Act 1

;Scene 1 – June 1919 The Gibbons family has just moved into 17 Sycamore Road in Clapham in South London. Ethel expresses her relief that her husband Frank has survived army service in World War I and her pleasure at moving into their new home. Their new next-door neighbour, Bob Mitchell, introduces himself. He turns out to be an old army colleague of Frank's, and the two reminisce.

;Scene 2 – December 1925 After Christmas dinner, the grown-ups (Frank and Ethel, Ethel's mother Mrs Flint, and Frank's sister Sylvia) have retired to another room to leave the young people (Frank and Ethel's children: Vi, "a pleasant nondescript-looking girl of twenty"; Queenie, "a year younger... prettier and a trifle flashy"; and Reg, aged eighteen, "a nice-looking intelligent boy", Reg's friend Sam, and Queenie's friend Phyllis) alone. Sam indulges in a spot of socialist preaching against capitalism and injustice. The young women fail to accord him the respect he thinks he deserves, and he and Reg leave. Bob Mitchell's son Billy visits the house. He is left alone with Queenie, and there is a short love scene between them. Queenie baffles him by saying that she so hates suburban life that she would not make him a good wife, and rushes out. Frank enters and encourages Billy. After Billy leaves, Ethel and Frank chat together, partly to avoid Sylvia's singing in the room next door and partly for the pleasure of each other's company.

;Scene 3 – May 1926 It is the time of the General Strike of 1926. The women of the household bicker. Frank and Bob are strike-breaking as volunteer driver and conductor of a London bus. Reg, encouraged by Sam, is backing the strikers and has not been seen for some days. Frank and Bob enter, singing "Rule, Britannia!" at the top of their voices, having had a few drinks to celebrate their successful strike-breaking. Sam and Reg enter, the latter slightly injured from a fracas connected with the strike. Vi confronts Sam for leading Reg astray and throws him out. Left alone together, Frank and Reg exchange views, Frank's being traditionalist and Reg's idealistic. They bid each other good night on good terms.

Act 2

;Scene 1 – October 1931 On Reg's wedding day, Frank gives him paternal advice. The women of the household bicker. Queenie again complains of the tedium of suburban life. The family all leave for Reg and Phyl's wedding ceremony.

;Scene 2 – November 1931, midnight Queenie tip-toes downstairs in street clothes, carrying a suitcase. She puts a letter on the mantelpiece and leaves. Frank and Bob arrive after a convivial evening at a regimental dinner and amiably discuss the world in general. Ethel, woken by their noise, tells them off. Bob leaves. Frank and Ethel see Queenie's letter and open it. She has been having an affair with a married man and has run off with him. Ethel disowns Queenie as a member of the family. Frank is shocked at Ethel's intransigence. They retire to bed unhappily.

;Scene 3 – May 1932 The older members of the family discuss a letter they have received from Queenie in France. They are interrupted by the news that Reg and his wife have been killed in a road accident.

Act 3

;Scene 1 – December 1936 The family have been listening to ex-king Edward VIII's abdication broadcast. In the intervening time, Mrs Flint has died, and Vi and Sam, now married, have become comfortably middle-aged. Billy enters with the news that he has run into Queenie in Menton. Her lover had left her and returned to his wife, leaving Queenie stranded. After some prevarication Billy says that Queenie is with him and indeed is now his wife. Queenie enters, and there is an awkward but loving reconciliation between her and Ethel.

;Scene 2 – September 1938 It is the time of Neville Chamberlain's return from Munich and the false hopes of averting war. Sylvia is as delighted by the Munich agreement as Frank is bitterly opposed to it. Bob comes in to say goodbye. He is moving to the country. He and Frank reminisce and look forward to the future anxiously.

;Scene 3 – June 1939 Frank and Ethel are about to move to the country. The house is now almost empty of furniture as they prepare to leave. Frank is left alone with his youngest grandchild, also called Frank. He talks to the baby philosophically, in a long monologue about what it means to be British. Ethel calls him to supper.

The book's plot is set in the near future at a time when cloning has been legalised in the U.S. It is based around a Chicago-based cloning doctor, Davis Moore, whose daughter is brutally raped and killed. The doctor uses the murderer's DNA to clone him. The resulting clone is a boy called Justin Finn, whom Moore follows throughout his life, hoping the boy will offer a glimpse into the killer's psyche and perhaps enable Moore to find the identity of his daughter's murderer.

The film opens in October 1944, in the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. A small group of ''Sonderkommando'', prisoners assigned to dispose of the bodies of other dead prisoners, are plotting an insurrection that, they hope, will destroy at least one of the camp's four crematoria and gas chambers. They are receiving firearms from Polish citizens in the nearby village and gunpowder from the UNIO munitions factory; the female prisoners who work in the UNIO are smuggling the powder to the men's camp amid the bodies of their dead workers. When the women's activity is eventually discovered by the Germans they are savagely tortured but they don't reveal the plot. A Hungarian-Jewish doctor, Miklós Nyiszli, who works for the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele in an experimental medical lab, has received permission from Mengele to visit his wife and daughter in the women's labor camp. Nyiszli is concerned about the safety of his family and believes that Mengele's orders will keep them from the gas chambers.

A new trainload of Hungarian Jewish prisoners arrives and are sent to the gas chambers. As the group is given instructions about "delousing", a fearful, angry man in the group begins shouting questions at one of the ''Sonderkommandos'', Hoffman, who has been issuing the instructions. Hoffman beats him to death in an outburst of frustration, to make the man stop talking. After the gassing of this group, a badly shaken Hoffman finds a young girl alive beneath a pile of bodies. He removes her from the chamber and after informing the leader of the insurgency, Schlermer, takes her to a storage room and summons Nyiszli, who revives her. The group decides to hide her in the children's camp. While the prisoners hide her in a dressing room, SS-''Oberscharführer'' Eric Muhsfeldt suddenly walks in. Noticing that one of the prisoners present, Abramowics, is there illegally, he shoots him, prompting the girl to scream and to be discovered. Nyiszli then takes Muhsfeldt outside and tells him about the uprising but cannot tell him where or when it will begin. Muhsfeldt agrees to protect the young girl after the uprising is suppressed.

The insurrection begins and Crematorium IV is destroyed with the smuggled explosives. All the ''Sonderkommando'' prisoners who survive the explosions and gunfights with the SS are captured. They are held until the fire in the crematorium is extinguished, after which they are executed. Hoffmann and a fellow prisoner, Rosenthal, conclude that the girl will not be set free after she is forced to watch the executions. After all captives are shot, the girl is allowed to flee toward the main gate of the camp. Before she can run very far, Muhsfeldt draws his pistol and shoots her. The film closes with a voice-over recitation by the dead girl.

Ronald Beard, a screenwriter specialising in musicals, is grieving the death of his wife, Leonora, from cirrhosis of the liver. He is convinced by a Hollywood mogul to write a musical based on the life of Lord Byron, and Percy and Mary Shelley, so he makes the trip to Los Angeles to meet with the studio. There, he meets the photographer Paola Lucrezia Belli at a party and begins an affair, later following her to Rome.

In Rome, Beard gets down to work as Paola is called to Israel to take pictures of the Six Day War. While she is away, Beard is constantly interrupted by Gregory Gregson, a brash drunk who worked with Beard in the Colonial Service in Brunei, and mysterious phone calls from someone claiming to be Leonora. He also has to fend off Paola's ex-husband, the literary novelist Pathan, who lays claim to the contents of Paola's apartment.

Eventually, Beard, suffering from an unnamed, and terminal, tropical disease, settles down with Leonora's sister in England. He returns to Rome a final time to die, though his body refuses to give up.

The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew, an agoraphobic travel agent, and Dave, a loser who works in an office. Dave is fired from his job after his girlfriend frames him for embezzlement, Andrew is falsely accused of attempted child molestation, and their house is to be demolished by day's end. Both of them hide inside the house as police, city officials, and outraged neighbors surround it. Dave and Andrew open their front door and discover that the entire world beyond their house is gone, replaced with a featureless white void.

Eventually, after a simple test reveals that the nothingness surrounding them holds a flat, featureless, and somewhat springy surface "like tofu", they set out across the empty plane in order to explore their new surroundings, leaving items behind as a means of getting back. After running out of items to leave as a trail, they lose track of their path. Wandering leads them to what appears to be another house, but they have simply wandered back home.

Panic begins to set in again when Andrew realizes that the house is completely out of food. Andrew glances around the room, eventually stopping and glaring at a noisy clock on the wall; within a few seconds it disappears. Andrew drops a stack of overdue bills in front of Dave, and within seconds the bills abruptly disappear. Dave puts one last theory to test, managing to hate away his need for food.

Dave still expresses some concern over Andrew's remaining phobias, questioning why the phobias still exist when there is nothing left to fear. Reluctantly, Andrew reveals that he was abused and tormented by his parents as a child. With some urging from Dave he hates away the memory of each traumatic childhood event as he recounts it; when he is finally done he is no longer phobic and much more confident in himself. Unfortunately this change alters Andrew's personality and leads to friction between the two friends, finally building into an outright confrontation. They decide they can no longer share the same house, and opt to determine who keeps it by playing a match of their favorite fighting game. Dave loses, and is exiled with his possessions to reside out in the nothingness.

Things become very tense with Dave's departure. Dave attempts to engage Andrew in conversation repeatedly, even performing the national anthem for his self-created nation (its borders marked by a line of his possessions), all to no avail. After several days Dave comes into Andrew's house much happier and explains his sudden change of mood: he has hated away his anger at Andrew; all Andrew needs to do is hate away his anger at Dave and things will be back to normal. Andrew refuses, quite content to be angry at Dave. Dave hates away his anger several times as Andrew rebuffs and outright insults him, but his patience finally wears thin, leading Dave to hate away one of Andrew's possessions. Andrew retaliates by hating away one of Dave's possessions, and the situation escalates until everything including the house is hated away.

Dave walks away, assuming the argument is finished, but falls over suddenly as his feet begin to disappear; Andrew is hating them away. He turns and retaliates, hating away Andrew's legs, and the situation escalates again until all that is left of the two are their disembodied heads. Refusing to give up the fight, Andrew and Dave manage to turn themselves and (by bouncing) charge at each other, headbutting each other repeatedly until they finally stop, exhausted. Their anger abated, Dave and Andrew make up, agree to be best friends again, and set off to explore the nothingness. As they bounce away into the white void they remark how they both had always thought that their bodies were somehow holding them back.

In a post-credits scene, an obviously older Dave and Andrew – still disembodied heads – are sleeping when they are awakened by a popping sound, followed by a loud clamoring of voices and noise. As the unseen source of the clamoring gets louder and closer the two scream.

Though a lowly Chicago street cleaner, Swedish immigrant Paul Kroll is ambitious and unscrupulous. When a fellow employee is fired (due to one of Kroll's schemes), Kroll convinces his foreman to keep him on the payroll (officially at least) so they can split his salary. Soon there are eight "phantom" workers, and Kroll and his partner have amassed enough money for a ticket back to Sweden. However, Kroll has been romancing his partner's wife, Babe, behind his back.

Meanwhile, he has also been lying to the people of his hometown in Sweden, telling them what a successful businessman he has become. As a result, when the local match factory is in trouble, his uncle begs him to return and save it. Kroll gets Babe to withdraw the money he has stolen, deceiving her into thinking they are running away together, then leaves her behind as he sails away to Sweden.

He cons the local bank into giving him a loan to buy a second match factory so he can merge them. Only his old friend Erik Borg knows the truth about Kroll's "success", so Kroll recruits him as his all-too-trusting second in command in his expanding business. Though corrupt, he is also a brilliant business visionary and eventually Kroll owns all of the match factories in Sweden. However, his ambitions do not stop there. Using information he obtains from beautiful, well-placed women he has charmed, he gains official match monopolies, first in Poland, then in Germany and other countries, by offering loans to cash-strapped governments and bribes to corrupt officials.

While dining with Ilse Wagner, one of his conquests, he is dazzled by the beauty of rising actress Marta Molnar. Despite her initial rebuffs, he goes to great lengths to win her heart, even hiring a celebrated "gypsy violinist" to serenade her. Uncharacteristically, he dangerously neglects his business, financed by an ever-growing series of loans. When Marta leaves for Hollywood, he reluctantly returns his attention to his company. One of his agents discovers that an eccentric recluse named Christian Hobe has invented an everlasting match, so Kroll has him locked away as a madman.

When the stock market crashes, Kroll no longer can obtain a bank loan. In desperation, he buys $50 million in fake Italian bonds from forger Scarlatti, whom he then dumps in the middle of a lake to drown. With the bonds as collateral, he obtains a $40 million loan from an American bank. Marta has returned to Sweden and Kroll thinks of retiring, but when he asks Marta to marry him, he discovers that, in his frequent absences, she has fallen in love with Trino, the gypsy violinist. Much worse, his forgeries are detected, and his American loan is canceled. Kroll shoots himself on the balcony and his body tumbles into the gutter, where he started.

On Colony 34, LIVE 34 is a news station delivering news every hour of every day. But there are explosions happening and people are dying — or are they? What is the connection between Citizen Doctor, a Rebel Queen and a paramedic named Hex?

One night at Camp Blackfoot, several campers pull a prank on the caretaker named Cropsy by setting a worm-riddled skull with candles in the eye sockets next to his bed. When the caretaker is awoken by the campers banging on his window, he gets frightened by the skull and accidentally knocks it onto his bed, starting a fire. The flames reach a gas tank, which ignites Cropsy and his cabin. He runs outside, engulfed in flames, and stumbles down into a river as the boys flee. Despite his horrific injuries, Cropsy survives.

Five years later, Cropsy is released from the hospital despite dealing with failed skin grafts and wears a coat and hat to hide his deformities. A prostitute lures him to her apartment, where he stabs her with scissors in a fit of rage. He then arms himself with a pair of garden shears and sets out to another summer camp, Camp Stonewater. At the camp, the counselors and campers are playing softball when Tiger, one of the campers, goes to search for the ball lost in the woods. She finds the ball and runs back to the game, narrowly avoiding Cropsy.

The next morning, a camper named Alfred scares Sally as she steps out of the shower. Her screams bring the attention of counselors Michelle and Todd, and campers Karen and Eddy catch him. Michelle is furious at Alfred's actions and demands that he leaves, but Todd talks to him; he learns that Alfred has no friends and was merely pulling a prank on Sally. Sally's boyfriend Glazer confronts Alfred, but Todd gets him to back off, and the latter apologizes to Sally. Alfred spots Cropsy outside his window that night, but nobody believes him.

The following day, the campers are brought by Todd and Michelle on a canoe trip down to the river Devil's Creek. After Todd tells them about the legend of Cropsy, Karen and Eddy go to a lake to skinny dip. He leaves upset when she reconsiders having sex with him, and Karen leaves the lake to find her clothes scattered in the woods. As she collects them, Cropsy slashes her throat with his shears. The next morning, Michelle finds Karen and the canoes missing. Eddy, Fish, Woodstock, Diane, and Barbara search for the canoes on a makeshift raft. They spot a canoe and paddle to it, but Cropsy ambushes them by jumping out from the canoe and savagely murders them all with his shears.

Glazer has sex with Sally in the woods but suffers premature ejaculation. When he leaves to get matches for a campfire, Cropsy shoves his shears into Sally's chest. Her boyfriend returns only for Cropsy to stab him through the throat and pin him to a tree. Alfred witnesses his death and wakes up Todd, but Todd is rendered unconscious by Cropsy, who then chases after Alfred. Meanwhile, Michelle finds the mutilated bodies on the makeshift raft and brings the remaining campers back to the camp to contact the authorities.

Todd regains consciousness and chases after the killer with an axe. Cropsy grabs Alfred inside an abandoned mineshaft and pins him to a wall with his shears. Todd discovers Karen's body and sees Cropsy armed with a flamethrower, where he begins to remember being involved with the prank. He is attacked by Cropsy, who reveals his disfigurements, and Alfred frees himself to stab him with his own shears. Before they can leave, Cropsy reappears, and Todd ultimately slams the axe into his face, killing him. Alfred ignites his body with his own flamethrower, and they make their way outside to Michelle, who brought the police with her, as Cropsy's body burns away. At a campfire, another group of teenagers is seen retelling the story of Cropsy.

Alma, a frightened woman, is running down a small stream when an unseen assailant murders her. A bird watcher has his arm hacked off and gets murdered off-screen. Four friends—Peter, Joanne, Ingrid, and Craig—are trekking through the nearby wilderness. Unbeknownst to them, another tourist gets thrown over a waterfall—landing near some oblivious frolickers—and his mother is wounded and dragged away. The four backpackers set up camp for the night. Elsewhere, a pair of honeymooners named Dick and Cherry get attacked. Dick gets murdered off-screen when he exits the van to investigate a noise. Cherry, now paranoid, arms herself with a small bust. The killer throws Dick's body against one of the windows, and Dick spits blood on it. The killer rocks the van back and forth, tumbling it down a small hill where it catches on fire with Cherry still inside. The next day, the two couples continue their hike; meanwhile, the killer stabs an artist painting a scenic view to death and kidnaps her young daughter.

Two more campers get butchered; the killer slits one's throat and hangs the other's sleeping bag from a tree before killing her with a spear. Alone, Peter witnesses a fisherman murdered with a bear trap to the head. The killer turns out to be a spear-wielding wild man sporting furs and rags. Peter rushes off to warn his friends, but the maniac gets to them first, slicing Craig's arm off. Craig screams, attracting Ingrid to come running to investigate, and Joanne flees into the woods by herself. Ingrid finds the campsite aftermath of Craig and Joanne and runs away. Peter later finds Ingrid at another person's wrecked camp before the two come across the wild man's cabin and go inside. They find several sleeping bags hanging from the ceiling and junk littered across the floor. Peter accidentally triggers a trap that reveals Craig's body wrapped in a plastic sheet. Peter and Ingrid flee the cabin. A hiker finds a stick covered in tiny metal objects and takes it; Peter and Ingrid hear the stick jingling, and Peter kills him, mistaking him for the wild man. The killer tosses a sharpened stick into the hiker, killing him. Then he wounds Ingrid with two of the spears. Before he can finish her off, Peter grabs her hand, and they escape. They walk several miles before finding a chairlift and seeing a small town, which they enter.

Irrational due to guilt over leaving Joanne behind, Peter escapes from the hospital he and Ingrid are brought to and returns to the woods. Joanne finds a campsite containing a dead body and flees in terror. She finds the wild man's cabin. Joanne encounters the wild man and attempts to escape through an open window but gets hacked to death with a machete. The police form a posse—including Ingrid—to hunt the maniac and find Peter and Joanne. The sheriff finds the cabin, where he uncovers Joanne's body, leaving Peter even more distraught.

The wild man claims another victim—a man in a wheelchair who is decapitated—by nightfall. Ingrid steals a machete and looks for Peter. She finds him by morning, along with the savage they stab to death in a frenzy, only stopping when the search party arrives. As everyone leaves the forest, the baby taken from the artist is shown alone in the wilderness, playing with a hatchet.

Alex is a serial killer driving around New York City at night when he spots a young woman, Susan, driving alongside him. He follows her to a nearby park, where he rapes her before strangling her to death. He then takes her locket as a trophy.

Sometime later, Alex and his friend Ricky are closing up the underground garage where they both work, planning to go to a local disco. Before they can leave, a Cadillac pulls in with a young, well-dressed couple, Tom and his girlfriend Lisa, asking for help with their car. Alex refuses to help them, saying that the garage is closed, but the slow-witted Ricky decides to help and easily fixes the problem. Tom tells Alex and Ricky that they are driving to a friend's house in New Jersey for a party and invites them along. Before leaving, Alex stops by his locker, filled with various weapons he uses to murder people, and takes a straight-edged razor.

The four arrive at a large villa where they are welcomed by the owner, Gloria, and her friends Glenda and Howard. Minutes later, it becomes obvious to Alex and Ricky that the rich people are looking for easy thrills. Gloria asks Ricky to do a striptease to some disco music, and is further humiliated by being goaded to drink alcohol with each move. However, Alex stops Ricky before he strips completely naked. Tom, Howard, and Glenda next play poker with Ricky, while Lisa begins sexually teasing Alex and invites him upstairs to shower with her, only to push him away. As Alex grows more frustrated, he sees that the hosts are cheating at poker with Ricky. Alex pulls out the straight-edge razor, and a fight breaks out between him and Howard. Alex throws Howard outside the back door, beats him viciously, and throws him into the pool. Laughing, Alex urinates on Howard and drags him back inside, tying him to a piano leg and proclaiming that he is running the party now.

Alex and Ricky proceed to beat on their hosts-turned-hostages, with Alex slashing Tom's face with the razor and smashing his face into the poker table. Ricky holds the others at bay with a wine bottle while Alex sexually assaults both Gloria and Glenda. Lisa runs to an upstairs bedroom where she tries to escape, but Alex catches her and proceeds to rape her. When Alex takes Lisa downstairs to rejoin the others, the doorbell rings. Alex forces Gloria to answer; when she opens the door, it's their teenage neighbor, Cindy. Alex grabs Cindy while Gloria tries to escape. Still holding the broken wine bottle, Ricky runs outside after Gloria and catches her, showing Gloria that he means no harm by tossing aside the wine bottle. Gloria responds to his simple nature by taking off her clothes and seducing him.

Inside, Alex cuts Cindy's blouse off with the razor while singing. Ricky then returns to the house with Gloria just as Alex forces Cindy to strip off the rest of her clothes and repeatedly slash her with his razor. At this point, Ricky changes his mind and attempts to stop Alex. Upset at being betrayed by his friend, Alex turns against Ricky, slashes his abdomen wide open, and then breaks down in regret.

Bloodied and battered, Tom runs into the nearby study and pulls a 9mm pistol out from a desk drawer. Tom shoots Alex a few times, then kicks him through the glass back door. Gloria and the other women untie Howard, and the five descend upon the fatally wounded Alex lying on the ground. Tom removes the locket Alex is wearing and reveals the reason for all this: the woman Alex raped and murdered at the park is Tom's sister, and Tom wanted revenge. He and Lisa lured them to Gloria's house so they could kill them and make it look like self-defense. After shouting at him, Tom shoots the wounded Alex in the groin, making him fall into the swimming pool. Tom and Lisa take turns shooting Alex, who thrashes weakly in the water before a final bullet to the head by Howard finishes him for good.

Gloria stops Howard from shooting Ricky after returning to the house, while Glenda tends to the wounded Cindy. Tom and Lisa go into the study to talk about their plan. Tom says that it worked out for the best despite some mistakes and then picks up the phone to call the police.

In Colombia, siblings Rudy and Gloria and their friend Pat prepare for a journey into the rainforest. They plan to prove Gloria's theory that cannibalism is a myth. The trio encounters a drug dealer named Mike and his business partner Joe. Joe is badly wounded; Mike explains that cannibals attacked them. Gloria goes missing during the night, and Rudy finds a native village while looking for her.

