story touches on a number of aspects of the human personality while mixing in some profound if problematic science fiction in the process. This is a fast-paced thriller that definitely registers impressively on the suspense meter, particularly during the climactic late chapters. The ending is something of a letdown, but the story leading up to it is gripping and fascinating, and important clues and plot points are presented with much more subtlety and effectiveness than what you will find in the movie adaptation.

Enigma by Robert Harris

==============

Title: Enigma

==============

=======================

Author: Robert Harris

=======================

=========================

Setting: Bletchley Park

=========================

=============================

Characters: Jericho

Claire Romilly

Tom

Hester

=============================

===============

BACKGROUND.
===============
For anyone who has not heard of the Enigma machine, it was a device that was used to decode radio transmissions sent by the German navy.

In the most basic terms, it was a typewriter that was designed to type each letter differently to the key actually pressed. So a would become k, or an h would become e and so on.

The brilliant minds at Bletchley were able to crack five of the six codes, as they were typed on a standard 3 rotor Enigma machine. However the last code was typed on a unique 4 rotor machine, which made it almost impossible to crack without capturing either a specially adapted machine or a code book.

By disguising each letter as another letter, the German forces could send messages to each other regarding allied positions and effectively target our ships, or simply put, kill our troops.

The residents of Bletchley Park, at the time of the Second World War, were among the most elite of England's mathematical thinkers of that time. The purpose for their being there, to crack the codes and to save England from defeat.

The book itself is a work of fiction, however Harris did talk to former residents of Bletchley Park and their experiences are reflected in his work.

=============
THE STORY.
=============

Tom Jericho is a brilliant mathematician. He was recruited from Cambridge University to join other brilliant men and women at Bletchley Park, to try and crack the Enigma codes.
He and others like him are cryptographers trying to break an almost unbreakable code designed by the Germans.
There are six variations of the German naval Enigmas. Limpet, Dolphin, Oyster, Porpoise, Winkle and Shark.
Of the six, Shark is the most difficult to decipher as it has been typed on a specially adapted four rotor machine.
After months of work and great loss of life, Tom discovers a back entrance to break Shark.
He is hailed as a hero, and many lives are saved from the German U-boats.

Unfortunately at the same time, he succumbs to physical and mental exhaustion, has a breakdown and has to be sent back to Cambridge to recuperate. Also the Woman he has been seeing and fallen in love with, cools off their relationship. All in all he is at a loss, filling his days with sleep and nothing more intellectually stimulating than a crossword.

What Tom is unaware of, is that the Germans have cottoned on to the fact that the code has been broken, and so modify their Enigma machines to another setting, one which yet again cannot be broken.
Tom is escorted back to Bletchley park to again pit his mind against the formidable Shark code.
To make matters worse, he only has a limited amount of time in which to do this, as a massive allied convoy is being targeted by U-boats as they cross the ocean, with both essential supplies and thousands of passengers aboard.

Upon his return, he finds that Claire Romilly, the beautiful young woman he is in love with has disappeared. Nobody seems to have a clue where she has gone, and it is suspected that she may have passed on the information that Enigma had been broken to the Germans.
Tom must investigate Claire's life and liaisons, as well as break the code before the German U-boats attack the allied convoy.

As Jericho and his team work feverishly to break the code and avoid disaster for the Allied submarine forces, he comes to the conclusion that a traitor is at work among his fellow cryptographers. When Claire suddenly disappears and is found to have removed important information from her workplace, accusations of Nazi collaboration are made. Tom is desperate to find Claire and with the help of her room mate, Hester, he sets out to clear her name. This, along with cracking the code and finding the traitor, is stretching him to his breaking point once more. This story presents a fascinating view of the world of wartime codebreaking, as well as an exciting romance."

=================
RESOLUTION

=================

While I really expected to enjoy this one, I was mildly disappointed as to how little substance there was to most of the story.

I would say that over half of the book was more given over to a love story, or at least a search for his lost love. I personally thought that this short changed the people who were actually involved all those years ago.

The parts describing Bletchley and surrounding area were very detailed, and the way the author portrayed feelings and described the conditions of that time were very believable. I just wanted more of the struggle of Enigma and less about Claire.

While Tom's search for Claire did have some relevance for Enigma, I just thought that saving thousands of lives would be more important than a bunk up for the chaps at that time, so Tom lost my sympathies after a while.

