Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 6

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 6. 2015. 181p. ISBN 978-1-61262-996-4. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

The long awaited confrontation between Bishamon and Yato has now erupted, and the war goddess is overpowering the stray god with her strength and weapons. In Noragami Stray God Vol. 5, Yukiné was sliced in half, destroying Yato’s shinki. However, Yukiné’s single-minded devotion suddenly transforms him into a blessed vessel, and he regains form, this time in the shape of two swords. Bishamon’s shinkis are shocked that such as lowly shinki as Yukimé would be able to achieve such a high status.

Kugaha, Bishamon’s medicine man, continues to observe the titanesque combat between the two gods. Soon, the medicine he gave Bishamon will wear off, and her true blighted nature will reveal itself. To speed the process, he releases an angry Ayakashi amid Bishamon’s shinki, and the Ayakashi proceeds to devour them.

Kazuma and Hiyori, who were emprisoned in Bishamon’s dungeon by Kugaha, manage to escape and join the fray. As Bishamon weakens, Yato is poised to deliver the killing blow. Will the stray god triumph over the war goddess?

Freakling

Krumwiede, Lana. Freakling. Book 1 of the Psi Chronicles series. 2012. 309p. ISBN 0-7636-5937-1. Available at FIC KRU on the library shelves.

The city and countryside of Deliverance has lived at peace ever since its people, led by Nathan, removed themselves from the Republic and sought shelter behind an impassable chain of mountains. Persecuted for their abilities to manipulate their environment through psionics powers, specifically telekinesis, psy wielders found rest and created a new society. That society is now in danger, however, as the priesthood seeks to gain control of psy weapons and enter in an alliance with the Republic against its enemies.

Twelve-year-old Taemon has never known any other world. He uses psi to eat, dress, wash, open locks and turn on the lights. His older brother, Yens, hopes to become a psi ball professional player so he can escape the fate of becoming a religious teacher like his father. For Taemon, however, he still has a year left before he needs to make a decision. When the head priest, Elder Naseph, announces that the True Son prophesized by Nathan has arrived, all eyes turn to Yens, who demonstrates an understanding of psi beyond his years.

However Yens is evil. He attempts to kill Taemon by throwing him over a cliff, and only Taemon’s clairvoyance saves him from drowning. In the process, he loses access to his telekinetic abilities. Having to fake your way through life without the ability to manipulate the environment through his mind, Taemon is soon discovered to be psi-less, and is sent to the Colony, a space reserved for those people who do not have psi.

There Taemon discovers people who do things the old fashioned way: with their hands. He begins a new trade, and makes new friends, including Amma, a beautiful girl. But even in the Colony there are secrets. Why is there a door hidden in Amma’s house that is locked by psi when no one has any here? Why are people disappearing in Deliverance? As secrets are revealed, Taemon must decide if he is willing help his people, knowing that this help will come at a deadly price.

Black Butler, Vol 11

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 11. 2012. 176p. ISBN 978-0-316-18967-5. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With the storm abating and all of the guests gone, Sebastian reveals to the Professor what his role was in the murders of three people at Phantomhive Manor. Sworn to protect Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian had anticipated all but the death of the young Mister Phelps. Which leads him to finding the real thirteenth member of their group during the storm. Having escaped Noah's Ark Circus, Snake has been hunting Ciel and Sebastian for their role in making his adopted family disappear. Ciel convinces him to abandon his quest of revenge and tells Snake he should stay close, as his missing family will surely turn up. Snake agrees to join the staff as a footman, much to the dismay of the personnel below.

Meanwhile in London, a hospital has accomplished the miracle of defeating death. The Aurora Society, led by Rian Stoker, has managed to bring people back from the death. Warned by his agent of the potential for paranormal activity, Phantomhive decides to investigate. The Aurora Society plans a demonstration of its skills aboard a luxury liner heading to New York, so Phantomhive agrees to board the ship, knowing that his fiancee, Elizabeth, who had tried to convince Ciel to take a vacation with her aboard the same ship.