Due to Joe's injuries, the travelers decide to stay in the nearly deserted village. Mike seduces the naive Pat. In a cocaine-fueled rage, he encourages Pat to kill a native girl. She is unable to do it, so Mike kills the girl himself. In his dying moments, Joe reveals that he and Mike were responsible for the cannibals' aggression. They came to the region to exploit the natives for emeralds and cocaine, taking advantage of their trust in white men. One day, while high on cocaine, Mike brutally tortured and killed their native guide in full view of the tribe. A badly charred body, previously believed to be that of a different guide, is actually this native. Mike kidnapped a native girl to lead them out of the jungle, but the outsiders were followed and attacked.

After the murder of the native girl, the cannibals finally snap and hunt the outsiders. Joe dies of his wounds, and his body is found and cannibalized by the natives in full view of Rudy and Gloria, hiding from the natives. Mike and Pat abandon the others, but all are captured by the natives and forced into a cage. The prisoners are forced to watch Mike as he is tortured, beaten, including having his penis sliced off with a large machete-like knife and then eaten by a native villager. The natives transport their prisoners to another village, but Rudy manages to escape. He is caught in a booby trap in the jungle, and his bleeding wounds attract piranhas. He begs the natives to help him. The natives shoot him with a poisoned dart, and he dies instantly in front of everyone.

Pat and Gloria are put in a hole in the ground. Mike is placed in a separate cage. A native man, whom Pat had saved from Mike's aggression, lowers a rope into the hole so the women can escape. Mike digs his way out of the cage, chases the man away, and cuts the rope, preventing the women from escaping. Mike flees into the jungle, where he tries to attract the attention of a search and rescue plane, but he is recaptured. The natives sever one of his hands and drag him back to the village. The search plane lands, but the natives tell the rescuers that the outsiders' canoe capsized in the river and crocodiles ate them.

As the search team leaves, Pat is bound, stripped to the waist, and the natives run hooks through her breasts to be hung by them. Gloria can only watch as Pat dies a slow and painful death. Meanwhile, Mike's head is locked in a crude contraption, and the top of his skull is cut off so that the natives can eat his exposed brain. During the night, the sympathetic native returns and frees Gloria. He guides her through the jungle but falls victim to one of the natives' booby traps. Gloria eventually encounters a pair of trappers, who take her to safety. Instead of telling the true story, she recounts the natives' lie about the others being eaten by crocodiles.

Gloria, deeply disturbed by her experiences, returns to civilization. She publishes a book titled, ''Cannibalism: End of a Myth'', which lies to support her theory and covers up the events of her ordeal.

It is three years since the Sixth Doctor helped repel the Killoran invasion of Világ, and he brings a new friend, Mel, to meet an old one. Evelyn Smythe, his former companion is now married to Principal Triumvir Rossiter. But Evelyn has made political enemies, among them her own stepdaughter Sofia, and the reunion takes a deadly turn when Evelyn and Mel are kidnapped.

After returning from the Divergent Universe, the Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard and C'rizz land in a corridor and are captured by Davros and several Daleks. Charley and C'rizz are taken into a cell, but Davros wants to talk to the Doctor. In Davros's lab, the Doctor notices Davros is suffering from mood swings and sometimes talks in a different voice. Davros needs the Doctor's help for something, but cannot explain what. Charley and C'rizz are freed by a woman called Gemma Griffin, who starts to lead them to an escape route. Elsewhere, a woman called Harriet Griffin is throwing a party, but her son, Samson Griffin, is in a bad mood and angrily goes outside when his mother mentions his sister, as he believes his sister only existed in his mother's imagination. As he runs outside, he begins to hear the Doctor's and Gemma's voices in his head. Meanwhile, Charley is separated from C'rizz after Gemma closes a hatch door to slow down the pursuing Daleks; C'rizz assumes Charley has been killed and agrees to join Gemma's resistance. Charley finds another way to the surface and finds Sam about to throw himself off a cliff, but, as she tries, Sam reveals that the Daleks have invaded Earth. Meanwhile, the Doctor comes to the conclusion that Davros is losing his identity and mentally becoming the Emperor Dalek. Davros begs the Doctor to help him regain his identity.

Davros reveals that he has made a clone of his body and asks the Doctor to transfer his mind into the clone so he can sever his ties to the Daleks and lead a normal life. A mutant then approaches, and C'rizz kills it. Elsewhere, Charley takes Samson back to the house and confronts Harriet about the Dalek base. Harriet explains that, since the Daleks have left the humans in the area alone, they have decided to throw parties to distract themselves from worrying about the Daleks. Samson has a fit and asks Charley for the Doctor. Davros tells the Doctor about what happened after the destruction of Skaro. After being left alone in the dark for years, Davros created the virus that the Fourth Doctor discussed with him, which, when it was unleashed on the earth, mutated millions of people into Dalek creatures. Davros then gives the Doctor a second virus that will completely wipe out all life and offers to let him use it, but the Doctor refuses. Davros shows him what Charley and C'rizz are doing and tells Gemma to give C'rizz a gun and ask him to shoot her. Davros then changes the screen to the party where Samson is still having a fit, and Harriet explains that Samson disappeared with Gemma before the Daleks came, but returned later with no memory of Gemma or where he had been. Charley finds an implant in Samson's head and shows him the TARDIS key, which he recognises. The Doctor finds Samson and Gemma's faces familiar; Davros reveals that they were the Doctor's old companions before he met Charley.

The Doctor now remembers that Samson was working at a library that the Doctor visited, and Samson and Gemma decided to follow him back to the TARDIS, where they joined his adventures. At the same time, Davros's escape pod was blown into the time vortex by the exploding Dalek Mothership, where he was picked up by an alien time ship in which he killed all the inhabitants. The TARDIS landed on the ship, and Samson and Gemma found Davros, who forced them into taking him on board the TARDIS, where he overpowered the Doctor, deleted the Doctor's memories of his recent travels, linked Samson's mind to the TARDIS and took Samson and Gemma home, and left, leaving the Doctor to experience the events of Storm Warning. Samson returned to his home, but experienced the TARDIS's travels via his dreams, which Davros used to track the Doctor. Gemma then spread Davros's virus, giving him enough Dalek creatures to create an army of Daleks. Gemma is then ordered to ask C'rizz for the gun back, and they carry on. Samson now has his memory back, and Harriet reveals that her party guests are in fact the British resistance and that the parties are just a cover story. The Doctor leaves the lab, despite Davros's pleas for the Doctor to grant him euthanasia. After the Doctor reaches the surface he concludes that the Daleks are only pretending to be loyal to Davros, but he can't work out why; he decides to wait for the French resistance with the others. As they reach the end of the tunnel, C'rizz accuses Gemma of manipulating him, and as she opens a door a Dalek greets her; Gemma then reveals that the Daleks are posing as the French resistance.

The Daleks explain that they want to kill Davros to free themselves from him; the Doctor agrees to help them. In the tunnel, Gemma reveals herself to be a Dalek agent, explaining that the Daleks need a new Dalek Emperor and have chosen C'rizz. He destroys one with his bare hands, but they show him the casing and force him inside by threatening to kill an unflinching Gemma, and the machine then attempts to mentally turn him into a Dalek. The Doctor removes Samson's link to the TARDIS and confronts Davros. Despite Davros's request, the Doctor refuses to kill Davros, instead watching as Daleks enter the room. They in turn refuse Davros' order to exterminate the Doctor. He has threatened to use Davros's virus unless they leave Earth, but the Daleks insist that the Doctor has promised them a new emperor. C'rizz is freed and arrives, but without Gemma who, he later reveals to the Doctor privately, "didn't make it". The Daleks destroy the clone and so Davros's Dalek Emperor personality finally overpowers the rest of his mind; he leaves to become the leader of the Daleks. The Doctor tells C'rizz to keep his meeting with Gemma secret, removes Davros's taint from Samson's mind and gives Harriet the virus as a deterrent to defend Earth if the Daleks threaten to return.

The episode concludes when the Doctor takes the TARDIS to Blackpool. While he and Charley enjoy it, however, C'rizz stays in bed thinking about all the people he's "saved" – that is, killed – talking to them in his mind. Among the voices is now a Dalek – and Gemma... and he drifts off to sleep wondering when he might have to "save" the Doctor and Charley.

The Fifth Doctor, Erimem and Peri travel to the city of Nicaea in 325 AD, to witness the First Council of Nicaea. However, religious fervour is running high, and theological disputes threaten to spill over into actual violence. In the midst of this, the Doctor and Erimem find themselves on different sides.

A baby boy mysteriously appears on Asterix's doorstep one sunny morning. Stung by speculation that he could be the father, Asterix sets out with Obelix to find the baby's parents. Their only clue is the embroidered linen of the baby's clothes and wrappings, suggesting he comes from a rich Roman family. The Romans attempt to kidnap the baby, at the behest of Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar's adopted son. Getafix realizes that the baby was left in the village for its protection.

While in the village, the baby twice drinks the magic potion, first by accident when Obelix uses a half-full potion gourd as a feeding bottle; later, he falls into a nearly-empty cauldron of potion. The baby smashes the doors of several houses and harms the Roman spies sent to capture him, including a legionary disguised as a rattle peddler, and the Prefect of Gaul, Crismus Cactus, who is disguised as a nursemaid. Finally, Brutus takes matters into his own hands, attacking the village with his own legions and burning it to the ground. The men of the village entrust the baby to the women, before fighting the Romans. Brutus seizes the baby from the women and escapes with the help of the pirates, but soon Asterix and Obelix catch up with him and rescue the baby.

The unexpected arrival of Caesar and then Cleopatra resolves the mystery. The baby is their son, Caesarion. Brutus had sought to kill the baby in order to become sole heir to Caesar's property and fortune, so Cleopatra had the boy sent to the Gaulish village for his protection. Caesar exiles Brutus to Upper Germania and promises to rebuild the village. The story ends with a banquet on Cleopatra's royal barge.

After fighting the Belgians in the northern part of Gaul, Caesar states that they are the bravest enemies he has ever faced (historically claimed by Caesar). His soldiers agree with him, to the point when they consider being posted to the camps outside Asterix's village as a period of leave.

Chief Vitalstatistix is aghast at the idea that his village, which has been the terror of the Romans for years, is now looked upon as relatively harmless. He is further outraged when he hears of Caesar's remarks. He claims that "his villagers" are in fact the bravest men of Gaul, and travels to Belgium to prove his point. A reluctant Asterix and Obelix go with him after Getafix tells them not doing so could make the story come to a sticky end.

After crossing the border, they encounter a village of Belgians who rely on brute strength (and a regular diet of meat and beer) to successfully scare off Caesar's troops. These Belgians are led by two chiefs, Beefix of the Nervii and Brawnix of the Menapii (though Brawnix comes across mainly as a second-in-command).

To prove that the Gauls are the bravest, Vitalstatistix proposes a competition. The contest consists of raiding and destroying Roman camps on either side of the village. The Belgians and Gauls destroy the camps, telling the soldiers who they are. By the end they have destroyed an equal number of camps. Meanwhile, the Pirates' ship is wrecked when Obelix throws a boulder catapulted at him too high, causing the Captain to complain, saying he and his men are neutrals. Word is sent to Rome, though the facts are exaggerated, talking about vast hordes of Gauls, a savage pack of hounds, and a mysterious fleet of neutrals. Caesar goes to Belgium himself to restore order unaware of the fact that the whole thing is to get him to decide once and for all which side is the bravest.

Upon Caesar's arrival, Asterix and Obelix go to meet him under a flag of truce. Asterix proposes that Caesar meet both parties at an arranged meeting point and tell them they are equally brave so they can all go home. Outraged at being reduced to a mere umpire (as opposed to emperor), Caesar furiously declares that he will meet them in battle instead. In the ensuing fight, the Romans get their way in the early stages of the battle through the use of catapults. But then the three Gauls, and their magic potion, join the Belgians after they thwart a Roman flanking maneuver, and, by combining their efforts, the Gauls win the battle.

With the battle lost, Caesar decides to leave for Rome. On his way he comes across the Gaulish and Belgian chiefs. Caesar proudly announces that he will lay down his life, but the chiefs only want to know who is the bravest. Caesar angrily declares them simply all "crazy" and leaves Vitalstatistix and Beefix laughing the incident off. They have to face the fact that they are all equally brave and, after a victory feast, part on good terms.

The first five chapters loosely followed the Kübler-Ross model of the stages of grief.

Act One

Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) has recently been having black outs, dizzy spells, and enigmatic dreams, which includes Morlun, Kraven the Hunter, frogs, Uncle Ben, and spidery imagery. In confronting a new villain calling himself Tracer who is robbing a bank, Spider-Man suffers a bullet wound to the shoulder. Tracer escapes, while Peter goes to see Dr. Castillo, a doctor recommended to him by Captain America, who treats Peter's wound and takes a blood test. Dr. Castillo later informs Peter that he is dying, which Peter relates to his wife, Mary Jane Watson-Parker.

Later, May Parker, who wakes up from a strange dream and, after being yelled at by an emotional Peter, goes to the kitchen and finds Tracer. Tracer tells her that he is a reserve Avenger who is there to watch over her. During their conversation, he tells May that he is a machine god; in the same way that humans created gods, machines created him. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is fighting Tracer's robot followers in the city when his powers start to fail. Morlun confronts him and tells Peter that he would rather watch Peter deteriorate than fight him. Spider-Man returns home and, finding Tracer, attacks him. However, Tracer assesses his health and refuses to fight him in his current state. Peter becomes enraged at Tracer's nonchalant attitude about his plans to kill Aunt May, and strangles Tracer to death. His skin melts away to reveal a machine body. After this, Peter tells Aunt May what is wrong with him.

Act Two

Peter goes to see Mister Fantastic, who tells him that his condition is not caused by cancer or a viral or bacterial infectious disease. He is informed by Yellowjacket that the illness was caused by a radiation-based infectious disease. Peter goes to see Bruce Banner, an expert on radiation-based mutation. Banner tells Peter that at the rate the infection is spreading, a cure could not be developed in time to do any good. Peter then sees the Black Panther (who had mapped the human genome fifty years before Western scientists) on Banner's suggestion, but he also cannot find the source of Peter's illness. Back in New York City, Peter encounters the Enforcer Ox and, thinking him to be Morlun, fights him. In his anger, Peter almost kills him before Daredevil stops him. Later, Peter goes to Doctor Strange, who tells him he cannot use his magic to cure Peter and tells Peter to prepare himself for death.

Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May go to Latveria to use Dr. Doom's Time Machine to see past scenes in his life, like the day Richard Parker and Mary Fitzpatrick-Parker left Peter in the care of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. After returning to Stark Tower, Peter plans a trip to Las Vegas with Mary Jane, namely in Tony Stark's penthouse suite. As he thinks of what it would be like in Las Vegas, Peter thinks about using his spider-sense to win at blackjack, in the hopes of making enough money for his family after he is gone, but of course, even Vegas would most likely be hit by super villains he would have to fight. In New York, Morlun is looking for Spider-Man (in vain) as Peter and Mary–Jane are in one of Stark's space pods, looking down upon the Earth.

Later, Peter tries to clear his head with web slinging. Not expecting to be attacked, Peter is caught off-guard when Morlun attacks him. The ensuing fight sends Spider-Man flying through J. Jonah Jameson's office. Spider-Man then moves the fight away from civilians and to Empire State University, where he was bitten by the spider that gave him his powers. The fight intensifies as momentum swings from Morlun's side to Spider-Man's side. After an exhausting array of punches and kicks, Spider-Man starts to think that he has the victory after a titanic and epic duel that raged across the city. However, an unscathed Morlun tears Spider-Man's left eye out and devours it before savagely pummeling Spider-Man, and leaves him beaten and unconscious.

Act Three

Before Morlun can kill Spider-Man, the police show up and Morlun leaves Spider-Man's bloody, unconscious body, planning to finally drain his life force when the hero is alone. The paramedics take the near-dead Spider-Man to the hospital, with the Avengers and Mary Jane Watson on the way as well when they hear what happened on television, and they learn that Spider-Man's injuries are too severe. Morlun goes to the unconscious Spider-Man's hospital bed to finish him off, but MJ attempts to stop Morlun, who effortlessly throws her across the room and also breaks her arm. Peter suddenly wakes up, and using the last of his strength, the savage, animalistic spider-side of himself takes over (granting him sharp teeth and stingers in his wrists), and he attacks Morlun, pinning the villain and impaling his arms to the floor. Peter then violently bites and tears out Morlun's neck, killing him. Reverting to normal, Peter says goodbye to MJ and falls to the floor, seemingly dead. As Aunt May and Mary Jane break down over the news, Iron Man takes Spider-Man's body, so that the public will not know that Spider-Man is dead.

Spider-Man is thought to be dead, and Iron Man transports his body away from the hospital. Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Jarvis, Iron Man's butler, meet together to grieve over Spider-Man's/Peter's death. After inspecting the body, Mary Jane talks to both Captain America and Iron Man over how to divulge the secret identity of Spider-Man. Later Wolverine flirts with MJ but to no avail as Mary Jane conceives it as another one of Wolverine's attempts to seduce her into an affair; it turns out that Wolverine only did so in an attempt to deflect her mind from the loss of her husband. After being unable to sleep, Mary Jane has a conversation with another New Avengers member, Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), who tells her that her own and Peter's powers both derived from the spider, and that she could sense when Peter was going down; this obviously is through the mystical side of their powers. Both Spider-Woman and Spider-Man got their powers via radiation involving some form of spider DNA, and thus their powers are extremely similar. In the middle of the talk, there is an audible crash from the chamber where Peter Parker's body is kept. Mary Jane and the New Avengers arrive at the scene, to find that Peter's body has been hollowed out. Judging by the amount of glass outside the window, Captain America judges that the intruder escaped but not entered through the window. Mary Jane discovers the secret: all that is left is a skin. The scene cuts to a teacher explaining about spiders to her class and how a few rare species can shed their skin and begin anew. As the class goes to leave, we see a cocoon of webbing fastened to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Several days have passed since Peter shed his skin and begins with Iron Man flying around searching for him. Under the Brooklyn Bridge, Peter sleeps inside his cocoon and has a strange dream. A voice tells him he never understood what he was, accusing him of being too scared to truly be a "Spider-Man", only focusing on the human part and neglecting the spider part. Morlun managed to kill the human part of Peter, but the spider in him survived and killed Morlun, saving them both. The voice tells him that he will only be reborn if he accepts both parts, and warns him that Peter could be reborn very differently. Peter's soul agrees and is reborn, naked but outwardly human. He goes to the Avengers Tower and swears to Mary Jane and Aunt May that he will never leave them again. Later in the night, Peter goes to the lab where his husk is and recalls the final warning of the voice: "Are you the man who dreamed of being a spider? Or the spider who dreamed of being a man? Are you the one...or are you '''the other'''?" Shaking off the warning, Peter removes the wedding ring from the husk and heads back to bed.

Act Four

Peter gets a check up from Stark. As it turns out, Peter's wounds from his old enemies have been healed, including his missing left eye, and even the tonsils he lost in fourth grade have reappeared. As Stark puts it, Peter's "odometer had been reset" (this would be the first time he had an exoskeleton processed). Before the test could continue, Aunt May stopped it and told Peter to "go play." So Peter and Mary Jane go out and swing throughout the city, talking about how they feel about the recent events that have occurred. Meanwhile, in Stark Tower, pirate spiders have started to eat Peter's old dead body. When Spider-Man returns, he finds the top of Stark Tower covered in webbing. Inside the tower, Spider-Man finds the pirate spiders with Peter's old body. Using Peter's skin as a base, they have formed a body of their own. Engaging in battle, Spider-Man finds that the stingers he used to fight Morlun appear once again, but he is confused because "Spiders do not have stingers!" Before anything else can happen, the pirate Spider punches through the walls of Stark Tower and runs off. Spider-Man chases it down, but then it heads into the sewer. It forms a cocoon in a church. Spider-Man tells the New Avengers he has no idea about it and they want to run some more tests on him.

In a subplot, Flash Thompson, awakened from a coma, attempts to get a job at the school where Peter teaches. He is missing some memories, as he still calls Peter "puny Parker" and says that he has not seen him since high school.

Peter follows the otherworldly being (who may be "The Other"), only for it to inform him that they are both parts of the same whole, that spider-based cosmic forces are vying for control of his life and that she (the being possesses recognizably female build) is his opposite. Apparently, although a spider-deity known as "The Great Weaver" (also seen and mentioned in ''Araña: The Heart of the Spider'') thought that Spidey's death was premature and pulled him back from his fate, others disagreed – and Peter feels his life being pulled in different directions as a result, at the center of a metaphorical spider's web where he is unsure if he is the predator or the prey.

Peter is still in a state of confusion and is having some sort of an identity crisis after his rebirth. With no time to contemplate the events of days past, Spider-Man rushes to the scene of an explosion where a building was just demolished and people are trapped under the debris. Spider-Man quickly begins to "dig" into the remains of the building, and in his attempt to find survivors, he discovers that his soul was imbued new powers from the dream, including night vision, the ability to feel vibrations through his webbing, and the ability to adhere to objects via the skin on his back, allowing him to securely carry items such as the small girl he found and rescued.

Spider-Man successfully rescues a few survivors and learns that his new powers have appeared because he is now "embracing the Other." Peter then returns home to be with Mary Jane, and they watch the nightly news which portrays Spider-Man as a hero. The issue and this storyline conclude with Tony Stark beginning work on a new costume for Spider-Man.

After Obelix single-handedly defeats a newly arrived battalion of Roman soldiers, Julius Caesar ponders over how to defeat the village of rebellious Gauls. A young Roman called Preposterus, using his studies in economics, proposes that the Gauls to be integrated into capitalism. Caesar agrees, sending Preposterus to one of the village's outlying Roman camps. Upon meeting Obelix carrying a menhir through the forest, Preposterus claims to be a menhir buyer and offers to make Obelix a rich man, on the pretext it will give him power, by buying every menhir he can make. Obelix agrees and begins making and delivering a single menhir a day to him.

Demand for his goods increases in time, forcing Obelix to hire villagers – while some aid him, the others hunt boar for himself and his new workers. The resulting workload causes him to neglect his faithful companion Dogmatix, while Asterix refuses to help him, concerned on what this is doing to him. As Obelix grows wealthy and begins wearing ostentatious clothes, many of the village's men are criticised by their wives for not matching his success. In response, many turn to making their own menhirs to sell to the Romans, despite not knowing what they are for, with Getafix supplying them with magic potion for their work. As most of the village grows wealthy, except for Asterix, Getafix, Cacofonix and Vitalstatistix who did not engage in the new economic system. Asterix believes that this new change will not last.

Eventually, Caesar becomes angered when he learns that Preposterus' plan is placing him in financial debt. To counter this, Preposterus decides to sell the abundance of menhirs to patricians on the pretext they are a symbol of great wealth and high rank. However, this causes problems as other provinces begin making their own menhirs to sell to the Romans, creating a growing Menhir crisis that is crippling the Roman economy and threatening a civil conflict from the Empire's workforce. To put a stop to this, Caesar orders Preposterus to cease further trading with Gauls or face being thrown to the lions.

