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WHAT A LOT OF BOOKS there are in the world, and what a lot of them are published in the fall. Today we take the second of our twice-yearly looks at upcoming books focusing now on those due out this month through December. The powerhouses of literature such as Joan Didion, Stephen King, Garrison Keillor, Nadine Gordimer and Salman Rushdie are well represented, as are promising (relative) newcomers such as Jane Stevenson and Leif Enger.
Over the years, we have heard much gratitude for providing this sampling of fall books, but some exasperation on this point: The list appears in September, and eager readers think they should be able to go out and get the book. Then said readers discover their heart's desire won't be in stores until December. To avoid these frustrations, we've organized the list by the usual categories, then sorted the books by month of publication. So save your fretting for the moment when you find out that publishers sometimes arbitrarily change release dates. In other words, what appears here as a publication date may change with those publishers' whims. Meantime, here's The List. Happy reading.
SEPTEMBER "Red Dog" by Louis de Bernières (Pantheon). Short stories about an Australian dog who became "a legend in his own time." By the author of "Corelli's Mandolin." "After the Plague" by T.C. Boyle (Viking). Short-story collection by the author of "The Tortilla Curtain." "All Families Are Psychotic" by Douglas Coupland (Bloomsbury). Coupland ("Generation X") serves up "the most disastrous family reunion in the history of fiction" in his latest novel or so his publisher says. "The Evidence Against Her" by Robb Forman Dew (Little, Brown). First volume in a prospective trilogy tracing the history of an Ohio family. By the author of "Dale Loves Sophie to Death." "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger (Atlantic Monthly). This first novel by a Minnesota writer, about a family on the run in the 1960s, is getting strong advance word from the likes of Jim Harrison and Rick Bass. "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). The long-awaited third novel by the author of "The Twenty-Seventh City" and "Strong Motion" is a seriocomic family saga that takes on "American society and the American soul." "The Marble Quilt" by David Leavitt (Houghton Mifflin). A new short-story collection by the popular and sometimes controversial gay writer ("Family Dancing," "While England Sleeps"). "He Sleeps" by Reginald McKnight (Holt). A new novel by the author of "White Boys" and "I Get on the Bus," about an African-American anthropologist getting caught up in "a surreal web of deception and betrayal" in Senegal. "Middle Age: A Romance" by Joyce Carol Oates (Ecco). In an upscale New York suburb, a charismatic sculptor has a powerful influence on his social circle after his death. By the author of "We Were the Mulvaneys." The ever-busy Oates also has a novella out in November, "Beasts" (Carroll & Graf), about some sinister Bohemian types working mischief on an idyllic New England college campus. "Still She Haunts Me" by Katie Roiphe (Dial). A fictional guess at how the relationship between Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) became estranged from Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass." "Fury" by Salman Rushdie (Random). Satirical comedy by the author of "Midnight's Children" about a millionaire philosophy professor/doll inventor from Bombay trying to ditch his old life with a move to New York. "London Bridges" by Jane Stevenson (Houghton Mifflin). A first novel about lost treasure, an unscrupulous lawyer and an oddball assortment of London types, by the British author whose debut novella collection, "Several Deceptions," was one of the literary highlights of last year. "Riot: A Love Story" by Shashi Tharoor (Arcade). In his latest novel, the much-praised Indian writer ("Show Business") explores the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a young American volunteer in India. "A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage" by Mark Twain (Norton). First publication of a long-lost novella about "the fortunes of a humble farmer," by one of America's most beloved (and still controversial) authors. "The Yellow Sailor" by Steve Weiner (Overlook). A novel about four shipwrecked sailors exploring "the failure of love, sex, religion, and friendship." Weiner's debut, "The Museum of Love," was striking, intense, surreal. OCTOBER "I, the Divine" by Rabih Alameddine (Norton). Experimental fiction by the Lebanese-American writer ("Koolaids: The Art of War") in which an artist from Beirut, attempting to write down the story of her life, can never make it past the first chapter. "Super-Cannes" by J.G. Ballard (Picador). A novel about "the hidden cost of sanity," set in a high-tech "multinational business park" that's safely secured from the outside world but not from its own inmates. By the author of "Crash" and "Empire of the Sun." "The Billancourt Tales" by Nina Berberova, translated by Marian Schwartz (New Directions). Thirteen newly discovered tales by the Russian writer, originally written in Paris for a Russian émigré newspaper and now in their first English translation. "The Stories of Paul Bowles" (Ecco). All the short fiction (almost 700 pages of it) by the expatriate American writer gathered into one volume. "Falling Angels" by Tracy Chevalier (Dutton). A historical novel about the unlikely connection between two families of different social class in early 20th-century London. By the author of the surprise bestseller, "Girl with a Pearl Earring." "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems" by Billy Collins (Random). The new poet laureate of the U.S. offers a new collection of poems. "The Devil's Larder" by Jim Crace (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Sixty short-short fictions by the British author whose "Being Dead" won the National Book Critics Circle Award earlier this year. "The Wig My Father Wore" by Anne Enright (Grove). The Irish writer of the antic "What Are You Like" writes a story about a young Dublin woman who gets a guardian angel, whether she likes it or not. "The Practical Heart" by Allan Gurganus (Knopf). Four novellas on wide-ranging themes, by the gay Southern writer ("Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All," "Plays Well with Others"). "Translated Accounts" by James Kelman (Doubleday). An unnamed, unstable country, apparently under military rule, provides the setting for the Glaswegian writer's first novel since his Booker Prize-winning "How Late It Was, How Late." "Gabriel's Gift" by Hanif Kureishi (Scribner). A novel about the troubled son of a washed-up rock musician, by the author of "The Buddha of Suburbia" and "Intimacy." "Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources" by David Mamet (Overlook). The noted playwright's latest stab at novel-writing depicts a futuristic world in which ex-First Wife Ginger Wilson attempts to recover the collective memory of the 21st century after the Internet crashes. "The World Below" by Sue Miller (Knopf). A New England family saga stretching from 1919 to the present day and contrasting the fates of a woman and her granddaughter in love. By the author of "Inventing the Abbotts." "Half a Life" by V.S. Naipaul (Knopf). In an effort to forge new identities for himself, a young man travels from India to bohemian London, and then Africa in its "last doomed days of colonialism," in the latest novel by the Trinidad-born writer ("Guerrillas"). "The Same Sea" by Amos Oz, translated by Nicholas de Lange (Harcourt). The acclaimed Israeli author delivers a novel in which the writer himself has to cope with phone calls from his characters, who are unhappy with the way he portrays them. "The Nautical Chart" by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden (Harcourt). The latest novel by the Spanish author ("The Fencing Master") is about a mariner without a ship who signs on for a perilous voyage. "Old Men at Midnight" by Chaim Potok (Knopf). A trilogy of novellas on Jewish themes by the author of "The Chosen." "Fox" by Adrienne Rich (Norton). New poems by Rich that take on history, gender and other topics. "Flights of Love" by Bernhard Schlink, translated by John E. Woods (Pantheon). Short stories about love, by the author of "The Reader." "Austerlitz" by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell (Random). The latest from the highly esteemed German writer ("Vertigo") is a novel taking the form of a 30-year conversation in the train stations and travelers' stops of England and Europe. "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu (Viking). A new translation by Royall Tyler of the 11th-century Japanese classic. "The Last Canyon" by John Vernon (Houghton Mifflin). A novel about John Wesley Powell's hazardous journey down the Grand Canyon in 1869, by one of our best historical novelists ("Peter Doyle"). A new nonfiction account of Powell's expedition, "Down the Great Unknown" by Edward Dolnick (HarperCollins), is also appearing this month. "Argall" by William T. Vollmann (Viking). The latest volume in Vollmann's massive "Seven Dreams" series of historical novels re-examines the Jamestown of John Smith and Pocahontas. NOVEMBER "Portrait in Sepia" by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins). The latest by the Chilean-American author ("The House of the Spirits") is a historical novel about a privileged yet traumatized 19th-century woman haunted by her past and oppressed by her present. "Collected Fiction" by Saul Bellow (Viking). A selection of the Nobel laureate's best stories and novellas. "Coming Soon!!!" by John Barth (Houghton Mifflin). A tale of two writers, one at the end of his career and the other a youthful upstart. By the author of "The Sot-Weed Factor." "Hotel of the Saints" by Ursula Hegi (Simon & Schuster). Short stories, set in Germany, Italy, Mexico and the United States, by the author of "Stones from the River." Hegi, a longtime Eastern Washington writer, now lives in New York state. "The Long Marriage" by Maxine Kumin (Norton). New collection by the much-honored poet, featuring themes of loyalty, longevity and recovery. "The Feast of the Goat" by Mario Vargas Llosa (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). The latest from the great Peruvian writer ("The War at the End of the World," "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter") is a political thriller set in the Dominican Republic during the terror of Rafael Trujillo's regime. "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage" by Alice Munro (Knopf). Nine new stories by one of Canada's finest writers and perhaps the best short-story writer of our time. "The Girl from the Golden Horn" by Kurban Said, translated by Jenia Graman (Overlook). A second novel by the mysterious author of "Ali and Nino," about Turkish royal exiles adrift in 1920s Berlin after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. "The Bulgari Connection" by Fay Weldon (Atlantic Monthly). Weldon's latest romp takes on sexual jealousy, social envy and other low behavioral points in London high society, as it tells the tale of an ex-con divorcee who isn't getting what she wants from life. DECEMBER "Wetware" by Craig Nova (Harmony). A real change of pace for the author of "The Good Son" and "Tornado Alley": a futuristic tale about a society in which fully formed humans can be created in laboratories. "Three to See the King" by Magnus Mills (Picador). A new novel part parable, part mystery about "the messiah of a new building material." By the author of "The Restraint of Beasts." SEPTEMBER "The Holy Road" by Michael Blake (Villard). The author of "Dances With Wolves" pens a sequel, following Lt. John Dunbar as he attempts to make a peaceful life with his family, only to have white rangers descend on his village and slaughter half the inhabitants. "Swift as Desire" by Laura Esquivel (Crown). The latest by the Mexican author ("Like Water for Chocolate") is about a telegraph operator with an unusual gift for getting people to communicate with one another. "The Smoke Jumper" by Nicholas Evans (Delacorte). The author of "The Horse Whisperer" portrays a romantic triangle in a mountain fire-fighting setting. "The Blue Last" by Martha Grimes (Viking). A mystery about two bodies found in a World War II bomb site in London. "Long Time No See" by Susan Isaacs (HarperCollins). This sequel to Isaacs' "Compromising Positions" finds heroine Judith Singer a widow "surrounded by crime and chaos" who's still