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(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 8 | Sven stabbed his spear into the surprised Low Fang's neck, ignoring the reproachful look in the eyes of the maltreated creature. All around him, militia members were fighting and dying as they exterminated the horde of Low Fangs that their battalion had been hunting down over the previous few days. Following his examin... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 9 | The voyage to the Crow's Nest finally came to an end the following day, and when the island came into view, Ahren had to peer for a considerable time before he could make out the misshapen outlines that gradually revealed themselves on the hazy blue horizon. The island known as the Crow's Nest seemed to stretch just un... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 10 | Falk and Fisker exchanged a few more introductory pleasantries, but Ahren was simply too shocked to pay attention. He stared in disbelief at the pirate drunkard, who led the largest fleet on the Cutlass Sea and was simultaneously one of the Paladins they had been seeking. Was this champion of the gods really responsibl... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 11 | The main camp of the THREE militia was considerably larger and more professional than Sven had expected. At least five hundred men and women were marching and training between the neat rows of simple white tents, set up on the spring meadow, three square acres in size, which was situated in the south-west region of the... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 12 | With Fisker's wailing in his ears, Ahren carefully entered the hideaway and gently lifted the creature hiding inside. Aghast, he stared down at the maltreated little monkey with its horribly twisted limbs as it looked over at Fisker, chattered weakly and called pleadingly for the Paladin.
'I'm here, Cassobo,' wailed F... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 13 | It didn't take Ahren long to find the beach. He dragged his weary body out of the water and onto dry land. As far as he was concerned, they could sail back to the mainland the following day, and not a moment too soon. The sea seemed to have it in for him. From now on he would show the ocean more respect. He rubbed his ... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 14 | The campfire burned brightly and cheerfully under the dark spring skies. Although the days were already pleasantly warm, and the winter had ended two moons previously, the night air remained bitterly cold. All his men and women were wrapped in rough woollen blankets, but none of them wished to go to sleep. Not until th... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 15 | 'Can you repeat that, please?' asked Uldini in disbelief.
'There is an island to the south of the Crow's Nest where the Adversary corrupted a certain species of simian,' said Fisker, stroking the shivering Cassobo. 'Presumably, Aluna particularly enjoyed the irony of depositing my things there.'
'Shadow Simians?' ask... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 16 | The missiles bored into the thick wood behind which Ahren and Yantilla were hiding with a dull thud, as well as ricocheting off the deck or slamming into the ship's masts. Unfortunately, they were not merely hitting inanimate objects. Ahren could hear screams of pain all around him – at least a dozen voices – and Yanti... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 17 | Sven looked around at his subordinates and smiled. They had gained in self-confidence and now they looked up at him loyally as they sat around on a grassy knoll, where they had set up camp in the northernmost Borderlands. His plan to equip them, seemingly accidentally, with horses had worked brilliantly, and once his p... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 18 | 'Shit, shit, shit,' said Trogadon once the primate sound had died down. 'We've jumped from the collapsing mine into the flooded cave.'
'The metaphors of like a true miner, but nonetheless apt,' said Uldini. They were all standing on the beach but for a few sailors who were checking out the hull of the Queen of the Wav... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 19 | The body of Adjutant Cosin lay in a bloody heap in the high grass near the little compound of tents that her men had erected close to the northern Borderlands, and from where they could go on patrols. Sven hummed contentedly, wiping the blood off his dagger by running it along the clothing of the deceased woman. She ha... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 20 | The night was pitch-black and threatening. Heavy clouds hung from the firmament, ready to dump their thousands of gallons of water. The air was humid and oppressive, even out here on the high seas. Ahren knew that a storm would soon break, but he was long past fretting over the weather. As long as the ship wouldn't cap... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 21 | Baron Aconus was standing on a more imposing podium this time, than at the gathering in springtime. His appearance, so laughable in Sven's eyes, had a hypnotic effect on the leaders and knights looking on. The air in the large tent was sticky as over a hundred men and women hung on every word the small, overweight lead... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 22 | Ahren's heart hammered in his chest, and his mind was as exhausted as his soul was sore. The last few gruelling weeks had brought them ever further northward, past the Vortices of Creation and into the remote, abandoned region of the Lost Islands. They had sailed close by more than one of the landmasses, and Ahren had ... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 23 | Uldini's prediction was overtaken by reality. That very same night, the two magicians instructed Captain Orben to take a north-easterly course, which would bring them closer to the Bonding Stone that Khara had etched for them.