Unknown to him, Obelix becomes miserable from the wealth and power he made, having never understood it all, and how much it has changed other villagers, making him wish to go back to enjoying the fun he had with Asterix and Dogmatix. Asterix soon hears of this and agrees to go hunting boar with him if he reverts to his old clothes, knowing that the villagers' lives are about to return to normal. When Preposterus arrives to announce he will not be buying another menhir, the villagers claim Obelix knew of this in advance when he called a halt in his work but did not tell them, causing him to fight with them. Asterix soon breaks up the fight, directing the villagers to attack the Romans for causing the whole mess they are in. As they head off to wreck the camp Preposterus is residing in, Obelix decides to take no part in the fight. While the villagers' wealth is gone, after events in Rome caused the sestertius they received to be devalued, they hold a traditional banquet to celebrate the return to normality.

Josh is the consummate temp employee, avoiding all long-term connections and responsibilities, both at work and in his personal life. However, by the time his agency places him at the Schuyler & Mitchell law firm, Josh is tired of his temporary life and agrees to take a permanent position at the firm. Josh has difficulty adapting to his new lifestyle, which manifests in his inability to complete his simple initial task: mailing seventeen important letters.

When an empty TARDIS greets Mel, the trail leads to a decrepit asylum, guarded by armed personnel and populated by screaming inmates… with its most recent addition a mysterious patient known as the Doctor.

Mel must follow clues left by the Doctor to find him and infiltrate a top secret alien medical facility called the Kleise Institute and close down its unethical operations on humans. The aliens are taking beings the day before their chronological death and overwriting their personalities. The Doctor attempted to interfere but was supposedly mentally deranged in an accident with some equipment at the facility (though the actual state of his mental capacity is not clear, but it is hinted he is faking it). For three days the Doctor is detained there. When Mel finally finds the Doctor, they break out in cooperation with other subjects. When one of the people helping the Doctor escape, Louis, is shot, he appears at first to die. Then, just as he appears dead, he begins to regenerate, at which point the Doctor reveals to Mel that he is a fellow Time Lord. In the end, the Doctor reveals that all of the aliens running the Kleise Institute are Time Lords as well, and that they were attempting to figure out if it was possible to put a TARDIS brain in a human body by a commission of the Time Lord High Council.

Unhygienix has run out of fresh fish. Since his stock has to be transported from Lutetia (modern-day Paris), it will be some time before the next delivery of fish. However Getafix says he can't wait since he needs some for his potion. Asterix and Obelix volunteer to resolve the issue by going fishing, to which end they borrow a boat from Geriatrix. After a storm, they get lost, but despite Obelix's concerns, they do not reach the edge of the world; instead, following a brief encounter with the pirates, they arrive on an island (which the reader surmises is Manhattan Island) with delicious birds that the Gauls call "gobblers" (turkeys), bears and "Romans" with strange facial paintings (Native Americans).

Soon they earn the "Romans"' affection, but they decide to leave after the "centurion" chooses Obelix as his rather rubenesque daughter's fiancé. They go to a small island (which the reader surmises is Liberty Island). Seeing a boat coming, Asterix climbs a cairn of rocks holding a torch and a book like the Statue of Liberty to attract it. The crew are anachronistic Norsemen (with names like Herendethelessen, Steptøånssen, Nøgøødreåssen, Håråldwilssen, Irmgard, Firegård, and their Great Dane, Huntingseåssen) – who managed a Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact and take the Gauls, who they thought to be the local natives, to their homeland as proof that there are continents beyond Europe.

The Gauls wanting to return home, and the Vikings' eagerness to prove their story of a new world, results in a trip back to Europe to the Vikings' homeland. The Vikings' chief, Ødiuscomparissen, greets them and is skeptical of their stories, until he sees the Gauls. They plan a celebration, then attempt to sacrifice the "natives", much to the chagrin of the other Vikings ("Why? They haven't done anything!").

Before this can be carried out, a Gaulish prisoner called Catastrofix, who can understand both Gallic and Norse, stirs up Ødiuscomparissen's suspicion that Herendethelessen is a liar, causing a fight between the Norsemen with the assumption that Herendethelessen has simply gone to Gaul rather than to a new world. Meanwhile, the Gauls escape. This escape is conducive to their original purpose, since Catastrofix is a fisherman and hence able to procure some fish for the magic potion. Unhygenix, however, prefers the scent of his own stock; a preference that explains why his product is such a delicate topic.

Unlike most editions of the series, the map that is shown before the story begins does not present Gaul and a close-up of the village with the four surrounding Roman camps. Instead the reader is shown a map of Corsica and a multitude of camps around the coastline.

The story begins with a banquet celebrating the anniversary of Vercingetorix's victory at the Battle of Gergovia. As part of the celebrations, the indomitable Gauls always attack the local Roman camps; as a result, the Roman soldiers always go on "special manoeuvres" ''en masse'' to avoid the punch-up.

On this particular year various people who have helped the Gauls against the Romans in previous books have been invited along with their wives (this may be because this was the last story published in ''Pilote'' magazine, or because this was the 20th album). They include: Petitsuix from Helvetia (''Asterix in Switzerland''), Huevos Y Bacon and son Pepe from Hispania (''Asterix in Spain''), Instantmix, the Gaulish restaurateur from Rome (''Asterix the Gladiator''), Anticlimax from Britain alongside Dipsomaniax the tavern-keeper, McAnix the Scotsman, O'veroptimistix the Irishman, and Chief Mykingdomforanos (''Asterix in Britain''), Drinklikafix of Massalia, Jellibabix of Lugdunum, Seniorservix from Gesocribatum (''Asterix and the Banquet''), Winesanspirix and his wife from Gergovia (''Asterix and the Chieftain's Shield'').

The Roman camp of Totorum, too, has visitors: three Roman soldiers escorting the Corsican leader Boneywasawarriorwayayix, exiled by Praetor Perfidius. He is left to spend the night in the Centurion's tent, to its owner's dismay. While the other camps are deserted, the Romans of Totorum have no option but to stay and be decimated by the Gauls and their friends, who discover Boneywasawarriorwayayix awakening from a long siesta (afteroon nap).

The proud Boneywasawarriorwayayix attends the Gaulish banquet and leaves the next day for Corsica with Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix accompanying him. At Massalia, he hires a ship crewed by none other than the pirates. When the passengers go aboard it is too dark for the captain and the Gauls to recognise each other. But when, in the middle of the night, the pirates attempt to rob the Corsican and his three companions, they recognize the sleeping Gauls and the entire crew vacates the ship in a rowing boat.

The following morning, the passengers awake to find the ship is deserted. Boneywasawarriorwayayix then invites the Gauls to share a pungent Corsican cheese. Unaccustomed to the strong smell, they feel unwell, but then the Corsican realises that they are off the coast of his native island, abandons the cheese and excitedly swims ashore.

The arrival of the three men and dog is noticed by a Roman patrol. The Romans later investigate the ship but find nothing suspicious. As they leave, the pirates arrive to reclaim their vessel, only for a burning torch to ignite the Corsican cheese's fumes, blowing up the ship.

A keen young Roman called Courtingdisastus captures the pirate captain and takes him to Praetor Perfidius in the Roman city of Aleria. From him, the Romans learn that Boneywasawarriorwayayix, a known revolutionary leader, has returned from exile. Perfidius appoints Courtingdisastus to lead a party assigned to recapture Boneywasawarriorwayayix. But in fact, Perfidius has few illusions that the mission will be successful and starts making his own plans to flee Corsica, leaving his men in the lurch and sailing away with all the loot he has purloined from the Corsicans.

Courtingdisastus and his men go to Boneywasawarriorwayayix's village, but are faced by his second-in-command Carferrix, who intimidates them into fleeing. Meanwhile, the Corsican leader and the Gauls travel through the maquis to a rendezvous where several clan chieftains gather to plan their attack on Aleria to recover the wealth the Praetor has extracted from them.

The attack begins before Perfidius can make his escape. Boneywasawarriorwayayix then makes a proud and defiant speech stating that Corsica will never be ruled by an Emperor unless he is a Corsican himself.

After the victory over the Romans, a vendetta between the clans of Boneywasawarriorwayayix and Olabellamargaritix, fought over various but complicated age-old issues, is settled by the diplomatic Asterix (though, when the Gauls leave, there are strong hints that other Corsican chieftains will resume the feud with Olabellamargaritix even if Boneywasawarriorwayayix has called his off).

The Gauls return home with fond memories of their trip.

Frightened by a thunderstorm, the Gauls — with the exception of Getafix, who is at his annual druid meeting — are huddled in the chief's hut, when they are visited by a soothsayer, called Prolix, who predicts that "when the storm is over, the weather will improve" and additionally predicts a fight (caused by the villagers' habitual argument over the over-ripeness of fish sold by fishmonger Unhygenix). Asterix alone correctly identifies the soothsayer as a charlatan.

Upon Prolix's departure, the chief's wife Impedimenta preserves him in hiding near the village, where she and the other villagers question him at will; forbidding only Asterix and Obelix. Later, Obelix eludes Impedimenta and, upon encountering Prolix, chases him up a tree. Prolix diverts him by claiming to see a vision of a beautiful woman who loves warriors matching Obelix's description. Obelix returns to the village and almost instantly falls for Mrs. Geriatrix. Prolix meanwhile is arrested by an optio, who brings Prolix before the centurion (Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus) of the Roman camp Compendium, who decides to use the imposter's persuasive skills against the Gauls. Upon Impedimenta's discovery of Asterix near Prolix's camp, consternation spreads among the villagers on grounds of a threatened sacrilege. At the Romans' behest, Prolix returns, claiming dramatically that soon the air in the village will become polluted by a divine curse. Terrified, most of the villagers flee to a nearby island for the curse to exhaust itself, while Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix stay behind.

The Romans soon arrive to claim the village, while Asterix and Obelix hide in the undergrowth. Getafix returns from his conference, and upon hearing of the situation, turns Prolix's ruse against him by creating and spreading a foul-smelling mixture of gasses. These expel the Romans, Prolix, and Cacofonix the Bard, who returns to the other Gauls on the island to confirm Prolix's prophecy. Prolix himself is perplexed by this confirmation, while the Centurion sends word to Caesar that "all of Gaul is now conquered"; and hoping to become dictator himself, he has the soothsayer tell him exaggerated stories of the luxuries emperors enjoy. Getafix, Asterix and Obelix join the other villagers on the island, where Getafix reveals he created the "foul air" that expelled the Romans; but Impedimenta and the other women remain convinced Prolix was genuine, on grounds of his having flattered them in earlier predictions. Asterix therefore determines to take the soothsayer by surprise and thus prove him fallible.

To this end, the Gaulish men and women attack the Roman camp together; and when Centurion Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus demands to know why Prolix did not warn him of this, the latter admits his ignorance. Convinced of the soothsayer's fraudulence, Impedimenta beats him and Arteriosclerosus. Returning to the village, the Gauls meet Bulbus Crocus, an envoy of Julius Caesar's, come to confirm Arteriosclerosus's claim that the village is conquered, and expel him. In the Roman camp, Crocus demotes Arteriosclerosus from a Centurion to a common soldier, who is then commanded by the Optio (who he used to be in charge of) to clean the camp alone. Prolix is expelled from the camp, swears to give up soothsaying, and is driven away by a thunderstorm. The Gaulish village is soon at peace, with the exception of Cacofonix, who still daydreams of himself as a famous singer.

The story begins in Rome where Asterix and Obelix are talking, but flashes back to Lutetia, where Asterix, Obelix, Chief Vitalstatistix, and the chief's wife Impedimenta visit Impedimenta's brother, Homeopathix, a rich businessman who immediately shows off his wealth. At dinner, Vitalstatistix quickly becomes drunk and boasts that, as a Chief, he can obtain for Homeopathix something money cannot possibly buy, a stew seasoned with Julius Caesar's laurel wreath, whereupon the equally drunk Obelix volunteers himself and Asterix to fetch the wreath.

In Rome, Asterix and Obelix see a man coming out of Caesar's palace. Upon discovering that he is a kitchen slave there, they offer themselves to the slave trader Typhus, who supplies Caesar's palace. When Typhus' other slaves provoke the Gauls into a fight, the wealthy patrician, Osseus Humerus, is amused and offers to buy them; Asterix mistakes him for Caesar's major-domo and completes the sale. The Gauls are placed under the supervision of Goldendelicius, Humerus' chief slave. Goldendelicius expresses dislike of the two Gauls because they come from Typhus (a mark of distinction among slaves) and fears that they might usurp his office.

Realizing their mistake, Asterix and Obelix attempt to get Humerus to return them to Typhus. First, they cook a volatile stew, which accidentally cures Humerus' heavy-drinking son Metatarsus of his constant hangovers. Next they disturb the sleeping family by making noise, which only inspires the family to throw an impromptu party. The next day, a tired Humerus sends the Gauls to Caesar's palace to justify his absence to a secretary there. Goldendelicius seizes the opportunity to tell the palace's guards that the Gauls intend to kill Caesar. As a result, Asterix and Obelix are thrown into the palace prison upon arrival, but they escape during the night and unsuccessfully search the palace for the laurel wreath. At daybreak, they return to their cell (to the confusion of the palace guards) and decide to find Caesar and seize the wreath from him.

The next morning, a lawyer comes to defend Asterix and Obelix in a show trial for the "attempt" on Caesar's life. The lawyer takes for granted that they will be found guilty and thrown to the lions in the Circus Maximus. Asterix is encouraged when the lawyer says Caesar might attend the execution. During the trial, the prosecutor announces the same initial speech intended by the defense lawyer, prompting the latter to call for a suspension in proceedings. Anxious to be sentenced to the Circus, Asterix himself speaks for the prosecution, outlining all the "wrongdoings" committed by himself and Obelix. The whole audience, including Typhus and the Humerus family, is moved by this plea, and the Gauls are sentenced to death in the Circus. In the cells, they enjoy luxurious food funded by Typhus and Humerus. But, as they are about to enter the arena, Asterix and Obelix learn that Caesar is not present, having gone off to fight pirates. Therefore, the Gauls refuse to go into the arena until he returns, which results in the big cats in the arena eating each other, a mass riot of the audience, and everyone (including Asterix and Obelix and the last remaining lion) being evicted from the circus.

That night, Asterix and Obelix sleep at a doorway, where they are woken by brigands. They defeat the brigands, after which their chief, Habeascorpus, offers Asterix and Obelix shelter in return for their help in robberies. Asterix accepts, but attempts to warn the victim they are assigned, who turns out to be a drunken Metatarsus. Refusing to attack an innocent, Asterix and Obelix vanquish the bandits again. From Metatarsus, the two Gauls learn that Goldendelicius has been appointed as Caesar's personal slave, and that Caesar himself is due to hold a triumph for his victory over the pirates. Asterix and Obelix corner Goldendelicius in a tavern and coerce him into exchanging Caesar's laurel wreath for one of parsley. The next day, during the triumph, Goldendelicius nervously holds the parsley wreath over Caesar's head. Caesar does not acknowledge the switch, but secretly "feels like a piece of fish", which baffles him.

Upon Asterix and Obelix's return, Homeopathix arrives in his brother-in-law's village in order to eat the stew containing Caesar's laurel wreath, and Vitalstatistix states that a wealthy man like him would never eat such a meal in his own house. Homeopathix "agrees" by sarcastically pointing out that it is overcooked and of poor quality, which provokes Vitalstatistix to strike him senseless. The album ends with the note that, with Asterix's cure for drunkenness now available to the Romans, they initiate a series of ever-increasing parties that result in the collapse of the empire.

With the intent to force the village of indomitable Gauls to accept Roman civilization, Julius Caesar plans to destroy the surrounding forest to make way for a Roman patrician colony, called the 'Mansions of the Gods'. The project is led by the architect Squaronthehypotenus, who orders an army of slaves of various nationalities to pull down the trees in the forest. With the help of Getafix's magic, Asterix and Obelix plant acorns that grow into mature oak trees instantly; whereupon an increasingly erratic Squaronthehypotenus threatens "to work the slaves to death".

Taking this literally, Asterix gives the slaves magic potion with which to rebel; but the slaves, upon rebellion, do not stop work and leave, as Asterix intended, but insist on better working conditions, regular pay, and freedom after completing the first block of the Mansions of the Gods. Upon hearing that the slaves are better paid than they, the Roman legionaries go on strike for similar and better conditions for themselves. Since the freedom of the slaves depends on constructing at least one building, the Gauls allow the work to proceed. After their release, a group of the former slaves (among them the - almost - luckless pirates from previous adventures) "float a company" with their wages.

Finally, the first completed building of the Mansions of the Gods is inhabited by Roman families: the first of these consisting of a middle class husband and wife selected by lottery. These Romans then go shopping in the village which, before long, turns into a tourist trap selling "antique" weapons and fish to the Romans, embroiled in price wars and (in the case of some of the wives) assuming Roman dress. To counteract this, Asterix asks Squaronthehypotenus for an apartment, but is told they are full; whereafter the initial winners of the first apartment are continually harassed by Obelix acting like a rabid monster, with Asterix holding him back. The next day, the couple returns to Rome, and Asterix arranges for Cacofonix the bard to move into the vacated apartment. As a result of the bard's discordant nocturnal practice, the rest of the Roman inhabitants return to Rome as well.

Squaronthehypotenus tries to keep the Mansions in business by bringing the local Roman soldiers as tenants and expels Cacofonix from the building; whereupon the Gauls take this as an insult, and destroy the Roman colony. The legionnaires gratefully return to their camp and Squaronthehypotenus announces his plan to go to Egypt to build pyramids in the desert with "nice quiet tenants". That evening, the Gauls hold their usual celebratory banquet (in which this time Cacofonix takes part) and the ruins of the mansion are covered by Getafix's instantaneous trees.

In the end, Asterix takes the druid apart and asks: "''O druid Getafix, do you think we can always stop the course of events as we have just done?''" - "''Of course not, Asterix. But we still have time. Plenty of time.”

Condatum's Roman governor Varius Flavus has been embezzling a majority of the local taxes in order to finance a debauched lifestyle of never-ending parties, sending only a pittance to Rome, until Quaestor Vexatius Sinusitus is sent to investigate. Flavus, upon finding the Quaestor will not be easy to corrupt, serves him poisoned food and provides inept doctors making absurd guesses at his ailment.

Realizing his life is in danger, Sinusitus sends for the druid Getafix, who instantly identifies the malady as attempted murder by poison. Getafix agrees to brew an antidote for Sinusitus but lacks an essential ingredient: a flower called the "silver star" (edelweiss), and sends Asterix and Obelix to Helvetia (Switzerland) to find it. He also insists that Sinusitus remain in the Gaulish village as a hostage; apparently to guarantee Asterix and Obelix's return and to protect Sinusitus from Flavus.

Asterix and Obelix reach Helvetia but soon run into difficulties set by the Romans, as Varius Flavus has warned his colleague in Helvetia, the equally-corrupt Curius Odus, of their arrival. Thus the Gauls find themselves continually chased and delayed by the Romans, but are assisted by the hotel manager Petitsuix, bank manager Zurix, and some Helvetian veterans who hold a celebration at Lake Geneva. During the celebration, Obelix is rendered senseless by plum wine, and the veterans are attacked by the Roman army; whereupon Asterix and some of the Helvetians, tying themselves to Obelix and each other, obtain the "silver star" from the mountainside, while the remaining Helvetians repel the Romans.

Later Varius Flavus comes to the village, expecting Sinusitus to be near death, either from the poison or execution by the Gauls after Asterix and Obelix have failed to return. Instead, the now-healthy Sinusitus marches out of Getafix's house, and empowered by the druid's magic potion, punches Flavus into the sky, announcing that he will now expose the corruption and sentence Flavus and Odus to their fate in the Circus in Rome. The story ends with the usual banquet for the villagers, and Sinusitus is invited to it, making it the first banquet featuring a Roman as a guest.

The resistance of the Gaulish village against the Romans causes friction between dictator Julius Caesar and the Roman Senate, whose power had been reduced by Julius Caesar. With their Magic Potion which gives them superhuman strength and is known only to their druid Getafix, they easily stand up against Rome and her laws.

At a meeting with his associates, it is suggested to Caesar that causing internal conflict between the Gauls will lead to their breakdown. He is then told by another Official about Tortuous Convolvulus, a natural troublemaker whose mere presence causes arguments, quarrels and fights. This had him sentenced to the lions in the circus, but his ability had the lions eat each other and he is still in prison. Impressed by his abilities, Caesar sends him to the Gauls. On the way, Convolvulus has the whole ship arguing, from the captain to the galley slaves; and when the pirates attack the ship, Convolvulus represents one of them as having been bribed earlier by himself, and thus provokes them to sink their own ship. The pirate chief realises their mistake, and comments that they don't even need the Gauls to make fools of themselves.

In the Gaulish village, things are being organised for Chief Vitalstatistix's birthday, whom all enjoy except Impedimenta, who complains against the acquisition of useless presents including a mounting collection of swords, shields, stuffed fish, and menhirs. Arriving in Gaul, Convolvulus moves into the nearby Roman camp of Aquarium and gets a description of the village inhabitants. He then gives a valuable vase to Asterix whom he describes as the "most important man in the village", to the annoyance of Chief Vitalstatistix. The other villagers take this announcement seriously, until Impedimenta fights with the village's other women over their husbands' relative importances, and then privately dismisses her husband as a failure. Further rumours lead to the belief by many in the village that Asterix, who is close to Getafix the druid, has revealed the secret of the druid's Magic Potion to the Romans. Suspicion and paranoia increase, until the banquet to celebrate the Chief's birthday is held in sullen silence.

Leading this distrust are Fulliautomatix the blacksmith, Geriatrix the elder, and their wives. When Fullautomatix and Unhygienix spy on the Romans, they see a mock 'potion' being given to Roman soldiers; and when their presence is noted, Convolvulus has a small legionary pretend to knock out his huge comrade Magnumopus, causing the two Gauls to flee back to the village. As a result, the Roman troops of Aquarium believe that they have the Magic Potion and insist on drinking the substitute. The real turning point in this ruse occurs when some of the deceived villagers voice their suspicions that Asterix and Getafix gave the secret of the Magic Potion to the Romans, which gives Asterix and Getafix an excuse to announce a self-imposed exile, with Obelix accompanying them, wherein their purpose is to expose Convolvulus and teach the other Gauls a lesson in trust. Asterix and Getafix then confront Convolvulus and announce that they and Obelix shall leave the region (thus leaving the other Gauls defenceless). Taking them at their word, Convolvulus persuades the Roman commander, Centurion Platypus, to attack the village. The Gauls meanwhile take the Romans' fake potion back to the village, where it is proven useless and the ruse proven false. Convolvulus sees this and informs Platypus, who calls for an immediate attack, but Getafix make some genuine Magic Potion. Platypus summons reinforcements after Asterix and Obelix repel his garrison.

After drinking the real Magic Potion, the Gaulish villagers defeat all four of the Roman garrisons that surround them. After winning the fight, Asterix, Getafix and Vitalstatistix thank Convolvulus for having "kept his word" and give him the vase he gave Asterix earlier. This tricks the Roman commander into believing that Convolvulus deliberately engineered their defeat. Convolvulus is sent back to Rome for punishment, but there is a strong hint that his peculiar talent will help him escape his sentence, since he is already causing arguments on the ship taking him back.