having trouble getting her erstwhile policeman lover out of her mind. "Black House" by Stephen King and Peter Straub (Random). A novel about a boy's venture into a parallel universe, by a writerly match made in heaven or hell, depending on your tolerance for horrormeisters. "The Other Wind" by Ursula K. Le Guin (Harcourt). A new Earthsea novel by the Portland author. "The Associate" by Philip Margolin (HarperCollins). The Portland writer's latest legal thriller concerns a blackballed lawyer who's trying to clear his name. "Money, Money, Money" by Ed McBain (Simon & Schuster). The 51st novel in McBain's 87th Precinct series starts with a mauled body and leads to a massive counterfeiting conspiracy. "Total Recall" by Sara Paretsky (Delacorte). A new V.I. Warshawski novel by the Chicago thriller writer. V.I. discovers that behind her physician friend Lottie's no-nonsense exterior lie some tragic secrets that go back to the Holocaust. "Pain Management" by Andrew Vachss (Knopf). Vachss' latest finds his hero (and native New Yorker) Burke lying low in the Pacific Northwest. OCTOBER "The Gryphon" by Nick Bantock (Chronicle). Bantock's new picturebook-for-grownups is a sequel to his "Griffin and Sabine" trilogy. "Coldheart Canyon" by Clive Barker (HarperCollins). A supernatural tale about an aging Hollywood star who goes into hiding after botched plastic surgery and a fan club president who tries to track him down. "From the Dust Returned" by Ray Bradbury (Morrow). A novel by the science-fiction writer ("Farenheit 451") about a clan of Halloween creatures and their adopted son Timothy (the only one of them who can see his reflection in the mirror). "Alma Mater" by Rita Mae Brown (Ballantine). A college-set novel about sexual awakening and conflicting loyalties, by the lesbian author ("Rubyfruit Jungle"). "Fleeced" by Carol Higgins Clark (Scribner). A new Regan Reilly mystery in which Clark's sleuth tracks down a missing cache of (murder-inspiring) diamonds. "Isle of Dogs" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam). Cornwell drops her forensic-thriller formula for something a little more political: a novel about a Chesapeake Bay island that secedes from Virginia when the governor announces a draconian highway speed-trap scheme. "Up Country" by Nelson DeMille (Warner). The author of "The General's Daughter" tells the story of a retired Army investigator who is called back into service to look into a Vietnam War-era murder. "The Fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte). Gabaldon's time-travel saga picks up where "Outlander" left off, as it chronicles the adventures of an 18th-century Scotsman and his 20th-century wife. "The Sigma Protocol" by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin's). A tale of intrigue about an American investment banker who stumbles across an international conspiracy. By the late author of "The Prometheus Deception," who must have kept a couple of manuscripts tucked away for his executor. "Killing the Shadows" by Val McDermid (St. Martin's Minotaur). The Manchester, England-based author of "A Place of Execution" writes about a serial killer who starts knocking off the writers of crime novels. We did not make this up. "Death in Paradise" by Robert B. Parker (Putnam). Parker's latest finds police chief Jesse Stone investigating the murder of a troubled teenage girl in a supposedly idyllic New England town. "Funeral in Blue" by Anne Perry (Ballantine). In Perry's new Victorian murder mystery, investigator William Monk and his wife Hester strive to save a friend accused of two killings. "The Family" by Mario Puzo (ReganBooks). A historical novel about the infamous Borgia family, by the author of "The Godfather." "Blood and Gold" by Anne Rice (Knopf). The latest installment in Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" follows her glamorous bloodsuckers from Imperial Rome, through the Dark Ages and Black Death, to Renaissance Italy with stops in Dresden, Paris and an English castle. "A Bend in the Road" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner). A novel by the author of "Message in a Bottle," about a man trying to cope after his wife is killed in a hit-and-run accident. "The Kiss" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte). The pop novelist's latest romance concerns two adulterous lovers crushed (but not killed) by a double-decker bus just after they've shared their first kiss. Talk about guilt trips! NOVEMBER "Last Man Standing" by David Baldacci (Warner). The author of "Absolute Power" and "I Wish You Well" tells the story of a member of an FBI hostage-rescue team who becomes the last one left alive after an ambush of the team in London. Complications ensue. "Hope to Die" by Lawrence Block (Morrow). The latest crime novel featuring private eye Matthew Scudder. By the author of "Hit List." "Futureland" by Walter Mosley (Warner). The mystery writer turns science-fiction writer in this novel set in a "fast and furious" high-tech future. "Violets Are Blue" by James Patterson (Little, Brown). Another Alex Cross mystery, this one concerning a killer who goes after joggers in different American cities. "Midnight Bayou" by Nora Roberts (Putnam). The romance writer's latest is set in a haunted New Orleans mansion where visions of the past start haunting the new owner. DECEMBER "Jackdaws" by Ken Follett (Dutton). The "Eye of the Needle" author trains his sights on an all-woman brigade of French Resistance fighters trying to outwit the Nazis just before D-Day. "Flesh and Blood" by Jonathan Kellerman (Random). New novel featuring psychologist Alex Delaware, about the murder of a "borderline-delinquent" teenage girl. SEPTEMBER "The Broken Hearth: Reversing the Moral Collapse of the American Family" by William J. Bennett (Doubleday). The former Secretary of Education tells what's wrong with the American family and inveigles the people to set it right. "Trials of the Monkey: An Accidental Memoir" by Matthew Chapman (Picador). The great-great grandson of Charles Darwin takes us back to Dayton, Tenn., site of the Scopes Trial, to see if attitudes have changed after 76 years. "Lords of the Harvest: Biotech, Big Money and the Future of Food" by Daniel Charles (Perseus). The story of how genetic engineering of plants burst out of the laboratory and became a driving force that is changing the face of modern agriculture. "Political Fictions" by Joan Didion (Knopf). A collection of Didion's pieces on government, as published in the New York Review of Books, that purport to show how we have become a nation governed by a handful of insiders increasingly detached from the nation. "An American Insurrection: The Battle of Oxford, Mississippi, 1962" by William Doyle (Doubleday). An account of James Meredith's attempt to integrate the University of Mississippi, the ferocious white uprising that resulted and the federal government's role in sending in troops to enforce order. "Healing the Soul in the Age of the Brain" by Dr. Elio Frattaroli (Viking). A psychiatrist says people must connect with their souls, and that it is not possible to heal a soul's sickness with a pill. And in an October book, "Depression is a Choice" (Hyperion), psychotherapist A.B. Curtis argues that depression can be treated without drugs and endless therapy, and tells how to do it. Is there a trend here? "Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions" by Jane Hammerslough (Perseus). How to resist the Pottery Barn catalog, and other good advice for a recession. "The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War" by Charles J. Hanley, Sang-Hun Choe and Martha Mendoza (Holt). The tragic story of Korean civilians massacred by American troops, written by the reporters who won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for their uncovering of the long-suppressed event. "Leavenworth Train: Bitter Justice in the Vanishing West" by Joe Jackson (Carroll & Graf). The story of a daring prison escape in the early 20th century, in which five prisoners hijacked a supply train and rammed it through the prison's west gate. The FBI chased them for decades, with surprising results. "The Best of Times: America in the Clinton Years" by Haynes Johnson (Harcourt). The Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist reprises the 1990s through interviewing personalities from the media, politics, technology and Wall Street who helped shape it, including Microsoft's Nathan Myhrvold. "Breaking Faith: The Pope, the People and the fate of Catholicism" by John Cornwell (Viking). The author of "Hitler's Pope" examines the divisions in today's Catholic Church and what he (a Catholic) believes the church must do to survive in the 21st century. "Crescent & Star" by Stephen Kinzer (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). The former Istanbul bureau chief for the New York Times writes about Turkey, a nation of contradictions, straddling Europe and Asia and wrestling with its secular tilt and its Muslim traditions. The question at hand: Will it become a "great democratic state"? "Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds: The Tragedy and Triumph of ASA Flight 529" by Gary Pomerantz (Crown). The true story of a commuter aircraft that crashed in Georgia in 1995. This minute-by-minute story of the crash, told by the survivors, is said to illuminate how human beings react under extreme stress. "Like Water on Stone: The Story of Amnesty International" by Jonathan Power (Northeastern University Press). A look at the 40-year-old organization and its extraordinary, complex and controversial strategies to reduce human-rights abuses. Power, a former foreign-affairs correspondent with the International Herald Tribune, writes a widely syndicated column. "Out of the Jungle: Jimmy Hoffa and the Remaking of the American Working Class" by Thaddeus Russell (Knopf). The author examines Hoffa's career, his tactics and how his leadership shaped the American labor movement. "The Forgetting" by David Shenk (Doubleday). A book by the author of "Data Smog" that looks at Alzheimer's as a potential demographic time bomb. "The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Private Life of the American Death Penalty" by Ivan Solotaroff (HarperCollins). Solotaroff, a journalist, traveled the country to interview the men who execute prisoners on death row in search of an answer to why the majority of Americans still support the death penalty. "Where the Stress Falls" by Susan Sontag (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). A new collection of essays addressing aesthetic and moral issues. By the National Book Award-winning author of "In America." "Admissions Confidential: An Insider's Account of the Elite College Selection Process" by Rachel Toor (St. Martin's). A former admissions officer at Duke University tells all. Toor now writes for the Chronicle of Higher Education. "Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert" by Terry Tempest Williams (Pantheon). The author of "Refuge" writes essays on diverse topics, including the color red, rock formations and encounters with the desert. OCTOBER "I Thought My Father Was God And Other True Tales from NPR's National Story Project," edited and introduced by Paul Auster (Holt). A collection of 180 stories selected from National Public Radio's National Story Project, and featuring "hilarious blunders, wrenching coincidences, brushes with death, miraculous encounters, improbable ironies, premonitions, sorrows, pains, dreams." "Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway" by Dave Barry (Random). The popular columnist examines the birth of our nation, the income-tax code, the growth of government and other easy targets. "Indian Country" by Gwendolen Cates (Grove). A collection of photographs by a woman who has traveled the length and breadth of the tribes and nations of the United States. Seattle's Sherman Alexie writes the introduction. "Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage" by Kenneth S. Deffeyes (Princeton University Press). Deffeyes, a professor emeritus at Princeton and a former Shell Oil researcher, is known by John McPhee readers as McPhee's guide in "Annals of the Former World." He warns that world oil production has peaked, and "while long-term solutions exist in the form of conservation and alternative energy sources," these won't surface in time to evade "short-term catastrophe." Oh, dear. "Sputnik: The Shock of the Century" by Paul Dickson (Walker & Co.). Dickson tells the story of the unassuming Soviet satellite that shook the confidence of post-World War II America. "This Man's Pill: Reflections on the 50th Birthday of the Pill" by Carl Djerassi (Oxford University Press). The inventor of the pill looks back at what he hath wrought. "This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland" by Gretel Ehrlich (Pantheon). The author of "The Solace of Open Spaces" visits a place with a lot of them Greenland, where she spent seven years visiting the land and studying the natives, explorers and other folks drawn to this snow-covered place. "A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals" by Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten (Atlantic Monthly). Flannery, director of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, and renowned wildlife artist Schouten have created what looks like a sumptuous and sad catalog of 104 creatures who have vanished from the Earth since 1492, how they lived and how they met their fate. "The Four Thirds Solution: Putting Children First in Your Working Life" by Dr. Stanley Greenspan with Jacqueline Salmon (Perseus). Greenspan proposes a solution to the day-care dilemma: that each parent work two thirds of the time. "Harvest Wobblies: The Industrial Workers of the World and Agricultural Laborers in the American West, 1905-1930" by Greg Hall (Oregon State University Press). Though the Wobblies are mostly thought of as a timber worker group, this is a history of a lesser-known phenomenon: the Wobblies who worked to organize farm workers in the Great Plains, California and the Pacific Northwest. "The Universe in a Nutshell" by Stephen Hawking (Bantam). Hawking's sequel to "A Brief History of Time," in which Hawking looks for "the Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos." Illustrated. "Fire" by Sebastian Junger (Norton). A collection of works, "explorations of danger," by the author of "A Perfect Storm." The title piece follows the progress of a raging forest fire in Idaho. "The Woman Who Laughed at God: The Untold History of the Jewish People" by Jonathan Kirsch (Viking). The author of "Moses: A Life" takes a tour through Jewish history. "Travels with Cranes" by Peter Matthiessen; paintings and drawings by Robert Bateman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). The renowned naturalist and writer recounts his journeys in search of 15 species of cranes in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Australia."To Begin Where I Am: The Selected Prose of Czeslaw Milosz" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and "New and Collected Poems 1931-2001" by Czeslaw Milosz (Ecco). Two overviews of the Nobel laureate's essays and verse. "Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere" by Jan Morris (Simon & Schuster). The acclaimed travel writer says this will be her last book; about a place she first visited as a soldier in World War II and has been returning to ever since. A book about a city; a book about growing old. "Free to Die for Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II" by Eric Muller (University of Chicago Press). Muller tells the story of the Japanese Americans who were drafted after being displaced into internment camps. Most entered the service. This is the story of those who resisted. "In Mrs. Tully's Room: A Childcare Portrait" by Vivian Gussin Paley (Harvard University Press). Paley, an author ("The Kindness of Children") and former kindergarten teacher who won a MacArthur Award, writes about an exceptional childcare center and the gifted director who runs it. "Blue" by Michel Pastoureau (Princeton University Press). The author of "The Devil's Cloth: A History of Stripes and Striped Fabric," the history of striped fabric, examines what the color blue has signified to different ages and what it means to an age in which blue jeans are a universal uniform. "A History of Britain: Volume II, The Wars of the British 1603-1776" by Simon Schama (Talk Miramax). The second installment of the British historian's popular work, keyed to the second installment of the History Channel television series. "The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior" by David Allen Sibley (Knopf). The sequel to Sibley's hugely popular "The Sibley Guide to Birds." "Last Breath: Cautionary Tales from the Limits of Human Endurance" by Peter Stark (Ballantine). An outdoor writer tells us what happens when people arrive at the brink of death through cold, altitude sickness, drowning, etc., etc. "Hoop Roots" by John Edgar Wideman (Houghton Mifflin). An esteemed African-American writer discusses his 50-year love affair with basketball. NOVEMBER "The War Against Cliché: Essays and Reviews, 1971-2000" by Martin Amis (Talk Miramax). The collected nonfiction pieces, so far, of the British author ("London Fields," "Experience"). Talk Miramax is also bringing out "The Letters of Kingsley Amis," Kingsley being Martin's cranky novelist-dad ("Lucky Jim"). "The Sweet Hell Inside: A Family History" by Edward Ball (Morrow). The author of the National Book Award-winning "Slaves in the Family" tells the story of the Harlstons, an aristocratic black family in America whose advantages could not shield them from segregation and other troubles. "The Raw and the Cooked" by Jim Harrison (Grove). The revered fiction writer has also penned numerous columns about his love for food and wine. They are collected here. "Innovation and Its Enemies" by Lawrence Lessig (Random). Lessig, author of "Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace," explores the issue of intellectual property in the digital world, and argues that if the concept of a public commons is not brought to the Internet, it will destroy the medium's potential for creativity and freedom. "Go To" by Steve Lohr (Basic). A technology correspondent for the New York Times and author of "U.S. vs. Microsoft" returns to the pioneers of the early days of software programming and moves forward to the open-source movement of today. "The Age of Science: What We Learned in the 20th Century" by Gerard Piel (Basic). The former editor and publisher of Scientific American gives us a sweeping summation of a century that saw more advancements in science than any other. "Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith" by Studs Terkel (New Press). America's populist historian interviews a wide range of people on the inevitability of death and the possibility of life afterward. "Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election" by Jeffrey Toobin (Random). Legal analyst Toobin, author of "A Vast Conspiracy" about the Monica sex scandal, casts his astute eye on the Florida election imbroglio. One of many books out on this subject, too numerous to list here. "The Aging Brain" by Lawrence Whalley (Columbia University Press). An Alzheimer's expert tells us what causes some people's brains to age prematurely and others not, and how we may eventually be able to slow the rate of mental deterioration. DECEMBER "Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare" by Dorothy Roberts (Basic Civitas). A legal scholar examines the phenomenon of the disproportionate number of black children in the foster-care system. "Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism" by Lillian Ross (Counterpoint). A New Yorker writer for the last half-century, Ross looks at what makes a good reporter and good journalism.
"Why Doctors Lie" by Mel Schechter (Carroll & Graf). The fibs and untruths doctors tell their patients, from the altruistically motivated to the self-serving. SEPTEMBER "Fugitive Days: A Memoir" by Bill Ayers (Beacon). Ayers, now a professor of education at the University of Illinois, tells of his life as a member of the violent Vietnam protest group the Weathermen, his years in hiding and his perspective on it all 30 years later. "Iris Murdoch: A Life" by Peter Conradi (Norton). The biographer of Dostoevsky examines the life of the Dublin-born Oxford writer-philosopher ("The Bell," "The Sea, the Sea") whose novels blended passion, farce and intellectual inquiry. "Holler if You Hear Me" by Michael Eric Dyson (Basic Civitas). The author of "I May Not Get There With You" examines the life of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur five years after his death, and why he remains such an icon among black youth. "Marie Antoinette: The Journey" by Antonia Fraser (Doubleday). The life of the last queen of France, by a distinguished biographer of several other queens and kings. "Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay" by Nancy Milford (Random). The author of "Zelda" writes a biography of the flamboyant poet, about her genius, her legendary affairs and her intense attachment to her three sisters and mother. "Mary Shelley" by Miranda Seymour (Grove). A biography of the author of "Frankenstein," much praised in England when it was published there. OCTOBER "Joseph Pulitzer: A Life" by Denis Brian (Wiley). A new look at the man who changed the face of American journalism. "Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters" edited by Carla Kaplan (Doubleday). More than 500 letters by the great African-American author ("Their Eyes Were Watching God") who took part in the Harlem Renaissance, then languished in obscurity before finding a new audience late in the last century. In December, look for "Every Tongue Got to Confess: Negro Folktales from the Gulf States" (HarperCollins), a gathering of nearly 500 folktales, collected and retold by Hurston. "Norman Rockwell" by Laura Claridge (Random House). America's favorite painter and illustrator was a workaholic who was married three times and was a distant father, according to this new biography, but his art was "masterful, complex and far more manipulative than people realize." "Out on the Deep Blue: Women, Men and the Oceans They Fish," edited by Leslie Leyland Fields (St. Martin's). Nineteen fishermen and women who are also writers take the reader fishing, from the Grand Banks to Alaska to Scotland, in a collection of nonfiction. "My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson" by Alfred Habegger (Random). An in-depth look at one of America's most popular and elusive poets."Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir" by Tony Hillerman (HarperCollins). The popular author of a mystery series based on Navajo tribal life tells his story, which includes childhood poverty and the adoption of several children. In September, the University of Utah Press will publish "Tony Hillerman's Navajoland" by Laurance Linford, an encyclopedic guided tour to the haunts and hideouts of Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee. "The Autobiography of Quincy Jones" (Doubleday). The jazz musician, composer and arranger tells his story, which includes his introduction to the trumpet as a teenager in Seattle. "My Country Versus Me" by Wen Ho Lee with Helen Zia (Hyperion). The Los Alamos scientist who became the target of overzealous federal prosecutors tells his side of the story. And in November, journalists Dan Stober and Ian Hoffman examine the same case in "A Convenient Spy: Wen Ho Lee and the Politics of Nuclear Espionage" (Simon & Schuster). "Limbo" by A. Manette Ansay (Morrow). The novelist ("Vinegar Hill," "Midnight Champagne") tells how she came to be a writer after her dreams of being a concert pianist were derailed by a still-undiagnosed muscle disorder. "Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages that Shaped Our Recent History" by Kati Marton (Pantheon). Marton, author of "Raoul Wallenberg," surveys presidential marriages in search of how personal relationships of the presidential couples affected public policy and shaped history. "Edith and Woodrow: The Wilson White House" by Phyllis Lee Levin (Scribner) documents the effect of Woodrow Wilson's second wife on his presidency, contending that she "all but singlehandedly ran the country" after Wilson had a stroke in office. "When Character Was King" by Peggy Noonan (Viking). Ronald Reagan's speechwriter looks at his life and concludes that he was a good guy. "Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected in the Journey to Motherhood" by Naomi Wolf (Doubleday). The commentator on feminism and other matters has a baby and discovers that it's a hard old go. NOVEMBER "Mysterious Stranger" by David Blaine (Villard). The man who buried himself alive in Manhattan for six days and stayed in a block of ice for three days on both "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" provides clues to his magician's craft. . "Christmas in Plains" by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster). The former president reflects on Christmas in his hometown from his youth to