The Martian by Andy Weir, read by R.C Bray

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

We went on a trip to see my in-laws so my husband and I decided to listen to a book. He likes science fiction and his sister had recommended this book. We both really enjoyed it. There's a lot of cursing which is fine for us but with the kids in the car we both cringe a little. Luckily they were mostly watching their cartoons in the back anyway.

This book is really funny. The narrator does a great job alternating between Mark Watney and the other POVs in this book. I enjoy science fiction but sometimes the science is too much for me but this book didn't have that problem. The science part was very understandable and interesting. The way the author has Mark explain how he is going to do things and how he survives on Mars seems achievable and clever if not impractical. We still haven't seen the movie but I really want to now. This is definitely a book that I'll read or listen to again.

The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer (W.A.R.P. #1) (audio)

Riley, a teen orphan boy living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, an illusionist who has fallen on difficult times and now uses his unique conjuring skills to gain access to victims’ dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant apprentice along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI’s Witness Anonymous Relocation Program (WARP). Riley is unwittingly transported via wormhole to modern day London, followed closely by Garrick.

In modern London, Riley is helped by Chevron Savano, a nineteen-year-old FBI agent sent to London as punishment after a disastrous undercover, anti-terrorist operation in Los Angeles. Together Riley and Chevie must evade Garrick, who has been fundamentally altered by his trip through the wormhole. Garrick is now not only evil, but he also possesses all of the scientist’s knowledge. He is determined to track Riley down and use the timekey in Chevie’s possession to make his way back to Victorian London where he can literally change the world.
 
Eoin Colfer always delivers even if it takes me a while to get into it. I wasn't too keen on Chevie at first. She seemed too much a FBI agent stereotype but I think, in the end, that was the point of her. She was trying so hard to be a grownup and fit into the idea she had of being an FBI agent and then things get out of hand and way beyond her wildest dreams or experiences. Meanwhile, Riley is a more sympathetic character who is pretty smart for a kid who was essentially raised by a psychopath. But then I guess you'd have to be to stay alive for any length of time. I enjoyed the, as a team and I was glad that they got together quickly and any mistrust between was done away quickly. It made the story stronger.

Time travel can be hard to do but if you largely ignore the science, then it is usually fun. The Reluctant Assassin largely ignores the science and I think the consequences don't show up til the 2nd book based on the description I read of that one. This is sort of a science fiction mystery with a bit of thriller thrown in as Riley and Chevie run from the madman Garrick literally through time. Thrown in are bits of Riley's past and how Chevie got into the FBI in the first place. It was slow to start for me but then, when it took off it was really good and I look forward to the next book.

 

9 hours, 29 minutes

Maxwell Caulfield is the narrator who in my mind is from Grease 2 and Empire Records but that might show my age. Anyway, he also co-narrated Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell when I wondered how he'd do with an entire book and I got my answer. Pretty good it turns out. He has a good voice for the reading though his distinct voices need work. I also feel like this book would done well with a female narrator but I didn't mind Caulfied at all.

The Here and Now by Ann Brashares

Prenna and her community have a huge secret. They are from a future where the world has collapsed and a deadly blood plague carried by mosquitoes is an epidemic. Sent back in time, the leaders of her community are suppose to be working on the solution. But in the meantime they are expected to assimilate into the 21st century and above all else, never tell who they are or where they came from. But Prenna falls in love with Ethan and the two make a startling discovery about Prenna's time and her community itself.

To get it out of the way first, I didn't like the romantic plot. It was strange. Yes, Prenna and Ethan had known each other for a long time but it moved so quickly into true love that it felt forced and I wasn't feeling it. It was more like teenage lust than love. And that's fine but don't pretend it to be otherwise. Anyway. I enjoyed the book despite my objections to the love story. It was a good read and I liked how feisty Prenna was and how she was willing to challenge the leaders of her community. I liked Ethan for how loyal he was and how he was just a good guy. I liked that there was just enough mystery to keep me going but not so much that it bogged the story down. And, honestly, I'm glad the author didn't get into the sciencey stuff too much.