Joining the members of the Society, they witness the impossible. A young woman is brought back from the dead in front of the assembled audience. Unfortunately, she is very hungry ...

The Demon Covenant

Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon Covenant. Book 2 of the Demon Lexicon trilogy. 2010. 440p. 901 mins. ISBN 9781416963813. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

In The Demon Lexicon, Alan and Nick discovered after a confrontation with the magicians of the Obsidian Circle that Nick was not human, but rather an ancient demon inserted in the body of a newborn to achieve Black Archer’s dark purpose of acquiring even more magic. Nick’s capture had failed, and as a result many of the magicians of the circle had been slain. Mae Crawford and her younger brother Jamie had returned to Exeter and resumed their lives. Having discovered that the two siblings were playing their divorced parents against each other, Annabelle, Mae and Jamie’s mother, has assumed sole custody and now keeps a closer eye on her kids.

Mae is flabbergasted when she discovers that Jamie has continued to meet and talk with Gerald, now the leader of the Obsidian Circle. Jamie possesses magical talents and hopes to develop them further, and he is also madly in love with Gerald. She contacts Alan and Nick to inform them of her worries. The two brothers appear to have had a falling out of sorts, and are barely speaking to each other. As Mae work with Nick to attempt to make him appear more human, she also begins to fall for Sebastian, a tough boy at school who’s been picking on Jamie, causing further tensions between herself and her brother. She’s also still attracted to Alan, and to Nick.

With Gerald planning to capture Nick and draining him of magical powers for his own nefarious purposes, Mae realizes that she must unite all of the magicians’ enemies into a strike force to take the magicians out. This, however, will require careful planning and the setting aside of old hatreds. Can Mae maneuver the deadly pitfalls to save everyone she cares about?

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 5

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 5. 2015. 164p. ISBN 978-1-61262-995-7. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Hiyori is concerned that Yato has not yet released her tie to the spirit world. She promises she will not forget him, but she needs to stop falling asleep at a moment’s notice as very important exams are coming up soon. Yato meanwhile is still escaping the clutches of Bishamon and her shinkis. When Kazuma’s treachery is discovered, he is imprisoned along with a captured Hiyori in Bishamon’s realm.

Meanwhile, Kugaha’s plot to overthrow Bishamon continues apace. His plan is simple. He has already weakened the goddess of war, and now, with Hiyori’s capture he can use her as bait to attract Yato. An encounter between the two should lead to Bishamon’s death, or at least her complete weakening. Yato has already destroyed her household once upon a time, after Bishamon has fallen victim to an ablution that had not cured her infection. Kazuma’s prayer to Yato to rescue Bishamon from the Ayakashi resulted in her shinkis’ death, which save her life. Since then, however, Bishamon has vowed to destroy Yato for what he did.

As the two confront each other, Yato’s shinki Yukiné is ready, but Bishamon’s myriad of shinki provide her with multiple options. Can the Stray God survive her relentless assault and desire for revenge?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 6.

Black Butler, Vol 10

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 10. 2012. 176p. ISBN 978-0-316-18967-5. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Ciel Phantomhive and his guests are confined to the Phantomhive manor due to the storm, and three murder victims lay in the wine cellar, covered with white sheets. The death of two of Ciel’s guests was dreadful, but the loss of Sebastian was worse. Without the elite butler, the household staff is left to its own devices and must pick up the slack.

Phantomhive and his guests continue their investigation of the murders, knowing full well that the murderer or murderers are among them. When the staff catch vicar Jeremy Rathbone in the kitchen, they are convinced they have their thirteenth man and the prime murder suspect. Unfortunately, it is soon revealed that the vicar received a note from Sebastian the night of his murder, and came as quickly as he could from London to assist. Taking control of the investigation, Jeremy soon makes startling discoveries which could endanger Phantomhive and his guests ...

The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo!

Bramucci, Stephen. The Danger Gang and the Pirates of Borneo! 2017. 378p. ISBN 978-1-61963-692-7. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

Eleven-year-old Ronald Zupan’s parents are adventurers who have travelled the world in search of artefacts and other precious items. On their long trips away, they entrust Ronald’s wellbeing to Thomas Halladay, their butler, whom Ronald calls Jeeves because all good butlers should bear that name. They have always promised to be back for his birthday, however, no matter where in the world or how busy they are. But today, on his twelfth birthday, Ronald discovers with stupefaction that his parents are, in fact, not here. Something bad must have befallen them.

