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9567_6 | Volume 262 - #4
The Stone Monkey - Jeffery Deaver
Step-Ball-Change - Jeanne Ray
The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans
The Wailing Wind - Tony Hillerman
Volume 263 - #5
Daddy's Little Girl - Mary Higgins Clark
Without Fail - Lee Child
Flight Lessons - Patricia Gaffney
Three Weeks in Paris - Barbara Taylor Bradford
Volume 264 - #6
An Accidental Woman - Barbara Delinsky
2nd Chance - James Patterson
Distant Shores - Kristin Hannah
City of Bones - Michael Connelly
2003
Volume 265 - #1
Chesapeake Blue - Nora Roberts
No One to Trust - Iris Johansen
Standing in the Rainbow - Fannie Flagg
In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming
Volume 266 - #2
Hornet Flight - Ken Follett
Leaving Eden - Ann LeClaire
"Q" Is for Quarry - Sue Grafton
Nights in Rodanthe - Nicholas Sparks
Volume 267 - #3
The Last Promise - Richard Paul Evans
Danger Zone - Shirley Palmer
Not a Sparrow Falls - Linda Nichols
Street Boys - Lorenzo Carcaterra |
9567_7 | Volume 268 - #4
Proof of Intent - William J. Coughlin & Walter Sorrells
Eat Cake - Jeanne Ray
The Vanished Man - Jeffery Deaver
The Secret Hour - Luanne Rice
Volume 269 - #5
Final Witness - Simon Tolkien
The Guardian - Nicholas Sparks
The Second Time Around - Mary Higgins Clark
Between Sisters - Kristin Hannah
Volume 270 - #6
Avenger - Frederick Forsyth
Waterloo Station - Emily Grayson
Flirting With Pete - Barbara Delinsky
The Anniversary - Amy Gutman
2004
Volume 271 - #1
Cold Pursuit - T. Jefferson Parker
Temporary Sanity - Rose Connors
The Forever Year - Ronald Anthony
Lover's Lane - Jill Marie Landis
Volume 272 - #2
Drifting - Stephanie Gertler
A Perfect Day - Richard Paul Evans
Beachcomber - Karen Robards
Split Second - David Baldacci
Volume 273 - #3
Summer Harbor - Susan Wilson
The Wedding - Nicholas Sparks
The Conspiracy Club - Jonathan Kellerman
The Sight of the Stars - Belva Plain |
9567_8 | Volume 274 - #4
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
The Promise of a Lie - Howard Roughan
PS, I Love You - Cecelia Ahern
Letter from Home - Carolyn G. Hart
Volume 275 - #5
The Valley of Light - Terry Kay
Killer Smile - Lisa Scottoline
Sam's Letters to Jennifer - James Patterson
The Zero Game - Brad Meltzer
Volume 276 - #6
Some Danger Involved - Will Thomas
Blood Is the Sky - Steve Hamilton
Maximum Security - Rose Connors
Nighttime Is My Time - Mary Higgins Clark
2005
Volume 277 - #1
Three Weeks with My Brother - Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks
The Things We Do for Love - Kristin Hannah
The Murder Artist - John Case
Night Train to Lisbon - Emily Grayson
Volume 278 - #2
Skeleton Man - Tony Hillerman
Whiteout - Ken Follett
Redbird Christmas - Fannie Flagg
The Summer I Dared - Barbara Delinsky |
9567_9 | Volume 279 - #3
Kill the Messenger - Tami Hoag
A Northern Light - Jennifer Donnelly
Murder at the B-School - Jeffrey L. Cruikshank
The Queen of the Big Time - Adriana Trigiani
Volume 280 - #4
Mosaic - Soheir Khashoggi
Diving Through Clouds - Nicola Lindsay
One Shot - Lee Child
Bait - Karen Robards
Volume 281 - #5
The Closers - Michael Connelly
The Ladies of Garrison Gardens - Louise Shaffer
Heartbreak Hotel - Jill Marie Landis
Julie and Romeo Get Lucky - Jeanne Ray
Volume 282 - #6
This Dame for Hire - Sandra Scoppettone
False Testimony: A Crime Novel - Rose Connors
No Place Like Home - Mary Higgins Clark
Twisted - Jonathan Kellerman
2006
Volume 283 - #1
Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
True Believer - Nicholas Sparks
The Double Eagle - James Twining
One Soldier's Story: A Memoir - Bob Dole
Volume 284 - #2
Sacred Cows - Karen E. Olson
Lifeguard - James Patterson
Blue Bistro - Elin Hilderbrand
Looking for Peyton Place - Barbara Delinsky |
9567_10 | Volume 285 - #3
The Town That Came a Courtin - Ronda Rich
The Sunflower - Richard Paul Evans
Dead Simple - Peter James
Magic Hour - Kristin HannahVolume 286 - #4 Sun at Midnight - Rosie Thomas
Cover Your Assets - Patricia Smiley
At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
False Impression - Jeffrey ArcherVolume 287 - #5 Rosie - Alan Titchmarsh
Two Little Girls in Blue - Mary Higgins Clark
The Hard Way - Lee Child
Where Mercy Flows - Karen HarterVolume 288 - #6 Sailing to Capri - Elizabeth Adler
A Christmas Guest - Anne Perry
The Conjuror's Bird - Martin Davies
Married to a Stranger - Patricia MacDonald |
9567_11 | 2007Volume 289 - #1 The Whistling Season - Ivan Doig
Consigned to Death - Jane K. Cleland
Orbit - John J. Nance
Angels Fall - Nora RobertsVolume 290 - #2 Angels of Morgan Hill - Donna VanLiere
The Saddlemaker's Wife - Earlene Fowler
Echo Park - Michael Connelly
Under Orders - Dick Francis
"The Glass Case" (short story) - Kristin HannahVolume 291 - #3 Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
The Two Minute Rule - Robert Crais
Can't Wait to Get to Heaven - Fannie Flagg
A Whole New Life - Betsy ThorntonVolume 292 - #4 Autumn Blue - Karen Harter
Bad Luck and Trouble - Lee Child
Tallgrass - Sandra Dallas
Winter's Child - Margaret MaronVolume 293 - #5 Shadow Dance - Julie Garwood
Francesca's Kitchen - Peter Pezzelli
The Sleeping Doll - Jeffery Deaver
Garden Spells - Sarah AllenVolume 294 - #6 No Time for Goodbye - Linwood Barclay
Daddy's Girl - Lisa Scottoline
Thunder Bay - William Kent Krueger
I Heard That Song Before - Mary Higgins Clark |
9567_12 | 2008Volume 295 - #1 The Overlook - Michael Connelly
Meet Me in Venice - Elizabeth Adler
Step on a Crack - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
An Irish Country Doctor - Patrick TaylorVolume 296 - #2 Bad Blood - Linda Fairstein
The Long Walk Home - Will North
The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
Iris & Ruby - Rosie Thomas
"James Penney's New Identity" (short story) - Lee ChildVolume 297 - #3 The Ghost - Robert Harris
The Choice - Nicholas Sparks
The Watchman - Robert Crais
Her Royal Spyness - Rhys BowenVolume 298 - #4 Blue Heaven - C. J. Box
The First Patient - Michael Palmer
The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
Dead Heat - Dick Francis & Felix FrancisVolume 299 - #5 Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet
Lady Killer - Lisa Scottoline
The Christmas Promise - Donna VanLiere
Final Theory - Mark AlpertVolume 300 - #6 Where Are You Now? - Mary Higgins Clark
A Single Thread - Marie Bostwick
An Irish Country Village - Patrick Taylor |
9567_13 | Italian Lessons - Peter Pezzelli |
9567_14 | 2009Volume 301 - #1 Nothing to Lose - Lee Child
Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
Don't Tell a Soul - David Rosenfelt
Leaving Jack - Gareth Crocker
Pets - nicole macdonaldVolume 302 - #2 The Brass Verdict - Michael Connelly
Crossroads - Belva Plain
Guilty - Karen Robards
Hannah's Dream - Diane HammondVolume 303 - #3 The Lucky One - Nicholas Sparks
A Foreign Affair - Caro Peacock
Envy the Night - Michael Koryta
The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch with Jeffrey ZaslowVolume 304 - #4 Silks - Dick Francis and Felix Francis
Very Valentine - Adriana Trigiani
Chasing Darkness - Robert Crais
Water, Stone, Heart - Will NorthVolume 305 - #5 Still Life - Joy Fielding
Grace - Richard Paul Evans
Hell Bent - William G. Tapply
Prayers for Sale - Sandra DallasVolume 306 - #6 Love in Bloomt - Sheila Roberts
Pursuit - Karen Robards
Serendipity - Louise Shaffer
The Nine Lessons - Kevin Alan Milne |
9567_15 | 2010Volume 307 - #1 Gone Tomorrow - Lee Child
Lost & Found - Jacqueline Sheehan
The Murder of Tut - James Patterson and Michael Dugard
La's Orchestra Saves the World - Alexander McCall SmithVolume 308 - #2 The Scarecrow - Michael Connelly
The French Gardener - Santa Montefiore
Heaven's Keep - William Kent Krueger
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth SteinVolume 309 - #3 Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
The Poacher's Son - Paul Doiron
A Thread So Thin - Marie Bostwick
Half Broke Horses - Jeannette WallsVolume 310 - #4 Villa Mirabella - Peter Pezzelli