today. "Swimming Across: A Memoir" by Andrew S. Grove (Warner). The chairman of Intel tells the harrowing story of his childhood, which begins with the Nazi invasion of his native Hungary and ends with his escape from communism to America, 16 years later. "Churchill: A Biography" by Roy Jenkins (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Jenkins, author of the Whitbread Award-winning "Gladstone," has been Home Secretary and President of the European Commission. He uses his insider's point of view to illuminate Churchill's career.nov. "Madonna" by Andrew Morton (St. Martin's). Princess Di's biographer takes on you-know-who. "Somewhere for Me: A Biography of Richard Rodgers" by Meryle Secrest (Knopf). A biography of the brilliant composer who coauthored "Oklahoma!" "South Pacific" and "The King and I." "Edward Teller: Memoirs" by Edward Teller with Judith Shoolery (Perseus). One of the inventors of the atom bomb tells his story. DECEMBER "John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Britain, 1937-1946" by Robert Skidelsky (Viking). The third volume of Keynes' life, covering the brilliant economist's contribution to Britain's victory in World War II. Keynes said, "In the long run, we are all dead," and he was right. "Forgotten Eagle: Wiley Post, America's Heroic Aviation Pioneer" by Brian Sterling and Frances Sterling (Carroll & Graf). The story of an aviation pioneer whose accomplishments rivaled the more famous Lindbergh and Earhart. The Sterlings have authored several books on Will Rogers, who died in a crash with Post near Barrow, Alaska. SEPTEMBER "Tell Me Why" by Stella Cameron (Kensington). A new romance by the Seattle-area author, about a jazz pianist lying low in Seattle after her life is "ruined," and the man who tries to draw her out of herself. "The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Antrax" by Terry Brooks (Del Rey). The latest installment in the Seattle writer's fantasy series concerns Walker Boh, "the last of the Druid," as he battles "an enigmatic presence" in unfamiliar territory. In October, Brooks and collaborator Teresa Patterson will release "The World of Shannara" (Del Rey), billed as "a remarkable guide to the people, places and events of one of the greatest fantasy epics of our time." "Galen Hansen" by Vicki Halper (University of Washington Press). An illustrated volume of Seattle painter Hansen's works, and a consideration of his life. Halper is a Seattle curator and writer. "Higher Than Everest: An Adventurer's Guide to the Solar System" by Paul Hodge (Cambridge University Press). Hodge, an astronomy professor at the University of Washington and editor-in-chief of Astronomer's Journal, wrote this guidebook as a virtual tour to the most spectacular sights in the solar system. More than 100 full-color illustrations. "Fateful Harvest: The True Story of a Small Town, A Global Industry and a Toxic Secret" by Duff Wilson (HarperCollins). Wilson, an investigative reporter for The Seattle Times, tells how some American fertilizer manufacturers have used toxic waste in their products, with pernicious health effects, causing some of the victims to fight back. OCTOBER "The Haunting of Hood Canal" by Jack Cady (St. Martin's). The Port Townsend writer's latest is about a "mysterious entity" that drags cars, with passengers still inside, into the chilly waters of Hood Canal. "Cattle: An Informal Social History" by Laurie Winn Carlson (Ivan R. Dee). Carlson, an independent scholar based in Cheney, offers up this study of the relationship between people and cattle throughout history, noting that humans are "absolutely dependent" on cattle and that we're more like them than we care to admit. Of related interest, in September: "Changing World: Visions of a Lost Agriculture" by Douglas Harper (University of Chicago Press). The vanishing world of the small-scale cooperative dairy farmer. "Seattle and King County Timeline: A Chronological Guide to Seattle and King County's First 150 Years" by Walt Crowley and the staff of HistoryLink (University of Washington Press). This overview of King County and Seattle history traces the region's development since the arrival of the first settlers and includes essays by Crowley, a well-known writer of local history. With photographs collected by Pacific Northwest magazine columnist Paul Dorpat. "Flinch" by Robert Ferrigno (Pantheon). Two brothers, one a "media whore" columnist, the other a "high-profile" plastic surgeon, track down a serial killer in the latest caper by the Kirkland author ("The Horse Latitudes"). "Dune: House Corrino" by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (Bantam). Frank Herbert's son Brian, a Seattle-area writer, and Anderson provide the third installment of their popular trilogy, the prequel to Frank Herbert's classic "Dune." "Every Breath You Take: A True Story of Erotic Obsession, Revenge, and Murder" by Ann Rule (Free Press). The Seattle true-crime writer investigates the murder of a woman who apparently knew she was in danger: She asked her sister to "please have Ann Rule write the book" if anything happened to her. "One True God: Historical Consequences of Monotheism" by Rodney Stark (Princeton University Press). Stark, a University of Washington professor, looks at how the three great monotheisms Judaism, Christianity and Islam - affected the course of world history. NOVEMBER "The Seconds" by Linda Bierds (Putnam). The latest volume of verse by the Bainbridge Island poet and University of Washington English professor concerns "human frailty and the striving for immortality through memory and creative acts." "Blue Dusk: New and Selected Poems, 1951-2001" by Madeline DeFrees (Copper Canyon). Half a century of verse, addressing questions of language, faith and history, by the Seattle poet. "The Royal Physician's Visit" by Per Olov Enquist, translated by Tiina Nunnally (Overlook). An acclaimed Swedish writer's novel about a German doctor who served as court physician to a mad Danish king in the 1760s, became the power behind the throne and was undone by his own ambitions. (For more on Seattle translator Nunnally, see page 8). "The Wrong Man: The Final Verdict on the Sam Sheppard Murder Case" by James Neff (Random). Neff, head of investigative projects for The Seattle Times, writes about the infamous 1950s murder case, ostensibly proving that Sheppard did not murder his wife, and points to the man who did. "Future Evolution" by Peter Ward, illustrated by Alexis Rockman (W.H. Freeman). Ward, an authority on evolution and professor at the University of Washington, looks to the past for clues to what the future might be like with images by artist Rockman of what animals, plants and other organisms might look like thousands or millions of years from now. DECEMBER "Patent to Kill" by April Christofersson (Forge). A Seattle attorney writes a thriller about the theft of healing secrets from isolated, indigenous peoples. Dr. Jake Scully doesn't think the company he works for is capable of such a thing. Guess how this one turns out. "The Love of Nature and the End of the World" by Shierry Weber Nicholsen (MIT Press). Nicholsen, who teaches environmental philosophy and psychology at Antioch University Seattle, explores why people can value natural beauty and at the same time be indifferent to its destruction. "The Diamond Sutra: The Perfection of Wisdom" by Red Pine (Counterpoint). A new translation of one of the seminal texts of Zen Buddhism by the Port Townsend translator. Mary Ann Gwinn is The Seattle Times' book editor; Michael Upchurch is The Times' book critic. |
Cover Story | Northwest People | Plant Life | On Fitness | Northwest Living | Taste | Now & Then |


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Politics 2013-07-25
Consensus urged on Tunisia constitution
By Mona Yahia in Tunis for Magharebia – 25/07/2013
As Tunisia's Constituent Assembly prepares to debate the long-delayed draft constitution article by article, political parties are calling on elected leaders to reach consensus.
But Ennahda and the opposition remain divided on the final text.
Assemblyman Monji Rahoui of the leftist Popular Front said it was Ennahda's constitution, rather than that of the Tunisian people, while Samia Abbou, a Democratic Trend Party representative, criticised the latest draft as an "Ikhwan constitution".
The opposition has also accused Ennahda member Habib Kheder, head of the Constituent Assembly's Public Authorities Subcommittee, of distorting the work of the parliamentarians.
"We've spent more than one year working on this, only to have Mr Habib Kheder unilaterally writing a constitution the way he likes," MP Ikbal Msadaa said July 15th during a panel discussion on the draft constitution.
After bursting out in tears, she added, "Now there is still hope...to examine the amendments that must be introduced to the fourth version of the constitution. There are certain points that we've agreed on, and this is good."
Faced with the political changes in Egypt, pressure from the opposition in Tunisia and its threats to take to the streets, as well as calls to disband the government and Constituent Assembly, the ruling troika reached an agreement with parliamentary blocs to form a "consensus committee" to introduce the necessary amendments to the constitution.
The new committee is Ennahda's "last chance before it is washed away by a flood", La Presse reporter Zied El-Heni wrote on his Facebook page.
Lawmakers must reach an accord on several contentious issues.
According to Consensus Committee member Mahmoud Baroudi, these include "the judicial system, the supreme judicial council, articles 30 and 48 about freedoms and powers of the president and head of government, and especially article 141, which states that Islam is the religion of state".
"There are certain topics which I think will be resolved quickly, while others will need some time," Baroudi told Magharebia.
"We've decided that we wouldn't move on to discuss each article of the constitution unless an agreement has been reached about these controversial points," he said.
Still, Baroudi remains optimistic about his committee's chances.
"I think we'll reach a solution because the political, economic and social situation in Tunisia is facing a crisis, and we can't prolong the transition period beyond that," he said.
As to article 141, which the opposition claims would lead to a theocratic state, Ali Fares of Ennahda responded, "We're writing a constitution for the Arab, Muslim people of Tunisia".
In his turn, Mohamed Hamdi, head of the Democratic Alliance Party, stressed the need for Constituent Assembly members to work together.
"Tunisia deserves a real stance from us," he said. "Therefore, we have to reach consensus about the constitution, because there are clear differences."
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subset: commoncrawl


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JODHPUR: The legal conflict between IIT-J and DataWind, the Canadian company which was entrusted with the task of manufacturing and supplying the much touted tablet "Aakash-I", has become more intense with the latter deciding to drag officials of the institute to a court in New York.
After locking horns on the issue Rs. 50 lakh bank guarantee with IIT-J, now DataWind has issued a notice informing about filing a suit in a New York court against an assistant professor and an assistant project director of the institute, who were involved in the Aakash project.
In response to the notice, IIT-J has filed an anti-suit injunction in the ADM court here seeking restraint on DataWind from filing the suit. The ADJ court has issued notice to the DataWind and has sought reply by 24 July, the next date of hearing.
Sanjeet Purohit, counsel of IIT-J, said his client had sought damages from DataWind for the defamation that IIT-J has been subjected in the back-drop of the "Aakash-I" project fiasco. "But instead of replying to that notice, DataWind issued a counter-notice to the IIT-J informing about filing a suit in New York," Purohit said.
"So, we have filed an anti-suit injunction in the ADJ court seeking restraint on DataWind to file any suit in a foreign court on false ground and have also sought damages from the company for its defamatory campaign in the media and other sources against IIT-J, blaming it for the failure of the Aakash-I project," he said.
The IIT-J in its petition, has sought a symbolic compensation of Rs 2 lakh from DataWind, arguing that the company has caused immense dent to the goodwill of the institution at a global level and that its prestige has received a setback.