Time travel is a tricky thing to write about, in my opinion. There's a lot to deal with and paradoxes, etc. It was handled fairly well and I didn't really have any questions at the end. I think it was all wrapped up pretty neatly.

Review copy provided by NetGalley
Publication date: April 8, 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press

The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson (audio) (Jenna Fox Chronicles #2)

Locke and Kara have been revived after their minds have spend 260 years locked away in a box. The world is a different place now but people like them are still not legal. Gone is everyone they ever knew except Jenna Fox. Escaping from the scientist who bought them back, both on on the run toward Jenna. One is bend on revenge though for being left for so long.

I didn't really feel like The Adoration of Jenna Fox needed a sequel. But when I found out there was one I figured why not? This time focusing on Locke and Kara. At the end of Adoration, Jenna destroys the black cubes that house Kara and Locke to spare them the pain and torture of being in that dark place. So how are they here? Copies. And that makes me wonder how you can multi-copy someone's mind but that issue is never really explored.Instead the big moral issue is what makes a person a person? What makes someone human? There is no real answer but Locke contemplates this for much of the book, almost endlessly.

The bulk of the action revolves first on escaping the doctor and then on finding Jenna and then on dealing with Kara. I use the word action loosely because this is not an action packed book despite the theme of running and hiding. There is never really much danger and then the problem of the bad guy(s) fixes itself fairly neatly. It's like an idea was started but wasn't explored to its fullest potential. I'm a little sorry about that because I think it could have been more. Still it was a decent read and it was nice to see Jenna again and get more about her life than the epilogue at the end of her book. I'm sure she will show up in the next book, Forever Forever, but that is another Locke-centric book so she will still only be a side character.

Some audio book narrators perform their books (Jim Dale, Katharine Kellgren, Tim Curry to name a few) and some just read. Matthew Brown is a reader. He has a nice soothing voice and is very clear, but there is no hurry, nothing to suggest motion or aggression or urgency. So while I enjoyed his voice, I can't say he is the best narrator I've ever heard (see above).

9 hours, 30 mintues

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis (audio) (Oxford Time Travel #3 & #4)

I decided to review both of these together since it basically one long book. They blend together seamlessly and you really can't read All Clear without having read Blackout. It would be confusing. I'm not sure what went into the decision to publish them separately but if you decide to read or listen to them make sure you have All Clear on hand to immediately begin reading after you finish Blackout.

It's Oxford 2060 and three historians are planning on traveling to World War II, each to observe something different. For her first assignment, Merope assumes the name Eileen O'Reilly and is sent to observe some 1940 London evacuees at a country manor house. Polly Churchill arrives in 1940 as well to observe the beginning of the London Blitz. And Michael Davies, who had been prepping to travel to Pearl Habor, has his assignments switch resulting in him going to 1940 to observe the Battle of Dunkirk. Each makes to their assignment and everything starts going wrong quickly after. None can get their drops to reopen and each is afraid that they have somehow started to change history, something that was previously thought impossible.

Blackout follows each historian as they transgress through World War II. They all have the same basic storyline. They arrive at their locations with Polly and Michael having some degree of "slippage," that is not arriving at the temporal location that was set up for them. Things go wrong for all of them at some point and then they discover that they cannot get back to their own time. The book ends with them trying to make their way to each other to hopefully use another's drop.

(SPOILERS) All Clear picks up where Blackout left off. The historians have found each other and try to work out where another historian is to hopefully find a way home that way. Each hopes for a retrieval team from Oxford and they begin leaving clues for Oxford 2060 in local newspapers, hoping for a rescue. They begin to think they are trapped in World War II because they have made horrible alterations to history. But none of them piece together the truth till much later.

If I have any criticisms it's that each book went on a tad too long. Especially the section where Micheal, Polly, and Eileen worry over the retrieval team. That part goes on too long. I also hated how Polly treated Eileen, like she was stupid when Eileen was shown to be more than capable. I guess that came from the fact that Eileen was younger than Polly and Micheal and so a little more naive.