Rainwater - Sandra Brown
The First Rule - Robert Crais
The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen Volume 311 - #5 The Christmas List - Richard Paul Evans
From Cradle to Grave - Patricia MacDonald
Spinning Forward - Terri DuLong
Blood Lines - Kathryn CaseyVolume 312 - #6 The Mountain Between Us - Charles Martin
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
A Dog's Purpose - W. Bruce Cameron
This Time Together - Carol Burnett |
9567_16 | 2011Volume 313 - #1 61 Hours - Lee Child
Small Change - Sheila Roberts
Nowhere to Run - C. J. Box
Leaving Unknown - Kerry ReichsVolume 314 - #2 Crossfire - Dick Francis and Felix Francis
Sweet Misfortune - Kevin Alan Milne
Outwitting Trolls - William G. Tapply
Letters from Home - Kristina McMorrisVolume 315 - #3 Safe Haven - Nicholas Sparks
The Sentry - Robert Crais
An Irish Country Courtship - Patrick Taylor
The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted - Bridget AsherVolume 316 - #4 Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay
Promise Me - Richard Paul Evans
Lipstick in Afghanistan - Roberta Gately
I Still Dream About You - Fannie FlaggVolume 317 - #5 Now You See Her - Joy Fielding
The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
Buried Secrets - Joseph Finder
The Oracle of Stamboul - Michael David LukasVolume 318 - #6 The Orchard - Jeffrey Stepakoff
Worth Dying For - Lee Child
How to Bake a Perfect Life - Barbara O'Neal
On Borrowed Time - David Rosenfelt |
9567_17 | 2012Volume 319 - #1 One Summer - David Baldacci
Cast Into Doubt - Patricia MacDonald
Casting About - Terri DuLong
The Lion - Nelson DeMilleVolume 320 - #2 The Final Note - Kevin Alan Milne
Dick Francis Gamble - Felix Francis
The Orchard - Theresa Weir
Lethal - Sandra BrownVolume 321 - #3 A Dublin Student Doctor - Patrick Taylor
The Underside of Joy - Sere Prince Halverson
Three-Day Town - Margaret Maron
Emory's Gift - W. Bruce CameronVolume 322 - #4 The Bungalow - Sarah Jio
The Drop - Michael Connelly
The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks
Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich and Dorien KellyVolume 323 - #5 Home Front - Kristin Hannah
I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella
The House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz
The Christmas Note - Donna VanLiereVolume 324 - #6 Oath of Office - Michael Palmer
Thunder and Rain - Charles Martin
Ice Fire - David Lyons
Saving Ceecee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman |
9567_18 | 2013Volume 325 - #1 Lost December - Richard Paul Evans
XO - Jeffery Deaver
Beach House Memories - Mary Alice Monroe
Missing Child - Patricia MacDonaldVolume 326 - #2 The Innocent - David Baldacci
Beach Colors - Shelley Noble
The Third Gate - Lincoln Child
Calling Invisible Women - Jeanne RayVolume 327 - #3 Bloodline - Dick Francis
The View from Here - Cindy Myers
A Wanted Man - Lee Child
Miss Dreamsville - Amy Hill HearthVolume 328 - #4 The One Good Thing - Kevin Alan Milne
A Cold and Lonely Place - Sara J. Henry
The Man Who Forgot His Wife - John O'Farrell
Close Your Eyes - Iris Johansen and Roy JohansenVolume 329 - #5 The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe - Mary Simses
Blackberry Winter - Sarah Jio
Suspect - Robert Crais
There Was an Old Woman - Hallie EphronVolume 330 - #6 The Silver Star - Jeannette Walls
Political Suicide - Michael Palmer
A Street Cat Named Bob - James Bowen
Fly Away - Kristin Hannah |
9567_19 | 2014Volume 331 - #1 The Summer Girls - Mary Alice Monroe
The Glassblower's Apprentice - Peter Pezzelli
The Hit - David Baldacci
The Good Dream - Donna VanLiereVolume 332 - #2 Unwritten - Charles Martin
The Promise - Ann Weisgarber
Never Go Back - Lee Child
Stargazey Point - Shelley NobleVolume 333 - #3 Forever Friday - Timothy Lews
The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion
Deadline - Sandra Brown
Melody of Secrets - Jeffrey StepakoffVolume 334 - #4 Doing Harm - Kelly Parsons
Lost Lake - Sarah Addison Allen
Sisters - Patricia MacDonald
The Longest Ride - Nicholas SparksVolume 335 - #5 Goodnight June - Sarah Jio
Those Who Wish Me Dead - Michael Koryta
Looking for Me - Beth Hoffman
The Girl with a Clock for a Heart - Peter SwansonVolume 336 - #6 Suspicion - Joseph Finder
Dog Gone, Back Soon - Nick Trout
The Wishing Thread - Lisa Van Allen
Without Warning - David Rosenfelt |
9567_20 | 2015Volume 337 - #1 Invisible - James Patterson and David Ellis
The Glass Kitchen - Linda Francis Lee
Invisible City - Julia Dahl
Journey from Darkness - Garreth CrockerVolume 338 - #2 Personal - Lee Child
You Knew Me When - Emily Liebert
The Monogram Murders - Sophie Hannah
Star Gazing - Linda GillardVolume 339 - #3 Girl Underwater - Claire Kells
Never Come Back - David Bell
A Life Intercepted - Charles Martin
Mean Streak - Sandra BrownVolume 340 - #4 The Story of Us - Dani Atkins
Windigo Island - William Kent Krueger
The Mistletoe Promise - Richard Paul Evans
Resistant - Michael PalmerVolume 341 - #5 The Burning Room - Michael Connelly
First Frost - Sarah Addison Allen
The Silent Sister - Diane Chamberlain
Lawyer for the Dog - Lee RobinsonVolume 342 - #6 Memory Man - David Baldacci
Eight Hundred Grapes - Laura Dave
Moriarty - Anthony Horowitz
The Christmas Light - Donna VanLiere |
9567_21 | 2016Volume 343 - #1 The Bullet - Mary Louise Kelly
The Cherry Harvest - Lucy Sanna
One Mile Under - Andrew Gross
Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County - Amy Hill HearthVolume 344 - #2 Carrying Albert Home - Homer Hickam
What Doesn't Kill Her - Carla Norton
Love Gently Falling - Melody Carlson
Radiant Angel - Nelson DeMilleVolume 345 - #3 Make Me - Lee Child
Come Hell or Highball - Maia Chance
Summit Lake - Charlie Donlea
The Good Neighbor - Amy Sue NathanVolume 346 - #4 Front Runner - Felix Francis
The Charm Bracelet - Viola Shipman
The Precipice - Paul Doiron
Not Forgetting the Whale - John IronmongerVolume 347 - #5 The Crossing - Michael Connelly
Piece of Mind - Michelle Adelman
The Mistletoe Inn - Richard Paul Evans
The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra - Vaseem KhanVolume 348 - #6 The City Baker's Guide to Country Living - Louise Miller
Hostage Taker - Stefanie Pintoff
Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher
Arrowood - Laura McHugh |
9567_22 | 2017Volume 349 - #1 The Rules of Love and Grammar - Mary Simses
I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh
The Dollhouse - Fiona Davis
Sit! Stay! Speak! - Annie England NobleVolume 350 - #2 Night School - Lee Child
The Bookshop on the Corner - Jenny Colgan
Among the Wicked - Linda Castillo
One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins ReidVolume 351 - #3 Guilty Minds - Joseph Finder
A Lowcountry Wedding - Mary Alice Monroe
The Branson Beauty - Claire Booth
The Hope Chest - Viola ShipmanVolume 352 - #4 Burning Bright - Nicholas Petrie
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper - Phaedra Patrick
The Vanishing Year - Kate Moretti
I'm Still Here - Clelie AvitVolume 353 - #5 The Wrong Side of Goodbye - Michael Connelly
Miramar Bay - Davis Bunn
Triple Crown - Felix Francis
The Misteltoe Secret - Richard Paul EvansVolume 354 - #6 My Not So Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas - David Rosenfelt
Don't You Cry - Mary Kubica
Home Sweet Home - April Smith |
9567_23 | 2018Volume 355 - #1 A Dog's Way Home - W. Bruce Cameron
Down a Dark Road - Linda Castillo
Virtually Perfect - Paige Roberts
Knife Creek - Paul DoironVolume 356 - #2 The Switch - Joseph Finder
Beach House for Rent - Mary Alice Monroe
You'll Never Know Dear - Hallie Ephron
Before You Go - Clare SwatmanVolume 357 - #3 The Wanted - Robert Crais
Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone - Phaedra Patrick
The Vanishing Season - Joanna Schaffhausen
Talk to the Paw - Melinda MetzVolume 358 - #4 The Midnight Line - Lee Child
The Address - Fiona Davis
Another Man's Ground - Claire Booth