As per the agreement between the IIT-J and DataWind on April 4, 2011, DataWind had to make delivery of one lakh units of Aakash-I to the IIT-J by November 28, 2011 starting from the first lot of 1,000 units on August 5, 2011. IIT-J, however, claimed that DataWind supplied only 6,440 devices by November 1, 2011 and to further worsen the prospects, about 40% of these units failed on every parameter mutually agreed upon. This tablet was to be provided to the students at a cost of US $35 with 50% subsidy by the HRD ministry.
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Toyota is moving forward with production plans for the Toyota FCV concept, which debuted at this year's Tokyo auto show, with a lot of confidence. Banking on lowered fuel-cell production costs, Toyota hopes to sell 5,000 to 10,000 fuel-cell vehicles in 2015.
While it's quite far in advance to determine whether or not this is just wishful thinking, Toyota's chief research and development officer Soichiro Okudaira told Automotive News that Toyota is serious about bringing fuel-cell technology into the mass-market consciousness as a viable and affordable eco option.
"Beyond 2020…fuel cell cars will be considered just one alternative of the eco cars," he said in the interview.
By cutting the amount of platinum in the catalyst, shrinking down the fuel-cell stack to fit under the front seats, and sharing parts with existing hybrid models, Toyota has already brought costs down from when demonstration vehicles were built in 2007. At that time, each fuel-cell system cost an astronomical €750,000 (over $103 million). The system now costs about €35,900 (about $50,000), which accounts for half of the entire car's projected €72,000 ($100,000) price tag.
Reportedly, despite sharing some components, the fuel-cell sedan will not be built on the same platform as the next-generation Toyota Prius. The fuel-cell vehicle has its own underbody structure and layout, and is apparently heavier than the new lighter-weight TNGA-platform Prius.
Toyota is right to focus on future accessibility for its production fuel-cell vehicle set to go on sale in early 2015. While the Toyota FCV concept claims an impressive 300-mile range and three-minute refueling time, better infrastructure needs to be put in place and prices need to come down significantly before the car can be expected to garner any mass-market appeal.
According to AN, Toyota believes that continued engineering efforts and larger production volumes can help make a competitively-priced fuel-cell a reality. Okudaira said that the Japanese automaker plans to lower production costs even further by 2020. AN calculates that by then, the cost of a Toyota fuel-cell vehicle could drop to €45,000 ($62,000).
While there are a handful of other automakers slowly testing the fuel-cell waters, Toyota's estimate of 5,000 to 10,000 in sales is by far the most ambitious. Hyundai will release its 2014 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell on a limited release in the spring of 2014, with less than 1000 units planned for lease between then and 2016. Honda, which showed its FCEV concept at the 2013 Los Angeles auto show, could have a production version on the market as early as 2015, presumably available to more than the small handful which currently drive the Honda FCX Clarity.
Honda announced earlier this year that it would partner with GM to build a fuel-cell system by 2020, but by then Toyota may be well ahead of the curve and already penetrating the yet-untested marketplace.


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Best Overseas Experience Without Leaving Home Denver 2009 - Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret"A Night In..." series
The best thing about Lannie's "A Night In..." food, music and wine series, is that, for around $45, you'll be transported to another country for an evening, immersed in the tastes, smells and sounds of a land far, far away. So far, the series has been to Spain, France and Italy, and this month, Lannie's will take lucky participants to Ireland. Bonus: No jet-lag or thin hostel mattresses involved. Just a trip to downtown Denver's favorite clocktower, where you can get away from it all — at least for a few hours.


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London - May 17, 2002 - Stardraw.com is pleased to announce that its complete range of "shrink-wrapped" products, comprising Stardraw Audio, AV, Lighting 2D and the recently launched Stardraw Radio, is now available in Italian. This brings the number of language versions up to five with English, French, German and Portuguese already available. All language versions may be downloaded from www.stardraw.com using Stardraw Live Update.
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From Tuesday From Januray 16- February 24th,we have an exhibition of paintings from Helen Absalom in our Stables Courtyard Gallery.
Saturday January 31: Snowdrop Day – talks and walks and buy-your-own snowdrop collection. Read our preview of the day
Saturday February 14-Sunday February 22 – Going Flat Out for Pancakes at half-term
Cookery, pancake races plus lots more full-on half-term fun and games.
Sunday February 22 – Seed Swap Sunday
Bring along some seeds and swap them with fellow growers and take part in lots of talks and activities around the subject of 'growing your own'.
Friday February 27 – Star Party
Come and join the Swansea Astronomical Society in the stunning surrounds of Lord Foster's Great Glasshouse for an evening of star-gazing. The SAS's stellar experts will be giving talks, too, and helping you with any difficulties you are having with your telescopes at a series of special one-on-one clinics. 6pm-9pm.
Sunday March 1st – St David's Day
It is FREE entry for all on this special day in honour of our patron saint. We have a fabulous line-up of fun and games icluding the world-famous Quack Pack, harpist Shelley Fairplay, the phenomenal folk music duo Fiddlebox, Welsh food stalls, coracles, spinners and more
Sunday March 15 – Mothers' Day
There's FREE Garden entry for all mums on this, their special day. There's a plethora of pampering opportunities, too, with a range of specialists offering treatments and taster sessions in a variety of soothing, relaxing and restorative therapies.
Saturday and Sunday March 28-29 – Birdwatching Weekend
Join experts from the RSPB nad BTO as they lead special walks around the wider Garden in search of the not so 'common or garden' variety of birdlife along with (hopefully) some early summer migrants.
Easter Bank Holiday Weekend
There's a whole host of fabulous family events taking place in the Garden on Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Easter Monday. There will be music, dancing, the world-famous Quack Pack, Folly Farm's very own resident magician Jugglestruck and Dyfed Carriage Club's annual Easter Bonnet Parade.
Tuesday and Wednesday April 7-8 – Pembrokeshire Falconry
Two days of flying displays, static exhibitions, 'Hold a Bird' sessions and more
Saturday and Sunday April 11-12 – Big Antiques Weekend
Two delightful days of botanical exploration with some quality antique and vintage shopping. Come and find a treasure trove of items, collectibles and curios at the biggest and best antiques fair in the West. Organised by Derwen Fairs 01267 220260
Saturday-Sunday April 25-26 – Woodland Walk Weekend
Join our wildlife expert Deborah Sazer on two woodland walks – at 12 and 2pm both days – and reach parts of the Garden you may not have visited, such as the forgotten falls of Pont Felin Gat and the bluebell-rich Springwoods.


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Cultural References in Alan Wake
340pages on
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this wiki
This article is about cultural references in Alan Wake. For the references in the stand alone Alan Wake title, see Cultural References in American Nightmare.
- Stephen King once wrote that nightmares exist outside of logic and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear.
- ―Alan Wake, Episode 1: Nightmare
There are many cultural references of other media in Alan Wake. Beneath are all known references sorted by subject.
The Twilight Zone (TV Show)Edit
- The in-game television show, Night Springs, is in the same style as The Twilight Zone (eg. black and white, bizarre events taking place and the same type of narration).
LOST (TV Show)Edit
- The Dark Presence in the game controls people, just like the Smoke Monster in LOST does, although the monster takes their appearance and thoughts not the actual bodies like the Dark Presence does. And both are, of course, depicted as a pillar of black smoke.thumb|right|180px|Smoke Monster almost identical to the Dark Presence and can here be seen in first person. Notice how it transforms into normal people
- A reference to the movie The Shining was also made in LOST. Michael Dawson is bouncing a ball against a wall and George Minkowski makes a joke referring to The Shining "Next thing you know, you're going to go after your wife with an axe", Alan Wake refers to this scene as well.
- Diver's Isle suddenly sank to the bottom of Cauldron Lake in the 1970's. In the premiere episode of the final season of LOST, the whole island is revealed to be at the bottom of the ocean.
- In the game, there is a constant battle between light and shadow (even literally); in LOST, this is one of the most important aspects of the entire show, along with the heavy black and white symbolism throughout the series.
- In the Bright Falls mini-series, Episode 3: Lights out, Jake Fischer wakes up in the woods, similar to the very first scene in LOST with Jack Shephard.
- The events of time loss, temporal displacement, and waking up in different places can be found in the Bright Falls mini-series as well as LOST. In the Alan Wake universe: Alan Wake and Jake Fischer in Bright Falls, in the LOST universe: Desmond Hume in the episodes The Constant and Flashes Before Your Eyes.
Twin Peaks (TV Show)Edit
- The setting of Twin Peaks is almost exactly the same as Bright Falls: A seemingly small and harmless (but fictional) logging town in Washington. In both towns, strange events occur.
- The Oh Deer Diner is a reference to the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks – the layout is identical to Twede's Diner in North Bend, WA, where Twin Peaks was filmed. Even the clothing of the waitress looks almost identical to Shelly Johnson's, but is red in the game instead of blue.
- The Cauldron Lake Lodge is very similar to the Great Northern Hotel in Twin Peaks – they're both old wooden hotels on a cliff overlooking a lake.
thumb|right|180px|Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks and his famous coffee scenes.
- The way the patient in the Cauldron Lake Lodge crawls over the couch and tries to scare Dr. Hartman and Alan Wake is the exact same way the surreal person "BOB" used to scare people in Twin Peaks.
- The jukebox was prominently used in Twin Peaks, and the little scene in the game with the Coconut song could be a reference to these moments.
- A more obvious reference is the Lamp Lady, Cynthia Weaver, an old crazy lady that carries a lantern all the time. In Twin Peaks, an old crazy lady called the "Log Lady" carries a log all the time.
- In both the game and the TV show Twin Peaks, an FBI agent visits a small town where strange things happen.
- In one of the manuscripts, FBI Agent Nightingale mentions that "... he didn't like the trees or the coffee". In Twin Peaks, FBI Agent Dale Cooper mentions, while entering the town, that the trees are beautiful here and later on, he gives compliments about the coffee at the diner.
- Ranger Rusty makes a compliment about the coffee at the diner, just as FBI agent Dale Cooper makes compliments about the coffee everywhere he goes. There is even an achievement named after his quote "Damn Good Cup of Coffee", which you get after collecting 25 coffee thermoses.
- The Bright Falls sheriff's department is nearly identical to the Twin Peaks one.
- The Alan Wake strategy guide contains notes on where to find the 100 thermoses of coffee written by an unnamed FBI agent. In some of them, this agent comments about his fellow agent "Cooper". One note mentions Cooper attending a transcendental meditation seminar and another note saying Cooper had "out there" theories in the past.
- In the book The Alan Wake Files, interviews are transcribed that Agent Nightingale made with his micro-cassette recorder. Agent Dale Cooper always recorded everything with his iconic micro-cassette recorder, starting his sentence with "Diane, ...".