Ahren tried in vain to sleep. Even Culhen, normally so relaxed, wandered the deck restlessly... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 24 | Sven tossed the crumpled letter, sealed with the insignia of the King of the Knight Marshes, into the burning brazier just as Baron Aconus entered the command tent. The Baron, his eyebrows raised, looked in surprise, first at his adjutant, then at the burning message, then back at his subordinate again.
'What does thi... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 25 | Ahren looked wearily up at the stars. He was still lying on the pebble beach under his heavy woollen blanket. The fire had died down, but the glowing wood was radiating enough warmth to keep away the worst of the cold. His wounds were burning and throbbing, and he could hardly move, but Uldini had assured him that the ... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 26 | Sven watched the priests of the human god, who were sitting silently in a trance-like state around a large magic circle, within which was a large pile of tiny talismans, each one bearing the sign of the THREE. The magic radiating from the circle was tangible, causing Sven to shrink back instinctively. His mind filled w... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 27 | Ahren had slept terribly badly. The pebbles below him, his wounds, Khara's condition – they had all conspired against him and given him no peace, and when he finally had fallen asleep, he had been haunted by nightmares where the Pall Pillar was in the centre, as well as a tall silhouette that seemed vaguely familiar to... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 28 | The sun was already rising on the horizon, and the militia were less than a mile from the Pall Pillar when Baron Aconus gave the signal that he wished to give a speech before the individual troops would divide up and surround the prison of the dark god. The temperature had dropped surprisingly, and the wind was whistli... |
(13th Paladin 5) The Isles of the Cutlass Sea | Torsten Weitze | [
"fantasy",
"young adult"
] | [] | Chapter 29 | Everyone in the cabin struggled back to their feet and looked at each other in puzzlement. A huge wave had just slammed against their ship, and even as Ahren was straightening up, Uldini was speaking frantically, looking down at his crystal ball, now emitting a message charm. 'Ancients, Monarchs, Paladins – everyone se... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | Chapter 1 | In the writing and researching of this book, I was able to access an extensive amount of primary source material due to the survival of a great deal of the original documentation in archives and libraries in Britain and Australia. For this I am extremely grateful.
A wealth of official letters, records and government f... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | NOTE ON EXTRACTS FROM PRIMARY SOURCES | In quoting material from the primary sources consulted for this book, I have remained faithful to the authors' non-standard grammar, spelling and punctuation as much as possible. However, there are some cases where a verbatim transcription would have hampered the meaning or otherwise presented a stumbling block to the ... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | ENGLAND | More prisoners were destroyed by disease in gaols than were put to death by all the public executions in the Kingdom.
At four o'clock in the morning on Sunday 13 May 1787 the signal was given by the flagship Sirius for the ships of the First Fleet to set sail and begin their eight-month voyage from Portsmouth to estab... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE BOTANY BAY DECISION | There was a great plenty of fish … The grass was long and luxuriant, and the eatable vegetables, particularly a sort of wild spinage; the country was well supplied with water; there was an abundance of timber and fuel sufficient for any number of buildings, which might be found necessary.
The selection of the site on ... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | ARTHUR PHILLIP | I cannot say the little knowledge I have of Captain Phillip would have led me to select him for a service of this complicated nature.
The man chosen to lead the expedition to Botany Bay and become Britain's first governor to New South Wales was Captain Arthur Phillip. When he was plucked from semi-retirement at his Ha... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | PREPARATION FOR THE VOYAGE | We beg leave to propose that the wives of the two hundred and forty-seven marines going to Botany Bay, not exceeding ten to each company, which will not in the whole amount to more than forty women, may be allowed to embark with them.
The fleet was to take more than fourteen hundred people – including seven hundred an... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE CONVICTS | COURT TO PRISONER: How old are you?