And All the Phases of the Moon - Judy Reene SingerVolume 359 - #5 Two Kinds of Truth - Michael Connelly
The Noel Diary - Richard Paul Evans
Sulfur Springs - William Kent Krueger
Dreaming in Chocolate - Susan Bishop CrispellVolume 360 - #6 The Bad Daughter - Joy Fielding
The Recipe Box - Viola Shipman
The First Family - Michael and Daniel Palmer |
9567_24 | Collared - David RosenfeltVolume 361 - #7 The Disappeared - C. J. Box
Dear Mrs. Bird - A. J. Pearce
The Echo Killing - Christi Daugherty
Between You and Me - Susan WiggsVolume 362 - #8 Stay Hidden - Paul Doiron
The Late Bloomers Club - Louise Miller
The Girl in the Woods - Patricia MacDonald
The Light Over London - Julia Kelly |
9567_25 | 2019Volume 363 - #1 Don't Believe It - Charlie Donlea
Rainy Day Friends - Jill Shalvis
By His Own Hand - Neal Griffin
When the Men Were Gone - Marjorie Herrera LewisVolume 364 - #2 The Last Time I Lied - Riley Sager
A Borrowing of Bones - Paula Munier
Not Our Kind - Kitty Zeldis
A Gathering of Secrets - Linda CastilloVolume 365 - #3 Past Tense - Lee Child
Hope on the Inside - Marie Bostwick
Forever and a Day - Anthony Horowitz
The Last Road Trip - Gareth CrockerVolume 366 - #4 Judgment - Joseph Finder
The Military Wife - Laura Trentham
Desolation Mountain - William Kent Krueger
An Anonymous Girl - Greer Hendricks and Sarah PekkanenVolume 367 - #5 Long Road to Mercy - David Baldacci
The Lieutenant's Nurse - Sarah Ackerman
Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center
The Noel Stranger - Richard Paul EvansVolume 368 – #6 Dark Site – Patrick Lee
Dating By The Book – Mary Ann Marlowe
Wolf Pack – C.J Fox
Deck The Hounds – David Rosenfelt |
9567_26 | 2020Volume 369 - #1
A Dangerous Man – Robert Crais
The Book Charmer – Karen Hawkins
A Beautiful Corpse – Christy Daughery
Drawing Home – Jamie BrennerVolume 370 – #2 The Turn of The Key – Ruth Ware
A Beach Wish – Shelly Noble
Layover – David Bell
A Deadly Turn – Claire BoothVolume 371 – #3'''
Wherever She Goes – Kelly Armstrong
The Fifth Column – Andrew Gross
Thin Ice – Paige Shelton
The Me I Use To Be'' – Jennifer Ryan
References
External links
Reader's Digest Select Editions store
Fiction anthologies
Select Editions |
9568_0 | The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the Second World War. It also built many transatlantic liners, including record-breaking ships for the Cunard Line and Canadian Pacific, such as the Blue Riband-winning sisters RMS Campania and RMS Lucania. At the other end of the scale, Fairfields built fast cross-channel mail steamers and ferries for locations around the world. These included ships for the Bosporus crossing in Istanbul and some of the early ships used by Thomas Cook for developing tourism on the River Nile.
John Elder & Co and predecessors |
9568_1 | Millwright Randolph & Elliott
Charles Randolph founded the company as Randolph & Co. He had been an apprentice at the Clyde shipyard of Robert Napier, and at William Fairbairn & Sons in Manchester. With the knowledge that he acquired, he started as a millwright in partnership with his cousin Richard S. Cunliff, who managed the commercial side. By 1834 it built engines and machinery in the Tradeston district of Glasgow in 1834. It was the first serious local manufacturer of cog and other large wheels for driving machinery, and soon became famous for accuracy.
In 1839 Mr Elliott joined the firm and it became known as Randolph, Elliott & Co. Elliott died shortly after becoming a partner. |
9568_2 | Randolph, Elder and Co starts to build ship engines
In 1852 the company became Randolph, Elder and Company when John Elder (1824-1869) joined the business. John Elder had a natural talent for engineering and had worked at the shipyard of Robert Napier. It enabled the company to start diversifying into marine engineering. In this field, the company would acquire world fame. Its skills in this field also enabled it to become one of the biggest shipbuilders in the world. The story is closely connected to the application of the compound steam engine for marine use, in which the firm played a crucial role. With regard to the compound engine two specific phases can be discerned: 'low' pressure compound engines and 'high' pressure compound engines. |
9568_3 | The compound engine with low (as it would later be called) pressure would give Randolph, Elder and Co its first renown for economic compound engines. The company's attempts centred on trying to prevent energy loss due to friction and premature condensation of steam. In July 1854 the screw steamer Brandon was fit with engines by Randolph, Elder & Co. It had a vertical geared compound engine with a patented (January 1853) arrangement of the cylinders. The crankshaft was turned by two opposite cranks (arms). One was driven by the high-pressure cylinder, the other by the low-pressure cylinder, with the pistons always moving in opposite directions. Brandon, a vessel of about 800 tons and 800 ihp made her trials in July 1854. She had a coal consumption of about 3.25 lbs per ihp per hour. At the time the lowest rate of consumption in other steamers was about 4-4.5 lbs per ihp per hour. The merits of the engine of Brandon were not enough to persuade others, and from 1854 till about 1866 |
9568_4 | Randolph, Elder and Co were the only engineers who made compound engines under their various patents. |
9568_5 | The Pacific Steam Navigation Company did become an enthusiastic customer. In 1855-1856 it operated on the west coast of South America. In that area, fuel was imported from Britain and therefore more costly. When the Crimean War broke out, freight tariffs increased to the point that the price of coal almost doubled there. The directors then conferred with the company, resulting in the 'double-cylinder engine'. Inca and Valparaiso were paddle-steamers which got this engine, that got patented in March 1856. Construction of that for Inca was started in May 1856. It had two pairs of cylinders, lying so their piston rods were at a 60-90 degree angle. Each pair consisted of a high- and low-pressure cylinder lying next to each other, so they could easily exchange steam. Their pistons moved in opposite directions and drove one crank, which was attached to the crankshaft opposite the crank of the other pair. This gave the optimal balance of driving forces that could be attained for this number |
9568_6 | of cylinders. Furthermore, the cylinders were 'jacketed' at the top and bottom. The jacket heated the cylinder from the outside to prevent condensation in the cylinder. It had been invented by James Watt, but the company was the first to re-apply it, probably because it first understood its purpose. The company then supplied more double-cylinder engines, but with the cylinders completely jacketed. Admiral by Robert Napier, made her trial in June 1858. Another ship with the same engine was Callao built by John Reid in 1858. On trials fuel consumption for these ships was: Inca 2.5 lbs/ihp/h, Callao 2.7 lbs/ihp/h, Valparaiso and Admiral 3 lbs/ihp/h. It amounted to a saving of 30-40 per cent, and this was maintained later on. It made it possible to continue steam navigation on the Pacific Ocean with profit. In fact, in 1858 the Pacific Steam Navigation Company had 7–8 years old traditional machinery removed from three of her large steamers, and replaced by compound engines. It saved 40% |
9568_7 | in fuel and 30 feet of space amidships because less space was needed for coal. |
9568_8 | From 1854 till about 1866 Randolph, Elder & Co. constructed 18 sets of paddle engines and 30 sets of screw engines, all compound. A highlight was the conversion of the frigate HMS Constance to steam propulsion in 1863, and her race against two frigates with engines by John Penn and Sons and Maudslay, Sons and Field. In 1860 the company started to use surface condensation instead of the jet condenser. In 1862 it increased steam pressure to 40 lbs per square inch.