In the village, Vitalstatistix apologizes to Asterix, and it is agreed to hold another birthday for Vitalstatistix himself. To test the villagers' conviction, Asterix arranges that Obelix carry him on a shield, after the fashion customary to Vitalstatistix, and thus causes another quarrel among the villagers over which of the men is the most heroic. When questioned by Vitalstatistix, Asterix claims to have merely been "test[ing]" the shield intended as the chief's birthday present. With all reconciled, the story ends with the traditional banquet, which doubles for a better celebration of Vitalstatistix's birthday.

Upon learning that a village of Iberian resistance fighters have refused Roman rule, Julius Caesar and his Romans kidnap Chief Huevos Y Bacon(literally meaning “eggs and bacon”)'s son Pepe and send him to Gaul as a hostage, where Asterix and Obelix defeat Pepe's escort and shelter him in their village. When Pepe's mischief (and his enjoyment of the bard Cacofonix's music and singing) frustrates the Gauls, Asterix and Obelix are assigned to take him home. Accordingly, Asterix, Obelix, Pepe and Dogmatix travel to Iberia, where Spurius Brontosaurus (the leader of Pepe's Roman escort), having seen them surreptitiously, accompanies them in disguise.

When Brontosaurus sees Asterix and Obelix overcome some bandits, he plans to steal the magic potion that increases Asterix's strength; but is caught red-handed by Asterix and in the subsequent chase both are arrested by Roman legionaries. In the circus of Hispalis, they enact the story's 'myth' of bullfighting, wherein Asterix, having seized a red cloak belonging to a high-ranked Roman spectator, is repeatedly charged by an aurochs, which he ultimately tricks into knocking itself senseless. With his victory, Asterix is released and Spurius Brontosaurus, discharged from the army, gladly decides to make his living as a bullfighter.

Obelix has meanwhile brought Pepe back to his village, which is besieged by the Romans. In his eagerness to be re-united with Asterix, Obelix scatters the Roman lines and the commanding officer determines to maintain a stalemate similar to that surrounding Asterix and Obelix's village. The protagonists then say a tearful goodbye to Pepe and the Iberians and return to Gaul for their victory banquet, where Obelix gives a demonstration of Spanish dancing and singing, to the annoyance of blacksmith Fulliautomatix (the latter muttering "A fish, a fish, my kingdom for a fish!") and the delight of Cacofonix.

The story begins when a female bard named Bravura is being hired by the women of the village, who think that Cacofonix is giving their children a poor education. Upon hearing this, Cacofonix secludes himself in the forest nearby. When Bravura arrives, the women are stunned by her singing and the men laugh at it; much to her annoyance. Over the next few days, Bravura exhorts Impedimenta (and later other village women) to resist the authority of her husband. Impedimenta then quarrels with Vitalstatistix, who joins Cacofonix in the forest. Impedimenta is then made chief by the women, while the men do not dare vote against their wives.

Meanwhile, Julius Caesar, to take over the village, sends his agent Manlius Claphamomnibus, with orders to bring the "secret weapon" over the ocean discreetly. At the village, Bravura's reforms spread discord among all the locals. Asterix, troubled by all of this from the start, is approached by Bravura, who offers to marry him and assume joint chieftainship; whereupon Asterix accuses her of coming to the village to seize power. When she kisses him, Asterix hits her reflexively, but feels shame and regret immediately after. For striking a woman, Impedimenta expels Asterix from the village; when Getafix objects to this, Bravura insults him. Immediately, Getafix and the other village men join Vitalstatistix in the forest.

Claphamomnibus's ship lands at Gaul, and he reveals the secret weapon: female legionaries, whom the Gaulish men would refuse to fight for fear of being dishonored. Asterix, when he learns of this, is sent to warn the village women of the threat. Bravura suggests making peace, and goes to meet the female legionaries herself. However, she is refused, and Claphamomnibus insults her. At this, Asterix approaches Bravura with a plan. His initial step is to have Cacofonix sing onomatopoeia in the forest, causing rain and scaring all animals (in one scene exposing a dragon), which in turn terrifies the female Roman scout parties and delays their assault. When the Roman women eventually attack the village, they find that Bravura has converted the village into a shopping mall where the women can buy clothes and get their hair and makeup done. In the meantime, the men of the village defeat the male soldiers stationed around the village; and finally, Cacofonix sings again to expel the women. Julius Caesar is made the laughing stock of Rome, and Bravura leaves for Lutetia, reconciled with Asterix.

A band of slaves led by Spartakis (a parody of Spartacus) has taken over Julius Caesar's personal galley, prompting Caesar to send his Admiral Crustacius to recover the vessel.

After some arguing about a safe place to disembark, the slaves set sail for the only place safe from the Romans: the village of indomitable Gauls. The four outlying Roman camps rehearse a parade to welcome Crustacius, who is pursuing the slaves. Believing the Romans are about to attack, the Gauls prepare for battle. Obelix is (as usual) denied Getafix's magic potion and sulks off. When Asterix asks Getafix why he denies Obelix a serving, Getafix replies that too much of the potion may incur side effects beyond his knowledge. As the Gauls return victorious, they find Obelix has turned to stone after drinking a remaining cauldron of magic potion.

The former galley slaves are granted refuge, while Getafix tries to revive Obelix. Ultimately Obelix returns to life, but as a child and deprived of his usual strength. He is kidnapped by Roman soldiers and put on a ship bound for Rome, where Crustacius intends to use him as a bargaining counter for the return of Caesar's galley. Asterix, Dogmatix, Getafix and the former slaves set out in pursuit and rescue Obelix at sea. Crustacius and his adjutant Vice-Admiral Nautilus, as well as Caesar's galley, are handed over to the pirates, who plan to ransom them to Caesar. Spartakis and his crew take the Gauls to Atlantis (the Canary Islands), but the Atlanteans, despite having the secret of eternal youth, cannot restore Obelix's adulthood. The Gauls head homeward, while the freed slaves remain on Atlantis as children forever.

On Caesar's galley, the pirates unwittingly give Crustacius a dose of magic potion from a barrel inadvertently left behind by Getafix. He expels the pirates and plans on using his new strength to usurp Caesar; however, he makes the same mistake as Obelix and becomes a statue. Nautilus's ambition of obtaining a promotion for bringing back the galley is dashed when he forgets to remove the Jolly Roger flag upon approaching Rome's harbour and the vessel is attacked and sinks. On their way back, the Gauls are intercepted by another Roman galley and Asterix is knocked unconscious by a catapult stone. Seeing his friend about to be thrown to the sharks, Obelix recovers his strength and size, and rescues him. Obelix then propels the galley into the Roman camp of Aquarium, before returning to the village for a feast. The statue of Crustacius is installed in the Circus Maximus, while Nautilus and his crew are reduced to sweeping the arena. Asked by Cleopatra why he has erected a statue to commemorate his incompetent admiral, Caesar replies that although lions do not eat granite, things may change some day.

The TARDIS crew arrive on an abandoned space station in orbit above Earth Colony Phoenix, a remote human colony whose inhabitants are not only cut off from Earth, but also from each other. Each colonist lives in ous own individual cell, travelling between them only via transmat, creating a population afflicted with agoraphobia. However, the colony hides a deeper secret, one which the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem must uncover before it's too late.

Asterix and Obelix receive a surprise birthday visit from their mothers, who have come from Condatum, bringing a Roman sword and helmet as presents. The mothers soon fuss over why their sons are still unmarried. Their efforts to find matrimonial matches for them go unappreciated.

Meanwhile, Asterix and Obelix's fathers, who run a "modernities" store in Condatum, are arrested because an alcoholic veteran legionary, Tremensdelirius from ''Asterix and Caesar's Gift'', had sold them the sword and helmet of Caesar's rival Pompey, who now wants them back, but the two items were gifted to Asterix and Obelix. Pompey sends a gifted actress, Latraviata, disguised as Panacea, Obelix's love interest and escorted by a Roman agent, Fastandfurious, to infiltrate the Gaulish village and retrieve Pompey's belongings.

The real Panacea and her husband Tragicomix, upon learning that Asterix and Obelix's fathers have been imprisoned by Pompey, set out for the Gaulish village to alert their friends. On their way, they run into Latraviata and Fastandfurious, who have left the village with Pompey's sword and helmet, and the subterfuge is exposed. Asterix and Obelix catch up with them, and Fastandfurious is hit with a menhir, whose impact causes him to lose his memory. Asterix and Obelix then go to Condatum to free their fathers, while Tragicomix apprehends Pompey and hands him over to Caesar. Caesar presents a statue of himself to Asterix, who hands it over to Latraviata for her outstanding acting performance, resulting in a joke about the first César Award.

The Sixth Doctor and Mel attend the centenary celebrations for the National Foundation for Scientific Research. Looking into her family history and thanks to a temporal accident, Mel discovers that finding out the answers to a mystery within it may entail becoming part of history itself.

The TARDIS brings the Seventh Doctor, Ace and new companion Hex to a seemingly dead city floating among the stars, populated by statues that may once have been people. Most startling of all on the planetoid is the familiar sight of Uluru — Ayers Rock — the heart of the Dreamtime.

Seismologist Dr. Jolene Relazzo believes the Gotham area is due for a major earthquake as her gear begins registering hits nearing the city. The Oracle (Barbara Gordon) loses connection with the Batcave at 7:03 p.m. while giving a report when a 7.6 earthquake hits Gotham City. Batman is swept up by the rising currents from an underground stream and Alfred falls into the cave from the crumbling Wayne Manor above. The Oracle heads to Gotham City Police Department HQ to find her father and rally the troops.

Shortly after the quake, it appears Wayne-owned buildings are the only ones left without major structural damage. Bruce Wayne had seen to it that all of his buildings were quake-proof up to 8.5. However, unable to quake-proof his own home without exposing his secrets as Batman, Wayne Manor and the Batcave are destroyed. With all the exits blocked, Batman straps on scuba gear and promises Alfred that he will be back soon. Barbara Gordon rallies the police force, and Detective Harvey Bullock finds Commissioner Gordon. At 8:52 p.m., the first aftershock hits.

Dick Grayson (Nightwing) learns of the earthquake from TV while at work. He bolts, grabs a boat, and heads to his former home. Taken aback by the sheer destruction in Gotham City, he begins helping victims trapped under a collapsed highway as soon as he gets ashore.

Azrael and Nomoz arrive in Gotham City by helicopter to deliver Bane to the GCPD. After the quake hits, Bane escapes. Azrael tracks and captures him after he kills two civilians in a bank.

Helena Bertinelli is on the subway when the quake hits. She quickly changes into her Huntress costume and begins getting survivors to safety. Batman surfaces in Gotham Harbor and is horrified by seeing the city he loves in flames.

The Catwoman was stealing night-vision binoculars for an upcoming job when the department store is destroyed by the earthquake. After having a young girl die in her arms, she begins getting the survivors to safety. Later, she starts tracking Poison Ivy and stops her from spreading super-fertilizer into Gotham City's water supply.

Robin (Tim Drake) performs CPR on Lady Shiva as Dava attacks Dorrance and his men. Shiva is revived by the drug still in Robin's system. Dava is shot in the melee and Shiva goes berserk on Dorrance's people. Robin gets Dava to her people and leaves her there. Tim's flight home is diverted to Blüdhaven. He sees Gotham City on fire from the plane. He steals a motorcycle and heads toward his home.

The quake and the ensuing tidal waves hit Blackgate Prison hard. The island and many cells are flooded, and prisoners escape. A land bridge forms from the island all the way to mainland Gotham City. Batman, just surfacing in Gotham Harbor, realizes what is going on and makes his way to the prison. He quiets the rioting prisoners, though many had been killed and others escaped via the land bridge. The aftershocks remove the land bridge as S.W.A.T. helicopters arrive. Batman reaches the mainland and begins helping victims. Later, he speaks with the Penguin about his "enterprises".

At Arkham Asylum, many inmates are freed into the public areas of the facility when the quake hits. The Joker, Killer Croc, the Scarecrow, the Riddler, and others take three guards hostage and kill two of them. They decide to tell stories to the third man, a new guard going to school to become a psychiatrist. They scare him into dementia before Arkham's generator kicks in and they are rounded up.

An odd band of small-time crooks hired by WayneCorp save a group of people trapped in a building. A young boy is convinced that Batman sent them. Penguin, walking through the rubble, decides which people to help based on how they can repay the favor. Robin arrives and helps out in the excavation while thinking of his own family and friends.

Nightwing and Robin meet at the clock tower to see if the Oracle is okay — it is the first time Barbara and Tim meet face-to-face. No one had seen Batman because he was saving victims from rubble in the guise of a police officer. Nightwing and Robin then check out the destruction at Wayne Manor and the cave. Tim rushes off to check on his father, while Dick locates Alfred and Harold.

Batman searches for Dr. Rellazzo, who was abducted earlier. GCPD reviews a videotape delivered to them claiming responsibility for the earthquake: the "Quakemaster" wants $100 million. Barbara Gordon readies a fake ransom payment and Batman stows away on the pick-up helicopter with it. He gathers the henchmen who picked up the ransom, but their boss gets away. Later, he meets with Robin and Nightwing to discuss the situation.

Stephanie Brown, caught in a mall during the earthquake, quickly changes into her Spoiler costume. She slips after rescuing a small child, but the Huntress swoops down and catches her. The Cluemaster, the Ratcatcher, the Firefly, and others make their way to Gotham City after crossing the land bridge from Blackgate. They arrive at the mall and begin looting. The Huntress and the Spoiler battle them, capturing all but the Cluemaster (the Spoiler's father).

Robin continues to investigate the Quakemaster's tape while Nightwing and Batman head out. The Quakemaster's people kidnap Detective "Hardback" Bock and hold Commissioner Gordon and Mayor Grange hostage in the Mayor's office. Believing he has a lead on the Quakemaster, Robin heads out and meets up with Bullock and Renee Montoya. Robin rescues Bock, and together they take down the Quakemaster, who was Arnold Wesker's newest puppet. Nightwing saves Commissioner Gordon and Mayor Grange, while Batman continues helping survivors.

After the death of great-aunt Hortense, the Simpson family attends the reading of her will. After each family member receives $100, Marge has Bart and Lisa open bank accounts to teach them fiscal responsibility. Bart is excited with his new checking account and writes checks for his friends.

To obtain Krusty the Clown's autograph, Bart slips a check into Krusty's pocket, figuring that he will receive an endorsed copy of it with his monthly bank statement. When Bart receives the check, it is endorsed with a stamp instead of a signature. Dismayed, Bart brings the check to the bank hoping to force Krusty to sign it. A suspicious bank teller notices the Cayman Islands holding corporation on Krusty's stamp and investigates; soon Krusty is exposed as one of the biggest tax cheats in American history.

The IRS takes control of Krusty's assets and his show, reducing his lavish lifestyle while auctioning off most of his possessions. A depressed Krusty crashes his airplane into a mountainside and is pronounced dead. Bart sees a Krusty look-alike about town and thinks he may still be alive. With Lisa's help, he learns that Krusty has disguised himself as Rory B. Bellows, a grizzled longshoreman. Bart and Lisa convince him to return to his former life as Krusty, whom they insist is more respected than teachers and scientists. Krusty kills off his alias in a "boating accident" to collect the life insurance, thus ending his tax woes.

The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa find themselves caught up in the politics between the Gora and the Lineen, which expresses itself in the form of the planetary obsession — the arena sport known as Naxy. While the Doctor discovers that the game has very deadly penalties, Nyssa has to deal with famed negotiator Lord Carlisle, who claims that the Doctor is his best friend.

The sketch begins with a preamble by Eric Idle (impersonating the British film critic Philip Jenkinson), who praises American film director Sam Peckinpah's predilection for the "utterly truthful and very sexually arousing portrayal of violence ''[sniff]'' in its starkest form" in ''Major Dundee'' (1965), ''The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and ''Straw Dogs'' (1971). Throughout this speech, he constantly sniffs, despite onscreen captions telling him to stop. He then segues to a clip from Peckinpah's latest project, which is an adaptation of the musical ''Salad Days''.

Well-dressed, well-spoken, upper-class youngsters frolic in an idyllic garden around an upright piano, responding enthusiastically to Michael Palin's suggestion of a game of tennis. Things go awry when Palin is struck in the face by the ball, causing blood to seep through his fingers. He reflexively flings his racquet out of shot; we then see that it has become embedded in the stomach of a pretty girl (Nicki Howorth), who faints, tearing off Idle's arm in the process. Idle staggers across to the piano and slams down the lid, severing both hands of the pianist (John Cleese). The piano then collapses in slow motion, intercut with shots of screaming women, who are crushed to death. Somehow, Graham Chapman gets impaled by the piano keyboard, which slices off a woman's head when he turns around.

The sketch then cuts back to the studio, prompting Idle to smugly remark "Pretty strong meat there from ''[sniff]'' Sam Peckinpah!" before he is gunned down in slow motion, with much spurting blood (and the caption "Tee Hee").

The end credits roll over his dying agonies, before a serious-sounding Cleese reads an apology to everyone in the entire world (which states that "they didn't mean it"), and that while they all came from broken homes and have very unhappy personal lives (especially Eric), they are actually nice, warm people underneath and urging the viewers not to write or phone complaints about the sketch since the BBC is going through an unhappy phase due to its father dying (Lord Reith had indeed died the previous year) "and BBC 2 going out with men". A second voiceover by Idle disputes the first voiceover and mentions that the BBC is "very happy at home" and that the "BBC 2 is bound to go through this phase".

This is followed by Richard Baker in a newsdesk reporting the news (which is filled with running jokes from the preceding sketches, such as the phrase ''Lemon Curry''), then by a deliberately tranquil final scene of waves crashing against a shore. Cleese briefly walks into shot in a Conquistador costume, explaining that the beach scene was added to fill in time and apologising for the lack of any more jokes.

To escape the destruction of a medical vessel the Sixth Doctor sends his red-headed companion Melanie Bush out in an escape pod, promising to seek her out once he rescues his TARDIS from the exploding ship. However, on finding his ship he is trapped in a Dalek time scoop. Mel, however, lands on the planet Lethe where her skills as a computer technician are keenly sought, and she joins a team led by the wheelchair-using Dr. Vaso and works to create the Juggernauts: "the ultimate service robots". She becomes quite attached to the team (catching the eye of the juvenile but intelligent Geoff) and particularly the elderly Vaso, with whom she strikes up a rapport.

The Doctor however, discovers himself employed by the Daleks to spy on the situation on Lethe. He agrees; for they threaten Mel's life. What is the secret of the Juggernauts? Why are the Daleks interested in Lethe? What are the strange things residing in the darkness of the lower echelons of the colony?

Aunt Eloise invites Nancy and her friends to a cabin at Mirror Bay, in Cooperstown, New York, to solve a case of a mysterious woman seen gliding across the water. Nancy is then involved in a vacation hoax because she resembles a woman involved in the hoax. A strange green sorcerer who appears in the woods and a lost treasure involving the gliding woman lead Nancy and her friends to uncover a concealed operation in the woods.

David Hansen (Foxworth) is a big-shot lawyer who grew tired of his important and expensive Los Angeles law firm Horton, Troy, McNeil, & Caroll. Hansen left his job to start a non-profit firm called ''Neighborhood Legal Services'' based in Century City, California. His associates were Deborah Sullivan (Larken) and Gabriel Kay (Arkin). Roberto (Martinez) is a law student who worked for them as a clerk.

After 13 weeks, ''CBS'' decided to take the series in a different direction so that the lawyers could take on rich clients as well. The network retitled the series as '''''Men at Law''''' as the three protagonists went back to work for their former law firm.

Trapped on a dying world, the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz come face-to-face with the people responsible for the war to end wars. Will anybody, however, survive to get off the planet before the war comes to an end at last?

When the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz have a nightmarish vision while travelling through the Interzone, the Kro'Ka offers the perfect way out. The Multihaven is a community holding many religious faiths in seeming harmony, but when the balance is upset, it might spell doom for the travellers.

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu make their way to the nearest Pokémon Center, where they discover that the Poké Ball transmitting device is malfunctioning. On Nurse Joy's request, they go to Professor Akihabara, the one who created the Poké Ball transfer system. He tells them that Team Rocket stole his prototype Porygon, a digital Pokémon that can exist in cyberspace, and is using it to steal trainers' Pokémon from inside the computer system.

Akihabara sends Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and his second Porygon into the cyberspace system, using his Dimension Transporter, to stop Team Rocket, whom they learn have set up a blockade that stops Pokéballs from traveling the network. Porygon is able to defeat Team Rocket's Porygon; unfortunately, Nurse Joy, monitoring the situation and unaware that Ash and the others are inside, has sent an antivirus program into the system to combat the computer virus Team Rocket set up. In the ensuing chaos, Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt attack on the program, which manifests as 4 cyber missiles, which causes a large explosion. Two of the missiles enter the portal, completely destroying Akihabara's house, much to his dismay, as his Dimension Transporter is now broken. The group and Team Rocket successfully escape the computer, and with Team Rocket's blockade removed, the Poké Ball transmitting device returns to normal.

Edinburgh, 1827. Body snatchers William Burke and William Hare are on the loose while the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn take an interest in the work of Dr Robert Knox.

The Doctor and friends arrive in Tibet, 1917 and investigate an ancient evil hidden in the Himalayas.

Setting

The game takes place in the late 41st millennium, on Lorn V, a winter planet on the fringes of known space. The planet was once controlled by the Imperium of Man, but has fallen into the control of demonic Chaos forces loyal to the Chaos God Khorne. Chaos control over Lorn V is contested by Orkish warbands, who are currently divided amongst themselves. The 412th Cadian Regiment, from the fortress world Cadia, is dispatched to reclaim the world and the Titan upon it. The Eldar travel to the planet to fight their ancient enemy awakening from dormancy, the Necrons. The four faction leaders are Farseer Taldeer of the Eldar, General Sturnn of the Imperial Guard, Khornate Chaos Lord Crull of the Chaos Space Marines and Gorgutz of the Orks. Supporting characters include an imperial Commissar and the Ultramarine Space Marine Chaplain Varnus. The Imperial Guard under the command of Sturnn assault the planet to recover a Titan Dominatus, an ancient war-machine of the Imperium. Except for a reference made, there is no connection to the base game's campaign.

Order

The Order campaign begins with the landing of Guard forces on the planet. The Eldar secretly assist the Imperium forces. Space Marines under the command of Varnus are rescued to assist the Imperium forces. The Eldar and Imperium form an alliance of convenience. Taldeer reveals that she is on the planet to combat the Necrons, an ancient enemy of the Eldar. The player is given a branching choice whether to finish the campaign as the Eldar or Imperial Guard. Whatever faction is chosen leaves the other behind an energy field. If the Eldar are chosen, the Imperial Guard manage to fight their way to the Titan and assist against the Necrons. The Eldar choice ends with the Titan suffering critical damage, leading to its imminent explosion. The Eldar teleport out. If the Imperial Guard are chosen, then they successfully defeat the Necrons and recover the Titan.

Disorder

Gorgutz reunites the Orkish clans on Lorn V into one. The entry of the Imperial Guard onto the planet forces an alliance between the Orks and Chaos forces. A choice to finish the campaign is given like the Order campaign. If Chaos is chosen, Crull defeats the Necrons, corrupts the Titan and uses it for his own ambitions. If the Orks are chosen, the Necrons are defeated while the Titan is left abandoned. Gorgutz kills Crull in a duel.