But overall I enjoyed the story. The ending was predictable but still surprising and a bit sad. I learned a lot about the London Blitz and World War II. Eileen was a great character and Polly was too albeit a much more frustrating one since she could never seem to tell the truth about anything that Michael and Eileen might need to know. Once all the pieces came together it was easier to see how brilliant the story was. While this is not my favorite Connie Willis Oxford Time Travel story, it was certainly a wonderful addition to the world she has already built.

Katherine Kellgren is the narrator and she is once again amazing. I can't believe that I didn't like her to the first time I heard her on The Red Pyramid. She is honestly one of the most talented narrators and when I saw she narrated these Connie Willis I was so happy. Two of my favorites! Yes, please. She does a smashing job on both of these books and is a delight to listen to.


Blackout. 18 hours, 48 minutes
All Clear. 23 hours, 46 minues

To Say Nothing of the Dog: Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest.  He's been shuttling between the 21st century and the 1940s searching for a Victorian atrocity called the bishop's bird stump.  It's part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid over a hundred years earlier. 

But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past.  Now Ned must jump back to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right--not only to save the project but to prevent altering history itself.  -- Goodreads

I love this book!  Seriously, I first listened to it about 10 years ago and then listened to it again a couple of years later.  When I saw it on Audible, I was ecstatic because my local library did not have it on CD.  But would it still be as good?  The answer is yes.  It starts out a little slow because I was impatient for Ned to get the Victoria era, but man the whole thing is good. I haven't read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, a book which is referenced a lot and from which this book gets its title, but I will one of these days.  To Say Nothing of the Dog is written in a high manner house comedy style, much like a Wodehouse and has the same sensibilities as those book but with a large slice of science fiction thrown in.  Basically the whole book is about surviving the Victorians with their awful taste in furniture and the belief in seances, all while trying to save the space-time continuum.  But it never gets confusing or really all the science-y.  And the technology is a little laughable since they can travel through time but don't have cell phones.  But that has more to do with being written in 1997 when such things were not widely available and the internet wasn't what it is now.  Still I can forgive all that because the plot is so wonderful as are all the characters.  I was a little sad when it was over and I couldn't live in this world anymore.

Steven Crossley is the narrator and the voice of Ned.  He has the perfect British voice for this book and I love hearing his narration and the voices he does for the various characters.  He gets the tone and the inflection just right every time.

20 hours, 58 minutes

Whisper in My Ear

Tankborn by Karen Sandler

Kayla and Mishalla are GENS (Genetically Engineered Non-humans), people made from human and animal DNA to be slaves for the high class trueborns.  When each receives their Assignments on their 15th year, they find themselves involved with something more involving the children Mishalla is assigned to care for and the trueborn family Kayla works for.

I can honestly compare this favorably with the few Octavia Butler books I've read.  And that is high praise indeed.  While Tankborn seemed a bit heavy-handed sometimes with the genetically engineered slave concept, it was still a really enjoyable read and pretty thought-provoking. Kayla and Mishalla are ready made sympathetic characters and it is easy to care for them and their plight. The castes system in the book was a little confusing to me with the trueborns, lowborns and GENS and all the classifications in the middle.  But really it was important to establish who everyone was and how they all fit together.  Like I said, I really liked Kayla and Mishalla and their romantic interests were pretty likeable too.  I liked seeing the growth of Devak, the grandson of Kayla's Assignment.  The conspiracy of the plot was fairly surprising and actually a little horrifying as I become invested in all the characters.  There were a few subplots that were not addressed and so I wonder if they are planning a sequel. 

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: September 28th 2011
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, Inc.

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Rosalinda Fitzroy is woken from a sixty-two year chemically induced sleep by a kiss.  Confused by her long stasis and grieving for her lost time and her long dead parents and boyfriend, Rose begins to confront the reason she was put in stasis in the first place and deal with a new threat in her current time.