Starts to build ships
In 1858 the company acquired the Govan Old Shipyard, and diversified into shipbuilding. The first ship was built in 1861 as No 14. Macgregor Laird was built for the African Steamship Company. Other ships soon followed, and the business moved to a new yard at the former Fairfield Farm at the Govan riverside in 1864. From 1861-1866 59 ships were built. |
9568_9 | The general breakthrough of the compound engine was not affected by Randolph, Elder & Co., but by Alfred Holt. Holt succeeded in getting the Board of Trade to lift the ban on boilers with a pressure higher than 25 lbs per square inch (psi). The use of high-pressure steam made the compound engine far more effective, and Randolph, Elder & Co. quickly adjusted. It allowed the construction of a far simpler two-cylinder compound engine that was even more effective than the low-pressure compound steam engine. In 1868 Charles Randolph retired from the firm, and John Elder became sole partner. |
9568_10 | Vast expansion as John Elder & Co
The company became known as John Elder & Co in 1869. When John Elder died in September 1869 his wife ran the business for a while and renamed it in his honor. In 1869 she sold the company to a new partnership consisting of her brother John Francis Ure (1820-1883), J.L.K. Jamieson (1826-1883) and Sir William Pearce. It kept the name John Elder & Co. William Pearce became sole partner in 1878. |
9568_11 | The new owners continued the expansion of the shipyard in 1870 and onwards. Important customers in the 1861-1875 time slot were: the Pacific Steam Navigation Company for 40 vessels at 2,500,000 GBP, the African Mail Company and British and African Steam Navigation Company for 16 vessels at 500,000 GBP and Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland for 8 vessels at 600,000 GBP. Some qualitative notes further explain the leading position of the company at the time. In 1870 it launched Italy, a vessel of 400 feet, 4,200 tons gross measurement and 600 nominal hp. The largest vessel then afloat except for Great Eastern. In 1870-1871 it built two steamers for the London to Aberdeen line: City of London and Ban Righ were about 20% faster than their predecessors, while their fuel consumption was less than half of theirs. In 1871 Tagus and Moselle were launched for the Royal Mail Company's West India and Brazil trade. Both big steamers almost reached 15 knots on their trials. In 1873 it launched Iberia |
9568_12 | of 4,820 tons and 650 hp, the second largest merchant steamer then afloat. In 1871 HMS Hydra was launched with engines by John Elder. |
9568_13 | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company and successors
In 1886 William Pearce converted the firm to a limited company, the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. This also entailed a simultaneous name change to Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, after the old farm. The area of the farm itself was purchased by Isabella Elder in 1885 and donated to the people of Govan as Elder Park, dedicated to her late husband.
The shipyard's imposing red sandstone Drawing Offices were designed by John Keppie of Honeyman and Keppie, with help from a young Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and built 1889–91. The sculpted figures (The Engineer and the shipwright) flanking the entrance are by James Pittendrigh Macgillivray. |
9568_14 | John Carmichael was manager of the Fairfield yard in 1894. He had been born in Govan in 1858 and had entered Fairfield as an apprentice in 1873. When his apprenticeship was completed seven years later, Sir William Pearce made him head draughtsman, and later he was promoted to assistant manager.
In February 1897 a major fire broke out in the yard. The fire spread rapidly and within ten minutes the vast majority of the buildings, covering several acres, were ablaze with the joiner's, pattern, and fitting shops totally destroyed. Various ships under construction were threatened, amongst which were and . The vessels were however separated from the buildings and no significant damage was sustained. The cost of the damage was estimated at £40,000 and caused 4,000 workmen to be thrown idle. |
9568_15 | Alexander Cleghorn FRSE became the Fairfield manager in 1909. The company also established the Coventry Ordnance Works joint venture with Yarrow Shipbuilders and others in 1905.
Sir Alexander Gracie, who was born in Dunvegan, worked at various other Clydeside shipbuilders before he started at Fairfield in 1896, where amongst other things he worked with Jack Fisher to develop the Invincible class for the Royal Navy, including the Indomitable, which was built at Fairfield. In 1909 Sir Alexander became chairman and managing director of the company, posts he held for a decade. Fisher described him as Britain’s greatest naval architect. He died in 1933. |
9568_16 | The Fairfield Titan was built for the yard in 1911 by Sir William Arrol & Co., with a maximum lift capacity of 200 tons. It was acknowledged for many years as the largest crane in the world. It was employed in lifting the engines and boilers aboard ships in the fitting-out basin. The crane was a Category B listed building but was demolished in 2007 in yard modernisation works.
Subsidiary of Northumberland Shipbuilding Company
In 1919 the company became part of the Northumberland Shipbuilding Company, with Alexander Kennedy installed as managing director. In 1921 Alexander Kennedy was knighted. Sir Alexander became Fairfield chairman in 1930 and remained so until 1937. |
9568_17 | The Fairfield West Yard had been added at the outbreak of the First World War for submarine construction, but closed after ten years due to severe recession and was demolished by National Shipbuilders Securities in 1934. The Fairfield West yard site was later used by the United States Army Corps of Engineers in 1944 to build four landing craft.
In 1924, the company bought a shipyard at Chepstow on the River Wye in South Wales, previously developed as National Shipyard No.1 in the First World War and then taken over by the Monmouthshire Shipbuilding Company. The works later specialised in assembling bridges and other major structures.
Subsidiary of Lithgows
In 1935 Fairfield was taken over by Lithgows of Port Glasgow after it had become entangled with the insolvency of the Anchor Line |
9568_18 | In the 1950s the yard underwent a major £4 million modernisation programme which was implemented slowly over a period of ten years to minimise disruption to the yard. In 1963, the Fairfield engine building division merged with another Lithgow subsidiary, David Rowan & Company, to form Fairfield Rowan Ltd. Soon after the decade long shipyard modernisation works were completed, Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd and Fairfield Rowan Ltd were placed into receivership and was subsequently sold by Lithgow's in 1965. Fairfield's Chepstow works was sold to the Mabey Group in 1966. The marine engine-building subsidiary Fairfield Rowan was closed in 1966.
Fairfield (Glasgow) Ltd |
9568_19 | The recently modernised shipbuilding operation was reconstituted as Fairfield (Glasgow) Ltd in 1966. It became known as the famous Fairfield Experiment, into new ways of improving productivity through new reforms to industrial relations and the application of scientific management methods to improve productivity. The era of the Fairfield experiment was captured by Sean Connery in his documentary The Bowler and the Bunnet.
Further decline and nationalization
In 1968 the company was made part of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, which collapsed in 1971 when a strike and work-in received national press attention. As part of the recovery deal, Fairfields was formed into Govan Shipbuilders in 1972, which was itself later nationalised and subsumed into British Shipbuilders in 1977. |
9568_20 | The shipyard as part of BAE
On the break-up of British Shipbuilders under denationalisation in 1988, the former Fairfield yard was sold to the Norwegian Kværner group and renamed Kvaerner Govan.
The yard passed to BAE Systems Marine in 1999 and is now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships.
Ships built
Some of the better-known ships built by Fairfield's include:
Two of three ships that were lost in the action of 22 September 1914 were built at Fairfield's. These ships alongside were the first vessels ever to be sunk by a German U-boat (SM U-9).
HMS Cressy
HMS Aboukir
Battlecruisers:
Battleships:
Cruisers:
Destroyers:
Torpedo boat destroyers:
Submarines
Aircraft carriers:
Passenger ships:
(John Elder & Co.)