Of course, all books are open to interpretation, and maybe if I had read this one while I was in a different frame of mind, I may have thought differently. It took me 5 days to plough through and at only 451 pages of standard size text, this is a long time for me, which must reflect my lack of enthusiasm for the story.

In conclusion I would say that it was ok, neither good nor bad. Not one that I would rave about or read again in a hurry though.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

==============

Title: Enigma

==============

=======================

Author: Robert Harris

=======================

=========================

Setting: Bletchley Park

=========================

=============================

Characters: Jericho

Claire Romilly

Tom

Hester

=============================

===============

BACKGROUND.
===============
For anyone who has not heard of the Enigma machine, it was a device that was used to decode radio transmissions sent by the German navy.

In the most basic terms, it was a typewriter that was designed to type each letter differently to the key actually pressed. So a would become k, or an h would become e and so on.

The brilliant minds at Bletchley were able to crack five of the six codes, as they were typed on a standard 3 rotor Enigma machine. However the last code was typed on a unique 4 rotor machine, which made it almost impossible to crack without capturing either a specially adapted machine or a code book.

By disguising each letter as another letter, the German forces could send messages to each other regarding allied positions and effectively target our ships, or simply put, kill our troops.

The residents of Bletchley Park, at the time of the Second World War, were among the most elite of England's mathematical thinkers of that time. The purpose for their being there, to crack the codes and to save England from defeat.

The book itself is a work of fiction, however Harris did talk to former residents of Bletchley Park and their experiences are reflected in his work.

=============
THE STORY.
=============

Tom Jericho is a brilliant mathematician. He was recruited from Cambridge University to join other brilliant men and women at Bletchley Park, to try and crack the Enigma codes.
He and others like him are cryptographers trying to break an almost unbreakable code designed by the Germans.
There are six variations of the German naval Enigmas. Limpet, Dolphin, Oyster, Porpoise, Winkle and Shark.
Of the six, Shark is the most difficult to decipher as it has been typed on a specially adapted four rotor machine.
After months of work and great loss of life, Tom discovers a back entrance to break Shark.
He is hailed as a hero, and many lives are saved from the German U-boats.

Unfortunately at the same time, he succumbs to physical and mental exhaustion, has a breakdown and has to be sent back to Cambridge to recuperate. Also the Woman he has been seeing and fallen in love with, cools off their relationship. All in all he is at a loss, filling his days with sleep and nothing more intellectually stimulating than a crossword.

What Tom is unaware of, is that the Germans have cottoned on to the fact that the code has been broken, and so modify their Enigma machines to another setting, one which yet again cannot be broken.
Tom is escorted back to Bletchley park to again pit his mind against the formidable Shark code.
To make matters worse, he only has a limited amount of time in which to do this, as a massive allied convoy is being targeted by U-boats as they cross the ocean, with both essential supplies and thousands of passengers aboard.

Upon his return, he finds that Claire Romilly, the beautiful young woman he is in love with has disappeared. Nobody seems to have a clue where she has gone, and it is suspected that she may have passed on the information that Enigma had been broken to the Germans.
Tom must investigate Claire's life and liaisons, as well as break the code before the German U-boats attack the allied convoy.

As Jericho and his team work feverishly to break the code and avoid disaster for the Allied submarine forces, he comes to the conclusion that a traitor is at work among his fellow cryptographers. When Claire suddenly disappears and is found to have removed important information from her workplace, accusations of Nazi collaboration are made. Tom is desperate to find Claire and with the help of her room mate, Hester, he sets out to clear her name. This, along with cracking the code and finding the traitor, is stretching him to his breaking point once more. This story presents a fascinating view of the world of wartime codebreaking, as well as an exciting romance."

=================
RESOLUTION

=================

While I really expected to enjoy this one, I was mildly disappointed as to how little substance there was to most of the story.

I would say that over half of the book was more given over to a love story, or at least a search for his lost love. I personally thought that this short changed the people who were actually involved all those years ago.

The parts describing Bletchley and surrounding area were very detailed, and the way the author portrayed feelings and described the conditions of that time were very believable. I just wanted more of the struggle of Enigma and less about Claire.

While Tom's search for Claire did have some relevance for Enigma, I just thought that saving thousands of lives would be more important than a bunk up for the chaps at that time, so Tom lost my sympathies after a while.

