![]() He can do complex sums in his head, and navigate by the stars. He speaks many tongues, and has read many books. The Cluain Mhic Nóis monastery is used to welcoming visitors, but few are as impressive as Artt, a famed “soldier for Christ,” responsible – or so the rumour goes – for converting entire tribes of Picts, Franks and Lombards. Haven, latest novel from Emma Donoghue, the Booker-shortlisted author of Room (2010), is cut from similar cloth it’s a grim and grisly tale of monastic privation and isolation in seventh-century Ireland. ![]() ![]() For other novelists, however, the dirt and the darkness appears to be the draw, as seen in Ottessa Moshfegh’s Lapvona, a bleak portrait of pain, suffering and filth in a fictional medieval village in Eastern Europe. ![]() In last year’s Matrix, Lauren Groff brought the spirited Marie de France back to life as the empowered leader of a sisterhood of nuns in a 12th-century abbey while Katherine J Chen’s Joan – published earlier this month – is a grand historical epic and feminist celebration of France’s most famous girl warrior. ![]() A new era in historical fiction is upon us these days, the Middle Ages are all the rage! For some, it’s an opportunity to look at an old story through a new lens. ![]()
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![]() This sympathetic tug-of-war continues throughout the novel, forcing readers to persistently sympathize with the entire cast of characters. Suddenly, readers cannot help but sympathize with Jocasta. But then the second chapter shifts focus to Jocasta and how she was unwillingly married into Theban royalty, where she found herself subject to a cursed prophecy. Thus, in this first chapter, readers sympathize with Ismene and feel contempt toward Jocasta and Oedipus. In the first chapter, readers are introduced to Ismene, one of the fated couple’s daughters, and she finds herself in the center of an elaborate scheme to overthrow her regal brother, a situation brought on in part by her parents’ poor decisions. By pairing the plight of the impiously wed couple’s children (the events recounted in Antigone) alongside the struggles faced by Jocasta and Oedipus (the events recounted in Oedipus Tyrannos), Haynes puts the humanity and flaws of every character-including Oedipus-on display. ![]() She structured her story to maximize the complexity of the characters. The first aspect of the novel that compelled me was its structure. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() “Francine Rivers writes from her heart to touch the hearts of her readers. Every Christian novelist writing today owes a debt of gratitude to Francine Rivers for lighting the way.” ![]() “Francine redefined Christian fiction-honest, unflinching, powerful, life-changing-demonstrating why storytelling is the most effective way to communicate God’s truth. The ‘costumes’ may vary, but our Lord does not change.” “As we ‘watch’ Hadassah and Atretes struggle through first-century trials, we learn how to handle similar situations in the twenty-first century. No one reading her books will ever be the same again.” “Francine unlocks the longing in each one of us to connect to God in a deeper, life-changing way. Includes discussion questions suitable for individual use or group discussions Even as she’s torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, Hadassah clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of a decadent empire. Amid the depravity around her, a young Jewish slave girl becomes a light in the darkness. While wealthy Roman citizens indulge their every whim, Jews and barbarians are bought and sold as slaves and gladiators in the bloodthirsty arena. ![]() The first book in the beloved Mark of the Lion series,Ī Voice in the Wind brings readers back to the first century and introduces them to a character they will never forget-Hadassah. Book 1 in the 3-book historical Christian fiction series by the New York Times bestselling author of Redeeming Love and The Masterpiece. ![]() ![]() ![]() Most of the greatest products running the lives of citizens in 2050 were not invented until after 2020. Not all of these shifts will be welcomed – established industries will topple because old business models will not work, entire occupations will disappear, together with livelihoods. Things that were previously considered ‘make believe’ are no longer fairy tale. Ninety percent of your coworkers will be unseen machines. ![]() You ’ ll be paid in the future based on how well you work with robots. “ This is not a race against the machines. “Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future” If you can position yourself to make the most of and leverage off these changes, you’re going to do very very well for yourself over the next three decades. The Inevitable outlines the 12 biggest ways that the world is going to change and he gives us an insight into what the world of 2050 will look like. The opportunities open to us now are enormous, and most of us don’t even realize it. ![]() Today, in 2016, we are in the best possible time to start something or invent something. The last 30 years have served as a good platform, but the next 30 years is where shit gets real. ![]() ![]() ![]() Seuss’s bestselling books, including such perennial favourites as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks. Creator of the wonderfully anarchic Cat in the Hat, and ranking among the UK’s top ten favourite children’s authors, Seuss is firmly established as a global best-seller, with over 600 million books sold worldwide.