PS Cardiff Queen
(John Elder & Co.)
SS Leicestershire
SS Montrose
I (John Elder & Co.)
II (John Elder & Co.)
II (John Elder & Co.)
(John Elder & Co.)
(John Elder & Co.)
Worcestershire |
9568_21 | Passenger steam ships for Şehir Hatları (Turkish Maritime Lines):
S/S Tarzi Nevin (Bosphorus No.47)
S/S Dilnisin (Bosphorus No.48)
P/S Hale (Bosphorus No.49)
P/S Seyyale (Bosphorus No.50)
S/S Sureyya (Bosphorus No.51)
S/S Sihap (Bosphorus No.52)
S/S Tarabya (Bosphorus No.57)
S/S Nimet (Bosphorus No.58)
S/S Sarayburnu (Bosphorus No.65)
S/S Bogazici (Bosphorus No.66)
S/S Halas (Bosphorus No.71)
S/S Altinkum (Bosphorus No.74)
S/S Kuzguncuk (Yard No:802)
S/S Kanlıca (Yard No:803)
S/S Pendik (Yard No:804)
S/S Anadolu Kavağı (Yard No:805)
S/S Ataköy (Yard No:806)
S/S İnkılap (Yard No:807)
S/S Harbiye (Yard No:808)
S/S Teğmen Ali İhsan Kalmaz (Yard No:809)
S/S Turan Emeksiz (Yard No:810)
Clyde paddle steamers:
PS Jupiter
PS Juno
PS Marchioness of Lorne
Union Castle Line – RMS Gloucester Castle launched 13 May 1911 requisitioned as HMHS Gloucester Castle 31 March 1917
Tankers
ARA Santa Cruz
Icebreaker
See also
Ocean liners for Canadian Pacific Steamships: |
9568_22 | References
Further reading
External links
Randolph, Elder and Co at Grace's Guide
John Elder and Co at Grace's Guide
Fairfield Heritage Project
Elder Park, Govan – monument to John Elder
River Clyde
Defunct companies of Scotland
Defunct shipbuilding companies of Scotland
Former defence companies of the United Kingdom
Govan
Marine engine manufacturers
1968 disestablishments in Scotland
Manufacturing companies established in 1834
1834 establishments in Scotland
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1968
Engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom
British Shipbuilders |
9569_0 | H2O: Footprints in the Sand is a Japanese adult visual novel by Makura that was released on June 23, 2006 for Windows as a DVD; a version playable on the PlayStation 2 under the title H2O + followed on April 24, 2008 with adult content removed, but in its place will be additional scenarios and graphics not seen in the original release. H2O is Makura's first game; a sequel named Root After and Another was later produced in October 2007. The gameplay in H2O follows a plot line that offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the three female main characters. There are two modes of gameplay, the Blindness Effect and Normal Effect, where the former plays on the fact that the protagonist is blind, and the latter mode removes the added element of gameplay the Blindness Effect has. The story is broken into three parts: the original introduction and meeting, following by a separation and reunion, and finally ending with the protagonist choosing one |
9569_1 | of the girls and spending the rest of the game with her. |
9569_2 | A manga adaptation, drawn by Kira Inugami, was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comp Ace between 2007 and 2008. A 12-episode anime by the animation studio Zexcs aired in Japan between January and March 2008 on the Fukui TV television network. Several music albums have also been released. The name H2O comes from the first letter of the three main heroines: Hayami, Hinata, and Otoha. Footprints in the Sand comes from a poem; the first part of this poem appeared in episode one of the anime and the second half in the final episode.
Gameplay |
9569_3 | The gameplay requires almost no interaction from the player as nearly the entire duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that will appear on the screen; this text represents either dialogue between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. There are three main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. The first time the game is played, only Hayami's plot line is available. After finishing Hayami's plot line once, the option to choose Hinata's plot line becomes available at the decision point in the early part of the game. Finishing Hinata's plot line will make Otoha's plot line available. The player must replay the game several times to view all three plot lines in their entirety. In contrast to visual novel adventure games where the text appears near the bottom of the screen leaving the rest of the window open for viewing the game's visual content, the text in H2O appears over the |
9569_4 | entire screen in a shaded, but otherwise transparent box. However, there is an option to hide the text in order to see the background without obstruction. |
9569_5 | The game can be played in two modes, a Blindness Effect Mode or a Normal Effect Mode. The former takes into account that the protagonist is blind, and while he can imagine what the people he talks with look like, he cannot discern the color of the world around him, which renders the artwork in an almost black and white tone, additionally giving it a stylish and dream-like appearance. As gameplay progresses and the protagonist's condition gradually heals, this convention eventually fades away as the protagonist can now see with his own eyes the world around him. The Normal Effect Mode does not use the effect from the Blindness Effect Mode and therefore the visuals are otherwise unchanged from their originally colored state. The two modes can be interchanged at any moment throughout the gameplay. |
9569_6 | There are three parts in the gameplay. The first part, entitled the serves to set up the story and for the protagonist to meet and get to know the characters, especially the three heroines. Following the first part, there is a time where the protagonist must leave for several years only to come back in the so-called and meet the girls he knew before who have changed somewhat. After the player chooses one of the girls, the third part in the story called the concludes the game, which is also where the majority of the erotic content is viewable. The story consists primarily of the first two parts, which are a flashback from the protagonist's point of view. Within this flashback are around fifty smaller flashbacks from the past of the protagonist and the girls'. While the game is intended to be a serious drama, the gameplay is peppered with unrelated bouts of humor, which come with computer graphic artwork of the characters in a humorous situation depicted in a super deformed style. |
9569_7 | The pacing of the game is rather slow and tends to reuse the same flashback scenes. Additionally, certain flashbacks are viewable no matter which girls' scenario is pursued and these cannot be skipped. |
9569_8 | There is an additional "emergency" button that can be activated if the player does not want other people to know they are playing an adult game. This option shows a random piece of artwork unrelated to the game's content out of around one-hundred images. These images are rather bizarre, one such image containing a black and white photograph of a toy horse head with red "blood" splattered around the edge of the image.
Plot |
9569_9 | Story
H2O'''s story revolves around Takuma Hirose, a blind young male junior-high school student, though the cause for his blindness is undetermined. After his mother died unexpectedly, it left a deep emotional scar on him, which caused him to become very lonely and reserved. Due to this, Takuma and his uncle move from the city out into a rural area and Takuma is enrolled into a new junior-high school. At his new school, he meets several new girls, though three of whom he gets to know the most out of anyone else; the firm and obstinate Hayami Kohinata, the kind and obliging Hinata Kagura, and the cheerful and mysterious Otoha. As Takuma interacts with these girls, his medical condition gradually begins to heal and he fully recovers.
Characters |
9569_10 | Takuma is the main protagonist of the story. He has a moderately quiet personality partly because he suffers from blindness and for his condition, he carries around a white cane he named , a pun on the word . His mother committed suicide, which left a deep emotional scar on Takuma. To rectify this, he moves to the countryside to live with his uncle . Takuma is naturally friendly and likes to befriend everyone he meets in his new town. There is a rift between the rich and the poor, with Takuma being on the former end of the divide. In the anime, he and Hayami fall in love. His mind reverts to that of a child after it is implied to him Hayami’s family killed his mom. He recovers slowly under Hayami’s care, due to his delusion causing him to view her as his mother. He later fully recovers and even regains his eyesight after coming to terms with his mother’s death. |
9569_11 | Hayami is a girl in Takuma's class who sits next to him. She has an unsociable personality and a sharp attitude towards others, not wanting to become friends with others, due to her accepting her own status as an outcast. Hayami's family was rich once because her parents are doctors. Since they charged high prices in medical examinations and were unwilling to take any patients in without the fees, the village people revolted against them, burned their house and kicked them out of the village with the exception of Hayami. Due to this, she is shunned by most of the adults and often bullied and is referred to by her schoolmates as the , but she does not fight back when being bullied. Without a home, she is poor and lives alone in an abandoned trolley on the outskirts of town, which was eventually burned down by the other adults out of hatred and later on moves in with Takuma and his uncle. |
9569_12 | She has an intense fear of spiders. Even though she owns a bathing suit, she will not participate in swimming classes because she is poor at it. Hotaru was once Hayami's best friend, but Hotaru broke off from her out of pressure from her grandfather. They eventually reconcile due to Takuma's efforts.