The canonical ending is unknown, however either the Eldar or Imperial Guard were the canonical choices. Taldeer and Gorgutz appear as the Eldar and Ork faction commanders respectively in ''Dark Crusade''.

Zachary "Zach" Hutton is a successful author who has a weakness for alcohol and beautiful women. Zach's mistress walks in on him in the process of cheating on her with her attractive hairdresser, followed by his estranged wife Alex discovering his mistress about to shoot him with his revolver. Following the breakup of those relationships, Zach engages in a long period of binge-drinking and solace-seeking with a string of women. He avoids work, continues to strain relations with his ex-wife and drunkenly attends a formal party dressed in a genie's costume.

Zach's affairs include one with a volatile woman named Molly who deliberately leaves him hooked up too long to a skin-treatment electro-therapy machine that gives his body quivering spasms from head to toe. He also has a one-night stand with a remarkably muscular female bodybuilder named Lonnie, telling her before sex that he feels "like Mrs. Arnold Schwarzenegger." One gag scene is portrayed in total darkness, with Zach wearing a luminous condom as he prepares to have sex with yet another woman he has just met, Amy. When her boyfriend returns to the hotel room similarly equipped, the two men engage in a frantic fight, their glow-in-the-dark attire bouncing crazily across the darkened room.

After disrupting his ex-wife's wedding day, it finally dawns on Zach just how out of control his lifestyle has become. He sobers up, abstains from womanizing, and begins to write again. Achieving the trifecta of recovery that Alex predicted he couldn't achieve, he wins back her love.

The story follows the adventures of Minamoto Yoshitsune as he descends from his mountain retreat and eventually embraces a quest to defeat the Taira clan, thereby avenging his father. Early in his journey, he meets the Tamayoribito clan, led by Kiichi Hogen and his daughter Minazuru, who are the guardians of the Amahagane (天鋼) – stones of power that allow select individuals to release magical powers known as kamui (神威).

At a luxurious brothel in South Korea, KCIA Chief Agent Ju deals with the mother of a young woman who was one of South Korean president Park Chung-hee's playmates, who has come with her daughter to offer her again to the President, by interrogating and intimidating them.

KCIA director Kim gets scolded by a doctor about his drinking, a direct result of having to attend President Park's drinking parties. Scenes of various officials and low officers making their way to a heavily guarded safehouse follow, including Chief Agent Ju procuring an attractive young woman and the famous enka and trot singer Sim Soo-bong for the party.

During the dinner, President Park, his personal bodyguard, Cha Ji-cheol, Director Kim, Chief Secretary Yang (appointed to the post to be Park's drinking buddy, and portrayed as a total sycophant) discuss how to deal with demonstrators, with Cha berating Kim for not being repressive enough. Kim, having been agitated the entire day, decides then to kill Park, and hatches the plan with Chief Agent Ju and KCIA Colonel Min.

Director Kim returns to the party, shoots Cha (who is unarmed) and Park, each with a single shot before jamming the pistol. Soon thereafter, Agent Ju and Col. Min and a few minions kill the president's personal bodyguards and secure the building. Kim comes back with another gun, finishes off Cha, and gives Park his personal opinion before executing him with a shot to the head.

They move to make the scene resemble an ambush by North Korean forces, and Kim uses the political fear and tension to his advantage while convening a Cabinet Council. Later, Director Kim and Colonel Min meet with the Army higher-ups to sell them their version of events, but Chief Secretary Yang gets to them first and tells what really happened.

With every agency under its own authority and the possibility of inter-agency war looming, the Army arrests Director Kim, leaving Agent Yu and Colonel Min helpless and confused. Realizing their fate, they call their families to say goodbye.

Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah ascends to the presidency, and the fates of those involved at the party - most of them executed - are listed.

Will Griffith is the owner of a security and surveillance company in Los Angeles. Will is hired by a rock star named Brian Walker, who is undergoing a messy divorce from his philandering wife Nikki, to rig the Walkers' home with video cameras to capture Nikki cheating on him with various lovers. During this job, Will gets to know Nikki better and ultimately grows more attracted to and protective of her, eventually ending up having an affair with her. Brian discovers their relationship, becomes jealous and breaks into the home in a fit of rage and is killed by Will in an act of self-defense. Events start to unfold and Will begins to realize that he may have been used as a decoy for something much bigger than he thought.

Mouchette, whose name means "little fly," lives in an isolated French village with her alcoholic father and bedridden, dying mother, taking care of her infant brother and doing all the housework. She is ostracized at school for her bedraggled clothes and chastised by her teacher for refusing to sing.

Once, in contrast to the misery of her daily life, Mouchette goes to a fair, where a kind woman buys Mouchette a ticket so she can ride on the bumper cars. She and a young man bump into each other's cars as a mutual flirtation. Before she can speak to the boy after the ride, her father takes Mouchette away.

Walking home from school one day, Mouchette gets lost in the woods when a rainstorm begins. Arsène, an alcoholic epileptic poacher, stumbles upon her and takes her to his hut. He fears he has killed a man with whom he had fought earlier and attempts to use Mouchette as an alibi to disabuse him of the blame. After she agrees to repeat the story he gives her, Mouchette tries to leave but Arsène blocks her way, chases her down, and rapes her. By early morning, Mouchette has escaped. Returning home and finding her mother's condition worsening, she attempts to comfort her, but she soon dies. On her way to get milk, a shopkeeper sees a scratch on her chest and calls her a "little slut." Elderly women dressed in black are going to church.

Later, when talking to the gamekeeper Mathieu and his wife about the events of the previous night in the woods, she tries to offer the story agreed with Arsène. Reluctantly, she states that she was at Arsène's house through the night because he is her lover. Finally, she is invited into the house of an elderly woman, who gives her a dress to wear at the funeral and a shroud to cover her mother. The woman speaks to her about worshiping the dead and gives Mouchette three nice dresses that will fit. On her way out, Mouchette insults her and damages her carpet. Mouchette then witnesses several hunters shooting and killing two rabbits. The second one is wounded and cannot hop. Mouchette then walks up a small hill and takes one of the three dresses to try it on, but a branch catches on and tears a hole through it. There is an establishing shot of a stream that returns at the very end of the film.

The film cuts to Mouchette rolling down a hill with the now dirty and ragged dress wrapped around her. Mouchette quickly gets up at the sound of a tractor and waves to the man driving it. He seems too far away to see her. Oddly, she does not cry out to him to get his attention. She turns back and rolls down again out of frame and stops in-frame at the bank of the stream, near the flowers we saw earlier. The camera lingers on the flower while she returns to the top of the hill and rolls downhill a third and final time. There is a splash at the end of the second shot. It is revealed that Mouchette has disappeared. Classical music echoes the music at the beginning and continues as the film fades to black.

The story tells of the experiences of one John (Jackie) Turner, whom the doctors have given just one year to live as a result of a severe head injury sustained when the aircraft in which he was travelling was attacked by a German fighter in the Second World War. Turner decides to use his remaining time to trace the men he got to know while recovering in hospital.

The men were: * Flying Officer Phillip Morgan: the plane's British pilot. * Corporal Duggie Brent: a young British Commando, accused of murder. * Pfc Dave Lesurier: a black American serviceman, accused of attempted rape, in hospital after cutting his own throat while being pursued.

As the story unfolds, we learn that charges against Lesurier were dropped after an Army investigation and that he later returned to the English town near which he was stationed during the war. He marries the girl he was courting and becomes a draughtsman. Brent is acquitted of murder but served six months for manslaughter after a brilliantly defended court-martial. He is later found living close to Lesurier and working as a meat vendor. Morgan relocates to Burma and becomes a successful businessman, married into a strong local community.

Turner is contented by the thought that each man, who had helped with his recovery after the plane crash, had succeeded in making a good life in his own way. The novel ends with what will be his last visit to his medical specialist.

Underlying the novel is the Buddhist belief in reincarnation and redemption. Despite his shady past, it is indicated that Turner, through his attempts to help his fellow patients and his acceptance of his death, has moved closer to Nirvana.

Certain Vulcan organizations, many with anti-human biases, have begun a movement calling for the secession of Vulcan from the United Federation of Planets, citing the emotionality and unpredictability of humans as dangerous factors for the further development of the planet Vulcan. The dispute is to be resolved by a planetwide vote, with televised debates by important figures for a certain time period beforehand. James T. Kirk and the rest of the crew of the ''Enterprise'' are called away from shore leave on Earth in order to serve as diplomats for Vulcan, arguing against the secession, as the odds that Vulcan will leave the Federation are considered very high. Spock, being half-human and half-Vulcan as well as a prominent Starfleet officer, is seen as one of the most important figures in the debate.

While on Vulcan, the crew discovers (mostly through detective work by Dr. Leonard McCoy, using the aid of a sentient computer named "Moira" resident on the Enterprise) that the secession movement was sparked at least partially by T'Pring, Spock's childhood bride-mate, who has nursed a grudge against Kirk and Spock for years for the deception involved in their participation in the koon-ut-kalifee ceremony (described in the original series episode "Amok Time"). Using the financial resources and connections available to her after the death of Stonn, T'Pring funded many of the organizations seeking to spark anti-human prejudice in the larger Vulcan population, as well as arranging favorable contracts for them regarding Federation property that would revert to the care of the Vulcan government should the secession take place.

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy consult heavily with Sarek, Spock's father and head ambassador from Vulcan to the Federation, and Amanda Grayson, his mother, regarding how to inform the Vulcan population of the corruption, but are interrupted by the news that T'Pau, a Vulcan elder and possibly the most respected living figure on Vulcan at that point, is dying. T'Pau makes the decision to transfer her katra (in a sense, her soul) to Amanda, instead of another Vulcan, proving her trust in certain members of the human race, and tells Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sarek, and Amanda that since T'Pring's plot was able to thrive in secrecy and subterfuge, it should be countered with openness and honesty, and that the information should simply be given to the Vulcan population. The news of the corruption throws the planet into turmoil, but the news of her death and cross-species katra transfer brings it to a muted standstill. By this point, Kirk and McCoy (who were, with Spock, invited to participate in the debates as Starfleet representatives), have already given their arguments against secession. Spock's argument concludes the debates, and the planet votes on the secession, which is decided by a large margin in favor of remaining in the Federation.

Will (Eric McCormack) reveals to Grace (Debra Messing) that Karen's (Megan Mullally) husband Stan is still alive. He learned this from his former boss, Malcolm (Alec Baldwin), a secret agent, who told him that Stan is now living under seclusion and faked his death because of troubles with the mob. Will makes Grace promise that she keep this information to herself, but she breaks the promise and tells Jack (Sean Hayes). When Malcolm later visits Will at his apartment and warns him to not to tell people about Stan's predicament, Karen and Rosario (Shelley Morrison) also arrive. At meeting Karen, Malcolm becomes fond of her, as does Karen of him, even asking him out on a date, to which he accepts. Will, however, tells Malcolm that he cannot date Karen because Malcolm is still protecting Stan from the mob.

Meanwhile, Grace and Jack are discussing their own problems. Grace uses Jack's promiscuous history with married men as a legitimate reason to have an affair with a married man, but Jack tells her to forget about it as both of them are the moral role models to their friends. After being honest with her, Jack confesses that the reason he is wearing an eye patch is not because he got glitter in his eye, as he told his friends. When he refused to stop his singing performance during the debut of his new talk show, ''Jack Talk'', even though the entire set had accidentally been set on fire, his eyebrow was burnt off. Later, Will, Grace, and Jack all decide that it would be for the best to let Karen know the truth about Stan. Will breaks the news to her, but Karen believes he is joking. Rosario tells Karen that Stan is not dead, as she has been giving him reports on Karen. At the admission, Karen fires Rosario and leaves Will's apartment with Malcolm, explaining that Stan may be alive, but that he is still dead to her.

Duncan Fletcher (Will Friedle) is an average teenager in search of a date to his school's spring dance due to a bet he made with his friends, Larry and Arthur. At the mall, he meets a girl named Hallie (Elisabeth Harnois), who happens to be the daughter of the President of the United States, George Richmond (Dabney Coleman), hiding from the Secret Service after she snuck off during one of the presidential campaigns. Duncan, not realizing this, asks her to his school's dance. She accepts and gives him her address.

At the White House, as Hallie tells her father about her date, the president refuses to let her go out due to a fundraiser tonight, but after a brief discussion with his wife and first lady, Carol Richmond (Mimi Kuzyk), he reluctantly complies.

That night, Duncan's family prepare to throw a house party for his father's company. As Duncan tells his family about his date, he asks his father, Charles Fletcher (Jay Thomas), if he could borrow the company car, a red BMW 525i. His father declines, but Duncan takes the company car anyway and goes to Hallie's to pick her up, only to end up at the White House. When he enters, Hallie has Duncan meet her father, and Duncan is informed that there are limitations on where they can and cannot go, and that the Secret Service will be with them the entire time. Though Hallie says that she and Duncan are only going to dinner and a movie, she and Duncan sneak away from the Secret Service at the movie theater after pretending to share a kiss on the floor. Once the Secret Service agents realize that they are missing, they call Director Dan Thornhill (Frank Moore), whom then informs the president. Once the president learns of this, he orders for Duncan's family to be brought to the fundraiser.

Having successfully escaped the Secret Service, Hallie and Duncan have stopped at a store called F/X to get some new clothes to wear on their date. While Hallie tries on many outfits in the dressing room, Duncan buys a holographic ring from a conventional gumball machine during his wait. Hallie emerges from the dressing room, now wearing a sexy pink mini-dress. She then picks an outfit for Duncan - an expensive leather coat. However, before they can go to the dance, Hallie wants to go to a new night club that opened recently called Club Alien.

During the house party at the Fletcher's residence, Mr. Fletcher realized that Duncan disobeyed him after he noticed the company car missing in the garage and tries to hide this from his boss, Herb. The family is then visited by the Secret Service, who inform them that Duncan has run away with the president's daughter and orders them to see the president at the fundraiser. The Secret Service men also informed them that Duncan and Hallie were last seen driving in a red BMW that Herb overhears and is immediately cross with Charles for letting his son drive the company car.

While Hallie drives to Club Alien in Duncan's vehicle, they stop at a red light and encounter trouble with a truck of red necks who flirt at Hallie, much to her annoyance. Hallie warns the red necks to back off, as she believes that Duncan would defend her from them, prompting one of the red necks to threaten Duncan. However, Duncan urges Hallie to run the red light, accidentally treading over the redneck's foot.

As they encounter many obstacles throughout the night, including the theft of Duncan's father's car by a couple, who later get arrested, both their fathers search for them through the city, resulting in their arrest for a traffic violation when a traffic cop fails to recognize the President, although they are released later by their families. After Duncan confesses to Hallie about the bet he made, she promptly dumps him and leaves with Duncan's rival, Steve Ellinger (Grant Nickalls), who takes her to his house. After Steve begins making unwanted advances on Hallie, she tries to leave, but Steve forbids it. Duncan eventually finds them, and after a brief fight, manages to rescue Hallie. Duncan apologizes to Hallie and they share a kiss and return home safely. They are both unhappy later on as they realize after their first kiss how much they like each other.

Though they never make it to the dance, Duncan feels satisfied with the outcome of the date. Though Duncan's father grounds him, after he cooled off for a bit, he is no longer grounded and he begins to spend more time with his son until he learns that Duncan used his father's credit card to pay for the outfits from F/X. Duncan loses the bet and pays his friends, since he did not bring Hallie with him. When President Richmond arrives at Duncan's school to thank him for Hallie's date, he allows Duncan to continue seeing Hallie and strikes up a friendship with Duncan's family. As a result, Duncan's reputation at school improves from his status as the boyfriend of the President's daughter and Duncan's father is promoted at work after his boss is allowed to meet the President and play golf with him. Hallie and Duncan are able to pursue a real relationship and happily go on a second date with the President's approval and the Secret Service SUVs and Marine One accompanying them.

Kalbfleisch, whom Nicole dislikes, appears only momentarily in the story; because of planned obsolescence, he will soon suffer a heart attack and be replaced. The contract for the next simulacrum, Dieter Hogbein, has been awarded to 'Frauenzimmer Associates', and the previous contractor, 'Karp und Söhne Werke' is unhappy about this change. One subplot involves the Karp und Söhne Werke threatening exposure of what has been a state secret over the last five decades.

A. G. Chemie, the leading USEA psycho-pharmaceutical drug cartel, has engineered the prohibition of psychotherapy under the "MacPhearson Act." However, the USEA is willing to let Doctor Egon Superb continue to treat Richard Kongrosian, a well known pianist who performs in the White House, and who holds the delusory belief that his body odor is lethal. Kongrosian can play piano using only his telekinetic abilities; Nicole Thibodeaux is anxious to keep him under control, as are Wilder Pembroke, head of the National Police, and members of the covert national governance council.

Bertold Goltz, an alleged neofascist, is seemingly trying to overthrow the government, and runs the 'Sons of Job', a religious paramilitary organisation. Actually, he is head of the covert USEA governing council.

There is a subplot that involves Charles (Chic) Strikerock, Vince, his brother and a cut-price colonisation spacecraft sales firm (known as "Loony Lukes") involved in Martian colonisation. Mars boasts insectoid life, the sentient and empathic 'papoola', while Ganymede is inhabited by multicellular primitive life forms.

As the plot develops, the ''der Alte''-simulacrum is revealed as an android and Kate/Nicole is disclosed as an impostor, this undoing the raison d'etre for ges/bes class stratification. Bertold Goltz is killed by a National Police detachment, as is the rest of the covert governing council. Using telekinesis, Kongrosian kills Pembroke before he can overthrow Nicole in a coup d'état and teleports her to safety at his secluded Northern US home.

Karp und Sohnen rebel against the abortive coup, however, and soon the National Police and USEA armed forces are engaged in civil war, with active use of low-yield nuclear weapons. Re-emerging Neanderthals (or "chuppers"), happy at this turn of events, gather near Kongrosian's home in anticipation that self-destruction of Homo sapiens might give them another opportunity to dominate Earth. The novel ends before the action concludes.

Billy leads a traveling troupe that jousts on motorcycles. "King William", as he styles himself, tries to lead the troupe according to his Arthurian ideals. However, the constant pressure of balancing those ideals against the modern day realities and financial pressures of running the organization are beginning to strain the group. Billy is also plagued by a recurring dream of a black bird. Tensions are exacerbated by Billy's constantly pushing himself despite being injured and the arrival of a promoter named Bontempi, who wants to represent the troupe.

After Billy spends a night in jail watching a member of his troupe beaten because Billy has refused a payoff to a corrupt local cop, Billy returns to the fairground where the troupe is next to perform and is shocked that some members want to join with the promoter. His sense of betrayal is heightened when his queen, Linet, admits that her feelings for him may not be the reason she remains with the troupe.

Things come to a head after Morgan, leader of the dissident faction who believes he should be king, wins the day's tournament and a fight breaks out between the troupe and rowdy members of the crowd. Billy faces an Indian rider with a black eagle crest on his breast plate, the black bird of his dreams. Billy defeats the Indian but aggravates his injury; later commissioning the Indian as a knight in his troupe. Morgan and several other riders leave the troupe to follow Bontempi. Billy's loyal supporter Alan also departs with his new girlfriend Julie and friend Bors to try to sort out his emotions. Billy and the remainder of the troupe settle at the fairground to await the dissidents' return.

Troupe member Pippin comes to terms with his homosexuality and finds love with Punch. Alan's girlfriend, Julie, has run away from home to escape her alcoholic and abusive father and her weak-willed mother. While Alan is soul searching, he realizes Julie is using him as an escape and that he really desires Billy's Queen Linet. Alan takes a confused and hurt Julie home to her parents.

Meanwhile, Morgan's riders succumb to infighting. Alan finds Morgan and helps him realize that there can only be one king and he sees about signing with Bontempi. However, after seeing rowdy drunken behavior in his friends, Morgan and his riders return to Billy's fair to challenge for the crown. Billy announces his retirement and sets forth the rules: all knights compete, and any man knocked off his motorcycle is out. Morgan is victorious, and is crowned king by Billy. Angie, the troupe's mechanic, is then crowned queen by Morgan, after he realizes she is the woman he loves. Linet finds love with Alan.

Billy leaves the troupe, accompanied by the silent eagle-crested knight, and returns to thrash the crooked cop. While riding again, Billy, weak and hallucinatory from loss of blood from his injury, has a vision of riding an actual horse. Immediately afterwards he is struck by an oncoming truck. The entire troupe gathers at Billy's funeral to say farewell to its fallen king.

The novel features HMS ''Ulysses'', a light cruiser that is well armed and among the fastest ships in the world. Her crew is pushed well beyond the limits of endurance and the book starts in the aftermath of a mutiny. ''Ulysses'' puts to sea again to escort FR-77, a vital convoy heading for Murmansk. They are beset by numerous challenges: an unusually fierce Arctic storm, German ships and U-boats, as well as air attacks. All slowly reduce the convoy from 32 ships to only five. ''Ulysses'' is sunk in a failed attempt to ram a German cruiser after all her other weapons had been destroyed. This echoes events in which British G-class destroyer and , an armed merchant cruiser, sacrificed themselves by engaging larger opponents.

The book uses a set of events to paint moving portrayals of the crew and the human aspects of the war. Maclean's heroes are not especially motivated by ideals, they rarely excel at more than one task and they are overcome by a respectable enemy. It is their resilience that pushes these seamen to acts of heroism. The realism of the descriptions, the believable motivations of the characters and the simplicity of the line of events make the story all the more credible, though the number of coincidental accidents that plague the crew is startling.

In an alternative history, the United States lost the American Revolutionary War and George Washington was executed for treason. Thus, America in 1973 is still under the control of the British Empire. The divergence point between this world and our own occurred far earlier, however, when the Moors won the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa on the Iberian peninsula, on July 16, 1212. Thus it was that Spain was unable to become unified, owing to the survival of an Islamic presence in its territory, and therefore could not finance the expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Instead, it was John Cabot who discovered America, just a few years later.

The protagonist, Captain Augustine Washington, is a direct descendant of George Washington, and labors in his 'traitorous' shadow. Captain Washington and Sir Isambard Brassey-Brunel (descendant of Isambard Kingdom Brunel) get together to link the heart of the British Empire with its far-flung Atlantic colony in North America, although they fall out over Augustine's wooing of Isambard's young daughter, Iris, and as a result of disputes over engineering techniques. However, after a number of adventures the two are reconciled on Sir Isambard's deathbed, and the lovers later marry. After the completion of the tunnel, the American colonies are granted their independence.

Detective Richard Tracy also makes an appearance, as do 'Lord' Amis and 'Reverend' Aldiss. An appearance in connection with a suborbital rocket is also made by an expert who prefers a mechanical Babbage machine for computing to the electronic kind named Arthur C. Clarke.