When the doorbell rings and men from the FIB, the Foreign Item Battalion, begin securing the premises, Ronald knows something bad has happened for sure, for the FIB works for the Liars’ Club, the most cutthroat and outlandish group of villains ever to exist. Led by Zeetan Z, the worst of the worst, this group must be involved with his parents’ disappearance.

Escaping the Zupan mansion with Jeeves and with Charlie, his pet king cobra, who is fond of biting Jeeves, Ronald makes his way to the only ally he can think of recruiting for a daring-do adventure of rescuing his parents at the last scene where they were spotted, Borneo. He goes to Julianne Sato’s house. She is the sword fighter who defeated him at the last sword tournament, preventing him from acquiring his third annual trophy in a row. She readily agrees to help him rescue his parents, though with the condition that she is a full partner in this adventure and not a sidekick like Jeeves and Charlie.

The four of them soon find themselves on a Zupan plane heading to Borneo, where they will face untold adventures, all with the hope that Ronald’s parents are still alive. Can this merry band manage to evade the obstacles and enemies in their path before it is too late?

Riders

Rossi, Veronica. Riders. Book 1 of the Riders duology. 2016. 384p. ISBN 9780765382542. 658 mins. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Gideon Blake’s father has always been his role model, A soldier in the U.S. Army, his father instilled in him discipline and a logical mind. But when his father suffered a heart attack and died while on the roof of a house they were working on, Gideon lost his compass and direction. Graduating from high school, he decides to join the Army like his father and, following basic training, enters the U.S. Army Ranger school. During his fifth parachute jump, Gideon’s main parachute does not open, nor does the emergency parachute. The odds of this happening are millions to one. Gideon manages to deploy his emergency parachute, but it is too late to avoid crashing down to the ground. Gideon hits the ground so hard that he dies from the impact.

He is revived by paramedics and transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he is told he will never be a Ranger due to the gravity of his injuries. He is informed that it will take at least six months for him to heal. Transported back home to California to recuperate, he notices a strange metal bracelet on his arm, and no one seems to know where it came from. He also heals very quickly. It’s only been a day back home and he can already walk without a crutch. Gideon wonders what happened to him.

A day later, at a party hosted by his sister at her residence on the university campus, he meets Daryn, an intriguing girl who begs him to leave with her at once. Puzzled, Gideon refuses. The party is crashed by three people itching for a fight, and when Gideon perceives that his sister is threatened he fights back, only to realize that his opponents are not humans, and one of them can even control his thoughts. Chasing after them, Gideon stumbles upon Daryn who had fled the party and is hiding in his Jeep. She reveals to him that he is War, the embodiment of one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and that he must help save the world from the Kindred, demons who joined Satan in his rebellion against God but then eventually rebelled against Satan too. This Kindred seek to open a gateway to control a new world and escape their hunters. Daryn, as a Seeker, has that key. Armed with a cool sword and a fiery horse, Gideon and Daryn must now travel the world and find the other horsemen before the Kindred closes in.

Now in custody of the U.S. government, Gideon must convince the powers that be that they have to release him before it is too late. But how do you convince someone that you are one of the standard bearers of the Bible’s last chapter before it is too late?

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 4

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 4. 2014. 200. ISBN 978-1-61262-908-7 . Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Having successfully dealt with Yato’s blight in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 3, Hiyori and Yukiné return to a normal existence. Yukiné takes a job working at a corner store so he can help pay the fees required by the deity that requested for saving Yato’s life. Hiyori has taken it upon herself to continue Yukiné’s education. Yato, meanwhile, still struggles with discovering a way to untether Hiyori so she can fully return to her world and not spend anymore time in the spirit world before it is too late for her to come back to her old life.