In the anime, Takuma and Hayami fall in love with each other. |
9569_13 | Hinata is the granddaughter of the village headman and is one of the rich members of town. She is in Takuma's class and is the council president for her class. She has a kind of obliging personality, and is popular in her school. She is clumsy and tends to fall down, and once she even fell down a flight of stairs at school, though luckily Takuma was there to break her fall. She refers to Takuma as "Hirose-sama", a very polite form of expression. Her real name is actually , the younger sister to Hinata. When Hinata drowned, her grandfather forced Hotaru to become Hinata, and made the village people think that it was Hotaru that drowned. She is one of the several people-(along with her classmates) in the village that does not bully Hayami. |
9569_14 | Otoha appears to be a normal girl, but she is in fact a spirit, and only Takuma can hear or see her. She is always cheerful, and will appear out of nowhere, clinging suddenly to Takuma. She refers to herself with the masculine pronoun , meaning "I". She refers to Takuma as the . It is revealed that Otoha is the real Hinata Kagura, who fell into a river and drowned. She took the name Otoha from Hotaru's picture book that she drew herself. Before disappearing, Otoha shows Takuma a strange world, where she is his fiancée. Just before she disappears, she confesses her love for him, but says that she is not the one he belongs with. She eventually gets reincarnated as a five year old girl. |
9569_15 | Yui is a girl in Takuma's class. She has a self-aggrandizing personality and always has two male henchmen tagging along. She is very rich and often uses formal speech so as to distinguish herself from the "commoners". She is very proud and condescending, but that does not actually mean she is unkind to others. In fact, she gets along quite well with Takuma and the others, with the sole exception of Hayami. Yui's grandfather died because they were poor back then, and Hayami's parents would not give him a medical examination without the fees. This led to the village's revolt against the Kohinata family, and Yui's hatred for Hayami. She often calls Hayami a "cockroach" and along with her henchmen will bully Hayami relentlessly. However, after coming to terms with her grief and Hayami's inability to change the past, Yui lets go of her animosity and learns to be patient and accepting with Hayami. She shows concern for Hayami and saves her from being killed by one of her henchmen in the |
9569_16 | anime. |
9569_17 | She was given a scenario in H2O's sequel Root After and Another. |
9569_18 | Hamaji is one of Takuma's classmates. Despite his feminine appearance and voice, he is in fact a boy who crossdresses like a girl. He has an optimistic personality, and likes to play innocent when he plays bad jokes on others. He has a little sister named , and his family owns a convenience store. He appears to be bisexual, and has flirted with Takuma occasionally, but ultimately marries his best friend .
In the epilogue of the story, he has a child with Maki. Maki is seen holding the child at the Kagura household, who could have been mistaken to be Takuma's child due to the hairstyle, but the hair color belongs to Hamaji, therefore, making him the father. As an adult, Hamaji still crossdresses, and his feminine voice and appearance do not change.
Rin, like Takuma, is an exchange student from the city. She has a kind and gentle personality, and is a hard worker, but is rather clumsy. Rin is the main heroine in Makura's third game Sakura no Uta. |
9569_19 | Development and releaseH2O: Footprints in the Sand was released as an adult game for the PC on June 23, 2006; an artbook came bundled with the game. A version for the PlayStation 2 entitled H2O + with adult content removed was released on April 24, 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten. The PS2 version contains new computer graphics and scenarios not seen in the original release.
Related media
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Kira Inugami was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's magazine Comp Ace between January 26, 2007 and February 26, 2008. Two tankōbon volumes were released: the first on December 26, 2007 and the second on March 26, 2008.
Anime |
9569_20 | A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Zexcs, directed by Hideki Tachibana, and written by Jukki Hanada aired in Japan between January 4 and March 21, 2008 on the Fukui TV television network. A preview video was streamed on Kadokawa Shoten's official website for their magazine Newtype on December 19, 2007. Most notably, the video contains an English narration, a rarity for Japanese trailers. The first episode of the series was previewed on December 23, 2007 in Akihabara, Japan, and the final episode was previewed on March 20, 2008, in Machida, Japan. The first episode opens with a partial recitation of the poem "Footprints", and the end of the poem is recited in the second half of the final episode. The anime was licensed for release in English by Kadokawa USA, but its Kadokawa Pictures USA subsidiary later closed down, therefore canceling the release. |
9569_21 | Music
The game's opening theme is "H2O" and the ending theme is "Tomorrow", both sung by Monet. The maxi singles for the opening and ending themes were released at Comiket 70 on August 12, 2006. Two more theme songs used in the game were "Dream" and "Footprints in the Sand", also both sung by Monet. A character song album for Otoha entitled , sung by Mia Naruse, was released on October 22, 2006 at the DreamParty Tokyo convention. An arrange maxi single titled H2O: Prelude containing arranged versions of "H2O" and "Tomorrow", was released on December 21, 2007. The game's original soundtrack came bundled with the original game as a pre-order bonus. The opening theme for the anime version is by Yui Sakakibara and the maxi single was released on January 25, 2008. The ending theme for the anime is by Haruka Shimotsuki and the single was released on February 22, 2008. "Footprints in the Sand" by Monet is the ending theme in the anime's final episode. |
9569_22 | Reception
Across the national ranking of bishōjo games in amount sold in Japan, H2O premiered at number two, and ranked in again the following ranking at number thirteen. H2O was the second highest selling game for the month of June 2006 on Getchu.com, just behind Summer Days, and for the first half of 2006 was the fourteenth highest selling game on the same website. H2O'' dropped to the twenty-fifth highest selling game on Getchu.com for the entire year of 2006.
References
External links
Official visual novel website
H2O √after and another Complete Story Edition
Regista's H2O + website
Anime official website |
9569_23 | 2006 video games
2007 manga
2008 Japanese television series endings
Anime television series based on video games
Bishōjo games
Cross-dressing in anime and manga
Cross-dressing in television
Cross-dressing in video games
Crossover video games
Eroge
Japan-exclusive video games
Kadokawa Shoten manga
Manga based on video games
PlayStation 2 games
School life in anime and manga
Seinen manga
Video games developed in Japan
Visual novels
Windows games
Zexcs |
9570_0 | The High Lord is the third book in The Black Magician series by Trudi Canavan. Published in 2003, it is the sequel to The Novice and The Magicians' Guild and concludes the story of Sonea, a former slum-girl discovered to possess magical potential. Having earned the respect of her fellow students and her teachers, Sonea must face the terrible secret of the High Lord's use of forbidden Black Magic.