PRISONER: Going on nine.
COURT: What business were you bred up in?
PRISONER: None, sometimes chimney sweeps.
COURT: Have you any father and mother?
PRISONER: Dead.
COURT: How long ago?
PRISONER: I don't know.
The convicts loaded onto the transports of the First Fleet were not... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | PORTSMOUTH | A corpse sew'd up in a hammock floated alongside our ship. The cabin, lately occupied by the third mate Jenkinson, who died of a putrid fever the night before I came on board, and was buried at Ryde, was fresh painted and fumigated for me to sleep in.
The preparation for the First Fleet's departure from Portsmouth was... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE VOYAGE | I never met with a parcle of more discontent fellows in my life. They only want more provisions to give it to the damned whores the convict women of whom they are very fond since they broke through the bulk head and had connections with them.
The First Fleet's initial progress was as faltering as its departure had bee... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | LEAVING CIVILISATION | It was natural to indulge at this moment a melancholy reflection which obtruded itself upon the mind. The land behind us was the abode of civilized people; that before was the residence of savages. When, if ever, we might again enjoy the commerce of the world, was doubtful and uncertain … All communication with familie... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | ARRIVAL | We set out to observe the country, on inspection rather disappointed our hopes, being invariably sandy and unpromising for the purposes of cultivation … Close to us was the spring at which Mr Cook watered but we did not think the water very excellent, nor did it run freely. In the evening we returned on board, not grea... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | STRUGGLE | Thursday 31 January – what a terrible night it was of thunder and lightening and rain – was obliged to get out of my tent with nothing on but my shirt to slacken the tent poles … Friday 1 February. In all the course of my life I never slept worse … than I did last night – what with the hard ground spiders, ants and eve... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | FRICTION IN THE SETTLEMENT | We have laboured incessantly since we arrived here to raise all sorts of vegetables and even at this distant period we can barely supply our tables, his Excellency not excepted. This together with the miserable state of the natives and scarcity of animals, are convincing proofs of the badness of the country. You will n... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE FLEET GOES HOME | The scurvy had now arrived to such a height among the crew that eleven were unable to move and the remaining part were so exceedingly feeble from the effects of it as scarcely to be able to navigate the ship so that our situation was become extremely critical …
In the months following the arrival of the fleet and the ... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE | The natives revenge by attacking any stragglers they meet …
Relations between the new settlers and the Aboriginal people were characterised by a mutual incomprehension that gradually worsened. The settlers had virtually no knowledge or understanding of the local inhabitants beyond the brief observations of Cook and Ba... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | CRISIS | Famine … was approaching with gigantic strides, and the gloom and dejection overspread every countenance. Men abandoned themselves to the most desponding reflections … Still we were on the tip toe of expectations … every morning from daylight until the sun sank did we sweep the horizon, in hope of seeing a sail … all o... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | A WAITING GAME | We were surprised to see a boat, which was known to belong to the Supply, rowing towards us. On nearer approach, I saw Captain Ball make an extraordinary motion with his hand, which too plainly indicated that something disastrous had happened … A few minutes changed doubt into certainty and to our unspeakable consterna... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | ARRIVAL OF THE SECOND FLEET | The landing of these people was truly affecting and shocking; great numbers were not able to walk, nor move a hand or foot, such were slung over the ship side in the same manner as they would sling a cask, a box or anything of that nature.
While the arrival of the Lady Juliana and the other four ships of the Second Fl... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | ESCAPE | Several convicts got away from this settlement on board of the transports, which it will be impossible to prevent unless the masters of those ships … are prosecuted with severity …
Attempted escapes from the New South Wales settlement were commonplace from the outset, despite the fact that the convicts had little idea... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | THE DEPARTURE OF PHILLIP | I cannot conclude this letter without assuring you Arthur Phillip how much I lament that the ill state of your health deprives his Majesty of your further services in the Government of New South Wales …
After three years in New South Wales many of the naval officers, sailors, marines and civil officials who had come o... |
1788 - The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet | David Hill | [
"history",
"nonfiction"
] | [
"Australia",
"penal colony"
] | CHRONOLOGY | 1717 The British Parliament passes legislation for the overseas transportation of convicts to America. Over the next sixty or so years more than forty thousand British convicts are sent.