- Mirror Peak is a reference to the name of the show Twin Peaks. Mirror can sometimes refer to two of the same person (like twins) and then Peak.
- In Twin Peaks, there are numerous mentions of a "Darkness" or "Presence" that lurks in the forest. In Alan Wake, the Dark Presence lurks in Cauldron Lake.
- In one of the last scenes in Alan Wake, Alan is confronted with his doppelganger, named Mr. Scratch, who was going to replace him if he died. This is exactly what happened to FBI agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks. He was trapped inside the Black Lodge and his doppelganger replaced him in the real world.
- In The Signal, a cardboard standee can be found of Sheriff Sarah Breaker, with a description that mentions her being the "...only girl in the Bookhouse" and tells of a "secret society" in Bright Falls. In the town of Twin Peaks, The Bookhouse Boys is a secret society.
- In a shed in Chapter 1 (the one with a radio inside) there is a locket hung up on a hook. This is a reference to Laura Palmer's locket which became a key piece of evidence in the search for her killer.
- The FBI Agent in Alan Wake is Agent Nightingale. In Twin Peaks, Julee Cruise's music is featured to create the dreamy ethereal feel of many scenes. Julee Cruise can be seen performing her song "The Nightingale" in an episode.
- There are owls in various places throughout the game and even within the live action prequels. This is undoubtedly connected to "The owls are not as they seem" from Twin Peaks.
Verizon (Commercials)Edit
- Verizon signs can be found all over the game on billboards.
- In Episode 4: The Truth, Alan can turn on the TV which shows two commercials. One of which is a Verizon commercial.
- In the first DLC episode, The Signal, Thomas Zane makes a reference to the Verizon TV commercials by saying the Verizon guy's quote, "Can you hear me now?"
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Movie)Edit
- Sheriff Sarah Breaker makes a reference to the ending of the film just after they survive a Taken attack.
King Kong (movies)Edit
- Alan makes a joke about how New York tends to be the plot setting for a lot of media, including King Kong.
Blue Velvet (Movie)Edit
- "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison is played during the ending of episode one. The same song is used during a famous scene in the movie Blue Velvet. Blue Velvet was written by David Lynch (the creator of Twin Peaks), a major influence for the writers of the game.
Lost Highway (Movie)Edit
- Another movie by David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks), referenced in Episode 1 when Alan see himself in the TV, just like character Fred, who received VHS tapes by mail - in Lost Highway. The game Silent Hill 2, another influence on Alan Wake, contains the same reference.
The Birds (Movie)Edit
- Barry mentions that some birds flew through the chimney like the sparrows.
- The way the birds in the Alan Wake game attack are just like the birds from the movie.
Alfred Hitchcock (Filmmaker)Edit
- While Barry Wheeler was being trapped in the house surrounded by birds that attacked him, he referred to Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock made a movie where birds attacked people, called The Birds, and is one of his most iconic works of all time (see above).
The Shining (Movie)Edit
thumb|right|180px|Alan Wake references to this scene in The Shining when getting chased by an axe
- Alan Wake compared his situation (getting chased by a psychotic man knocking on a door with an axe) with the movie The Shining where Jack Torrance smashes a door with an axe in pursuit to murder his wife.
- When Alan is escaping from the Cauldron Lake Lodge, he has to go through a maze. Similar to the end of The Shining where Jack Torrance is chasing his son Danny with an axe.
- The way Clay Steward from Alan's dream is first hit with an axe is similar to the way Dick is hit by Jack Torrance.
- The opening sequence to Alan Wake is similar to that of The Shining.
Rambo (Movie)Edit
Lord of the Rings (Movie/Book)Edit
- Barry refers to his head lamp as his personal "Flaming Eye of Mordor", also known as Barad-dûr in the Lord of the Rings universe.
Poltergeist (Movie)Edit
- One of the achievements of the game, "They're heeeeeere!", where you have to destroy 20 possessed objects, is titled after a line from the movie.
- Cynthia Weaver states that she sometimes speaks to Thomas Zane through the TV, much like Carol Freeling did in the film.
The Evil Dead Trilogy (Movie)Edit
- In Hartman's Cauldron Lake Lodge, there's a stuffed deer head possessed by The Dark Presence, acting as a "Poltergeist" Taken. It isn't thrown at Alan, it simply looks around the room. This could be a reference to a scene in Evil Dead II, where several objects in the cabin begin to laugh (but not attack in any way) at Ashley J. Williams, including a stuffed deer head.
- At one point of the game, Alan finds a Double Barrel Shotgun near an abandoned cabin in the woods. This could be reference to the main setting of the Evil Dead films.
- Sarah Breaker's cut-out references Ash's nickname for his sawed-off double barrel shotgun, "Boomstick".
- At least one of the cut scenes features the point of view sweeping and diving through the rooms of a house as if the camera is looking for Alan. This seems to be a reference to the original Evil Dead, which featured several similar camera shots.
Psycho (Movie)Edit
- The fact the Norman gave keys to Marion in Psycho which led to her doom is very similar to Barbara Jagger giving the keys to Alan Wake in the beginning.
Vertigo (Movie)Edit
- The tree ring display in one area of Elderwood National Park is almost identical to the one used in the scene where Madeleine and Scotty discuss their lives compared to the life of the tree.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Movie)Edit
- During Alan's short stay at the Cauldron Lake Lodge, Doctor Hartman says "Jack has taken the other patients out on a fishing trip". In the movie, Jack Nicholson's character famously releases all of the mental patients and embarks on a crazed fishing trip.
Darkness Falls (Movie)Edit
- There is a possible reference to the 2003 American horror film "Darkness Falls" The beginning of the game starts with you trying to get to a light house because it's the only place of safety, which is what the main protagonist does in the movie.
- The name of the town in Alan Wake "Bright Falls" could be a direct reference to "Darkness Falls" because bright is an antonym of darkness and they both end with the word, falls.
Poets Of The Fall (Band)Edit
- A reference to "Late Goodbye", the ending theme for Max Payne 2, also done by Poets of the Fall, appears in the text of the second manuscript page of Episode 2.
- Poets Of The Fall is a rock band in Finland and some songs are featured in the game only under another alias the Old Gods Of Asgard.
- In the 'faux' interview with Alan Wake and Sam Lake on The Harry Garrett Show, you can see Poets Of The Fall at the end of the video.
- The song, "War" which is a main song of the game, was also played by Pat Maine on a radio, saying they reminded him of the Old Gods Of Asgard. This was played in the same episode that the song appeared at the end for.
- A music video was made to promote the game, using the song "War" and sang by Poets of the Fall. Ilkka Villi also portrayed the live-action version of Alan Wake in the music video.
Nursery RhymesEdit
- In Episode 2: Taken, after talking with Doc Nelson if Alan sticks around, he can hear Doc humming Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
Judas PriestEdit
- When Nightingale shoots at Alan in the radio station, Pat Maine screams 'Judas Priest'.
- This is not necessarily a reference to the band, as yelling "Judas Priest!" as an expletive has existed longer than the band (and is likely where they got their name.)
Literary WorksEdit
Dharma Bums (Book)Edit
- In Episode 3: Ransom, the fire lookout cabin is reminiscent of the cabin inhabited by Kerouac and the main character of Dharma Bums, Ray Smith.
Romeo and Juliet (Tragedy)Edit
- The achievement description when earned for "What Light Through Yonder Window" is: "It is the east, and the flaregun is the sun to 50 Taken". This is a reference to one of Romeo's lines from the famous balcony scene: "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun."
The Bible (Book)Edit
- The achievement Let There Be Light is a reference to the book of Genesis. Light was the first thing God created and it drove back the darkness.
Stephen King (Writer)Edit
- The first two words that are being spoken by Alan Wake. Alan then quotes him.
- The creators of Alan Wake said that they also used Stephen King as a reference during the process of making the game.
- The genre Stephen King writes is somewhat similar to the genre Alan Wake belongs to.
- Stephen King's novel It revolves around an evil supernatural presence known as It that wants to destroy human life. It's counterpart and enemy is called The Turtle, another deity that wants to create human life and uphold it. This is similar to the Dark Presence and Light Presence fighting each other, with It being Barbara Jagger and The Turtle being Thomas Zane. Also, the town in It, Derry, is similar to Bright Falls.
- Alan Wake's most famous series was a series of crime novels revolving around a hardcore cop named Alex Casey. In Stephen King's novel The Dark Half, the main character writes crime stories about a violent killer named Alexis Machine.
- Alan Wake is also similar to Thad Beaumont, the main protagonist of The Dark Half in that both characters are writers who must fight against their own creations.
- The game shares a lot of themes and elements with Stephen King's fiction: a famous writer as the protagonist, the importance of memories and childhood trauma, the battle of good and evil, small American towns as the setting.
- In Duma Key an evil supernatural entity is trapped on a remote island and tries to escape by influencing a painter and manifesting itself through his works. This is similar to what the Dark Presence does to artists.
- In Bag of Bones the main character is an author who suffers severe writer's block and decide to move to an isolated lake house where he experience delusions. This is similar to Alan Wake's history.
- (SPOILERS) The Dark Tower series has very similar mythology and themes as American Nightmare. In The Dark Tower there is a place of darkness outside of reality, called the Prim. It is also filled with demons who wish to break into reality once more and fill the world with unending darkness. This is very similar to what Mr. Scratch and The Dark Presence wish to do. Roland, the main character of the series, is on a quest to The Dark Tower, a place where all of reality manifests itself and where God (called Gan) lives. Roland's quest ultimately leads him to facing the forces of evil personified, as a being called The Crimson King, defeating its attempts to destroy reality, and saving creation. You read all seven books only to find out at the end of the last one that the entire series is a giant time loop. Roland reaches the Tower, enters, confronts his personal demons, climbs to the top, and comes to a door called "Resumption." He enters and it transports him back to the beginning of the first book, wiping his memories, and starting the whole process anew. The series hints that it isn't a lost cause though, as each time minor changes occur that move Roland forward in his goal and possibly eventually setting him free of the loop. This is very similar to Alan, and his quest to save the world, defeat the Dark Presence, and get back to Alice but having to go through repeatingly looping stories each time adjusting things just slightly, in order to free himself and win.
- Mr. Scratch is reminiscent of a King character by the name of Randall Flagg. Flagg appears in many of King's works, but most prominently in The Stand and The Dark Tower. Flagg is described as being a handsome charmer who is seductive but mysterious. In reality he is a madman who serves the forces of evil and darkness that exist outside of reality who want to break through and cover the world in darkness. He has many supernatural abilities and causes chaos wherever he goes. One of the names for him in King's writings is even "The Dark Man."