But all of these concerns pale in comparison to the plot Stray has unleashed on Bishamon. Her goal is to remove the current holder of the title of Bishamon, and to do so she is exploiting Bishamon’s weakness of having too many shinkis, thus weakening her energy. Kazuma, Bishamon’s trusted assistant, realizes that something is amiss, but will he have enough time to discover what is plaguing Bishamon before it’s too late?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, vol. 5.

Lair of Dreams

Bray, Libba. Lair of Dreams. Book 2 of the Diviners series. 2015. 613p. ISBN 978-0-316-12604-5. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

When Evie O’Neill and her friends solved the ritualistic murders that were taking place in New York City in 1926, she proclaimed to all who would listen that she was a Diviner, one of the folks who possess rare talents such as being able to divine the future, or, in her case, tell the past through holding an object. Her public announcement caused a rift between herself and her uncle Will, but led to her hiring for a radio show. As America’s Sweetheart Seer, Evie parties hard and manages to spend a few days in each hotel before being evicted for being loud, inconsiderate, or simply not the type of customer the place wants.

Meanwhile, things are still gloomy at the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult. Sam Lloyd is still searching for answers on Project Buffalo, and he’s convinced that Will knows more than he lets on. Jericho struggles with Evie’s rejection and Mabel’s obvious interest and is unsure of his next step as the only man-machine combination. Memphis continues to be tormented by his ability to heal while he watches his younger brother Isaiah develop his ability to predict the future.

Theta Knight and Henry DuBois IV pursue their musical careers, but Theta’s fear of losing control of a secret power she wields forces her to distance herself from her relationship with Memphis. Henry, for his part, continues to search for his lover. In a dream, he meets Chinatown resident Ling Chan, who, like him can travel in other people’s dreams. The daughter of a Chinese man and an Irish woman, Ling lost the partial use of her legs due to sickness and now must walk about on crutches. In her dreams, though, she does not have to.

A mysterious disease begins to spread through New York City, first in Chinatown, then elsewhere. People fall asleep, and cannot be woken up. Eventually, boils appear on their bodies and they die, seemingly burned from the inside out. In their dreams, both Henry and Ling encounter a Chinese girl coming to the United States to marry a rich husband in New York. As more and more people succumb to the sleeping sickness, the Diviners realize that this girl is somehow involved. In the shadows, a mysterious government agency is attempting to find all the Diviners. And in the background, the man with the black stovepipe pulls the strings. Can the Diviners stop the sleep sickness before it strikes one of them?

Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 3

Fujisawa, Toru. Great Teacher Onizuka: 14 Days in Shonan, vol. 3. 2012. 200p. ISBN 9781932234893. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In Great Teacher Onizuka, Vol. 2, Onizuka managed to rescue Katsuragi from the group that had kidnapped her with the help of her police father and motorcycle gangs he was once affiliated with. Still at the White Swan, Katsuragi reconnects with her father, who has resigned his position with the police force to spend more time with her, and they take tentative steps toward normalized family relations. This success, however, is tempered by the fact that Shinomi, an old flame of his, also works at the White Swan. The two of them don’t reconnect at all, and Onizuka finds himself having to rebuild bridges in his very inadequate way.

Meanwhile, he’s also concerned about Seiya. Abused by his mother’s boyfriend, the middle schooler has acquired a gun and plans on shooting both of them. And in the background, the man who supervises the White Swan along with several other institutions and who is enamored with Ayame, the director of the White Swan, and he’s concerned that she will find Onizuka attractive. With both of these challenges in front of him, Onizuka is about to be even busier than he has been!

Johnny Tremain

Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. 1987. 322p. ISBN 0440442508. Available at FIC FOR on the library shelves.

With the death of his mother, Johnny Tremain moves in with the Lapham family in Boston so he can become a silversmith apprentice with old Mr. Lapham. The Laphams had lost their children, but took care of their grandchildren, and they planned to marry Cilla and Johnny together so the business could stay in the family. But in 1773, at fourteen, Johnny is not really interested in Cilla. Of the three apprentices, he is the better one and he can craft silver as fine as Mr. Lapham in his heyday.