1760 George III ascends to the British throne and begins a fifty-year reign. He will authorise the colonisation of Australia before ... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 1 | Twenty thousand dollars.
Click.
Candee Contando licked her dry lips. She'd done it. She'd placed an online bid on a home-auction website for the Victorian mansion on Thompson Lane. Her dream home, her dollhouse. Her dilapidated project.
Two years of savings. Gone.
No matter. Under her guidance, she'd transform the ... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 2 | Teddy Winchester pondered for the umpteenth time how he'd ended up in Roses, North Carolina. Certainly the town was charming, tucked along a backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He'd taken a ride around the region before he'd checked into the hotel. The shopping seemed adequate and the town center exuded storybook app... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 3 | Candee peered through the hole in the floor into the shadowy basement. Although she heard Teddy's footsteps, she couldn't see him.
"Are you all right?" she called.
"Sure. I wanted to examine the basement, anyway. It appears to be a walk-out."
She leaned over, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. "What's it like down ... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 4 | Teddy's cell phone buzzed on the nightstand in his hotel room. Awake anyway, he answered it and heard a recognizable woman's voice.
"Teddy?"
"Yvonne?" He peered at the clock on the nightstand. "You realize it's three a.m.?"
"Are you awake?"
He pushed a hand through his hair. "Should I be?"
"It's nine in the mornin... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 5 | The sleet came faster, making visibility difficult. Still, Teddy seemed to recognize where they were as they neared the turn-off for Thompson Lane.
"You know the code for the lockbox, right?" Teddy asked.
"Yes, I have it memorized," she said.
"Mind if we stop there first? I'd meant to check the water heater yesterda... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 6 | The following day, Candee attended church services. Upon returning to her apartment for a quick lunch, she checked her cell phone. Teddy had texted her.
Happy Sunday, his text read. Planning to volunteer at the animal shelter this afternoon?
She glanced at her watch—half past noon. Yes, she texted back. On my way now... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 7 | Taken? The Victorian was taken?
Teddy jerked off his vest and threw it on the worn oak chair in his hotel room. He approached the window and gazed out at a thick black sky. In the distance, the twinkling lights of shops in the town square beckoned. Somewhere near, a church bell tolled the hour.
He tapped his hands to... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 8 | The next two weeks flew by in a pleasant flurry for Candee, as she and Teddy viewed prospective houses and stopped daily at the Victorian house. He'd offered advice on cost-effective strategies to modernize, while staying true to the house's character. Though they'd viewed numerous modest properties more in sync with h... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 9 | The following afternoon, Candee made sure every employee at the shelter knew to call her if Kisses went into labor. Then she and Teddy boarded the plane from Asheville, North Carolina, to Miami, Florida. The trip to the airport took less than an hour, and Teddy did the driving. Their flight was under two hours, and sud... |
1-800-CUPID | Josie Riviera | [
"contemporary",
"romance"
] | [
"Flipping For You"
] | Chapter 10 | As usual, Desiree had arrived at the country club before Candee. Candee hung her fur capelet by the door and greeted her sister with a hug.
Desiree looked gorgeous in a red velvet figure-hugging pant suit. She went back to arranging a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries on a silver serving tray. The club was empty... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 1 | It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.
The hall... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 2 | As he put his hand to the door-knob Winston saw that he had left the diary open on the table. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER was written all over it, in letters almost big enough to be legible across the room. It was an inconceivably stupid thing to have done. But, he realized, even in his panic he had not wanted to smudge the ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 3 | Winston was dreaming of his mother.