Frank Lehmann works as a barkeeper in Kreuzberg, West Berlin, complacent and drinking frequently, with few other ambitions. His 30th birthday is fast approaching, and as a result, he is teasingly called "''Herr Lehmann''" ("Mr Lehmann") by his friends. The book follows Frank Lehmann's daily life in Kreuzberg and showcases the attitude of a generation of young adults in West Berlin in autumn 1989 in the months leading up to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Chapters 1–7

The first third of the book recounts the events of a single day. Shortly before dawn on a Sunday morning, Herr Lehmann is walking home from work, drunk, and comes across a dog that is blocking his path. Herr Lehmann is afraid of the dog and is overwhelmed by the situation. Here, like in many other portions of the text, the reader is given direct access to Herr Lehmann's thoughts. The comedy of the situation is derived from the discrepancy between Herr Lehmann's thoughts and actions, but the subjective narrative voice allows the reader to comprehend the rational reasons for the discrepancy. Herr Lehmann solves the problem with the dog by giving it whiskey, whereupon he is found by two policemen who threaten to report Herr Lehmann for animal cruelty. The dog bites one of the policemen, and Herr Lehmann finally finds his way home.

In the morning, Herr Lehmann is woken by a phone call from his mother, who announces that she and his father are coming to visit him in Berlin. Hungover and unexcited about the upcoming visit, Herr Lehmann makes his way to a nearby pub and meets Karl, his best friend. The pub is full of "Sunday breakfasters", who annoy Herr Lehmann. Out of spite, Herr Lehmann orders pork roast for breakfast, which makes the new cook, Katrin, cross. This leads to a philosophical argument between them about "time" and "purpose in life", and Herr Lehmann is immediately smitten with her. He meets her again twice that day, in the afternoon at a pool, and again in the evening during his shift at the bar.

Chapters 8–20

Chapters 8 through 20 follow Herr Lehmann's life over the course of the next couple of weeks, focusing on his relationships with Katrin, his parents, and Karl. Karl works in the same bar as Herr Lehmann, but is also an artist who is scheduled to have an opening later that autumn.

The narrative remains narrowly focused on Herr Lehmann and his everyday life, ignoring the external historical and political situation as much as possible. Herr Lehmann attempts to travel to East Berlin and is detained by the customs official for hours. Herr Lehmann is principally bothered by the limitations on his personal freedom and how his day did not go according to plan, rather than any political aspects of the situation. He is fixated only on his environment, friends and his life in his walled-in "island" of West Berlin.

On Herr Lehmann's "island", each of his relationships come to a head. All three threads of the story lead into dead ends: his relationship with Katrin falls apart when they realize they both had entirely different expectations; his parents' visit show his supposed independent, self-actualized life is an empty self-deception; and Karl suffers a nervous breakdown shortly before his art opening, destroying his sculptures. Each of these events destroys part of Herr Lehmann's self-image, and he comes to realize that he needs to escape from his "island".

Throughout the novel, it is implied that Karl has been abusing stimulant drugs, and Herr Lehmann has to take him to the hospital, as Karl is suffering from acute psychological problems. Herr Lehmann has to admit that he is not in a position to help his friend. On top of this, the evening is also Herr Lehmann's 30th birthday. After leaving the hospital, Herr Lehmann sets out to celebrate his birthday alone by bar-hopping through West Berlin and using alcohol to escape, which has been a recurrent theme throughout the book.

Conclusion

While Herr Lehmann is bar-hopping, the news comes out that the Berlin Wall has fallen. Herr Lehmann participates with a mixture of interest and boredom, watching history happen in front of him. The story ends with the impression that Herr Lehmann's personal life also will see a fresh start. The novel closes with Herr Lehmann's thoughts: "I'm just going to get moving [...]. The rest will unfold by itself."

The story starts when Doraemon along with his other friends play a game which he has brought from the future. Doraemon, along with Nobita, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo enters the game and find themselves in a spaceship game to race. But in the end, Gian and Suneo shoot everyone down, returning Nobita, Doraemon, and Shizuka back to Nobita's room. While waiting for them to finish the game, Nobita asks Doraemon for another gadget, which he uses the Gravity modifier gadget, making the entire room have no gravitational pull. Nobita accidentally farts, sending him flying all over the room and causing his mother to get to his room. When she suddenly got affected by the anti-gravity, she accidentally kicks a tray that breaks the room's window, causing a great vacuum of air to flow out of the room. The space game got thrown out from the room, shutting down Gian and Suneo's spaceship, but not ejecting them from the game.

When the group fixes the mess the vacuum had caused, they realized the game is missing. It turns out that Nobita's mom had thrown the game into the garbage, and it's already taken. Using the Time Camera, Doraemon sees a strange light carrying the game all the way to the hill behind the school, to which it disappeared into a spaceship, fearing that Gian and Suneo had been abducted by a UFO. At that place, they found a strange, glowing rock. Trying to save their friends, Doraemon, Nobita, and Shizuka uses the Space Exploration Boat, using the strange rock to make it go to whatever planet the UFO came from.

The group catches up to the mysterious spaceship, just as they enter a wormhole storm. It's so severe that the Space Exploration Boat started to get damaged. Nobita noticed that the rock started to glow brightly, and takes it as the group abandons ship to the Spaceship. They enter using the Pass Loop, finds the space game, and rescues Gian and Suneo. Suddenly, a young boy, along with a robot, a small fairy, and a big space alien confronts the group, saying they're the owner of the spaceship, and locks Doraemon's group in a room, taking the Pass Loop from them.

The spaceship soon encounters problems and has to land on a planet. Doraemon and the others escape the room they're locked in, and finds themselves in a rocky and barren planet inhabited by giant spider creatures. The group manages to evade them, but the spiders soon trap the spaceship in their web. Deciding to help the spaceship and its crew, Doraemon had Gian blow the Go Away Trumpet, enlarged by the Big Light, to make the spiders run. They also helped clear the web from the spaceship.

The young boy introduced himself as Lian, the fairy is Freya, the robot is Log, and the big alien is Gorogoro. They are on their way back to their mothership where they lived after a mission to find a habitable planet to settle in. They agree to take Doraemon and the others back to earth after they arrive to their mothership to fix their warp device. But since their ship tends to break down, they need to land in a planet on their way first. When they try to land on a foggy planet, the ship crashes something, knocking everyone out.

Nobita and the others are the first to get up, and they realized they have landed back on earth. However, unexpected things are happening, like Nobita getting an A+ on his test, and his family treating him to a big feast, including a big pile of dorayaki for Doraemon. Suddenly, Nobita got pricked by the glowing stone in his pocket, then suddenly sees a barren wasteland with giant tree monsters. After taking Doraemon away and making him realize his surroundings, they realized they are hallucinating. Doraemon quickly uses the Faraway Wake Up Clock to snap Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo from their hallucination, and returns to the spaceship. Lian and his crew, who just woke up themselves, rescue everyone, after some trouble with the ship's door, and leave the planet. It turns out that the fog the planet was covered in causes mirages.

On their way, the ship crosses on a space field littered by ship debris, and suddenly many 'live meteors' attach themselves to their ship, draining its energy. They are saved by a missile out of nowhere, but they got surrounded by four mysterious space ships, demanding them to come along. They bring him to a base inside a planet, where they meet Commander Liebert, who turns out to be Lian's father, and Angolmois, an evil cloaked figure who wished to get earth for himself. It turns out that Freya had been working for him and told him about earth. Freya runs away, while the rest is captured.

With the Nuclear Powered Underground Submarine, Doraemon and the group escapes and made a run for Lian's spaceship. Despite Gian and Gorogoro tried to hold back Angolmois's robot soldiers, they almost didn't make it until Freya grabs one of their guns and shoots the incoming soldiers. When Log manages to fly the spaceship, Freya barely manages to enter the ship. The group forgives her and decides to let her stay.

Just as Lian's spaceship break down again, they finally reached their mothership. The leader of the ship, along with their council, discuss what to do with Angolmois' menace towards them, and they decided to ask their 'god'. There's a giant glowing tree in the mothership that the people refer to as their god as it is capable of doing special things. Nobita also realizes that the glowing rock he found back on earth is one of the tree's 'seed' that Lian accidentally dropped. Lian prays to the tree, and a projection of his mother appeared, who are supposed to be dead. She tells him to save his father from Angolmois, who controlled him and some of his soldiers, before disappearing. An attack by Angolmois is imminent.

Using the spaceship from their game, Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo joins Lian and several more spaceships to repel Angolmois's fleet. They are badly outnumbered and losing until Freya points out a control rod that controls all the enemy spacecraft. Doraemon, Nobita, and Lian landed on Angolmois's planet close by and uses a gadget to turn the control rod to clay, disabling all Angolmois's spacecraft. With his fleet lost, Angolmois reveals his own spacecraft, unknowingly taking Lian, Doraemon, and Nobita on it. They enter the spacecraft to confront Angolmois and Commander Liebert. The spacecraft is used to latch on the mothership's control room, so Angolmois can use it to attack earth, and orders Liebert to shoot his son. Before he can do so, Liebert snaps out of Angolmois's control, and shoots him instead, as Lian joyfully hugged his father.

However, Angolmois, still alive, tried to control the mothership, only to be shot by Lian, revealing himself to be a robot. Unfortunately, Lian's shot also hits the ship's controls, leaving it on a crash course on Angolmois's planet. Despite the initial panic, Nobita, Doraemon, Gian, and Suneo ties the Reverse Cloak to their spaceship, and all four of them shines it with the Big Light. The cloak enlarges enough to deflect the mothership away from the planet, saving it.

Just as they celebrate, a pile of junk came to life, revealing itself, to be Angolmois, who can use anything to from a body. The group run away as he gives chase until he can't fit through a door, and has to revert to his gooey form. At that time, Doraemon freezes him with the Coagulation Light and sends him to the black hole.

After the galaxy is safe, Lian kept his promise to bring Doraemon, Nobita, Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka back to earth. On his way home, Nobita bumps to his teacher, who shows him his test. Initially fearing that they might end up in another mirage planet, Doraemon and Nobita cheered in joy when Nobita got an F for his test.

In the end, Nobita wonders to the hill behind his school, and is surprised to see Doraemon there. They both wonder if Lian and the mothership inhabitants had finally found a planet to live on.

The events of the novel '''' take place in the mid-1980s during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and soon after the troop withdrawal, back in the then Soviet Union. It is a stirring account of the trials of Lieutenant Oleg Sharagin, a platoon commander in the elite Soviet airborne forces, his fellow officers and soldiers. It also portrays the ordinary Afghans who suffered enormously under the Soviet occupation.

Sharagin survives many combat operations but is critically wounded just a few months before the end of his tour of duty when his platoon is ambushed in the course of a major offensive against the Mujahideen. He is evacuated to a hospital in Kabul, undergoes surgery, and finally finds himself reunited with his family. But back home he realizes his military career is over. The war haunts Sharagin and the pain caused by the wound turns his life into a nightmare, leading to a dramatic finale.

The novel is a good example of Russian "accurate fiction." It puts a human face on the Soviet soldier without sparing the gory details, like the hard to comprehend top-down authority and license for physical punishment and humiliation within the Russian army, the mental suffering which young soldiers and officers endured during their catastrophic experience in Afghanistan, or the gruesome killings of innocent Afghan civilians.

The novel first came out in Russian in 1997 in an abridged version. In 2006, it was published by Eksmo, one of the largest publishing houses in Russia.

The Russian and English versions can also be found on "Art of War" '''', a project dedicated to the soldiers of the recent wars, which was created in 1998 by a Russian veteran of the Afghan war, Vladimir Grigoriev. It features short stories, novels, poetry and essays by veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya, as well as in the Middle East, Nagorno-Karabakh, Yugoslavia and contributions from veterans of the Vietnam and Korea wars.

The film takes place in a vaguely futuristic dystopian milieu of France where the oppressors are an all female group called the Sisterhood of Metacontrol. They bombard Paris with a steady stream of megaphoned announcements advocating a strict separation of the sexes. Men and women can, and do, live together, but touching is strictly forbidden. Both sexes are encouraged to not let the opposite sex influence their lives. Angeline, an exemplary and irreproachable citizen has just joined the Order but her relationship with a special man, Nono, makes her question profoundly the principles of the Doctrine.

Set in a futuristic time where talking robots are common, there is a tournament where robot teams pit off against each other in. The Battle Robots look like humans and transforming animals.

A boy named Akira Akebono plans to win the Titan Belt with his robots Bulion, Eaglearrow, Drimog, Bonerex, Despector, Trihorn, Ryugu and also Daigu who form the mighty Daigunder. The Daigunder unit was a creation of Akira's grandfather Professor Hajime Akebono. Managed by a girl named Haruka Hoshi (later spelled "Haruka" in the closed captioning of the dub), Team Akira enters many tournaments for Akira to reach his goal. However, there are many occasions when a Battle Robot named Ginzan is out to destroy Daigunder. Ginzan does this under the orders of the evil and mysterious Professor Maelstrom and he is later joined by Tigamaru and Rogamaru. Akira and his friends soon find a new ally in DragonBurst and new comrades in his assistants DragonFlame and DragonFreezer.

At a farewell ceremony in Krasnoyarsk, a band of young Soviet Army recruits is preparing to leave for military duty. Lyutyi (Artur Smolyaninov) one of the conscripts forms a group along with Chugun (Ivan Kokorin), Gioconda (Konstantin Kryukov), Ryaba (Mikhail Evlanov), Stas (Artyom Mikhalkov), Seryi (Ivan Nikolaev), and Vorobey (Aleksey Chadov). They have different interests and personalities that initially make it difficult for them to form bonds with each other.

On arrival at their bootcamp in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, they meet another recruit, Pinochet (Soslan Fidarov), a Chechen recruit from Grozny, and their drill instructor, Senior Praporschik Dygalo, a seasoned, traumatized veteran of several tours in Afghanistan and a brutal trainer who treats the recruits harshly. During their training, the recruits overcome their differences and build bonds. Between the training sessions, they receive lessons in operating plastic explosives and a presentation on the ethnic groups and customs of Afghanistan. During an orientation, a Soviet General asks if anyone in the VDV has changed their minds as they are about to be reassigned to another unit. Vorobey and Seryi initially intend to quit but decide to stay in the unit.

Later, Dygalo wakes up the recruits and beats everyone in a frantic manner. Although many claim that he is suffering from mental breakdown, they later learn that he wanted to go with them to Afghanistan but his request got rejected. The recruits then leave for Afghanistan on a plane.

On their arrival at Bagram air base, they are greeted by a group of VDV troops who have fulfilled their military service and are due to return home. One of the departing soldiers gives one of the new arrivals, Lyutyi, a talisman that he claims has kept him safe through several tours and multiple firefights. After departing, the transport plane is hit by a rocket coming from the nearby mountains, resulting in its disintegration and combustion after hitting fuel after its emergency landing, giving the new recruits their first taste of war. Shortly thereafter, the soldiers are assigned to the 9th company, where their trainer and drill instructor, Dygalo, had previously served. Pinochet and Ryaba however are reassigned to another unit, separating him from Lyutyi and his friends.

Upon arriving there, they meet Warrant Officer Pogrebnyak "Khokhol" (Fedor Bondarchuk) who is Dygalo's second-in-command. They also meet Sergeant Afanasiev "Afanasiy" (Dmitry Mukhamadeev) and Sergeant Kurbanhaliev "Kurbashi" (Amadu Mamadakov) and learn that they all had served with Dygalo before he was sent away to a hospital. Meanwhile, Chugun is given by Pomidor (Aleksandr Bashirov) the beaten up machine gun that Private Samylin used during his duty in Afghanistan. Khokhol tells about Dygalo's life on the company and tells his habits during his tours of duty in Afghanistan. Later the company leaves the headquarters to deliver supplies to an outpost of Soviet troops which would be the new component of the 9th company. While traveling to the base, Afanasiy tells the new members of the company that their allies, the Afghan Army, is demoralized and weakened by mass desertion of its officers during the war. Upon delivering all the supplies needed and spending most of the night on the base, Patefon (Aleksandr Sheyn) invites the company for a shooting exercise. They come across a group of mujahideen led by Akhmed (Marat Gudiev), who exchanges insults with Patefon before engaging in a short skirmish. The next day Vorobey encounters Akhmed, holds him at gunpoint, and shoots and kills him after being frightened when he slips on a rock, making him the first one on the company to kill a mujahid. The company then leaves for its next mission.

The company is soon deployed to the front as a part of Operation Magistral and receive the order to hold a nameless hill at all costs. They fortify the hill and turn it into a base. That night however, they are attacked by a group of mujahideen. Only Ryaba survives the attack as the far cordon was entirely annihilated by the attack, leaving him speechless and crippled. To make sure that the mujahideen don't start an attack again, several soldiers are ordered to guard the hill. Stas however falls asleep during guard duty and is beaten up by Khokhol, Afanasiy and Kurbashi. The next day, Gioconda is instructed to find matches. He encounters an old Afghan man, who, despite the language barrier, leads him to his village. Fearing an ambush, Gioconda arrives in the village and enters the house of the man. Upon seeing an old man, he starts saying "haram." He is eventually given matches by a kid living there in return for food. As he leaves the village, he encounters members of the company led by Captain Bystrov (Aleksei Kravchenko), who were ready to storm the village.

A couple days later, a convoy arrives to the base, but is ambushed by the mujahideen, resulting in many casualties and several vehicles destroyed. During the shootout, an injured Ryaba suffers from a mental breakdown and is shot in the head as he yells for the fighting to stop. Captain Bystrov is also killed in action during the fire fight. Meanwhile, Khokhol, Lyutyi, and Vorobey attack the underground positions of the mujahideen, but are forced to return upon learning that their enemies are already in the village. The company then attempts to clear out the village, which appears to be empty. Stas sees a young boy and decides to spare him, but as soon as he turns around he is shot in the back by the boy and dies shortly thereafter. The company is forced to leave as the village is shelled by BM-21 Grad rocket launchers, while the company lament the death of Stas.

Later, Afanasiy leads some men of the company to steal food cans from a passing army convoy. The soldiers then tell each other their plans for the future after they are discharged from duty in Afghanistan. That night, the company celebrates New Year's Eve by drinking to their fallen comrades while listening to Mikhail Gorbachev's speech on the radio. Pinochet then arrives in the company's base to reunite with his friends: he got into trouble with his unit and was thus reassigned to the 9th company. Welcoming him, the company then celebrate by dancing to some Soviet pop Music.

The next morning, while the entire company is asleep, Gioconda goes outside of the base to draw the landscape. While he is drawning a large group of Mujahideen arrives and he is shot in the head while trying to warn the others of the upcoming assault. Reacting to the surprise attack, 9th Company fires back but are shelled by mortars. As he tries to ask for reinforcements by radio, Patefon is killed by a mortar shell resulting in disruptions in the communication network. The company is able to return to the trenches and engage the mujahideen, Khokhol orders some of the men to shell the enemy positions with mortars but Khokhol's position is hit by a rocket that kills two of his men, preventing further shelling of enemy lines. Soon, the mujahideen break the line and hand-to-hand combat ensues. Another round of shelling begins and a rocket kills Khokhol while Kurbashi is killed by a bullet. Vorobey is hit on his knees while fighting and is unable to make his way to the lines of his comrades, Chugun uses his machine gun to attack the mujahideen in the hopes of covering him but is killed shortly afterwards. Injured and being approached by mujahideen fighters, Vorobey detonates a grenade on himself. This leads Lyutyi to fearlessly charge the approaching mujahideen lines with Samylin's machine gun along with the company. They briefly gain the upper hand and are able to push the fighters back in their positions.

Stranded with low ammunition and no means of communications, the company takes stock of the situation: only seven of them survived, all officers are dead, and they're running low on ammunition. Lyutyi, along with Afanasiy, leads the last men of the company in defense of the hill. They encounter the last fighters and fearlessly fight them till the last man when Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunships arrive and kill the remaining Afghan fighters. During the fight, Afanasiy is shot in the chest while the last of the company are killed.

Lyutyi is the only one from the company who remains alive. Speechless and crippled, he tells the Colonel (Andrey Krasko) that the convoy now may pass as the 9th company has fulfilled their duty and mission. The colonel says that there will be no convoy as the Soviets are already withdrawing from Afghanistan and wonders why they haven't heard the orders on the radio. Upon realizing what happened to the 9th Company, the colonel comforts him. Lyutyi passes through the dead bodies of the entire company and removes the talisman from his neck as he kneels to the ground and cries.

Later on February 15, 1989, a column of BTR-70 is seen leaving Afghanistan. Lyutyi is on one of the vehicles along with other soldiers departing Afghanistan. He narrates that two years later the country they have been fighting for, the Soviet Union, had ceased to exist and that wearing its medals had become unfashionable. He also speaks of the fate of Senior Praporschik Dygalo, who after being reassigned to Tula to train recruits, will die a year later from a stroke on a night march, and of Snow White, who along with her mother with other Russian families, will remain in Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan until disappearing without a trace. He also says that years later the veterans like him in the conflict will be scattered ruthlessly by their new lives. He concludes by saying that the 9th Company won its own war.

According to the novel, the Siberian explosion was originally caused by the crash landing of the spacecraft named ''The Wanderer''. In this alternate reality, however, the alien astronauts are able to commandeer their failing vessel so that it lands in the Pacific Ocean, just outside San Francisco.

Shortly after landing, the quartet of spacemen are rescued from the sea by an American ship and taken to California. ''The Wanderer'' sinks into the ocean, and the team reasons that they must find a way to accelerate Earth's technological advances so that they can get back home. The eventual conclusion at which they arrive is that they must provoke the planet into what Ari claims is an inevitable global conflict, one that will (through weaponry innovations) result in a boom of new science and industry.

''Azumi'' focuses upon the life of the titular young female assassin. The manga begins an indeterminate number of years after the Battle of Sekigahara. As Azumi begins her duty, the manga introduces its characters into mainstream history. Many of the early missions that Azumi undertakes are the assassinations of the prominent supporters and generals of the Toyotomi clan, against whom Tokugawa Ieyasu expected to again go to war. The manga "reveals" that many of the Toyotomi leaders who conveniently died of diseases or accidents prior to the final confrontation between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa were actually victims of assassinations by Azumi and her comrades, thus indicating to the reader when the events were taking place.

Azumi is raised by an old man known as Jiji (Grandfather), whose name is later revealed to be Gensai Obata, as the only girl among ten students. They are secluded from the society in a tiny valley called Kiridani (Fog Valley) to such an extent that they do not know the difference between men and women, what a baby is, or customs like marriage. Early in the manga, as part of their training, Azumi and her comrades are ordered to go to Shimotani, a hidden community of ninja who became farmers, to learn the basics of ninjutsu. The manga sets a very chilling tone early on. The 10 ''erabareta senshi'' (chosen warriors), who are all young children (Azumi has her first period well after her first missions, so she appears to be somewhere between 10–12 years of age at the onset of the manga) are told by Jiji that they have completed their training. For their first mission, they are to form a pair with whomever among the 10 that they feel the closest. Azumi pairs with Nachi, and all others pair with their closest friends. Having formed the pairs, Jiji tells them their first mission is to kill their partner—whoever is too weak to kill their partner is too weak to fulfill their life's missions, and will not be allowed to survive. The ten children each fight their respective duels, and Azumi slays Nachi, an event which appears to deeply traumatize Azumi, but she hides her feelings, as do the others. Then, their second mission was to massacre all 53 residents of the peaceful ninja village, including their teacher, women and children, as they know of the group's existence. Azumi slays three men and four teenagers but is unable to kill a woman with baby, a task which one of her comrades quickly accomplishes.