Plot summary
A year has passed since Sonea had challenged Regin to a public duel and had beaten Regin by one bout. Since that victory, she has finally won the respect she deserves, not only as a novice with exceptional power, but also as the High Lord's favorite. But even with this new respect, she still has one challenge left to face: Akkarin. Still unable to shake off the memory she has after the duel, she continues to avoid Akkarin. |
9570_1 | Ceryni, Sonea's old friend, now has a powerful position with the Thieves. He has a task which he must perform which could cost him his life. But that task is not a secret. A strange woman, named Savara, with great skill knows of this task and wishes to help Cery, however he will not accept her aid as he does not trust her. |
9570_2 | Akkarin surprises Sonea by showing her a book, which is an autobiography of Coren, a famous architect. This book reveals that Coren himself had discovered and no doubt used black magic. Sonea is amazed at this knowledge but is suspicious why he has shown this information to her. Akkarin is pleased that Sonea has read the book and gives her another one which is nearly 500 years old. From reading it, Sonea discovers that many centuries ago black magic was referred to as 'higher magic.' The book tells of a novice who desired power and used the higher magic to obtain more power by killing many magicians and absorbing their power. The Guild, in the end, suffered greatly from confronting the novice. They decided to store the knowledge of higher magic and rename it black magic. They sealed the knowledge, hoping that no one would take advantage of that power, but only use it in the greatest need and the knowledge was hidden in a secret passage of the University. The author also tells of a |
9570_3 | threat from Sachaka, that the Sachakans will have vengeance for losing an ancient war. Only the Head of Warriors knew of this secret weapon, however the knowledge was later lost. |
9570_4 | As Sonea starts to absorb this new information, Akkarin takes her into the city in disguise. Sonea realises that the Thieves are in on a secret with Akkarin as they use their 'private road.' Sonea and Akkarin come to a room face to face with a captured Sachakan slave who was sent to see how weak the Guild was. Akkarin starts to search the man, and finds a gold tooth with a red gem inside it; the gem is a blood gem, used by their masters to see and hear what the holder sees, hears and does. Akkarin then tells Sonea that he will teach her to read a mind of an unwilling person. Struggling at first, Sonea discovers the name of the Sachakan. She also discovers that Akkarin was a slave. Amazed and shocked, Sonea starts seeing memories of a group called the Ichani, powerful magicians that have been labeled as outcasts by the Sachakan King. Sonea is then taken outside while Akkarin stays inside and kills the man using black magic. |
9570_5 | Back at the Guild, Sonea starts to question everything she knows and has been told. She misses a class, instead finding solitude at a stream in the forest, a secret place that Dorrien had shown her. To her surprise, she is met by Akkarin as it was also where Akkarin and Lorlen used to go when they were young. Akkarin begins telling Sonea about his past, about how he entered Sachaka and was captured by an Ichani named Dakova who easily overpowered Akkarin. Whilst in servitude, Akkarin and his fellow slaves, all latent magicians, constantly had their power absorbed by Dakova. For five years, Akkarin was a magical source of energy for Dakova, but everything changed when Dakova was attacked by a fellow Ichani. Though Dakova won, he was left weak. He borrowed slaves from his brother Kariko. After some time Dakova found a previous enemy of his and decides to kill him. Upon arriving at an abandoned mine, the floor gives way and Akkarin falls down, only to be saved by another Ichani. The |
9570_6 | Ichani made a deal with Akkarin to spare his life if he killed Dakova, Akkarin agrees and is taught black magic by the Ichani. |
9570_7 | Akkarin headed back with wine laced with a sleeping drug. While Dakova drank the wine, Akkarin then killed the slaves, but when he came to Takan he could not take his dormant power because they had helped each other at times of need. When he came to Dakova, he took his power as quickly as possible, killing him in the process. With the deed done and now free, Akkarin then started his long journey home without food thinking he would die on the journey back to the guild but Takan followed him with a supply of food and drink and became Akkarin's servant. Sonea wondered why he had told her and asks him, his only answer is that someone else needs to know. As the gong strikes Akkarin ends the tale and tells Sonea to get back to her classes. |
9570_8 | Meanwhile Lord Dannyl has been instructed by Akkarin to infiltrate a group of Elyne nobles, led by a powerful Dem, attempting to illicitly learn magic. Having managed to enter the Dem's circle of trust by having them learn the "false secret" of his relation with Tayend, he begins teaching Farand, a young man whose powers have been unleashed but who has not learnt Control. Slowly, Dannyl gains more trust from the Dem. When Dannyl enters Farand's mind, he realises the Elyne King used Farand for eavesdropping. Farand had overheard the King order a political assassination, because of this Farand was prevented from joining the Guild by the King. |
9570_9 | Back at the Guild, Sonea is unable to sleep. She is continuously replaying what Akkarin had told her, and wondering why he told her. She even starts to believe that black magic isn't necessarily evil, only the wielder of the magic can determine that. She starts to wonder what would happen if Akkarin was to die and no one would be able to carry on the secret struggle with the Sachakan spies. She decides to tell Akkarin that she wants to learn black magic. The next day when Sonea tells Akkarin that she wants to learn, he refuses, he starts to change her mind saying that if she is caught, she will be executed. However her mind is made up, Akkarin refuses but says that he has another use for Sonea. He informs her that, if she was willing, she can be a source of power for him. He says he will only teach her black magic if the Ichani invade Kyralia. Even though she isn't helping in the way she thought she would, she is still pleased to assist Akkarin. |
9570_10 | Lord Dannyl visits Farand once more to assure everyone that he has learnt Control. When in Farand's mind, Dannyl starts questioning him. Before Dannyl can get any answers, Farand is aware of what Dannyl is doing and breaks the connection. Revealing him as a traitor, Farand tells everyone that more magicians are on their way, but don't know Dannyl's location. However Dannyl informs the group of rebels that that won't be the case. Farand perceives Dannyl's and the other magician's conversation and agrees with him. The other nobles are apprehended, Farand and the Dem surrender. |
9570_11 | At night, Sonea is worried about Akkarin, since he is not back for hunting the latest spy. (This is the first indication that, where she shortly before hated Akkarin and wanted him dead, now she starts to be positively concerned for him.) Once he returns, Sonea realises that the fight must have been terrible, and that Akkarin lost. She and Takan follow him to his bedroom and Akkarin starts filling in the details about the new spy. Akkarin believes that this new spy is another slave, but Takan tells Akkarin that she must be an Ichani, as she is cunning and strong. Takan once again tells Akkarin to teach Sonea black magic for help in case he dies, Akkarin finally agrees that he will teach Sonea tomorrow night. |
9570_12 | Cery is surprised that Akkarin lost to the latest spy, and vows to find her again. Savara enters Cery's room saying that if Cery had trusted her, she could have dealt with the new spy, unlike Akkarin. Savara then continues, saying that she knows the spy and wishes revenge for a past act. However she realises that now that Akkarin knows about the new spy, she cannot intervene without revealing herself, something she does not wish to do. Cery promises that she can hunt the next spy.
The next day, while Lorlen and Lord Sarrin discuss building plans, Lord Osen informs them that there has been a massacre last night, a magician and his family have been murdered. All the victims had shallow cuts, which weren't fatal wounds. Osen also reports that there was a major battle between some unknown magicians. Lorlen decides that someone should go to the location of the fight and see if it had been magical. |
9570_13 | At night, Sonea makes her way to the underground passage to start her training in black magic. Akkarin informs Sonea that all living things have a natural barrier. With black magic, the idea is to break the barrier and draw their magical power from them. Sonea, under Akkarin's instructions, starts to learn how to take power, with Takan as her source. Once she is done, she heals him and is given some more books on black magic to read.
While heading back to Imardin, Dannyl and Farand start talking about the future, and what consequences he and the other rebels would have to face. Realising that he is tired, Dannyl tells Farand to get some sleep, as he starts to leave Dannyl notices that Farand's lips are blue and comes to the conclusion that he has been poisoned. Dannyl then calls on Lady Vinara using telepathy, she informs him of how to purge the poison. Dannyl barricades the door to prevent anyone stopping him from healing Farand. |
9570_14 | Akkarin takes Sonea to show her how to defeat the spies, the Thieves inform them of where she is but when they reach her rooms she is not there. They look around, hearing footsteps Sonea hides in an alcove. The spy enters and talks to Akkarin before they start attacking one another. The spy moves closer to the alcove and Sonea tries to stay hidden, the combat is causing damage to be building and Sonea is forced to use her shield. She finds a ring in the alcove, one worn by an elder of a noble house. |
9570_15 | A heavy blow is struck and the alcove collapses, however Sonea creates a hollow with her shield, she then realises the spy is not a slave but a powerful Ichani. A hole is formed as the hollow begins to collapse, Sonea then sees that the Ichani is moving backwards and will soon detect her. Sonea drops her shield and the Ichani's passes over her undetected, she then slashes the Ichani's neck with a piece of wood and drains her power, killing the woman. Akkarin and Sonea then return to the Guild.