He must, he thought, have been ten or eleven years old when his mother had disappeared. She was a tall, statuesque, rather silent woman with slow movements and magnificent fair hair. His father he remembered more vaguely as dark and thin, dressed always in neat dark clothes (Winston... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 4 | With the deep, unconscious sigh which not even the nearness of the telescreen could prevent him from uttering when his day's work started, Winston pulled the speakwrite towards him, blew the dust from its mouthpiece, and put on his spectacles. Then he unrolled and clipped together four small cylinders of paper which ha... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 5 | In the low-ceilinged canteen, deep underground, the lunch queue jerked slowly forward. The room was already very full and deafeningly noisy. From the grille at the counter the steam of stew came pouring forth, with a sour metallic smell which did not quite overcome the fumes of Victory Gin. On the far side of the room ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 6 | Winston was writing in his diary:
It was three years ago. It was on a dark evening, in a narrow side-street near one of the big railway stations. She was standing near a doorway in the wall, under a street lamp that hardly gave any light. She had a young face, painted very thick. It was really the paint that appealed ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 7 | 'If there is hope,' wrote Winston, 'it lies in the proles.'
If there was hope, it MUST lie in the proles, because only there in those swarming disregarded masses, 85 per cent of the population of Oceania, could the force to destroy the Party ever be generated. The Party could not be overthrown from within. Its enemies... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 8 | From somewhere at the bottom of a passage the smell of roasting coffee--real coffee, not Victory Coffee--came floating out into the street. Winston paused involuntarily. For perhaps two seconds he was back in the half-forgotten world of his childhood. Then a door banged, seeming to cut off the smell as abruptly as thou... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 9 | It was the middle of the morning, and Winston had left the cubicle to go to the lavatory.
A solitary figure was coming towards him from the other end of the long, brightly-lit corridor. It was the girl with dark hair. Four days had gone past since the evening when he had run into her outside the junk-shop. As she came... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 10 | Winston picked his way up the lane through dappled light and shade, stepping out into pools of gold wherever the boughs parted. Under the trees to the left of him the ground was misty with bluebells. The air seemed to kiss one's skin. It was the second of May. From somewhere deeper in the heart of the wood came the dro... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 11 | 'We can come here once again,' said Julia. 'It's generally safe to use any hide-out twice. But not for another month or two, of course.'
As soon as she woke up her demeanour had changed. She became alert and business-like, put her clothes on, knotted the scarlet sash about her waist, and began arranging the details of... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 12 | Winston looked round the shabby little room above Mr Charrington's shop. Beside the window the enormous bed was made up, with ragged blankets and a coverless bolster. The old-fashioned clock with the twelve-hour face was ticking away on the mantelpiece. In the corner, on the gateleg table, the glass paperweight which h... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 13 | Syme had vanished. A morning came, and he was missing from work: a few thoughtless people commented on his absence. On the next day nobody mentioned him. On the third day Winston went into the vestibule of the Records Department to look at the notice-board. One of the notices carried a printed list of the members of th... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 14 | It had happened at last. The expected message had come. All his life, it seemed to him, he had been waiting for this to happen.
He was walking down the long corridor at the Ministry and he was almost at the spot where Julia had slipped the note into his hand when he became aware that someone larger than himself was wa... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 15 | Winston had woken up with his eyes full of tears. Julia rolled sleepily against him, murmuring something that might have been 'What's the matter?'
'I dreamt--' he began, and stopped short. It was too complex to be put into words. There was the dream itself, and there was a memory connected with it that had swum into h... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 16 | They had done it, they had done it at last!
The room they were standing in was long-shaped and softly lit. The telescreen was dimmed to a low murmur; the richness of the dark-blue carpet gave one the impression of treading on velvet. At the far end of the room O'Brien was sitting at a table under a green-shaded lamp, ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 17 | Winston was gelatinous with fatigue. Gelatinous was the right word. It had come into his head spontaneously. His body seemed to have not only the weakness of a jelly, but its translucency. He felt that if he held up his hand he would be able to see the light through it. All the blood and lymph had been drained out of h... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 18 | When he woke it was with the sensation of having slept for a long time, but a glance at the old-fashioned clock told him that it was only twenty-thirty. He lay dozing for a while; then the usual deep-lunged singing struck up from the yard below:
'It was only an 'opeless fancy, It passed like an Ipril dye, But a look a... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 19 | He did not know where he was. Presumably he was in the Ministry of Love, but there was no way of making certain. He was in a high-ceilinged windowless cell with walls of glittering white porcelain. Concealed lamps flooded it with cold light, and there was a low, steady humming sound which he supposed had something to d... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 20 | He was lying on something that felt like a camp bed, except that it was higher off the ground and that he was fixed down in some way so that he could not move. Light that seemed stronger than usual was falling on his face. O'Brien was standing at his side, looking down at him intently. At the other side of him stood a ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 21 | 'There are three stages in your reintegration,' said O'Brien. 'There is learning, there is understanding, and there is acceptance. It is time for you to enter upon the second stage.'
