Disclaimer

Die Originalausgabe erschien unter dem Titel

THE SECRET ADVERSARY

© 1922 Agatha Christie Limited, a Chorion Company.

All rights reserved.

© Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main,

Januar 2008

Copyright © 2008 Hachette Collections

für die vorliegende Ausgabe.

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with piercing eyes another look. Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares. His life depends on it.<

Nesta sequência de O Enigma de Rama, é mostrada a vida dos astronautas que foram deixados a bordo da espaçonave extraterrestre Rama. Em sua interação com esse estranho habitat vão descobrir que existem outros tripulantes que os acompanham na viagem para fora do Sistema Solar.<

Román rozvádí děj předešlého dílu, Návrat Rámy, a líčí příběh Nicole des Jardinsové, Richarda Wakefielda a Michaela O'Toola, kteří zůstali v Rámovi poté, co z něj odletěl zbytek průzkumné posádky. Kniha má celkem 5 kapitol: Nicolin deník, V Uzlu, Setkání na Marsu, Svatební píseň a Soud.

Once she was Cassiel, a Djinn of limitless power. Now, she has been reshaped in human flesh as punishment for defying her master — and living among the Weather Wardens, whose power she must tap into regularly or she will die. And as she copes with the emotions and frailties of her human condition, a malevolent entity threatens her new existence...<

Living among mortals, the djinn Cassiel has developed a reluctant affection for them—especially for Warden Luis Rocha. As the mystery deepens around the kidnapping of innocent Warden children, Cassiel and Luis are the only ones who can investigate both the human and djinn realms. But the trail will lead them to a traitor who may be more powerful than they can handle...

After Cassiel and Warden Luis Rocha rescue an adept child from a maniacal Djinn, they realize two things: the girl is already manifesting an incredible amount of power, and her kidnapping was not an isolated incident.

This Djinn—aided by her devoted followers—is capturing children all over the world, and indoctrinating them so she can use their strength for herself. With no other options, Cassiel infiltrates the Djinn's organization—because if Cassiel cannot stop the Djinn's apocalyptic designs, all of humanity may be destroyed.

Für einen toten Meisterdetektiv Hercule Poirot lassen sogar Supergangster wie die »Großen Vier« etwas springen: Aus vollen, dankbaren Herzen spenden sie zu seiner Beerdigung einen schönen Kranz. Aber sie haben die Rechnung ohne die Leiche gemacht. Denn der Kampf gegen die »Großen Vier« geht weiter, nach einem genau vorausberechneten Plan voller Finten und Überraschungen, wie ihn nur ein Hercule Poirot ersinnen kann...

Titel des Originals:»The Big Four«

Übertragung aus dem Englischen von Hans Mehl

When you step into a time machine, fax yourself through a "quantum foam wormhole" and step out in feudal France circa 1357, be very, very afraid. If you aren't strapped back in precisely 37 hours after your visit begins, you'll miss the quantum bus back to 1999 and be stranded in a civil war, caught between crafty abbots, mad lords and peasant bandits all eager to cut your throat. You'll also have to dodge catapults that hurl sizzling pitch over castle battlements. On the social front, you should avoid provoking "the butcher of Crecy" or Sir Oliver may lop your head off with a swoosh of his broadsword or cage and immerse you in "Milady's Bath", a brackish dungeon pit into which live rats are tossed now and then for prisoners to eat.

This is the plight of the heroes of , Michael Crichton's thriller. They're historians in 1999 employed by a tech billionaire-genius with more than a few of Bill Gates' most unlovable quirks. Like the entrepreneur in Crichton's , Doniger plans a theme park featuring artefacts from a lost world revived via cutting-edge science. When the project's chief historian sends a distress call to 1999 from 1357, the boss man doesn't tell the younger historians the risks they'll face trying to save him. At first, the interplay between eras is clever but Timeline swiftly becomes a swashbuckling old-fashioned adventure, with just a dash of science and time paradox in the mix. Most of the cool facts are about the Middle Ages and Crichton marvellously brings the past to life without ever letting the pulse-pounding action slow down. At one point, a time-tripper tries to enter the Chapel of Green Death. Unfortunately, its custodian, a crazed giant with terrible teeth and a bad case of lice, soon has her head on a block. "She saw a shadow move across the grass as he raised his axe into the air." Try not to turn the page!

Through the narrative can be glimpsed the glowing bones of the movie that may be made from and the high tech computer game that should hit the market in 2000. Expect many clashing swords and chase scenes through secret castle passages. But the book stands alone, tall and scary as a knight in armour shining with blood.

A gyermekkor vége (angolul: Childhood´s End) Sir Arthur C. Clarke 1953-ban kiadott sci-fi regénye. Clark Őrangyal című novelláján alapul, amely 1950-ben jelent meg a Famous Fantastic Mysteries magazinban. Később egy új előszót írt hozzá, amelyben ellenben az előzővel, kifejti, hogy manapság már teljesen szkeptikus az okkult, misztikus dolgokkal kapcsolatban. Magyarul első változata 1990-ben jelent meg a Móra Ferenc Könyvkiadónál F. Nagy Piroska fordításában<