I really loved this book.  It surprised me because I figured it to be some sort of science fiction Sleeping Beauty (which is was) but it was took the story and molded into something beyond the fairy tale. It became less of just a Sleeping Beauty retell and more of a story of abuse and lost love.  I was glad that there was no real romantic storyline other than the one in Rose's past because it would have felt more artificial.  When Rose develops a crush on, Bren, the boy woke her up, I was worried since it seemed less like her feelings and more like a contrivance, but that is cleared up eventually.  The "realest" relationship would be Rose's friendship with the odd alien-human hybrid, Otto.  That was a relationship that was enjoyable to watch progress. Overall, it was easy to see where the story was going, except for two details revealed at the end that I wasn't expecting at all.  It was nice to be surprised.  One of my few complaints was how heavy handed the Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose comparisons felt at times.  The story had all the earmarks of that fairytale without it being forcibly shoved into the story.  My only other complaint was an unresolved storyline that would be good for a follow-up book.  I certainly hope it gets written since I am curious about what happens to Rose next.

Provided by NetGalley 
Publish date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick
ISBN: 9780763652609

350 Page

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Alison wakes up in a mental institution with no memory of how she got there.  As she begins to remember what happened, she also remembers confessing to killing a classmate.  But how she remembers that event doesn't make any sense because people just don't disintegrate. Do they?  As Alison struggles to make sense of that event, she always begins unraveling the mysteries of her own mind and her special abilities.

Dark chocolate, poured over velvet: that was how his voice tasted.  I wanted him to follow me around and narrate the rest of my life.  e-ARC

So this was different.  It starts Girl, Interrupted and then sharply detours into science fiction.  Alison wakes up in the psych ward of a hospital covered in scratches and bruises with no memory of what happened.  She is then moved to a mental health institution for young adults to recover and maybe tell what happened to her classmate, Tori, who disappeared the same day that Alison went crazy.  The description of Pine Hills, the place that Alison goes, is really well written and very realistic.  I could picture the place in my mind perfectly and it had a nice mix of patients that really illustrated the story the author was trying to tell. 

Another aspect of Alison's story is her synesthesia.  I've read a few books about this condition before and was interested to see it employed in this book.  I liked how it was made integral part of the story but was not the point of the story.  Alison didn't even realize that her extrasensory abilities had a name until part way through the story.  It gave the story some interesting depth and played nicely into the climax of the story. 

Provided by NetGalley
Publish date: September 1, 2011
Hogwarts: Astronomy

Virals (#1) by Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan (grand-niece of Temperance Brennan) lives on a secluded island where her father works for a university research center.  She is friends with four boys her age who also live on the island.  After finding some mysterious dog tags on the research island, Tory and her friends get caught in the mystery of a girl's mysterious disappearance 40 years ago and also discover an illegal experiment that transforms Tory and her friends into something more than human.

     Shelton was right.  Things had gotten insane.  For a moment, I wondered if life would ever be normal again.
     No.  We'd been changed at some fundamental level.  There was no going back. p.426 ARC

Having never read anything by Kathy Riechs I wasn't sure how Virals was going to read.  I think that it is fairly evident that an adult writer is trying for a young adult audience.  However, I can't find any fault with that.  A few reviews I read complained that it felt dumbed down, but it didn't to me.  There was a lot of science involved and it was written for someone who doesn't understand science (like me).  I appreciated that.

I really enjoyed the mystery part of the book.  That was my favorite since I am a big mystery fan.  It was a little Nancy Drew mixed with Bones (of course).  Tory is such an awesome, smart character that I loved her.  I liked how all the kids are thrown together by little more than proximity and they become friends even with their distinct personalities and backgrounds.  Each of the "Virals" is well characterized and thought out.

The paranormal aspect is fun, very sciency though it wasn't my favorite part of the book.  But it is cool to have an almost reasonable explanation for the thing that happens to Tory and her friends.  And the abilities they gain come in handy.  I'm curious to see where this series is going to lead.  Hopefully to a lot more mysteries.

Hogwarts: Transfiguration

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)

Todd can hear every thought of every man in his town.  They all can.  All the males broadcast their thoughts and feelings to everyone all the time so that it all becomes Noise.  But as Todd approaches manhood, the dark secret of his town begins to make its way towards him.