As always, Winston was lying flat on his back. But of late his bonds were looser. They still held him to the bed, but he could move his ... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 22 | He was much better. He was growing fatter and stronger every day, if it was proper to speak of days.
The white light and the humming sound were the same as ever, but the cell was a little more comfortable than the others he had been in. There was a pillow and a mattress on the plank bed, and a stool to sit on. They ha... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 23 | But then there came a sort of check. His mind, as though shying away from something, seemed unable to concentrate. He knew that he knew what came next, but for the moment he could not recall it. When he did recall it, it was only by consciously reasoning out what it must be: it did not come of its own accord. He wrote:... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 24 | At each stage of his imprisonment he had known, or seemed to know, whereabouts he was in the windowless building. Possibly there were slight differences in the air pressure. The cells where the guards had beaten him were below ground level. The room where he had been interrogated by O'Brien was high up near the roof. T... |
1984 | George Orwell | [
"Science Fiction",
"Dystopia"
] | [] | Chapter 25 | The Chestnut Tree was almost empty. A ray of sunlight slanting through a window fell on dusty table-tops. It was the lonely hour of fifteen. A tinny music trickled from the telescreens.
Winston sat in his usual corner, gazing into an empty glass. Now and again he glanced up at a vast face which eyed him from the oppos... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 1 | Your beautiful mind encouraged so many.
Without you, none of this exists. |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 2 | Her bloody finger left a translucent smear on the phone screen as she glanced through the list of private investigators in Vegas. There were more than she'd imagined. Most had important-sounding names like Blackman Private Investigation or United Investigative Services. Big firms. Not what she was after. Her stained na... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 3 | "They're not that bad."
Sandy, his favorite morning person, maybe his only favorite person, had stopped just shy of pouring his coffee. He eyed the pot as she held it just above the rim. A tease, so close to filling the empty mug. His coffeemaker at home had broken months ago and he'd not bothered to replace it.
She ... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 4 | Sophie peeled off the clothes she'd taken from the dead woman's closet. They were tight and not at all comfortable. She'd never been a slave to fashion. Even for work, comfortable slacks, a loose jacket, and flat shoes were her usual uniform. She sat on the side of the bed and rubbed her feet. The mattress felt good un... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 5 | Bean poured a shot of very good scotch he'd bought using the top Benjamin from the stack of Cynthia Hodge's bills. He'd been drinking cheap rot-gut brands over the last few weeks. Annie was chomping happily on her indulgence as well. Tuna Feast the can had read. He thought the picture of the white longhaired cat on the... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 6 | "Get your skinny butt outta my room." The command was almost a shriek. Serious enough to stop Jim in his tracks.
He looked to the open door at his back. Nothing but empty hall. Who was she talking to? He was just shy of 230 pounds these days. No one would call him skinny.
The woman faced away from him, silver hair sh... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 7 | Jim parked the bland Japanese rental among jacked up pickups and horse trailers the next afternoon. He'd thought it was hot in Vegas, but the oppressive Texas heat and humidity had him sweating before he made it five feet from the car and its robust air conditioner.
He'd parked behind the arena area on purpose, guessi... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 8 | Jim sat at the bar, his reflection directly below a buffalo butt the size of his first car. The rust-colored, stuffed rear-end was once part of a whole bison merrily roaming the range. Where the hell ever a range might still be these days. Now half a dead bison hung from a bar-back mirror in tribute to the house labele... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 9 | Cynthia watched as Jim worked diligently at his jean button. He pulled at the fastener with the finesse of a man wearing mittens. The continued failure to achieve his task didn't appear to upset him in the slightest. Rather, he seemed amused by the activity. How long would it continue if she didn't intervene?