Of course, all books are open to interpretation, and maybe if I had read this one while I was in a different frame of mind, I may have thought differently. It took me 5 days to plough through and at only 451 pages of standard size text, this is a long time for me, which must reflect my lack of enthusiasm for the story.

In conclusion I would say that it was ok, neither good nor bad. Not one that I would rave about or read again in a hurry though.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = == = = == = = = = = = == = = == =

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

Title:

Digital Fortress

Author:

Dan Brown

Setting:

Spain

Characters:

Dave Becker

Susan Fletcher

Ensei Tankado

Trevor Strathmore

Introduction:

"NSA cryptographer Susan Fletcher is told that their powerful code breaking machine, TRANSLTR, has encountered a code it cannot break. The code is written by a former NSA employee, Ensei Tankado, who demands that the US government admits publicly to having the TRANSLTR. If not, he will release the code that TRANSLTR can't break, thus making the code breaking machine useless.

Fletcher's fiancée, professor David Becker, is sent to Spain to collect Ensei Tankado's belongings. Tankado has died from a heart attack, and Becker has to find the pass-key to unlock the code before someone else does.

Susan Fletcher, David Becker and NSA Commander Trevor Strathmore try to find the pass-key, and at the same time they have to keep the threat a secret from the rest of the world."

Plot:

"Susan is one of the top Code breakers at the NSA. She monitors the use of the code breaking machine that can break all codes in less than 3 hrs and is used by all forms of US intelligance. She is called in when a program is still running after 12+ hrs. At the same time her fiance is sent to Spain to try and locate the "key" to stopping the release of a code program that will allow the NSA to break codes that Digital Fortress (the encrypting program) is used to protect. In Spain it becomes clear that someone is out to keep the key safe as people who have come in contact with it are killed.
The story follows the progress to not only figuring out who has planted the code but how to keep it from letting the world into the NSA files."
"The National Security Agency (NSA) is one setting for this exciting thriller; the other is Seville, where on page 1 the protagonist, lately dismissed from NSA, drops dead of a supposed heart attack. Though dead, he enjoys a dramaturgical afterlife in the form of his computer program. Digital Fortress creates unbreakable codes, which could render useless NSA's code-cracking supercomputer called TRANSLTR, but the deceased programmer slyly embossed a decryption key on a ring he wore. NSA cryptology boss Trevor Strathmore dispatches linguist Dave Becker to recover the ring, while he and Becker's lover, senior code-cracker Susan Fletcher, ponder the vulnerability of TRANSLTR. In Seville, over-the-top chase scenes abound; meanwhile, the critical events unfold at NSA. In a crescendo of murder, infernos, and explosions. While letting the world believe that certain strong encryption algorithms are too mathematically complicated to break in a reasonable amount of time given current technology, the NSA (National Security Association) has developed a machine which can break anything- until a new unbreakable encryption algorithm is created by an individual with a grudge against the NSA. The NSA find themselves in a position of needing to intercept and destroy the algorithm before it can be released to the world and render their spying efforts useless. Along the way there are twists and turns and different individuals with different agendas to add some excitement to the story. "the NSA [National Security Agency, but so secret that it's also known as No Such Agency] lobbied fiercely against all new encryption software, insisting it crippled them and made it impossible for lawmakers to catch and prosecute the criminals. Civil rights groups cried foul, insisting the NSA shouldn't be reading their mail anyway. Encryption software kept rolling off the presses. The NSA had lost the battle--exactly as it had planned

Resolution:

"Information age terrorism is the topical subject of Brown's inventive debut thriller about a virtual attack on the National Security Agency's top-secret super computer, TRANSLTR. Although TRANSLTR is meant to monitor and decode e-mail between terrorists, the computer can also covertly intercept e-mail between private citizens. The latter capability drives former NSA programmer Ensei Tankado to paralyze TRANSLTR with Digital Fortress, a devious mathematical formula with an unbreakable code. Tankado then demands that the NSA publicly admit TRANSLTR's existence or he will auction Digital Fortress's pass-key to the highest bidder. Brown cleverly makes ironic, mischievous Tankado (who dies in the first chapter) the most interesting character in the book and its real protagonist, as the programmer posthumously outmaneuvers his opposition, countering their obsessive quest for complex solutions with brilliant simplicity. His favorite saying, "Who will guard the guards?" stands in noble contrast to the NSA agents self-righteous insistence that they always know what is best for America... In this fast-paced, plausible tale, Brown blurs the line between good and evil enough to delight patriots and paranoids alike."