The Magicians Guild have learned that Akkarin and Sonea are using black magic and believe they may be responsible for the murders. They are tried and convicted of using forbidden magic, but not of the murders. Akkarin is sentenced to exile in Sachaka, Sonea is allowed to remain but refuses saying that, if alone, Akkarin will be killed. Unsure about Akkarin's explanation of an imminent Ichani invasion they are both exiled. |
9570_16 | Akkarin and Sonea are forced to hide in the wastes of Sachaka where they are pursued by a pair of Ichani but manage to elude them. Meanwhile the Ichani invade Kyralia, easily overcoming the (reinforced) border defenses and slaughtering over twenty Guild magicians. They then advance on the capital Imardin, but are slowed by an ambush. It seems that only Akkarin and Sonea will be able to hold back the Ichani invasion as the Guild magicians are no match for them. |
9570_17 | Whilst in Sachaka, Sonea develops feelings for Akkarin, but tries to hide them. However Sonea awakes Akkarin from a nightmare and accidentally senses his feelings for her - seeing herself through his eyes, she sees a far more beautiful and alluring woman than she ever saw when looking in the mirror. Akkarin is hesitant because he argues he is 13 years older than Sonea, but Sonea doesn't seem to care. They kiss, and later sleep together. As eventually comes out, Akkarin's recurring nightmare was about a woman fellow slave, with whom he had been in love during his captivity in Sachaka, and whose death he witnessed and was unable to prevent. Finding a new love with Sonea lays this ghost, and Akkarin ceases to have such nightmares. |
9570_18 | The two then return to the borders of Kyralia where they encounter Dorrien, who isn't too happy to see them there, he escorts them back to the border but they are ambushed by one of the Ichani (called Parika), who is eventually killed by Sonea using Healing Magic, and Akkarin drains his energy. The Ichani have no knowledge of Healing Magic, and are surprised when Sonea heals a cut in front of them. The three return to Dorrien's small home and discuss possible plans, they seem to decide one. Whereby Sonea and Akkarin will secretly return to Imardin, their city. |
9570_19 | Akkarin and Sonea return to Imardin and enlist the aid of the Thieves, including Cery, Sonea's old friend and slum dwellers in fighting the Ichani who now roam the city searching for victims to strengthen them. Sonea and Akkarin search the slum dwells for any magical potential and take it to strengthen their power, however, unlike the Ichani, they do not kill their helpers. The night before, Cery gives Akkarin and Sonea some changes of clothes, including full length, black, magician robes.
Sonea and Akkarin are able to pick off many of the Ichani one by one, while another is killed with the help of Regin, Sonea's old Novice enemy. One Ichani is then killed by the Thieves and another by the Guild. Eventually only three Ichani remain. But Lorlen is badly wounded, and tells Akkarin that he understands why he did what he did, he asks if Sonea is ok, and then he dies and Akkarin takes his ring. |
9570_20 | Unfortunately, the three Ichani left have been absorbing the magic from various magically constructed buildings, and increasing in strength. Before the remaining Ichani can absorb the magic held in the Guild buildings (including the Arena, which has masses of power around it), Akkarin and Sonea force the three into a final battle at the Guild. A climactic battle ensues and the Ichani begin to tire. However, the lead Ichani, Kariko, lays a trap and a knife springs out of the ground and stabs Akkarin through the chest.
As Akkarin is unable to fight, he persuades Sonea to make use of and channel his energy to supplement her dwindling reserves and with that combination of force, Sonea manages to destroy the last three Ichani. However, in doing so, all of Akkarin's life force is absorbed by Sonea, and he dies. 'He had given her too much power. He had given her everything.' |
9570_21 | Sonea deeply grieves for him and becomes extremely depressed, locking herself in her old room at Rothen's lodgings and losing the will to live - totally exhausted, physically and emotionally, and though never having been formally married to him, feels herself very much as Akkarin's widow.
Whilst Dannyl and Tayend, his assistant and lover, return to Elyne, the Higher Magicians debate about whom to appoint to various positions in the Guild and appoint Rothen as the Head of Alchemic Studies. Lord Osen will probably replace the late Lord Lorlen. Lord Balkan is expected to replace Akkarin. |
9570_22 | The Higher Magicians are reconciled to the need to have a recognised Black Magician, since otherwise the Guild and the country would be completely helpless before further invasions - and Sonea is the only possible candidate, since it seems the books left behind by Akkarin do not provide enough information on how to do it. At first they intend to impose on her the condition of not being allowed to leave the Guild premises. However, arguing against that restriction, Rothen explains to them that she joined the guild in order to help the poor, and they reconsider. They rule that if she is to venture out beyond the guild premises, she must be accompanied by an escort, and she must not venture beyond the city slums in which she seeks to aid the poor. |
9570_23 | In a matter of months the Guild builds a hospital for the slums, a reversal of the long-standing discriminatory policy whereby the Healing magic was only available to the Aristocratic Houses. Though Sonea has done only three years of training out of the five required of a novice, it is obviously out of the question to treat her as anything but a full-fledged magician; instead, Dorrien (who is still in love with her) and Lady Vinara volunteer, and are formally assigned, to complete Sonea's training as a Healer. She is also to wear black robes from then on, and the High Lord is to wear white.
In the final scene, Sonea spots her Aunt in the queue at the slum hospital with a baby in her arms and tells Rothen to call her over in the office. Her Aunt tells her what the problem is and Sonea gives her the prescriptions for the baby's fever. |
9570_24 | Sonea then hesitantly tries to explain to her Aunt that she would like her to come live in the guild with Sonea because she is in need of her help. At first, Sonea's aunt is confused, as is Rothen, but when Sonea taps her belly, Sonea's Aunt understands and they make explanations to Rothen. Sonea is fearful; she is carrying Akkarin's baby and didn't plan for it to happen. Sonea's Aunt smiles and soothingly assures her that she will indeed look after her, at least for a while, to help guide and prepare her for what is to come.
As already disclosed by the writer, Sonea would give birth to a son named Lorkin, who is a major character in the sequel "The Ambassador's Mission". |
9570_25 | Characters |
9570_26 | Sonea Former novice of Lord Rothen and High Lord Akkarin, first person to be admitted to the guild from the lower classes and first Guild Black Magician. Sonea, having learned of Akkarin's true nature and his reasons behind learning Black magic, sought to learn the art herself despite having to break the laws of the Guild to do so. She was banished to Sachaka along with Akkarin when the Guild learned of their practices, and having admitted to killing a woman - a murderer and Sachakan black magician. While in Sachaka the two fall in love and return to Imardin in secret, knowing that the Ichani are heading there also. She fights and kills Kariko, the leader of the Ichani, but doing so causes the death of Akkarin as well. Following that, Sonea loses the will to live. The Guild feel they need her to take the position as the Guild's official Black Magician, or else to teach somebody elso to take the role. To encourage her, they build a hospital in the slums and allow her to continue her |
9570_27 | education in healing. Finally, it is revealed that she is pregnant with Akkarin's son. |
9570_28 | High Lord Akkarin Beginning the novel as the main antagonist, Akkarin is Sonea's guardian. Sonea learned of the High Lord’s use of Black Magic, so he took her guardianship from Lord Rothen, claiming that she would benefit more from his influence. He is suspected by both Lorlen and Sonea to have committed a series of murders in the city. However it is revealed that Akkarin is not in fact the murderer, but has been trying to prevent the murders for some time. He learned Black magic after being captured and enslaved by a Sachakan outcast (Ichani). He escaped, killing the Ichani, to return to Imardin where he was appointed as High Lord, despite his youth. When Akkarin - and Sonea's - use of Black magic is discovered, both are banished from the Allied Lands and sent to Sachaka. Akkarin and Sonea fall in love, and return to Imardin in secret, knowing that the Ichani are heading there also. When fighting Kariko, the leader of the Ichani, Akkarin gives all of his strength to Sonea and dies as |
9570_29 | a result. |
9570_30 | Lord Rothen Sonea's former guardian. Rothen is the third person to learn of Akkarin's use of Black Magic. He volunteered to travel into Sachaka in disguise to discover more about the threat of invasion and to potentially seek out Sonea and Akkarin if necessary. He had not yet entered Sachaka when the Ichani invaded. Set to become Head of Alchemical Studies.
Administrator Lorlen A powerful magician and Akkarin's best friend. Lorlen was the second person to learn of Akkarin's use of Black Magic and the first to recognise it for what it was. He investigated a series of suspicious murders in the city, all the while being monitored by Akkarin through the use of a 'Blood Gem'. Lorlen was killed during the Ichani invasion.
Lord Osen Lorlen's assistant, has a mutual dislike of Akkarin, he is very distraught by Lorlen's death and later becomes Administrator for the Guild. |
9570_31 | Ambassador Dannyl Second Guild ambassador to Elyne and former novice of Lord Rothen. Dannyl was ordered by Akkarin to investigate and apprehend a group of rebels who sought to learn magic outside of the Guild.
Ceryni (Cery) Sonea's childhood friend, who is a dwell and now a high level Thief. He works along with Akkarin to quell the Sachakan invaders, he also finds help from a Sachakan female magician named Savara who is very secretive but helpful.
Lord Dorrien Rothen's son who holds feelings for Sonea. He helps Sonea and Akkarin return to Imardin after witnessing an Ichani attack in his home village where he works as a Healer.
Kariko Powerful Ichani magician and nominal leader of the invading Ichani, Kariko is brother of an Ichani killed by Akkarin. |
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