Tonight'... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 10 | "Usually when a guy looks as bad as you, he's leaving Vegas, not heading into the party." The man's voice was at least one octave higher than Jim's current tolerance level.
Jim nodded but didn't respond or look his way. No way he wanted to chat with the high-talker for three frickin' hours.
"I take this flight a few ... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 11 | He hesitated at the gate. Paced a small circle in the midst of the gathered throng anxiously waiting to board the plane he was very happy to have just disembarked. His head was no longer pounding, but his chest was tight. Was she waiting up ahead to speak to him? As promised, Jim felt much better. He wasn't sure he wan... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 12 | "You no look so happy, my friend," Ely said in a fake second-rate Mexican accent as Jim disconnected his call. Ely often did strange things, so an acute-onset accent was not a real shock.
"Strange client." He turned to see Ely talking to Annie as she sat on his counter. The cat glared at Jim's friend. Beside the fact ... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 13 | The Broken Spur Inn was just ten miles ahead according to the hand-painted sign Jim had recently passed. He'd rolled down his window a ways back as the elevation rose and the numbers on his car's thermometer fell. It was under 50 degrees at the moment. The air gushing into the car felt like heaven after forty-eight hou... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 14 | This puzzle was not coming together, and not for missing pieces. To Jim, the mystery had a couple wrong pieces in the mix. Like a puzzle of a cat with random pieces from an Eiffel Tower picture thrown in just to mess with your head. None of Dan's acquaintances had any knowledge of the guy ever using drugs. His existenc... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 15 | Sophie drove past the cluster of barns and parked in a little-used driveway to a ranch up the rocky hill from Ruby's Horse Adventures. The overgrown grass might be a result of neglect, but it looked more like abandonment to her.
She lifted the hood on Cynthia's car just in case someone came up the long drive. More tha... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 16 | Detective Miller was on the phone, running down what his guys intended to do, but Jim was distracted as Dan slammed a pair of boots into an old duffle bag. The thing was covered in rodeo patches and torn in two places.
Dan was making a living here, but it was simple. Cheap. Jim couldn't help but think of Dan as a boy ... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 17 | Miller's call came before the screaming red truck crossed the Nevada border. The detective's voice was shaky. "It's a fucking mess in there, Bean."
Not what Jim wanted to hear. He'd been holding out hope that this was all a nightmare. He wasn't sure his reputation could survive getting hired by a killer to help her fi... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 18 | Several cop cars and a big van sat outside Cynthia Hodge's shitty little house as Sophie cruised by acting like a lookie-loo neighbor. Her scalp itched in the short blond wig, and the stupid dog in the back of the van wouldn't quit whining, but she would have to make do until she figured the lay of the land. Two men in... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 19 | Detective Miller led Jim and Dan past the front desk at the Boulder Area Command Center where a young officer awkwardly avoided eye contact with Dan.
Hard to deal with people in pain when you first start this type of work. Kid must be straight out of the academy. Didn't take long to realize that most civilians who com... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 20 | "You find the whack-jobs like no one else, Bean." Ely tapped away on one of his many keyboards.
Jim rubbed his eyes so hard he saw spots. It was late. He was beat, the long drive with the distraught young man then the interrogations, and he was done for.
From Jim's angle the monitor Ely was reading looked like a wave... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 21 | Jim approached the address of the safe house. It sat one lot off to the right of a tight cul-de-sac. New neighborhood. The kind with the low price points for first-time buyers. Cheaply made and so much alike it was hard to distinguish one from another. The development was far enough north to keep the price at casino wo... |
19 Souls | J. D. Allen | [
"mystery"
] | [
""
] | Chapter 22 | Miller showed first. It was almost nine o'clock. Steven had taken Lynette to get her settled in bed for the night.
Miller tossed a folder onto the kitchen table. A Lady Fed in a black suit marched in, another agent behind her. The folder she carried was several inches thicker than Miller's.
The second suit stood by t... |
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