"You know what my father always says, Todd Hewitt?" he leers up at me.   "He says a knife is only as good as the one who wields it."  p.258

This was definitely an adventure book as well as a dystopian with some science fiction and war added in.  It was a sad book and sometimes a funny book.  It was a long book and I got a little tired of waiting for the secret of Prentisstown.  That dragged on a little too long and I was getting impatient.  I had half guessed it before it was told, but the other half was surprising.  I liked Todd.  He was such a boy and so very confused and nice and he tried so hard.  And I liked Viola.  She was very cool and smart.  I liked how they stood up for each other. The villains were definitely designed to get me angry and I can't understand their motives except they are insane.

The ending was such a crazy cliffhanger.  That usually makes me angry, but this one had me ordering the next book from the library.  I have to find out what happens next.  I have an idea of where the series is going so I can't wait to see if I'm right.

(highlight) SPOILER* I cried so much when Manchee the dog died.  That was so sad with his Todd?  Aw.  Break my heart.  And when Viola kills Aaron.  That was sad too.  There was so much sadness in this book
And how about Prentisstown men killing all the women. What a stupid thing to do. I guess it was out of spite and jealousy and fear, but it doesn't excuse them. No wonder they were exiled from the rest of the world. I really wonder now about the ending with Mayor Prentiss. I hope (I'm sure) Viola is alright. . *

Hogwarts: Defence Against the Dark Arts
YA
Library
Dystopian
Another Chance

Bloodchild (GLBT February Mini-Challenge)

On an alien planet there is a colony of humans who have developed an alliance with the insect-like Tlic, the native inhabitants of the planet.  The humans have to give one of their family to the Tlic to carry their young.  Gan is one of the young humans who has been selected and he is honored by this choice.  But after witnessing one of these "births," he is unsure about what he has to do.  He loves T'Gotoi, the one whose eggs he will carry, but he experiences doubt about what must be done.

This was an interesting and creepy short story.  The idea of carrying and hatching insects inside a human grosses me out.  In fact, Butler says in the afterword that she wrote it partly out of fear of the botfly who lays eggs in tissue and her fear of this.  I've read one other book by her, Clay's Ark, which I really enjoyed and when I was searching for an author for this mini-challenge, I found out she was a lesbian.  So knowing that I liked her writing, this was so great.  And this is a disturbing little story, but at the same time, sweet and caring.  T'Gotoi loves Gan and he loves her, but he is unaware of the exact repercussions of is going to happen.  And when he finds out he must decide what to do about it.  The choice he makes is a hard one, but probably the right one.

Octavia Butler is a female African-American science fiction who won numerous awards for her work.  The story "Bloodchild" won the following awards:

• 1985: Hugo Award for Best Novelette - Bloodchild
• 1985: Locus Award for Best Novelette - "Bloodchild"
• 1985: Science Fiction Chronicle Award for Best Novelette - "Bloodchild"
• 1984: Nebula Award for Best Novelette - Bloodchild

Something interesting is the foreword included where Butler talks about writing short stories and getting rejected by publishers.  She says she hates writing short stories because she finds it frustrating to try and contain her ideas in a smaller format.  But the stories included in this book are truly short stories for her.

A War of Gifts: An Ender Story

A short novella from the Enderverse focuses on Dink Meeker and the small act of giving a Sinterklaas present to one of his friends.  Little does he know that this is going to incite a war among the Battle School students.  Zeke Morgan comes from a fundamentalist Christian family.  His father preaches that everyone is full of sin and that is why they cannot hear the Lord's Word.  He "purifies" Zeke, but knows nothing of Zeke's phenomental metal abilities until the Fleet come for Zeke to bring him to Battle School.  There Zeke does his best to remain a pacifist, believing that God does not glory in war.  But when Dink leaves his friend a Sinterklass present as a token of friendship, Zeke takes it upon himself to turn this simple act and turn it into something bigger.  And Dink retaliates in return.  But Ender Wiggin seeks to create an understanding in the Battle School between Dink and Zeke and the conflict they have bought to it.