Deception

Title: Deception

Author: Judith Michael

Setting: United States and Europe

Characters:

Stephanie

Sabrina

Garth Anderson

Theme:

The Story have included sharp and witty insights and observations in several of the novel's scenarios. Would you change places with your twin sibling? If you'd ask Sabrina Longworth, the one half of the duo protagonist team of DECEPTIONS, she'd probably say not on your life. She'd also say that having tried it more than once, thanks to the imagination of Judith Michael's Judith Barnard and Michael Faine, she lived to regret it, big time. Indeed, faith has a strange way of throwing a curveball when least expected. Especially to this fictitious bunch whose lives make for a pretty decent time-waster read despite the been there seen that plotline. Just go to show you that originality comes in small doses. Just simmer it in creativity and punchy dialogue, and you've got yourself one hot bestseller that is as juicy as a pack of Doublemint gum. What if you not only had a twin, but decided one day to trade places... just for a little while. What begins as a lark for sisters Stephanie and Sabrina quickly turns into so much more in this surprisingly satisfying read in which, perhaps not surprisingly, we are taught to be grateful for what we have for the grass is not always greener on the other side. For most of us, the perhaps unconscious thrill lies in the story of Stephanie, the twin whose life in suburbia has become almost stifling, especially when compared to that of her exotic, exciting twin sister, Lady Sabrina Longworth. Quicker than you can say, "Hey, what if we traded places?" Stephanie is living the high life, while Sabrina is trading cocktail parties for backyard bar-b-ques. This is classic Judith Michael, who for several years stirred the imagination by taking classic cases of "what if" and spun them into fanciful, frothy books. "What if... you won the lottery?" (Pot Of Gold) "What if... you found out that your newly deceased husband had a rich, secret family he never told you about?" (A Ruling Passion) But with Deceptions, the novel that started it all, the authors crafted perhaps their best "what if" scenario by playing on a theme nearly every one of us has pondered at one time or another. Those looking for a good time could do a whole lot worse than to spend their summer with Stephanie and Sabrina!

Learn about the strong bond between identical twins, Sabrina and Stephanie, and how they developed into two different women leading two different lives. We become immersed in Sabrina's exclusive world of London high society, antique dealerships, and exquisitely designed townhouses. Her more brazen personality allows her to survive quite nicely and make astute dealings among London's elite. Stephanie lives more obscurely in a small university town in the States with her professor husband, Garth. Their domestic, suburban life with their two children and supportive neighbors is surprisingly realistic and at times endearing. The major premise is that the sisters tire of the complications in their lives and decide to switch places. The novel is well structured as the reader flows from Stephanie's adjustment to Sabrina's jet-set life while Sabrina brings her strength and determination to life as a suburban professor's wife. This is definitely escape literature, but an intelligent read. If you enjoy reading good descriptions of the finer things in life and excellent character development, this book comes highly recommended.

Summary:

"Sabrina and Stephanie Longworth are twins. Sabrina married a wealthy English aristocrat and divorced him. She now runs a successful antiques business in London. Stephanie married Garth Anderson, a scientist and university professor. She stays at home in the suburbs with their two children and envies her sister's jet set lifestyle. Stephanie's desire for a more exciting life is putting a strain on her marriage.

Stephanie gets Sabrina to switch places so she can have some fun but does not want Garth to know. Garth did not like Sabrina when he met her and thinks she is the cause of Stephanie's dissatisfaction with her life. Sabrina quickly adjusts to Stephanie's home life, and gets to know and like Garth. Stephanie finds she is good at the antiques business. But just before they are to switch back, Sabrina breaks her leg and the deception has to continue. Stephanie does not mind because she has started an affair with one of Sabrina's friends. Nor is Stephanie upset when Sabrina confesses she could not say no when Garth wanted to make love. The longer Sabrina lives with Garth, the more she falls in love with him. Garth feels like he is falling in love with his wife all over again as she takes an interest in his work and encourages his dreams instead of wanting him to make more money.

Then Stephanie is killed when her lover's yacht explodes. Sabrina cannot bring herself to tell Garth it was really Stephanie and she tries to carry on the deception because she loves Garth too much to have him leave her once he learns the truth."