Īs part of a major rebrand programme, HarperCollins is relaunching Dr. ![]() Seuss has been delighting young children and helping them learn to read for over fifty years. With his unique combination of hilarious stories, zany pictures and riotous rhymes, Dr. ![]() Horton’s kindness and faithfulness are sorely tested when he, and the egg, are kidnapped and sold to a circus – but his reward for being faithful is more wonderful than he could ever have dreamed! Everyone laughs when Horton the Elephant offers to sit on Mayzie bird’s egg while she goes on holiday. Horton the elephant babysits an egg in this classic tale of kindness from Dr. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Prepper fiction is an exercise in imagination. Doomsday possibilities include: solar flares, EMP attacks, financial collapse, nuclear warfare, invasion, pandemic, ecological disasters, and the list goes on. Pat Frank’s “Alas Babylon” written in the 1950’s, dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear war and set in Florida was a national best seller and is a classic example of the genre. Prepper fiction is a realistic, what-if, survival story. ![]() It’s a kind of speculative writing but without the zombies. It’s a category of action adventure with a futuristic theme but without the space aliens. It’s a sub genre of fiction falling under science fiction but without the ray guns. ![]() I grew up thinking about fallout shelters and mutant monsters.Īnd now I write “Prepper” fiction, among other genres. Not to mention, he made a few bucks in the movies. Godzilla wasn’t just a big lizard he was also a metaphor for rampaging, worldwide destruction. My generation invented dystopian, futuristic, end-of-times storytelling. Those movies gave my bad dreams and ignited my imagination. In the meantime, I prepared for the cold war to go hot by hiding under my desk at school and every Saturday watching movies filled with mutants, fallout, and radiated wastelands. There were some tense moments when Castro invited the Russians to his island with their atomic bombs, and President Kennedy said, “Go home.” They went. I grew up waiting for the cold war to heat up. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() As a part of the V-force, the Vulcan was the backbone of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent during much of the Cold War. ![]() The B.2 featured more powerful engines, a larger wing, an improved electrical system, and electronic countermeasures, and many were modified to accept the Blue Steel missile. The Vulcan B.1 was first delivered to the RAF in 1956 deliveries of the improved Vulcan B.2 started in 1960. Several reduced-scale aircraft, designated Avro 707s, were produced to test and refine the delta-wing design principles. Of the three V bombers produced, the Vulcan was considered the most technically advanced, hence the riskiest option. Roe and Company ( Avro) designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) is a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. ![]() ![]() ![]() Rusty looked around, and as he did so the mouse was able to pull away from his claws. The mouse managed to scramble a few paces before Rusty caught up with it. He tossed the mouse once more, this time a little farther away. It tried to run, but Rusty snatched it up again. He scooped it into the air, hooking the helpless creature with his thorn-sharp claws, flinging it up in a high arc onto the leaf-covered ground. ![]() The mouse dived for cover, heading toward a hole in the ground. With one final check on his prey's position, Rusty pushed back hard on his haunches and sprang, kicking up leaves on the forest floor as he rose. Slowly he lowered his body into position, crouching for the attack. He swallowed, stifling his rumbling stomach. Rusty knew it was a mouse he could feel the rapid pulsing of a tiny hearty deep within his ear fur. It was hiding in the leaves less than two tail-lengths away. Musty odors of leaf mold mingled with the tempting aroma of a small furry creature. He opened his jaws slightly to let the warm smells of the forest reach the scent glads on the roof of his mouth. His stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger. ![]() This place was unfamiliar, but the strange scents drew him onward, deeper into the shadows. The young tomcat's eyes opened wide as he scanned the dense undergrowth. It was very dark. Rusty could sense something was near. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() He has an endless capacity for innocently getting into trouble, but he is known to “try so hard to get things right.” He was discovered in London Paddington station, by the (human) Brown family who adopted him, and thus he gives his full name as “Paddington Brown” (his original Peruvian name being too hard for them to pronounce).Īs of June 2016, the Paddington Bear franchise was owned by Vivendi‘s StudioCanal. An anthropomorphised bear, Paddington is always polite – addressing people as “Mr”, “Mrs” and “Miss”, rarely by first names – and kindhearted, though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval. ![]() The friendly bear from “darkest Peru“-with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffel coat and love of marmalade-has become a classic character from British children’s literature. ![]() He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children’s book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum and other artists. Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children’s literature. This is what Wikipedia says about Paddington: He was my son’s favourite bear as a child and when he visited London we went to see the statue at Paddington station. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() He's known for praising authoritarian leaders such as Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and warning his viewers about the dangers of foreign immigrants and elites who want to control their lives. If you follow cable TV at all, you probably know that Fox News host Tucker Carlson is one of the most influential commentators in conservative media and one of the most provocative. I'm Dave Davies, in today for Terry Gross. ![]() |