The remaining five warriors proceed to go on assassination missions of the various important supporters of the Toyotomi faction. As the manga proceeds, it evokes various moral concepts such as the morality of assassinations (and killing in general), the dehumanization effect of politics, as well as leading the reader to question basic assumptions of right and wrong. For example, throughout much of the middle volumes of the manga (Vol. 8-19), Azumi frequently fights and kills many bandits—many of whom are depicted robbing, murdering, and raping innocent victims. Azumi does not question that her killing such bandits is right, and few readers probably question her righteousness. Later on in the manga, the political background to the reason for the banditry is revealed. The Tokugawa ruling family deposed and ended many previously prominent ''daimyō'' feudal lords who opposed them leaving the samurai and mercenaries in their employ without work or any means to live—therefore they resorted to banditry. Azumi questions whether it was right for her to have killed so many men who had been driven to banditry not by their own choice.

A consistent recurring theme is the contrast between Azumi and other prominent characters. Azumi is compared to a bodhisattva—a kind of enlightened being. This is indicative of the theme in Azumi where characters around Azumi are motivated by a variety of obsessions. Some are motivated by a kind of blind idealism, others by religion, others by a lust for battle, greed, or even normally sanctified motivations like honor. Not all the forces (particularly those motivated by more noble incentives, like a pair of ninja assassins whom Azumi kills, who are participating in the planning of a revolt as the only way for a ninja community to survive) are depicted as if their single-minded drive towards their goals are somehow evil. However, nonetheless, in each case, those who are attached intensely to something in the world are killed by Azumi, while she, who seemingly has little attachment to the earthly world and few personal desires, survives.

Private Detective ("Private eye") Jack Singer (Nicolas Cage) swore to his mother on her deathbed that he would never marry. His girlfriend, Betsy (Sarah Jessica Parker) wants to get married and start a family, and he proposes a quick Las Vegas marriage. They check into the Bally's Casino Resort.

Before the wedding, however, a wealthy professional gambler, Tommy Korman (James Caan), notices Betsy has a striking resemblance to his beloved late wife, Donna. He arranges a crooked poker game (with Jerry Tarkanian as one of the other players) that prompts Jack to borrow $65,000 after being dealt a straight flush (7-8-9-10-Jack of clubs), only to lose to the gambler's higher straight flush (8-9-10-Jack-Queen of hearts); Tommy offers to erase the debt in exchange for spending the weekend with Betsy.

After Tommy agrees to no sex, the desperate couple consent. Jack discovers that Tommy has taken Betsy to his vacation home in Kauai. The gambler asks his taxi driver friend, Mahi Mahi (Pat Morita) to keep Jack as far as possible from him and Betsy. Jack discovers this and steals the taxi. He sees Betsy outside the Kauai Club where he is attacked by Tommy and arrested. Jack's dentist friend, Sally Molars (John Capodice), bails Jack out of jail. Mahi Mahi meets Jack outside and admits that Tommy left for Las Vegas with Betsy and has convinced her to marry him. Mahi races Jack to the airport. Betsy decides she cannot go through with the wedding and escapes from Tommy.

Meanwhile, after changing many planes and finding himself stuck in San Jose, Jack tries frantically to find a flight to Las Vegas. He joins a group about to depart for Las Vegas but discovers mid-flight that they are the Utah chapter of the "Flying Elvises" – a skydiving team of Elvis impersonators. Jack realizes he has to skydive from 3,000 feet to get to Betsy. Jack overcomes his fear. He lands and spots Betsy, ruining Tommy's plans.

Jack and Betsy are married in a small Las Vegas chapel with the Flying Elvises as guests. Jack is wearing a white illuminated jumpsuit and Betsy in a stolen showgirl outfit.

In Mammoth Mountain, a group of misfit slackers battle a group of egotistical snobs for snowboarding rights to a ski mountain.

On Earth, audiences are entranced by the musical entertainments staged by an alien troupe, the Ninth Company of the planet Rlaru. Dame Isabel Grayce (one of a long line of formidable society matrons in Vance's works) has sponsored the entertainments. When the Ninth Company disappears without a trace, she proposes to recoup her losses and bring culture to the wastes of space by forming an opera company which Adolph Gondar (the discoverer of Rlaru) will pilot on a tour of suitable planets, with Rlaru as ultimate destination. Singers, orchestra, a British conductor (Sir Henry Rixon) are engaged; an argumentative critic, Bernard Bickel, who thinks the Ninth Company were fakes, is hired as musical consultant. Dame Isabel's indolent and aptly named nephew Roger Wool (one of a long line of Vancian put-upon nephews) tags along also, smuggling his new girlfriend Madoc Roswyn, who claims to be a simple girl from Merioneth in Wales, aboard the ship as a stowaway.

Like many of Vance's works, the novel is a picaresque; Gondar has his own reasons for not returning to Rlaru, and diverts the company half way round the galaxy, with various adventures or humiliations occurring on the different planets they touch down on. (There are some similarities with Vance's later novel ''Showboat World'', which has a travelling company presenting performances of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' to generally uncomprehending audiences along an immense river on a distant planet.) Over the course of the voyage, the company stages several celebrated works, such as Beethoven's ''Fidelio'', Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' and ''Così fan tutte'', Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'' and Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' and ''Flying Dutchman''. These are performed before various human or non-human audiences, the libretti and costumes sometimes having to be adapted to become understandable to alien cultures. On the whole, due to such cultural disparities, their reception is far from that expected by Dame Isabel: on a penal colony planet, for instance, the performances are made the cover for a jail-break; on a planet inhabited by a race priding themselves on their musical talents, the productions are vetted by an artistic inspector and the company is fined for every unresolved dissonance in the scores performed; on still another, the performance is mistaken for a trade exhibition and the aliens attempt to buy some of the singers.

While Gondar is confined to his cabin, apparently insane, Madoc Roswyn induces his deputy to take the ship to the distant planet Yan. It emerges that her remote ancestors inhabited a land now sunk beneath the Bay of Biscay whose people had colonized that planet and there developed a high civilization. (Here we detect the germ of Vance's later major fantasy trilogy ''Lyonesse'', the heroine of whose third volume is named Madouc.) A group had returned to Earth thousands of years later, but their spacecraft was destroyed and they were forced to settle in Wales, ever intending to return to Yan. Madoc is their last descendant. She is disappointed by what she finds: Yan's cities are dust and its folk have reverted to barbarism, hiding in the forests. Although the company present Debussy's ''Pelléas'' to try to establish communication with the unseen inhabitants, they barely escape with their lives.

Eventually the voyage ends at Rlaru. It turns out that Gondar had abducted the Ninth Company from the planet; he is suitably punished by the natives, who demonstrate a capacity to creatively manipulate illusion and environment far beyond anything their Earth visitors can achieve. They listen to several operas with mounting boredom, but are utterly entranced by an impromptu washboard jazz band formed by some members of the crew, which has been a source of annoyance to the opera-lovers throughout the voyage. (Vance was at one time a jazz musician.) Dame Isabel returns to Earth, chastened but determined not to admit it; Roger marries Madoc Roswyn and begins writing a book describing the voyage.

Jim has a crush on Judy and Judy's boyfriend Buzz is a popular jock. After a police raid on a rave, Jim makes friends with Neechee (a fey kid who has nicknamed himself after Nietzsche) while Judy befriends punkish riot grrrl Kimberly. As Jim and Judy pursue each other through the unpleasant social procedures of high school, abandoning their rebellious nature in favor of comfortable conformity, Neechee and Kimberly fall unhappily in love with them—Neechee with Jim, Kimberly with Judy. Ultimately, their experience alienates them even further from the mainstream, and from the objects of their affection.

The story is opened by its initial narrator – an Anglican priest in the Bush Brotherhood named Roger Hargreaves – who describes his ordinary circumstances in a large parish of the Queensland outback in 1953. As part of his duties, he has to minister to the dying and this brings him into contact with an aged, alcoholic, opium-smoking, diseased, ex-pilot and ex-ringer named Stevie.

Caught in Stevie's squalid cabin in a heavy rainy season, Hargreaves struggles with recurring malaria whilst on deathwatch for Stevie. As both men are in altered mental states the story shifts and Stevie becomes David 'Nigger' Anderson, a decorated member of the Royal Australian Air Force, telling his story to Hargreaves. But this is a story set 30 years in the future, in 1983.

David Anderson is a quadroon, of mixed European and Aboriginal ancestry. As a first rate pilot he is chosen by his country to be a member of an elite test pilot team in the UK. Although of humble origins, Anderson has advanced quickly in the RAAF and is soon offered a position commanding one of two aircraft of the Queen's Flight.

The England of the 1983 in the story is a technically advanced country that has been abused and bled dry by Socialism. Austerity is the watchword, and rationing is still in force. It is an England in which the Royal Family is revered by the common people, but abused by politicians who use them as whipping boys for the economic woes of England. When the politicians attempt indirectly to control the foreign travel of the monarch by curtailing her use of UK government aircraft, the Canadian and Australian governments each donate a modern jet transport to the Queen's Flight, provide for operating expenses, and furnish crews. Anderson is chosen as the captain of the Australian plane. Both Canada and Australia are heavily royalist countries, and Anderson is shocked at one point by the suggestion that Australia could become a republic. Both are democracies, though subject to the "multiple vote"—everyone gets one vote, but other votes can be earned by individuals, up to a maximum of seven. Anderson himself has three votes in Australian elections.

At first absorbed by the job, Anderson slowly becomes aware of what is going on around him. He sees the Secretary of State for Air, Lord Coles, inspect the advanced aircraft, and insist that a signal gun be placed in the radio-equipped aircraft in case it needs to land in a field. The Prime Minister, Iorweth Jones, is more intelligent, but only interested in scoring political points.

The Royal family, though, is delighted at the gift of the aircraft, and the middle-aged Queen and Consort come down to inspect them.

Anderson repeatedly meets, and slowly falls for, a junior secretary to the Queen, Rosemary, daughter of an Oxford don, who is assigned to help streamline the administrative aspects of the Commonwealth aircraft joining the Queen's Flight. Anderson learns of the difficult political situation the Queen is faced with.

The Queen's visit to Canada in the Canadian craft coincides with another attack on the Royal Family by Labour politicians. The Prince of Wales has Anderson fly him to Ottawa so he can meet with the Queen. It is later made clear that the Prince carries an ultimatum from himself and his sister (the Queen has only two children)—they will not take the job of monarch as it now stands.

Anderson is ordered to fly the Queen and her entourage, including Rosemary, not back to England, but on to Australia to meet with politicians there. En route, they have a lengthy refueling delay on Christmas Island, allowing the Queen to relax a bit—until local officials show up with their wives, in formal dress. Anderson, struck with food poisoning, dreams of the scene with Hargreaves and Stevie in the cabin in the wet. After he recovers, the party move on to Australia. The Queen meets not only with current Australian politicians but with elder statesmen Sir Robert Menzies and Arthur Calwell (active politicians in real-life 1953). After the meetings the Queen is flown back to England, but ground control diverts the flight hundreds of miles to Yorkshire on the pretext that the well-qualified Australian airmen are not qualified to land at a commercial airport—Heathrow—in poor weather; in reality the diversion to Yorkshire is apparently intended to inconvenience the Queen. After Royal intervention the crews are all granted accreditation as civil aviators without further ado.

Anderson asks Rosemary to marry him, but she refuses so long as the Queen needs her. She arranges for Anderson to meet her father, a political scientist. Her father inadvertently reveals that the Queen is contemplating having a Governor General of Britain who will deal with the politicians, with the monarch devoted to Commonwealth affairs, to make the monarchy bearable for her and her family.

The Queen announces this on her Christmas broadcast, and makes it clear that she and her family will not return to Britain without the country having undergone political reforms, meaning both the multiple vote, and the installation of a Governor General for the United Kingdom as a necessary buffer between Monarch and Parliament, whose behaviour and treatment of the Queen has become both a constitutional and personal affront prior to this declaration.

Though David takes every precaution to protect the aircraft, which takes off with the Queen soon afterwards, a sixth sense, deriving from his Aboriginal heritage, tells him something is wrong. He searches the party's luggage, and finds a sealed metal box, obviously a bomb. It seems impossible to get the box outside due to winds, but through skilled flying, he is able to create the right conditions. The Queen swears all to secrecy, and awards David the Seventh Vote, given only by Royal commission.

The party reaches Australia safely. Meanwhile, in Britain, the new Governor General has summoned Parliament to debate the multiple vote. Prime Minister Jones' government falls, and a new government, still Labour, is expected to institute the political reform. Now that the Queen is no longer in a crisis situation, Rosemary can leave the royal employment and marry David.

In an epilogue, the framing story resumes. Stevie has died peaceably and an exhausted Hargreaves tries to separate dream from reality. This becomes more difficult when the child who will grow to be David Anderson is presented to him for christening.

Yaya is a shy, quiet teen with a passion for singing, Japanese rock music, Gothic Lolita, cosplay and music in general. But she has a secret: When she looks in a mirror or hits her head, Yaya's second personality, aptly named Nana, takes over her body and puts the wrong-doers in their places, shouting her catchphrase "Heavenly Punishment!" and once the damage is dealt, "Justice is done!"

The series chronicles Yaya and Nana's somewhat episodic adventures against bullies, perverts, and generally mean people. The manga also has a lot to do with music, as several of the characters have connections to the music industry or play in a band.

Though this is a different manga, Pon-chan (another manga, Guru-Guru Pon Chan, by the same author) shows up.

In the small village of Ambricourt, the new parish priest keeps a diary, which he can be seen writing in and heard reading from throughout the film. Due to an undiagnosed stomach ailment, he has excluded meat and vegetables from his diet and primarily subsists on cheap wine with sugar and bread added. The locals are mostly either indifferent or hostile to the young priest, whether it be an old man who complains about the fees to bury his wife or the students of the catechism class who play tricks, so, as this is his first appointment, he often consults with the older and more experienced Priest of Torcy, who says he needs to worry about keeping order, rather than being loved.

The only parishioner who attends daily mass is Miss Louise, the young governess at the local manor, who is secretly having an affair with the Count. She complains that her ward, Chantal, mistreats her, so the priest says he will go talk to the Count, who he has been looking for an excuse to see about getting help starting a youth club and sports program. The Count initially approves of the priest's plans, but cools when the priest attempts to broach the subject of the conflict between Chantal and Louise.

When the priest revisits the manor, the Count avoids him, so he is greeted by the Countess, who withdrew from the world when Chantal's younger brother died several years ago, but he soon begins to feel ill and leaves. He goes to see Dr. Delbende, an elderly physician with a struggling practice who, though an atheist, is friends with and was recommended by the Priest of Torcy. The doctor palpates the priest's abdomen at length, but offers no diagnosis.

The priest finds it difficult to pray, even when he is able to find the time to try. One day, he receives an anonymous letter in Louise's handwriting telling him to ask to be transferred to another parish. He becomes convinced that God has abandoned him, and is particularly affected by the death of Dr. Delbende, which is rumored to be a suicide, but decides he has not lost his faith.

Chantal tells the priest that the Count and Louise plan to send her away and the Countess is not trying to stop them. The priest worries Chantal may be suicidal and, on a hunch, asks her to hand over her suicide note, which she produces from her pocket. Concerned, he goes to see the Countess, and, overheard by Chantal, they have a contentious theological conversation, by the end of which the Countess has come to terms with the death of her son and reconciled with God. She dies that night of a heart condition, and Louise leaves the manor shortly thereafter. Chantal lies and says the priest spoke harshly to the Countess and tormented her to death. The Canon (who is the Count's uncle), the Count, and the Priest of Torcy all question the priest's conduct, but he only weakly defends himself and does not mention the letter of thanks the Countess sent him before she died, choosing to let his actions speak for themselves.

After the priest passes out one night and begins to intermittently hemorrhage blood, he decides to go to the city of Lille to see a doctor. Chantal visits him when he is packing and says the whole town thinks he is a drunk and her father is sure to have him transferred, but he maintains his composure.

In Lille, the doctor diagnoses the priest with stomach cancer. He visits Dufrety, a classmate from seminary who took a leave from the ministry after becoming sick and now works selling drugstore supplies and lives with a woman out of wedlock. The priest faints and ends up staying with Dufrety until he dies. Dufrety relates in a letter to the Priest of Torcy that the Priest of Ambricourt asked him for absolution shortly before dying and he complied, though not without communicating that he was not sure if it was appropriate. The priest's response to this were his last words: "What does it matter? All is Grace."

The story narrates the life and death of titular councillor Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin (Russian: Акакий Акакиевич Башмачкин), an impoverished government clerk and copyist in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg. Although Akaky is dedicated to his job, he is little recognized in his department for his hard work. Instead, the younger clerks tease him and attempt to distract him whenever they can. His threadbare overcoat is often the butt of their jokes. Akaky decides it is necessary to have the coat repaired, so he takes it to his tailor, Petrovich, who declares the coat irreparable, telling Akaky he must buy a new overcoat.

The cost of a new overcoat is beyond Akaky's meager salary, so he forces himself to live within a strict budget to save sufficient money to buy the new overcoat. Meanwhile, he and Petrovich frequently meet to discuss the style of the new coat. During that time, Akaky's zeal for copying is replaced with excitement about his new overcoat, to the point that he thinks of little else. Finally, with the addition of an unexpectedly large holiday salary bonus, Akaky has saved enough money to buy a new overcoat.

Akaky and Petrovich go to the shops in St. Petersburg and pick the finest materials they can afford (marten fur was too expensive, so they use cat fur for the collar). The new coat is of impressively good quality and appearance and is the talk of Akaky's office on the day he arrives wearing it. His superior decides to host a party honoring the new overcoat, at which the habitually solitary Akaky is out of place; after the party, Akaky goes home, far later than he normally would. En route home, two ruffians confront him, take his coat, kick him down, and leave him in the snow.

Akaky finds no help from the authorities in recovering his lost overcoat. Finally, on the advice of another clerk in his department, he asks for help from an "important personage" (Russian: значительное лицо), a general recently promoted to his position who belittles and shouts at his subordinates to solidify his self-importance. After keeping Akaky waiting, the general demands of him exactly why he has brought so trivial a matter to him, personally, and not presented it to his secretary. Socially inept Akaky makes an unflattering remark concerning departmental secretaries, provoking so powerful a scolding from the general that he nearly faints and must be led from the general's office. Soon afterward, Akaky falls deathly ill with fever. In his last hours, he is delirious, imagining himself again sitting before the general; at first, Akaky pleads forgiveness, but as his death nears, he curses the general.

Soon, a corpse, identified as Akaky's ghost, haunts areas of St. Petersburg, taking overcoats from people; the police are finding it difficult to capture him. Finally, Akaky's ghost catches up with the general—who, since Akaky's death, had begun to feel guilt over having mistreated him—and takes his overcoat, frightening him terribly; satisfied, Akaky is not seen again. The narrator ends his narration with the account of another ghost seen in another part of the city. This other ghost meets the description of one of the ruffians.

London, 1851: while visiting the Great Exhibition, the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz are separated from the TARDIS and each other. While an assassination plot threatens to foment revolution and set up a republic, the travellers must reunite or be stranded forever.

In the Edo period of Japan, in the year 1725, Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) is a vassal of the daimyo of the Aizu clan, Masakata Matsudaira. Isaburo is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the land, whose principal rival is his good friend Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai). Isaburo is in a loveless marriage with a shrew of a woman. One day, one of the daimyo's advisors orders Isaburo's elder son Yogoro (Go Kato) to marry the daimyo's ex-concubine, Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa), even though she is the mother to one of the daimyo's sons. With much trepidation, the family agrees. In time, Ichi and Yogoro find love and happiness in the marriage and a daughter, Tomi, is born.

However, the daimyo's primary heir dies, and he orders his ex-concubine to rejoin his household to care for their son and heir. The family refuses, but Ichi is tricked into the castle by Isaburo's younger son, otherwise her husband and father-in-law will be ordered to commit seppuku for their insolence and insubordination. Isaburo counters that he will comply only if the heads of the daimyo and his two primary advisors are brought to him first. Isaburo sends his younger son and wife away and dismisses his household servants. With his elder son, he prepares for battle, removing the tatami from his house to prevent slipping in the blood that will be spilled and removing the house's walls to allow for more space for combat.

The daimyo's steward, accompanied by a platoon of 20 samurai, brings Ichi to the Sasahara house and tries to force her at spear point to renounce her marriage to Yogoro and join the daimyo's household. The daimyo also "graciously" offers to commute Isaburo and Yogoro's sentences to life confinement in a shrine outside his castle. Not only does Ichi refuse to join his household, she throws herself onto a spear instead of abandoning her husband. Her husband goes to her side and is killed with her in his arms. His father, enraged, kills the steward's entire party, killing the steward last as he attempts to flee.

Burying the dead couple, Isaburo now decides to take his case to the shogun in Edo regardless of the consequences to his clan, accompanied by Tomi. Tatewaki, who is guarding the gate, cannot permit Isaburo to pass, and a climactic duel follows with his good friend. Isaburo is the victor, but assassins hidden nearby cut Isaburo down with musket fire. As Isaburo dies, we see Tomi's wet-nurse comforting the baby: she has been secretly following him.

In Moscow in the near future, the Fifth Doctor and Turlough come across a conspiracy involving the Somnus Foundation that will cause the course of history as it should be to change.

Denise "Nisi" (Halle Berry) and Tamika "Mickey" (Natalie Desselle) work at a soul food diner in Decatur, Georgia. Their plan is to one day open the world's first combination hair salon and soul food restaurant if they ever get enough money. Their boyfriends, Ali (Pierre Edwards) and James (A.J. Johnson), hope to one day own a luxury cab company.

Nisi and Mickey hear about a contest for a video girl where the winner gets $10,000 and spend all their savings to fly to Los Angeles for Nisi to compete. On the plane ride there, Nisi reads a book on etiquette and she and Mickey discuss their new hairstyles, which are so tall they block the movie projector.

Although Nisi does not land the dancing girl role, a man named Antonio spots them at the auditions and offers them the same amount of money to be in a different music video and invites them to a Beverly Hills mansion. Once they arrive, they learn about the real reason they were brought there, which was for Nisi to pretend to be the granddaughter of a woman the owner of the house, an aging Mr. Blakemore (Martin Landau), once loved when he was younger named Lily. They agree to the plan, but eventually grow fond of Mr. Blakemore and take care of him and refuse to take his money.

Feeling guilty for deceiving Mr. Blakemore, they plan to return to Decatur and leave a confession letter for him to read after they are gone. However, before they can depart, Mr. Blakemore is rushed to the hospital. Nisi tries to confess to him at his bedside but he silences her before she can finish and passes away soon afterwards. Mr. Blakemore's lawyer, Tracy Shaw (Troy Byer), informs them that he knew all along that Nisi was not Lily's granddaughter because Lily never had any children.

Back at the mansion, Nisi, Mickey, and their boyfriends are preparing to return to Decatur. Mr. Blakemore's lawyer arrives and read's his last will and testament, in which he calls the girls his "B.A.P.S", short for Black American Princesses, and gives them some portion of his wealth. The film ends with Nisi and Mickey opening their combination hair salon and restaurant, which they name "Lily'z".