Resolution:

This book was first published in 1982. This is a very satisfying story with several unpredictable plot twists. The premise of the story, identical twins switching lives for a week, seems sort of contrived until the author actually immerses us into their new roles, challenges, and emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, staying up extra late at night because I didn't want to put it down.
When I read Deceptions, I thought it was going to be a sappy-love story. Generally, all love stories have a sappiness; Deceptions was no different. Although, I loved it. It was very enthralling, and it told the story well by developing the characters so you could almost smell and feel the same things they did. I enjoyed Sabrina Longworth's passionate personality, and her sister's loving qualities; but the real story laid with Garth Anderson. He was Stephanie’s husband, and he had two children with her. The fact was that Sabrina and Garth met once and strongly disliked each other, but when Sabrina and Stephanie play on Garth with the deception--- they fall in love. A bit predictable, only you expect the story to lie with Stephanie and not Sabrina. Without Stephanie’s smaller, and not as developed life-style in Sabrina's world, you wouldn't be able to laugh at all the odd mishappenings that go on within the book. When Sabrina and Garth begin to fall in love, (Garth re-falling in love with his wife who seemed dead for so many years, and Sabrina falling in love with Stephanie’s husband) it's comical. It was fun to read about this odd circle the Authors developed. The two sisters, living in swapped worlds, and two men who don't know or care that they are not sleeping with the woman they think--- or for that matter, married to the woman they think. Stephanie kept messing everything up, and Sabrina kept trying to fix it. Then there was Garth who really was just going with it, blind to the obvious deception in front of him. My only objection to how these two people write, the husband and wife team of Judith Michael, is that it is free with swearing and intimacies. All in all, it was a rare, sappy love story, with an intricate plot that had it all: humor, love, and a well developed story back ground. It's well worth the time to read, and it won't take you long because it is so enthralling. Deceptions is the type of book that is just hard to put down at two-thirty in the morning, knowing you have five hours before you get up to work the next day; it's the type of book you keep saying: another chapter, and I swear I'll go to bed.

Darkness by John Saul

The small town of Villajeune, Florida is privy to a deep, dark secret. Babies die, children disappear and those that don't are haunted by nightmares of The Dark Man, who invades their thoughts, controls their minds and steals their souls.
So begins "Darkness" from John Saul. While not necessarily a typical horror story, or typical John Saul, I find the story to be engrossing and very quickly got hooked. I found that the first half of the book was much better than the second, when too much was revealed too soon. Once the "truth" about The Dark Man and the town's "secret" came out, some of the mystery disappeared as well. While perhaps the story itself was highly unrealistic and the descriptions of the swamp and rundown shacks got a bit repetitive, I found the story good, entertaining fun. A solid read.

In the deepest part of the Florida swamps there is a crazy man who is stealing youth from "the dark children" and giving it to the men of the swamp to live forever. The babies are being kidnapped and given up to this crazy man as an offering of the purest evil. The son of the dark man and this punk girl who got away are the only ones who give the swamps a chance to overcome this evil. Upon this punk girls return, everything starts to get scary. She's tried to commit suicide because she keeps seeing this man in her dreams and in the mirrors behind her, but she dosen't understand any of it. When she returns to the Florida swamps she eerily knows her way around then and is not frightened by all the dangers within, though they could kill her or anyone else at any time. She has problems, her adoptive parents dont realize that she's been temporarily possessed, and she dosen't want to admit that she really does need help. Michael dosen't realize that he's in deeper than everyone else, that he's the only one who can start the cycle of rebirth to give the swamp children their youth back. The swamp holds evils, and evils that contain good. The women of the swamp hold the keys that everyone is looking for, but who will find them? Judd Duval and the old woman may not hold all the answers, in fact i assure you, there is much more to it than that.This book is filled with a lot of questions and suspense. You want to know what's going to happen long before you get to find out. John Saul is a matermind of horror, an incredible writer, and a genius in creating the fictional human mind. Once you pick this book up, i guarantee you'll have a hard time not staying up until two in the morning to finish it, it's incredible.