Dan Brown (Writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale yells after Alan Wake, calling him Dan Brown.
Ernest Hemingway (Writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale calls Alan Wake Hemingway.
James Joyce (Writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale yells after Alan Wake using this name.
Mickey Spillane (Writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale calls Alan Wake Spillane.
H.P. Lovecraft (Writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale calls Alan Wake by this name.
- Some of Alan's novels have been described as "Lovecraftian horror". Meaning they are similar to H.P. Lovecraft's narrative style and theme.
- The remains of a tree called The Great Old One can be found in Elderwood National Park. A sign posted near the tree reads as follows: "Felled by lightning in 1937, this exceptionally tall Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesli subsp. glauca) was over 200 years old. According to local legends, it stretched beyond the stars. After it fell, it was measured to be 88 meters tall -- nearly a record length." In H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos, The Great Old Ones are ancient extraterrestrial beings of immense power, and most are also colossal in size. The most well-known of these from Lovecraft's fiction is Cthulhu.
- It should also be noted that the year The Great Old One was felled by lightning, 1937, is the same year that H.P. Lovecraft himself passed away. In this way one could view him as "The Great Old One of horror who fell in 1937."
- The third episode of Night Springs, "A Family Occasion", is filled with a rich quantity of references towards Lovecraft. The introduction of the episode is not only a nod to Lovecraft's literary philosophy, cosmicism, but also written in a similar fashion as the introduction of Lovecraft's short story, "The Call of Cthulhu". Furthermore, "the stars are right" is a quote from "The Call of Cthulhu" which refers to a cosmological event when the sunken city R'lyeh will arise from the ocean and release its otherwordly creatures on the earth.
- Nik'sih-Per'kah, the fictional god mentioned in Night Springs, "A Family Occasion", is a reference to Shub-Niggurath, a Lovecraftian deity. This reference becomes clear when the paranormal investigator feels something writhing inside his stomach and the woman says that his "body shall host his thousand young". The line "thousand young" is part of Shub-Niggurath's epithet "The Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The name of the god is actually a parody: it's pronounced like "Niksi-Pirkka", a column in a Finnish monthly magazine Pirkka that lists various handy household tips.
- The idea of people mentally connected in dreams is a similar concept explored in "The Call of Cthulhu". In the novel The Alan Wake Files, there are several hints at the possibility that Alan Wake, Clay Steward and Agent Nightingale share the same ominous nightmare, or vision. The dreams of these men (with the possible exception of Agent Nightingale) are influenced by the Dark Presence and feature a marine setting, as can be seen with the lighthouse in the first chapter of the Alan Wake video game. This focus on a marine setting is similar to "The Call of Cthulhu", in which a handful of artists from all over the world share the same nightmarish visions (the sunken city of R'lyeh) as Cthulhu whispers in their sleep.
- Similar to the Dark Presence resting at the bottom of the Cauldron Lake, one of the deepest lakes in the world, monsters in Lovecraft's stories often find home in deep water.
Bret Easton Ellis (writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale calls Alan Wake this name.
Raymond Chandler (writer)Edit
- Agent Nightingale calls Alan Wake this name.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (Writer)Edit
- In The Signal, the imaginary Barry Wheeler references one of the quotes from the play Richelieu '('the Conspiracy), "The pen is mightier than the sword". The quote is often interpreted as "intelligence is better than brute strength."
Video GamesEdit
Death RallyEdit
- There is a poster in Emerson's room of Death Rally. Death Rally is also a game developed by Remedy Entertainment.
- In The Signal, when Alan is in a vehicle going up against a monster truck, Imaginary Barry will say it's like a demolition derby, or as he calls it "a death rally".
Left 4 Dead 2Edit
- The concert holdout is similar to the ending to The Dark Carnival Campaign (takes place on a rock stage, fighting many waves of enemies.)
- One type of Taken resembled the look of the "Hunter" in L4D2.
- A manuscript page in Episode 5: The Clicker details how Barry Wheeler comes across a conveniently placed barrel of crowbars. The crowbar is the somewhat trademark weapon of the Half Life series; it is found by the main character Gordon Freeman during initial game levels and signifies the true start of the game for the player. This is further referenced in the manuscript page by how Barry notes this is the 'scene where the hero had to gear up'.
Max Payne (franchise)Edit
- In Episode 4 when Walter is dying he says "Like a real bad follow up to a real good movie, where the best friend is suddenly the bad guy". It is probably an allusion to Max Payne 2 and Vladimir Lem, Max's best friend who becomes his enemy.
- In Episode 3 when you first wake up after drinking Rose's coffee you will see a book on a shelf named "Believe In Change" in the same room as the television. The cover will be of Alfred Woden with one visible eye.
- In the flashback at the beginning of Episode 2: Taken, Wake returns to his New York City apartment and comments it's the worst storm ever. This was the case in the original Max Payne, where it was set in a blizzard covered New York. It is possible, although unlikely, that the events of the Max Payne series and Alan Wake occur in the same universe. To further coincide with this, the storm had been going on for 3 days in both Alan Wake and Max Payne.
- Furthermore, also in Episode 2, Alan greets Alice by saying Max Payne's iconic line: "Honey, I'm home."
- Alex Casey bears many similarities to Max Payne, another Remedy character. Alex is described as being "...a very gloomy guy."
- The first two manuscript pages of Episode 2: Taken are narrated by James McCaffrey, the voice of Max Payne and Thomas Zane.
- In Episode 2, two crossed golden Beretta 9mm handguns are on display in Alan's apartment office. This could possibly be a reference to the Max Payne series, as the Beretta is Max's handgun of choice in Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.
- In the 'faux' interview with Alan Wake on The Harry Garrett Show, Sam Lake appeared. Sam Lake not only wrote the game's story and script, but also helped design levels and was the face model for the character of Max Payne in the first game of the series. This fact is highlighted when Sam Lake is asked to "Do the Face", to which he looks at the camera and mimics the face of Max.
- In the Episode 6 flashback of Alan Wake, Alan wakes up with a hangover and requires pain killers to stop the pain. The bottle is identical to the one that is used by Max Payne for his pain relief.
- In Episode 4 you meet a burned out game designer. The game designer rants about how they thought it was fun to include "mullets" and "mullet time" in their game. Soon producers wanted "mullet time" in everything. This is a reference to the "Bullet Time" ability both Max Payne games used. It quickly became a hype and got added to a lot of games before disappearing again when it was considered as a gimmick.
- Two pages of the Departure manuscript appear to be actually from The Sudden Stop. The implication of the protagonist's wife and child matches the setup for Max Payne. The reference to painkillers could also call out to the use of painkillers to restore health in Max Payne. Furthermore, the fact that those two pages end with the death of the protagonist may signify that Remedy has officially terminated with Max Payne, since the new Max Payne 3 departs from the first two in not being written by Sam Lake nor being developed by Remedy, apart from the lack of noir themes present in the first two installments.
- One of Wake's books is Return to Sender. In Max Payne some of the televisions are showing episodes of the series Address Unknown, in what the station is calling a "Return to Sender Marathon".
- In The Signal, after Thomas Zane speaks to Alan Wake through the bathroom mirror, the player can turn around and open the furthest stall door on the left. There is graffiti here which reads "Mirra Was Here." This is a reference to the character John Mirra from the show Address Unknown in Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.
- Wake's Alex Casey novel, The Things That I Want shares its name with a chapter from Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne as well as a pun said by Max.
- There is a dog in Episode 2 called Max.
- Alan's character in his books was called "Alex Casey". In Max Payne, there is an advertisement that can be found throughout the game saying "Real Men Drink Casey", an advertisement for alcohol.
- The game talked about vikings in certain comic strips. In Alan Wake, Tor and Odin often kept viking equipment at their farm.
- B.B. was described as another "cardboard cut-out" by Max in a comic strip in the first game. In Alan Wake, cardboard cut-outs appeared a few times throughout the game.
- In Max Payne 2, Max said "a bullet shaped hole where the answer should be". This is similar to when Alan said on the television set "there's a hole in her chest where her heart should be".
Silent HillEdit
- In the Silent Hill games, the protagonists are often searching for loved ones missing in a haunted town. In Alan Wake, the protagonist (Alan Wake) must find his wife.
- Both games features a car crash at the beginning of the story. Both protagonists think at one point that the events of the game are just hallucinations caused by a concussion.
- After Barbara Jagger gives Alan the cabin key, she says "Cauldron Lake is a special place, very inspiring." This might be a reference as Silent Hill has been referred to as a "special place" in a number of games, starting with Silent Hill 2.
- Silent Hill would emphasize fog quite a lot. Alan Wake does the same, just a little bit less.
Deadly Premonition Edit
- Deadly premonition was also greatly inspired by Twin Peaks, and thus shares many similarities to the show with Alan Wake, including the premise of FBI agents coming to a small, friendly Washington town plagued by dark secrets and supernatural occurrences, and, of course, the famous Log Lady / Lamp Lady / Pot Lady.
- Both games' main enemies are townsfolk possessed by a dark force who turn into wisps of smoke when killed.
- Both games start with the quirky main character getting into a car crash and having to fight his way through the forest.
- Both games have episodic formats with eerily similar recaps at the beginning of each episode.
Real-Life ProductsEdit
Verizon Communications Inc.Edit
- Alan's cell phone was made by Verizon.
- In The Signal, Alan must follow a GPS signal on his phone, using the Verizon GPS application called VZ Navigator.
- In Episode 6: Departure, there are Verizon billboards on the side of the road.
- Thomas Zane makes a reference to "the Verizon guy" (see Television).
- In Episode 4: The Truth, when you are about to leave the clinic you can turn on a TV and it plays a Verizon commercial. This counts towards the "Boobtube" achievement.
Energizer Holdings, Inc.Edit
- Through the normal campaign, the batteries used by Alan Wake are Energizer brand.
- In Episode 1: Nightmare, Alan picks up an Energizer brand flashlight and a revolver after he hides from Stucky inside the trailer.
- In Episode 6: Departure, there are Energizer billboards.
- The Heavy-Duty Lantern is Energizer brand.
Ford Motor CompanyEdit
- In Episode 4: The Truth, when you are about to leave the clinic you can turn on a TV and it plays a Ford commercial. This counts towards the "Boob Tube" achievement.
- In Episode 3: Ransom, when you are walking with Paul Randolph one of the cars parked by one of the trailers is a 2011 Ford Fiesta.
- In Episode 6: Departure, when you are on the bridge with the poltergeists a 2010 Ford Flex is near the entrance.
- In a few episodes you will find a truck that is or resembles a Ford F100.