When Mr. Hancock requests a silver dish to match one Mr. Lapham made decades ago, Johnny agrees to make it. Filled with pride in his work and in his abilities, however, Johnny has been less than charitable towards the other apprentices, so Dove, one of them, decides to get even. During the manufacturing process Johnny burns his hand badly when molten silver pours on it, and he becomes crippled.

No longer able to work as an apprentice, Johnny is lost and doesn’t know what to do. The sin of pride has cost him everything. Eventually, Johnny meets Rab, another youth who secures work for him as a rider who delivers newspapers. In 1774 Boston, the colonists are railing against British authority and taxes being levied by the King. The entire city is divided between Patriots and Loyalists to the Crown, and crippled Johnny is able to maneuver between both sides though he supports the Patriots. As Johnny gets more involved with the Sons of Liberty and running messages for them, he re-evaluates his life, including his interest in Cilla. And when British troops depart Boston in the night, Johnny knows that this is the match that will light the powder keg and ignite the Revolution. Can Johnny make a significant contribution even though he is crippled?

Yvain: The Knight of the Lion

Anderson, M. T. Illustrated by Andrea Offermann. Yvain: The Knight of the Lion. 2017. 134p. 978-0-7636-5939-4. Available in the graphic section of the library.

The Knights of the Round Table are celebrating Pentecoast when one of their junior members, Sir Calogrenant, return to Arthur’s castle bloodied and beaten. When he explains to Dame Guinevere and the assembled knights that he was defeated by the Duke of Brocéliande and barely escaped with his life, his cousin, Sir Yvain, immediately decides that he should challenge that man himself. Arthur agrees that they should all head there, after the party ends. Sir Yvain has other ideas, however, and he heads out alone to confront the miscreant.

Reaching the magical fountain in the woods of Brocéliande, Sir Yvain is attacked by the same Duke, but he manages to slay him. Following the body back his castle, Yvain is stuck inside and meets Lunette, the Duchess’ servant. Wielding magic, she protects him from the soldiers who search for him, and he witnesses the Duke’s burial. Glancing the Duke’s widow, Yvain immediately falls in love with her, and through careful planning Lunette is able to set them together. Now married, Yvain agrees to protect the fountain, but Sir Gawain manages to convince him to depart for a year’s worth of tournaments. Yvain’s new wife, Laudine, warns him that if he does not return in one year he will be forever banished from the castle and from her life.

When Yvain fails to return, Arthus is notified of Laudine’s order, and Yvain, realizing that he has lost everything, decides to end it all. Wandering the forests looking for death, he discovers a lion fighting a dragon, and he slays the dragon and cares for the lion. Now known as the Knight of the Lion, Sir Yvain searches for ways to atone for his sins and regain Laudine’s confidence and love. In the process, Yvain destroys more monsters, frees slaves, and fights his best friend in a battle to the death, all to find salvation.

Based on a tale told in one of Chrétien de Troyes’ 12th century epic poems, Sir Yvain’s story explores the meaning of love at a time when women controlled precious little. The illustrations lavishly render this period in history into visual representations that add to the storytelling. Fans of the Middle Ages and of graphic novels will appreciate this book and Sir Yvain’s quest to become a better person.

Black Butler, Vol 9

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 9. 2012. 176p. ISBN 978-0-316-18967-5. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With the destruction of Noah’s Ark Circus behind them in Black Butler Vol. 8, Sebastian and his master, Ciel the Earl of Phantomhive, are hoping that Prince Soma’s vacation at the Phantomhive Estate is coming to a close so that peace and quiet can finally be restored. However, Queen Victoria has other ideas. Unsatisfied with Phantomhive’s report of the happenings at the Circus, her butlers deliver a request to Ciel to host and throw a banquet to a German industrialist.

Sebastian quickly organizes the event, and Phantomhive invites members of the artistic and industrial communities, including a young mystery writer. The guests are lavishly entertained, until the German industrialist is found murdered in his room. With a storm raging outside, the murderer is still in the Manor. The guests suspect Ciel, but Sebastian believes otherwise. However, when even this most capable of butlers is found dead, is Phantomhive the next victim?