One of my favorite books is Ender's Game.  And I love reading stories set in this world and getting to know more of Ender's world and his time spent in Battle School.  It's stories like this that add to the over-all story and later are alluded to in Ender in Exile.  A War of Gifts presents an excellent commentary on the true nature of religion and the religion that children will create around their parents and for their parents.  Zeke's struggle to become pure is interesting one since he was only taught he was impure by his father.  This leads to an incident where Ender can show what a great leader he is becoming, helping Zeke without Zeke really understand what is happening.

D.A.

From book jacket:

Theodora Baumgarten has just been selected as an IASA space cadet, and therein lies the problem. She didn't apply for the ultra-coveted posting, and doesn't relish spending years aboard the ship to which she's been assigned. But the plucky young heroine, in true Heinlein fashion, has no plans to go along with the program. Aided by her hacker best friend Kimkim, in a screwball comedy that has become Connie Wills' hallmark, Theodora will stop at nothing to uncover the conspiracy that has her shanghaied.

At only 80 pages, D.A. is a very fun but very short novella (which I'm counting towards the November Novella Challenge).  First off, Connie Willis is one of my favorite writers (she wrote my favorite book, Bellwether).  And this was an excellent story and has some very cool pictures included in the story to help give more a visual idea.  Because it is a novella there is very little character development and a lot more action, but in a clever way.  I like the twist at the end and how Theodora figures out how and why she was shanghaied with the help of her friend, Kimkim.  I would like to see more of a world build for this story one day.  It would make an excellent full length novel especially if it added on at the end.

Libyrinth

Haly is a clerk to Libyrarian Selene in the Libyrinth, a vast library containing just about every book ever written. Haly is unique though since she can hear the books talk, they read themselves to her. When she is taken by the Eradicants, an illiterate people who believe words are murdered once they are written down, she is thought to be their Redeemer, the one who can unite the Word and the Song. In their city, Haly realizes the truth of her world's history and must convince the Eradicants of it before they destroy her beloved Libyrinth.

Okay, seriously, a young adult science fiction book about librarians, how was I not going to love it? It was really good. The chapters alternate between Haly and her friend, Clauda, one of the servents in the Libyrinth. In the end, it comes down to the two of them to save the Libyrinth and all the books contain therein. The world was really well built and I got excellent visuals from the descriptions. I was a little confused about the origins of Haly, but since, it turns out, this is a trilogy (of course it is! Everything is nowadays) I'm sure to get more background on her and on the world in general. I would definitely recommend this book and say give it a try. It's about librarians! Don't get put off by the science fiction aspect, though, if that's not your thing. It's not very sciencey, mostly it's just awesome.

Hunger: A Gone Novel (#2)

It's been 3 months since everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared and the situation is getting even more desperate. The children of the FAYZ are running out of food and tensions are running high between the "normal" kids and the ones with extraordinary powers. Sam is trying to keep the kids town feed and sane while Caine is trying to control the Darkness growing in his mind. But the Darkness has awoken and it's hungry.


I was going to take a little break from this book after I started reading, but I never managed to walk away. This is the second in the Gone series. I like the first book and I like this one too. I think it is a fairly realistic portrayal of what would happen if an entire town was bubbled off from the rest of the world by a superpowered child and where there are no adults, if you know, things like that happened. What I mean is that the kids are very realistic and act like children would act. Some would be responsible and some wouldn't lift a finger. I find the amount of violence disturbing though given that we are dealing with children. But kids can be brutal in the normal world. So in a hyped up situation I could see the outcome being very much like this.

This book moves right along and at a very fast pace. So much happens, there is hardly time to breath before going into the next thing. The characters are so well developed and I found myself just hating Drake and wishing he would die. I love Sam and can deal with Astrid and Caine, poor thing (in a way), and Diana who just doesn't know. I'm curious, though, what the next book will be about given the way this one ended. Oh, and the ending *shudder*