Kelly and her family had just moved from Atlanta to a small town in Florida called Villejeune where her adoptive parents, the Andersons, were originally from. Her parents took her to this little town to save her from the wild city that they thought caused Kelly to attempt suicide. What they did not know was that Kelly was seeing a dark man in her dreams and in the mirror. Kelly was afarid to tell her parents because she believed they would think she was crazy. Her parents took her to this nice quiet town without knowing that Kelly, along with all the newborn babies from the town, had her youth taken from her by the Dark Man. The Dark Man would take the youth of all these innocent children to conserve himslef and other men young forever. However, Kelly found a very special new friend that made her feel safe from the world and the Dark Man. Together they will fight against all those who took their youth from them to get it back. John Soul used very descriptive language in this thriller. It was easy for the reader to picture the scenes full of suspense throughout the novel. The author hooks the reader with his dynamic and exciting fiction. Darkness has very good qualities; however, it was too fictitious. If youth could be taken from children, everyone would be immortal, not only those who are evil.

-REVIEWS-

+ All I can say is that I loved this book along with all of his other books. I will probably read it again at some point. I am biased however since Saul is my favorite author of all time!

+ Well, I'm usually not one to complain about a story being unrealistic. I understand that good fiction often requires a little suspension of reality. But Darkness goes well beyond "a little" suspension of reality. This book is unbelievable almost to the point of being funny. I never really got sucked into the story. In part, because although I was able to picture the faces and places, the almost cartoonish story line meant it never seemed real, even in my imagination.

+ That being said, this book isn't horrible. It's average and that's about it. I'd like to give it 2.5 stars, but can't. There's a few twists. Most are pretty easy to see coming, but I don't think Saul was really intending to blindside you with them anyway. The end was a little disappointing, although I read worse.

+ Although Saul is not a great author, his books can often be suspenseful and entertaining. This book, however, is neither suspenseful or entertaining.

+ All my life I really nevered liked to read. I liked some books but not all filled me with interest, until one day I found a book with a interesting title.
It was a sunday morning and I went to a garage sale and I found the book Darkness, by John Saul. It sounded interesting so I bought it. It was just 1 dollar. I never heard of the author so I wanted to try it out and see if it was a good book.
Once I began reading the first page, my eyes glued to the book. The metaphors, description, and the horror, made the book so interesting and great.I never let go of the book. Its a shock because this is the only book that I actually enjoyed. This is my second time reading the book. I RECCOMEND EVERYONE TO READ THE BOOK. YOU'LL REALLY GET ADDICTED TO THE BOOK!

+ Although the underlying premise of this novel is rather ridiculous when you think about it, Saul manages to make the story work. It's not terribly thrilling or suspenseful, however. There is no surprise to be found in the conclusion because the clues to what mysteries this tale contains are glaringly obvious early on. Darkness is Saul's take on the old eternal life theme. While the Dark Man is rather creepy and mysterious early on, his true identity, purposes, and methods are revealed halfway through the book, leaving the reader with a long sprint toward a finish line of foregone conclusions. The medical and scientific aspects here are rather laughable, really, and a little inconsistent (not to mention somewhat disgusting) in the end.

+ The setting of the novel both helps and hurts it. Most of the action takes place in the Florida swamps, a setting I myself find quite unappealing (although Saul has tourists lining up to explore the dangerous, disgusting swamps, small children and babies in tow). It's certainly creepy, what with all the strange sounds and movements taking place in the dark shadows, not to mention alligators, crocodiles, water moccasins, and other deadly beasts roiling and slithering their way through all of the actions. I got a little tired of one individual after another getting lost and trying to find his/her way home in this ruthless environment, though. As soon as one person turned up, another ran out and got lost, starting the whole swamp search ordeal over again.

+ I can't voice my criticisms of the story without giving too much away. I will just say that this novel is much less believable than most of Saul's fiction. For that reason it didn't strike too strong of a chord in me personally; the fact that the main plot twists and ultimate conclusion were so obvious also left the novel incapable of truly grasping my complete attention and fascination. In less talented hands, this story could easily fail miserably because of its flimsy relationship with reality, but, as I said, John Saul makes it work. I was in no great hurry to reach the conclusion, but I also never felt compelled to toss the book aside without finishing it. If you've never read Saul before, I wouldn't recommend letting Darkness be your introduction to his work-it is not quite up to his normally high standards.

+ This book was very good although there were times when I had a hard time believing some things that happened like when the "dark man" died at the end. There were also a lot of unanswered questions, like what happened to the little girl? Did she come back home? Did she get her youth back? I felt like I got cut off with several chapters missing.

+ Riveting, exciting, terrifying, these words don't really describe this novel's complex and chilling events. The events which take place in John Saul's Darkness, is recognizably haunting. The fear you feel while reading about the characters, holds you from beginning to end. And as demented as this may sound, I personally hated when the book ended.