The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 10.

The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate

Bower, Eric. The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate. 2017. 230p. ISBN 978-1-944995-13-3. Available at FIC BOW on the library shelves.

In 1891, every day is a surprise when your parents are inventors, and today is not any different for Waldo Baron, also known as W.B. Plagued with recurring dreams of his father inhabiting the body of a squirrel following a horrific experiment, W.B. discovers that his parents, McLaron, or P, and Sharon, or M, have transformed their residence, the Baron Estate, into a flying contraption capable of traveling cross-country. M and P are really excited and reveal that they plan on entering Hortense’s Tooth Power’s race, a flying competition across the country where participants will travel to exotic locales to gather specific items. The winner will earn $500, and P and M plan on using these funds to hire an assistant.

Poor W.B., all he wanted to do today was attend Sheriff Hoyt Graham and his deputy’s show of stunts and tricks in Pitchfork, but of course they’re no longer in Pitchfork as the house is already flying to Chicago, where the contest will start. Sheriff Graham is the best sheriff of the Arizona territory, and W.B. has read all of his books, and especially loves the tale about how Graham captured the notorious bandit Benedict Blackwood. Not only will he miss Sheriff Graham, but now he’s stuck on the Baron Estate along with Aunt Dorcas, who positively does not like flying!

In Chicago W.B. explores the city and meets Shorty, a no-nonsense girl who provides him with lunch. Upon returning to the Estate, he discovers that there’s a new passenger: Rose Blackwood, sister of Benedict. Rose is kidnapping P, M, and W.B. along with the Baron Estate. She plans on winning the race, then using the proceeds to free her notorious brother from jail. Unlike the rest of the Blackwood family, however, Rose turns out not to be as bloodthirsty nor ruthless.

As the kidnapper and her victims travel around the country pursued by other inventors also intent on winning, W.B. finds himself slowly falling in love with Rose, but continues to question her motives. Can W.B. help Rose accomplish her goal of truly being a member of a family?

Filled with steampunk inventions and laugh out loud humor, W.B.’s adventures and a cast of incredible characters will most assuredly entertain the reader. For a look at a girl’s adventure in the steampunk universe, consider Etiquette & Espionage. For a more serious look at steampunk war, take a look at Leviathan.

The Diviners

Bray, Linda. The Diviners. Book 1 of the Diviners series. 2012. 578p. ISBN 0-316-12611-X. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

It is 1926, and the world of jazz and exuberance has come on the scene. In Ohio, seventeen-year-old Evie O’Neill has the uncanny ability to obtain very personal information about a person from an object. The more personal the object, the more she knows about its owner. When she reveals that the town’s golden boy has gotten a girl pregnant, she is faced with a choice: apologize publicly for her “inaccurate” statement, or get exiled to New York City to live with her uncle until things die down back in Ohio. Thrilled at the possibility of heading to the Big Apple and spending time with her best friend Mabel, who lives in the same building as her uncle, Evie agrees and departs on the train.

Once in New York, she is skillfully robbed by a young man named Sam Lloyd who wakes her up to the dangers of life in the city. Meeting her uncle Will, who is the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult, she is introduced to Jericho, with whom Mabel is enamored. Evie can see why. Tall and blond, Jericho is her uncle’s assistant and was adopted by him years ago.

In Harlem, Memphis and his younger brothers both have talents of their own. Memphis used to be able to lay hands and heal, but hasn’t summoned his ability since the death of his mother. His younger brother, Isaiah, can divine cards and see in the future. Abandoned by their father after their mother’s death, they live with their aunt Octavia. Memphis is a hustler for the local crime lord, but he really wants to be a poet.

And in an old abandoned mansion, a shadow grows. Naughty John, a prophet of the Breathens, was executed for the murder of the mansion’s former owner back in the 1850s. His spirit is back, however, and seeks to complete a ritual involving eleven sacrifices that will release the Beast. The Beast will inflict evil on the world, but will then be banished by the Breathens, leading to paradise on Earth. As Naughty John moves closer to his goal and gets stronger from every sacrifice, Evie, Memphis, and a cast of unforgettable characters get caught in a deadly intrigue of occult and paranormal. Ritual murders plague the city as Solomon’s comet approaches Earth. With only a few days left, can Evie and her friends stop Naughty John?