- In Episode 2: Taken, the vehicle you use to get back to Barry is a Park Ranger Ford F-350.
- In the lot of the Sheriff's station there is 2010 Ford Fusion.
- In Bright Falls, Jake drives a Ford Focus.
- In all the episodes the panel vans & the ambulance at the sheriff's office in episodes 2 & 5 are based on the Ford E-Series vans.
- In Episode 5: The Clicker, around the town there are sedans that resemble the 1998-2011 Ford Crown Victoria. Also the 2006-2008 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor appears in Bright Falls as Deputy Mulligan's police cruiser. Night Springs episode 2 the 2003-2005 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor makes an appearance.
- As Lincoln is a subdivision of Ford Motor Company, all of the below fall into this category as well.
Lincoln (automobile)Edit
- Alan and Alice's car is a Lincoln MKT.
- In Episode 3: Ransom , the car parked outside of the trailer park is a 2010 Lincoln MKS.
- In Episode 6 : Departure a 2011 Lincoln MKX can be driven.
- In Episode 2: Taken you will find a crashed vehicle that resembles a 2010 Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot of the visitors center of Elderwood.
- In Episode 6: Departure you will find another crashed 2010 Jeep Wrangler after you find the replacement car after you have the seizure in the tunnel.
- One car resembles a 1973 Delta 88. See "The Evil Dead Trilogy" (Movies).
Microsoft Corp.Edit
- In Episode 1: Nightmare, in the cinematic where Alice tells Alan to get the keys from Stucky, the dashboard screen of the car says Microsoft Sync.
- In Episode 4: The Truth, while in the clinic, you can enter Emerson's room to find an Xbox 360 and an Xbox game called "Night Springs".
- When Alan is near collectible copies of "Night Springs" video games (all of which are for the Xbox 360), they make a noise that the Xbox 360 sometimes makes.
Dodge Edit
- The police car parked in the lot resembles a Dodge Diplomat.
Sikorsky AirEdit
- The FBI helicopter that attacks Alan in Episode 3, is a UH-60 Blackhawk
- The Coast Guard helicopter in Episode 5, is either a or resembles a HH-60 Jayhawk.


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Recent comments
- asd
- February 12, 2013 - 15:16
stooge lizzie, cap and trade creates an incentive? Yeah because you can levy fees on industry and they won't pass those along as socialized overhead. Your "created" "incentive" is imaginary. Apparently breathable air isn't incentive enough but corrupted tools like you think derivatives are the way to go..... brilliant.
- Lane
- February 13, 2013 - 09:50
@ASD: You clearly don't understand cap and trade. High-emitting companies have to buy credits from low-emitting companies. They cannot pass the cost on to consumers because they have to remain competitive with the companies from whom they are buying credits. In the end, the high-emitting companies have no choice but to lower their own emissions as a way of remaining competitive, or else they go out of business.
- asd
- February 12, 2013 - 15:14
cons are just an extension of the chamber of commerce which is just an extension of corporate lobby groups at arms length. Completely and utterly corrupt. I won't vote for a system of this nature again and insult my own intelligence in doing so. The great fallacy is that "the economy is people my friends". It isn't. It's the corporate bankbook, and it always will be with traitorous clowns such as this stealing the show.
- asd
- February 12, 2013 - 15:10
cons are just an extension of the chamber of commerce which is just an extension of corporate lobby groups at arms length. Completely and utterly corrupt. I won't vote for a system of this nature again and insult my own intelligence in doing so. The great fallacy is that "the economy is people my friends". It isn't. It's the corporate bankbook, and it always will be with traitorous clowns such as this stealing the show.
- saelcove
- February 11, 2013 - 09:15
Ottawa guy, The fiberals were in power until 2005 or there about you do not get out much
- Aunt Lizzie
- February 10, 2013 - 14:38
Speaking of the fine line between "lying" and "miscommunicating" by politicians who "shamelessly waste our time and insult our intelligence", perhaps Wangersky's next article can talk about the NDP denials that their platform in the last election called for a massive new $21 billion tax, when that proposal is in black and white in their own platform document. See the last line item on the last page of the NDP's own costing document here: http://xfer.ndp.ca/2011/2011-Platform/NDP2011PlatformSS_web_en.pdf
- W McLean
- February 11, 2013 - 09:57
"Aunt Lizzie", cleverly spouting CPC HQ talking points, care to distinguish this from the Conservative Party's carbon tax? http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/09/04/the-carbon-tax-farce/
- Aunt Lizzie
- February 12, 2013 - 10:25
@W McLean: I am happy to answer your question. You see, a cap-and-trade system is one in which government imposes a cap on emissions by industries or individual companies. If they exceed their cap, they have to buy credits from another industry or company. This creates an incentive for companies to reduce their emissions to levels below their caps, so they can be sellers of credits instead of buyers. A cap-and-trade system does not generate revenues for the government - in other words, it creates incentives without taking money out of the economy. The NDP plan involves the collection of $21.5 billion from industry by the federal government - meaning less total money in the economy for things like investment (including in green technologies) and job creation. When the government collects money from industry, it is a carbon tax, and not a cap-and-trade system. There is no "trade" involved in the NDP plan - it's really a cap-and-tax system.
- Actually
- February 09, 2013 - 19:27
It would be more in line with truth to say, after the Conservatives spend the surplus and drive Canadian debt to astronomical heights, elect the liberals to straighten things out. But what Con deals in truth anymore?
- Corporate Psycho
- February 09, 2013 - 15:27
ABC all around.
- Ottawa Guy
- February 09, 2013 - 14:40
SAELCOVE, still having flashbacks from the 1990's are we?
- david
- February 09, 2013 - 11:50
Canadian Politics. Smug. Condescending. Now I really think I am not blindly partisan one way or another.....fact is, I think all politicians are self-absorbed hypocrites and crooks. Having said that, the very first names that come into my mind from those 3 clues are Pierre Trudeau (by a landslide), Jean Chretien, and Brian Mulroney. .....Harper? Really?
- david
- February 09, 2013 - 10:48
Russell, how about an article on this topic: How "smug" Newfoundlanders, who live, eat and breathe politics to the point of presuming they are SO politically astute as to be piously judgemental, could be so completely unproductively insane as to continue with the partisan, Danny Wassisname-induced, completely inequitable crucifixion of one of the objectively more effective Canadian governments (that bar is certainly NOT high) in recent memory? Rex Murphy is on record as sharing my amazement on this issue, which gives me great comfort that I am not completely mad to question this manic, pointless pasttime.
- saelcove
- February 09, 2013 - 09:40
If you ever wondered about the culture of entitlement ask a fiberal
- Chantal
- February 09, 2013 - 11:31
Ha ha, "Fiberal." Like a fibber and liberal together. Classic word play! You Tory apologists are soooo clever. I bet you went to private school.
- Aunt Lizzie
- February 12, 2013 - 10:30
Hey, Chantal... If you really want to laugh at over-the-top childish wordplay, take a look at the post by Liberal apologist "Scott Free." Judging from his spelling, he definitely did not go to private school.
- mainlander
- February 09, 2013 - 09:05
They get their tricks straight from the Republican playbook in the US. Disgusting. Too bad Canada doesn't have recall laws.
- Justin
- February 09, 2013 - 08:44
cons = cons
- Pierre Neary
- February 09, 2013 - 07:56
Corruption and hypocrisy has become the norm for this government. One doesn't have to go far to find examples.
- Scott Free
- February 09, 2013 - 07:11
Proroguie Steve and his Con Party Harperites perform in the only way they know; they are following to the T, the Tory hallmark platforms of lies, deceit, corruption and cover-ups. And, sadly, the tactics of Republican North has spread to other provinces in the dominion; ours is awash with it. Our own Blunderfest Administration is a direct cousin; democracy died in this province during the Danny Damage Era. The Con Party distain for democray on both the Federal and Provincial levels is dispicable.


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Hip, hip, hooray! It's time to celebrate 2011, and what better way to move on to a new year than to reflect on the great design innovations from 2010? As such, Contract magazine reached out to several A&D professionals to share their favorite interior design product introductions and enhancements from the year. And when you're done, be sure to check out our 2010 brand report (December 2010 digital edition issue) to see what manufacturer's topped the list among A&D this year.
Top 2010 product picks by Bill Bouchey, IIDA
Director of Design
M Moser Associates
1. Starbrick by Zumbotel Lighting
I love that it is experimental. It's a polyhedral-shaped and it has a very strong, three-dimensional presence, which is always a plus. Starbrick is a component product where you can connect one modular light fixture to another (like Lego's) to make a cloud cluster or use them individually. The resulting form can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The core shape is a star that stands alone, or in groups, and has direct/indirect abilities. I want to build it into a wall. (Designer: Olafur Eliasson)
2. Ameba by Vibia Design
It's exciting that you can work with five basic but different shapes and can create endless groupings! It meanders! (Designer: Pete Sans)
3. About Turn by Ralph Pucci International
I love the emphasis on an object that has strong, three-dimensional characteristics and is comfortable. This chair is surprising, utilizing white fiberglass. When you walk around and look at this chair, it has differing appearances in the way light strikes it. I can imagine two of these chairs diagonally facing each other in a romantic, white dialogue. (Designer: Valdmir Kagan and Ralph Pucci )
Top product picks by Mary-Jean Eastman, FAIA, MRAIC, IIDA
Principal and Executive Director
Perkins Eastman:
1. Gala Collection by Brentano
I have to applaud the manufacturer, Brentano Fabrics, for investing in their product development geared toward the healthcare market. The new Gala fabric collection offers great vibrant colors and sophisticated patterns that are constructed with solution-dyed fabric that is bleach cleanable. They can also be finished with Crypton or Nano-Tex and Durablock, making it an ideal choice in the hospitality-styled healthcare environments we create. (Designer: Iris Wang)
2. Method Lounge Series by Davis Furniture
Davis's Method Modular Lounge series is sleek and contemporary. I love the minimal quality of the design—clean and simple. There are infinite configurations options with this series, which makes it suitable for almost all our practice area spaces, including government, educational, corporate, and healthcare environments. (Designer: Wolfgang C.R. Mezger)
3. Skyline: Kids Glass by Skyline Design
How fun is the Kids Glass from Skyline design? There are 11 great, whimsical designs to choose from, including colorful animals to interactive game grids and draw on faces. I can think of so many applications, including feature walls, signage, and graphics and partitions. It not only stimulates imagination but also adds an often needed positive distraction in children's healthcare, education, and library facilities. (Designer: Thesis, Noël Ashby, and Deborah Newmark)
>> Continue reading the top interior design product picks of 2010