The Hitch Hiker Guide’s to the Galaxy

Adam, Douglas. The Hitch Hiker Guide’s to the Galaxy. 2002. 216p. ISBN 0-345-45374-3. Available at FIC ADA on the library shelves.

Arthur Dent lives a miserable life. His house, he has just found out, is about to be demolished so that a road can be built. As the bulldozers start to crawl towards his house, he shaves, dresses, then leaves and lays down on the ground. The foreman attempts to convince him to get up, but Arthur refuses, holding up the project’s timetable. Passing by, his friend, Fort Prefect, convinces Arthur to follow him to the pub while the foreman lays down in the mud, taking his place.

At the pub, Ford announces loudly that the end of the world will happen in twelve minutes. He plies Arthur with drinks, telling him that he’ll feel better. Arthur is not sure what is happening, and when he hears the sounds of demolition he realizes his house has just been knocked down. Not of that matters, however, as the Earth itself is about to be destroyed by a Vogon construction fleet so that a galactic highway can be built in this sector.

Transported from Earth to the inside of a Vogon ship, Arthur and Ford barely escape the planet’s destruction.. Ford reveals that he’s an alien from Betelgeuse who has been conducting research for the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the most comprehensive space encyclopedia. He’s been stuck on Earth for fifteen years, and now he’s pretty happy to be off.

Meanwhile, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Galactic President, steals the Heart of Gold, a ship that travels on improbabilities. When Ford and Arthur are ejected from the Vogon spaceship, they are, improbably, collected 1 second away from death by Zaphod, who turns out to be Ford’s cousin. Along with Trillian, a human female Arthur had met before, and Marvin, a depressed android, they set off on the quest to rediscover the planet Magrathea, which originally designed Earth. Riotous adventures take place as the crew learns to deal with one another.

Originally a radio show, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has been produced as a novel and as a movie, and continues to be popular both as a comedy and as a space opera novel.

Every Hidden Thing

Oppel, Kenneth. Every Hidden Thing. 2016. 361p. ISBN 978-1-48146416-1. Available at FIC OPP on the library shelves.

At the end of the 19th century, the world has just discovered that large reptiles dwelled on the land and in the water millions of years ago. Paleontology is a growing science, and prospectors are scouring the globe for the best specimens of dinosaur fossils. Samuel Bolt’s father is a self-made paleontologist who has already discovered a few species, but he’s always looking for the next big thing. Rachel Cartland’s father is chair of the new paleontology department at Yale, and he also has discovered new species. The two professors positively hate each other, and they are in fierce competition with one another.

When Professor Bolt receives a tooth in the mail the size of a human foot, he knows that it belongs to the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever seen. This tooth represents a financial windfall for whomever finds the body first. Samuel and his father are willing to do anything to be the first ones to dig the fossils of the rex, the king of dinosaur, out of the ground of the Badlands out west.

Unfortunately, Professor Cartland has also heard of this find, and he comes well equipped with an army escort, several students from Yale, and all of the provisions in the closest small town. Samuel and his father only have a few dollars left, no team, and little hope. For Professor Bolt, the rex will cement his legacy as one of the greatest fossils hunter. For Professor Cartland, the rex will provide more funding to his new department. For Samuel, the rex is freedom from his father’s life and making a name for himself. For Rachel, it’s attending university and hunting her own fossils.

As the two fathers scour the hills trying to find the rex, Samuel and Rachel fall in love with each other and decide that they will strike on their own and find it first. But with Sioux warriors ready for a fight, will the rivalry between the two groups keep Rachel and Samuel apart or will they be able to find the rex before their fathers do?

A great love story set among a fierce rivalry in the badlands, fans of historical novels and of dinosaur hunters will enjoy Samuel and Rachel’s tale of searching for the dinosaur that will eventually be named Tyrannosaurus Rex.