The Seventh Doctor is separated from the TARDIS within the bowels of a gigantic, ancient spaceship. The ship has one humanoid inhabitant, but is he really as friendly as he seems?

Beep the Meep has a new docudrama, but can the Sixth Doctor stop the fur from flying?

Ex-convict Socrates Fortlow lives in Watts, a tough Los Angeles neighborhood, and struggles to stay on the path of righteousness. He befriends a young boy named Darryl, who initially dislikes Socrates but grows to appreciate his mentorship. He counsels Corrina, a pretty 23-year old who works and wants to keep her husband who has no job. He counsels the husband, Howard, to step up lest he lose Corrina. After a few trials and tribulations, Socrates lands a job at a supermarket further on the west side of Los Angeles. He helps Darryl again as he stands up against gang members, and tries to make up for his past misdeeds by reaching out to an old flame.

Socrates finds himself in jail, having hit a man who struck a dog with his car and wanted to finish off the dog. Socrates carries the dog to a local vet, who later posts his bail. Through is savvy public defender, Socrates gets a suspended sentence. At the end of the novel Socrates does his final good deed, helping his friend, suffering from terminal cancer, find enough pain medication to end his own life.

Vaughn “Dap” Dunlap is a politically and socially conscious black student at Mission College, a leading historically black college in Atlanta. On homecoming weekend, Dap leads an anti-apartheid demonstration, demanding that the school divest from South Africa, and feuds with Julian “Dean Big Brother Almighty” Eaves, the head/president of Mission College's Gamma Phi Gamma Fraternity chapter. Dap's younger cousin Darrell “Half-Pint”, a Gamma pledge, is ordered by Julian to bring a girl to the fraternity that night, and goes to Dap for advice.

Cedar Cloud, chairman of Mission's board of trustees, warns college president Harold McPherson that the divestment protests may scare off the school's wealthy donors. The Gamma Rays, the Gamma women's auxiliary led by Julian's girlfriend Jane Toussaint – mostly light-skinned black women with straightened hair – clash with some of their non-Greek classmates, including Dap's girlfriend Rachel Meadows – mostly dark-skinned black women with natural hair – over skin color and hair politics. Unsuccessful in courting any female students, Darrell and the pledges are hazed. Dap and Rachel have a falling out when she plans to rush a sorority, and she accuses him of colorism.

The weekend's festivities begin, and the Gamma brothers nearly come to blows with Dap and his fellow protestors at the homecoming parade. After the Mission football team suffers an embarrassing loss, Cloud and McPherson threaten Dap with expulsion if he continues his activism. Dap and his friends drive into town to eat at KFC, where they are harassed by locals who resent them as privileged college boys. Returning to campus, Dap confronts Julian about Darrell's pledge status. At the Greeks’ step show, a performance by Dap and his friends leads to a brawl with the Gammas. Seeking out Rachel, Dap is humiliated by her dorm neighbors, but he and Rachel reconcile.

Darrell and the Gamma pledges endure a grueling initiation and are welcomed as new members. At the school dance, Dap's roommate Grady hits it off with a female student and coaxes her to his room, but she refuses to stay when Dap and Rachel are already there. As the Gammas celebrate, Julian forces Jane to have sex with Darrell, but rejects her afterward. Darrell excitedly informs Dap, who is infuriated. At sunrise, Dap wakes the entire campus from the previous night's debauchery. A tearful Julian arrives and stands eye-to-eye with Dap, who breaks the fourth wall to tell the audience directly, “Please, wake up”.

After opening credits underscored by a lively instrumental of "Cheyenne", an old-fashioned 2-4-0 train is seen rolling along through the desert. It passes another train going around a utility pole, and voices are heard repeating "Bread and Butter" with the engine blowing its whistle to the tune "Yankee Doodle".

Bugs is riding in the mail car of a train, singing a nonsense song called [http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/g002.html "Go Get the Axe"], when a pint-sized bandit attempts to rob the train (with the underscore playing stereotypical "villain music"), only to have it pass clear over his head. He then calls for his horse, which he needs a rolling step-stair to mount. He catches up and boards the train and begins to rob it while the mail clerk wraps himself in a package marked ''DON'T OPEN 'TIL XMAS''. The bandit accidentally throws Bugs Bunny in his sack. Bugs assumes he's Jesse James. The bandit scoffs and tells him (and the audience), "I'm Yosemite Sam, the meanest, toughest, rip-roarin'-est, Edward Everett Horton-est ''hombre'' what ever packed a six-shooter!" (This pattern of Sam introducing himself to Bugs and the audience continued in other cartoons.) Bugs tells Sam that there is another tough guy in the train packing a "seven-shooter", and Sam goes looking for him – and it's Bugs in disguise.

Various fights ensue, as each character temporarily gets the upper hand for a while. In one scene, Bugs dumps red ink on Sam, causing him to think he's been shot; he collapses (while Bugs sings "O Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie") but eventually realizes the red liquid is only ink. Sam pushes his face furiously into Bugs', then pulls back and with a quiet, offended tone asks, "Why did you pour ink on mah haid?" After another skirmish, Bugs tricks Sam into dashing into a lounge car in which a horrific fight is occurring. Stock film footage of a stereotypical western saloon fight (taken from the Warner Bros. Western film ''Dodge City'', was used here). With the sounds of crashes and bangs in the background, Bugs calmly sings "Sweet Georgia Brown" to himself. Sam emerges tottering, banged and bruised, to a comical instrumental of "Rally 'Round the Flag", and a gag occurs where Bugs affects the stereotyped voice of an African-American train porter, and has the dazed Sam convinced he's supposed to disembark the train, piling him up with luggage; Sam even hands Bugs a silver coin as a tip, and Bugs says, "Thank you, suh!" As Sam steps off the moving train, the mail-drop hook grabs him and temporarily whisks him off the train. Bugs thinks he has vanquished Sam, and yells, "So long, screwy, see ya in Saint Louie!" a line that will be echoed in ''Wild and Woolly Hare'' and ''A Feather in His Hare''. But Sam gets back on board somehow. Bugs and Sam start a fight on top of the passenger carriages.

Finally, Sam has Bugs tied up, dangling from a rope, weighted down by an anvil, and fiendishly cutting through the rope, while the train is passing over a gorge. ("Now, ya lop-eared polecat, try and get out of ''this'' one!") The screen fills with the words the narrator (Mel Blanc, in close to his natural voice) is saying, "Is this the end of Bugs Bunny? Will our hero be dashed to bits on the jagged rocks below?" and so on. Then Bugs walks across the screen, dressed in top hat and tails, carrying a bag full of gold (reward money), and dragging the now tied-up Sam behind him, mocking the on-screen words ("Is he to be doomed to utter destruction? Will he be rendered non compos mentis?"). Bugs closes by turning to the audience and repeating a popular radio catch-phrase from Red Skelton's "Mean Widdle Kid": "He don't know me vewy well, do he?" as a bar of "Kingdom Coming" plays on the track at iris-out.

The game revolves around a standard (for Gold Box adventures) party of six adventurers who inadvertently get caught up in a plot by the Zhentarim to conquer the entire Frontier area.

The storyline, in rough terms, follows: * The party starts off in Yartar, having just escorted a caravan from the dwarven stronghold Citadel Adbar (ruled by the dwarf king Harbromm). At the tavern, while the party is enjoying the feast and spirits, something is slipped into their food that causes them to pass out, and they are robbed of all gold and gear, especially the magic longsword that one member used to slay a griffon at Longsaddle. However, each character has a purse of coins under their pillow so they can buy armor and weapons. * Through rescuing the NPC Krevish, the party being hired by the Kraken in Yartar to assassinate a cleric of Bane at Nesme, only to discover that this evil priest was the only individual standing in the way of the conquest. * Rescuing the magic user Amelior Amanitas from Everlund, an eccentric and somewhat absent-minded wizard who explains how to stop the Zhentarim. Returning to Yartar, the party is captured and imprisoned in a Kraken base below the city. There, the magic longsword stolen at the start is recovered but the party has to fight four giant squid in a huge tank before escaping. * Finding four magical statues scattered across the frontier before the Zhentarim, led by a General Vaalgamon, gets to them. * Traveling to the dead city of Ascore to end the Zhentarim plot.

Basically, Zhentil Keep plans to use these magical statues to open a way through an otherwise-unpassable desert for their armies. If successful, the party is hailed as the "Heroes of Ascore", which is carried over into the sequel.

The series begins with the Carlins moving to Los Angeles. The Carlin children transfer to a Los Angeles school called King High. The father, Arthur, works as a social worker and school counselor. The mother, Paula, initiated the move to accept a lucrative job in the emergency room of a Los Angeles hospital. Throughout the series, Arthur and Paula struggle to keep their family happy and together in their new environment.

The youngest Carlin child, Spencer, befriends a bisexual girl named Ashley Davies. Ashley is the jaded, neglected daughter of a famous rock star. As her friendship with Ashley develops into a romance, Spencer begins to question her sexuality. When she figures out that she is gay, Clay and Arthur support her, while Glen and Paula struggle to understand it at first and take time to realize the error of their ways. Spencer's relationship with Ashley introduces her to Aiden Dennison, who was once Ashley's boyfriend, as well as to Kyla Woods, Ashley's estranged half-sister, who debuts in season two. Spencer and Ashley's storylines involve topics of homosexuality, homophobia, peer pressure, religion, romance, and high school.

The middle child, Clay, was adopted by the Carlins and is African-American. He is a straight-A student and cares deeply about his future and his family. He becomes best friends with a movie buff named Sean Miller, and he dates an aspiring artist named Chelsea Lewis. Clay constantly wonders about his birth mother, which drives him to find out her identity and meet with her. When Clay discovers that his birth mother chose to give him up for adoption because she was a teen parent, he is hurt by her treatment of him, but they eventually make partial amends. At the end of the second season, Clay is murdered in a drive-by shooting at prom, deeply affecting his family and friends for the remainder of the series. Clay's storylines, as well as Sean and Chelsea's, deal with topics of racism, abortion, adoption, teen pregnancy, hate crimes, and stepfamilies.

The eldest child, Glen, is the athlete of the family. He joins the basketball team and quickly upstages the former star player, Aiden. Glen begins to date the captain of the cheerleading squad, Madison Duarte, and is sought after by colleges for his basketball skills. During an impromptu basketball match, though, Glen injures his leg and is unable to play. He becomes addicted to the painkillers to which he is prescribed, which leads to him losing his basketball dreams by the time he graduates. As a graduate, Glen plans to join the army, but later decides against it, eventually choosing to work at a sporting goods store. Glen's storylines involve topics of drugs, drug dealing, arrests, college, stress, and the military.

''Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland'' features three continents divided into eleven islands. Each island is themed differently and sometimes contains its own dungeon or else it has a central puzzle the player must complete.

''Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland'' follows Tingle's transformation from a middle-aged man into his green-clothed fairy persona. The story starts when one day a voice calls Tingle from his home to a spring west of his house. There, Uncle Rupee, an old man with a Rupee-shaped head, appears and offers Tingle a life in a paradise called Rupeeland if he continues to feed Rupees to the Western Pool. If enough Rupees are fed, the tower found under the pool will grow upwards towards the sky, and Tingle will be able to enter Rupeeland. Tingle accepts the offer and Uncle Rupee transforms him so that Rupees become his source of life. However, near the end of the game, the player learns that Uncle Rupee has been deceiving Tingle all along, causing Tingle to battle against him.

While Starfy and his family slept in the Pufftop Palace, a nearby land known as the Amy Kingdom was under attack. The heart-shaped Monamool Stone held there was stolen by an evil female snake named Degil. Mattel, a princess from Amy Castle, fled to seek Starfy's help. When Moe the clam saw Mattel and heard about her, he rushed toward Pufftop Palace, burst inside the front door, and told everyone that she would like to speak with them about the Amy Kingdom tragedy. Starfy dozed off, and Moe told him to listen, then Starly petted Moe and talked to him about his love, Ruby the zebra turkeyfish, while Starfy sat and played with his handheld game console that resembles the original Nintendo DS. Later, after their relaxation, Starfy, Starly and Moe went with Mattel to stop Degil and restore peace to the Amy Kingdom.

The solar system of ''Magical Starsign'' consists of 6 planets: the planets of fire, wood, wind, water, earth, and another small planet on the fringes of the solar system called Kovomaka. Kovomaka houses the Will-O-Wisp academy of magic, where 6 aspiring magicians are studying in the same class under the guidance of their teacher, Miss Madeleine. One day, Principal Biscotti receives word that Master Kale, a graduate of the academy, has become the leader of the space pirates, and is planning to destroy the solar system. He sends Miss Madeleine out into space on a mission to prevent Master Kale from achieving his evil plans, but loses all contact with her shortly afterwards. 3 months later, Lassi, one of the current students in the academy, discovers a small spaceship hidden on the roof of the academy building, and goes off into space in search of Miss Madeleine. The hero of the story pursues Lassi in another spaceship, but is forced to crash land on another planet. The player must reunite with the other 5 classmates, rescue Miss Madeleine, and derail Master Kale's evil plans in a wild journey across outer-space.

The main character of the movie is Sara Novak, a college student who, along with comic book store owner named Vern (played by Adrian Paul), spend their time solving riddles. The movie takes a twist when the riddles lead to the death of her friend Jeremy (played by Jay Baruchel), leaving Sara to fear whether she is someone else's game.

Two seriously wounded samurai find refuge from a storm at an isolated temple, the home of a swordsman and a mysterious young woman.

One samurai awakes to find that not only has his comrade died, but that his wounds have miraculously healed. He discovers that he has been given the power of immortality by the swordsman, a man once known as the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, who now lives an endless existence as Aragami, a "god of battle".

Printed Indian currency from the Reserve Bank of India security press at Nasik with an estimated value of 1000 crores, is stolen from a train by T. T. Vikram, a gangster and drug dealer living in London. The container is shipped off by Vikram's henchman and is on the move. The access card of the container goes to the possession of pop star Chandralekha, an acquaintance of Vikram. CBI SP Lakshminarayanan is assigned to track down the stolen currency within the next ten days, on time for the upcoming budget allotment for the fiscal year.

Lakshminarayanan tracks down Chandralekha who tactfully escapes from him and tries to reach Vikram, when she comes across two small time burglars – Kadhir and Azhagu. The duo are on the run from the police after a successful burglary in the countryside. A village belle Rasathi, who tries to escape from her abusive relatives also tags along with the thieving duo. Chandralekha and the trio end up traveling together due to circumstances. When Chandralekha tries to double cross the thieves and escape, they steal her purse containing the access card as revenge. Realizing this, she comes back to them and only then does the duo realize the actual worth of the access card. They all make a plan to pursue the money container somehow, but Vikram tries to chase down and kill all of them to get the card back at any cost.

While on the run from the police and Vikram, they come across the very same truck containing the loot and manage to bring it under their possession. They hide it away from prying eyes with the entirety of the loot still intact inside the container. With Lakshminarayanan and his brigade of CBI officers close at his tail, Vikram stops at nothing to get his loot back, but is outwitted repeatedly by the thieves. Vikram finally manages to find Chandralekha, gets the access card from her and she is left to die in the forest, but is rescued and taken into custody by Lakshminarayanan, who interrogates her and she cooperates with them to find the container.

Meanwhile, Kadhir and Rasathi are mutually attracted to each other but Kadhir sacrifices his love for her after realizing that his best friend Azhagu is also in love with Rasathi. Rasathi, who does not want to continue with this love triangle, opts out and leaves them both, but Vikram captures her. Kadhir and Azhagu, in a bid to save her, point to the location of the currency container and Vikram escapes with the loot on a train, taking Rasathi as a hostage.

Lakshminarayanan finds that the loot is being transported on a train and is in hot pursuit, while Kadhir and Azhagu also get on the train to save Rasathi from Vikram. They save Rasathi together and subdue Vikram, who falls off the train. Azhagu also steals the access card from him. Now that they are finally in possession of the loot, Kadhir and Azhagu playfully argue about who would marry Rasathi and leave the other to manage the loot, each indicating that they are more interested in the money than their love for Rasathi, so she grabs the access card and throws it away and chases them around.

Lakshminarayanan arrives at the nick of time and takes the access card and the currency container back to the Indian government where it actually belongs and finally restores order.

Sanderson plays Kane, a hate-fuelled racist redneck who absconds from jail with his sidekicks (an Asian and a Mexican). They hole up in the secluded house of Ted Turner, a black minister, and his family, where harsh epithets are exchanged and the minister is forced to take action to defend his family.

The sketch begins when a quietly spoken man (Cleese) takes his dead mother to an undertakers' office. The tactless undertaker (Chapman) suggests they can "burn 'er, bury 'er, or dump 'er in the Thames", but rules out the last option after Cleese confirms that he liked his mother. Of the other two, the undertaker says both are "nasty" and describes the sordid details. When the son shows the undertaker his mother's body, which is in a sack, he sees that the dead woman "looks quite young". He tells his assistant, Fred (Eric Idle) that he thinks they've "got an eater", to which Fred responds that he'll get the oven warm. The grieving son is shocked by the idea of eating his mother's corpse, but eventually succumbs to "feeling a bit peckish". He still feels uneasy, but when the undertaker suggests digging a grave for him to throw up into (in case he feels "a bit guilty afterwards"), he agrees.

The novel is presented as a diary written by Zeno, published by his doctor (who claims that it is full of lies). The doctor has left a little note in the beginning, saying he had Zeno write an autobiography to help him in his psychoanalysis. The doctor has published the work as revenge for Zeno discontinuing his visits.

The diary, however, does not follow chronological order; instead, it is structured in large chapters, each developing a particular theme (tobacco addiction, his father's death, the story of his marriage, and so on). Only the last chapter is a real diary, with pages referring to specific dates at the time of the First World War.

Zeno first writes about his cigarette addiction and cites the first times he smoked. In his first few paragraphs, he remembers his life as a child. One of his friends bought cigarettes for his brother and him. Soon, he steals money from his father to buy tobacco, but finally decides not to do this out of shame. Eventually, he starts to smoke his father's half-smoked cigars instead.

The problem with his "last cigarette" starts when he is twenty. He contracts a fever and his doctor tells him that to heal he must abstain from smoking. He decides smoking is bad for him and smokes his "last cigarette" so he can quit. However, this is not his last and he soon becomes plagued with "last cigarettes." He attempts to quit on days of important events in his life and soon obsessively attempts to quit on the basis of the harmony in the numbers of dates. Each time, the cigarette fails to truly be the last. He goes to doctors and asks friends to help him give up the habit, but to no avail. He even commits himself into a clinic, but escapes. The whole theme, while objectively serious, is often treated in a humorous way.

When Zeno reaches his thirties, his father's health begins to deteriorate. He starts to live closer to his father in case he passes away. Zeno is very different from his father, who is a serious man, while Zeno likes to joke. For instance, when his father states that Zeno is crazy, Zeno goes to the doctor and gets an official certification that he is sane. He shows this to his father who is hurt by this joke and becomes even more convinced that Zeno must be crazy. His father is also afraid of death, being very uncomfortable with the drafting of his will. One night, his father falls gravely ill and loses consciousness. The doctor comes and works on the patient, who is brought out of the clutches of death momentarily. Over the next few days, his father is able to get up and regains a bit of his self. He is restless and shifts positions for comfort often, even though the doctor says that staying in bed would be good for his circulation. One night, as his father tries to roll out of bed, Zeno blocks him from moving, to do as the doctor wished. His angry father then stands up and accidentally slaps Zeno in the face before dying. His last action will haunt Zeno until he reaches his sixties, as he is not able to tell if it was a final punishment or just his illness taking over his body.

His memoirs then trace how he meets his wife. When he is starting to learn about the business world, he meets his future father-in-law Giovanni Malfenti, an intelligent and successful businessman, whom Zeno admires. Malfenti has four daughters, Ada, Augusta, Alberta, and Anna, and when Zeno meets them, he decides that he wants to court Ada because of her beauty and since Alberta is quite young, while he regards Augusta as too plain, and Anna is only a little girl. He is unsuccessful and the Malfentis think that he is actually trying to court Augusta, who had fallen in love with him. He soon meets his rival for Ada's love, who is Guido Speier. Guido speaks perfect Tuscan (while Zeno speaks the dialect of Trieste), is handsome, and has a full head of hair (compared with Zeno's bald head). That evening, while Guido and Zeno both visit the Malfentis, Zeno proposes to Ada and she rejects him for Guido. Zeno then proposes to Alberta, who is not interested in marrying, and he is rejected by her also. Finally, he proposes to Augusta (who knows that Zeno first proposed to the other two) and she accepts, because she loves him.

Very soon, the couples get married and Zeno starts to realize that he can love Augusta. This surprises him as his love for her does not diminish. However, he meets Carla, a poor aspiring singer, and they start an affair, with Carla thinking that Zeno does not love his wife. Meanwhile, Ada and Guido marry and Mr. Malfenti gets sick. Zeno's affection for both Augusta and Carla increases and he has a daughter named Antonia around the time Giovanni passes away. Finally, one day, Carla expresses a sudden whim to see Augusta. Zeno deceives Carla and causes her to meet Ada instead. Carla misrepresents Ada as Zeno's wife, and moved by her beauty and sadness, breaks off the affair.

Zeno goes on to relate the business partnership between him and Guido. The two men set up a merchant business together in Trieste. They hire two workers named Luciano and Carmen (who becomes Guido's mistress) and they attempt to make as much profit as possible. However, due to Guido's obsession with debts and credit as well as with the notion of profit, the company does poorly. Guido and Ada's marriage begins to crumble as does Ada's health and beauty, due to ''Morbus Basedowii'' (Basedow's disease). Guido fakes a suicide attempt to gain Ada's compassion and she asks Zeno to help Guido's failing company. Guido starts playing on the Bourse (stock exchange) and loses even more money. On a fishing trip, he asks Zeno about the differences in effects between sodium veronal and veronal and Zeno answers that sodium veronal is fatal while veronal is not. Guido's gambling on the Bourse becomes very destructive and he finally tries to fake another suicide to gain Ada's compassion. However, he is not believed by his doctor and his wife and dies. Soon thereafter, Zeno misses Guido's funeral because he himself gambles Guido's money on the Bourse and recovers three quarters of the losses.

Zeno describes his current life during the Great War. His daughter Antonia (who greatly resembles Ada) and son Alfio have grown up. He spends his time visiting doctors, looking for a cure to his imagined sickness. One of the doctors claims he is suffering from the Oedipus complex, but Zeno does not believe it to be true. Not a single doctor is able to treat him.

In May 1915, while Italy is still neutral, as Zeno wants it to be, he and his family spend a vacation on the green banks of the Isonzo. Zeno does not yet guess that area will soon become a major battlefield. Renting a house in the village of Lucinico, he sets out on a casual morning stroll without his hat and jacket – when the outbreak of the war between Italy and Austro-Hungary turns the area into a war zone and Zeno is separated from his wife and children by the frontline. Forced to go back to Trieste alone, only much later does he find out that Augusta and the children reached Turin safely.

The final entry is from March 1916, after Zeno, alone in wartorn Trieste, has become wealthy by speculating and hoarding, though money has not made him happy or pleased with life. He comes to a realization that life itself resembles sickness because it has advancements and setbacks and always ends in death. Human advancement has given mankind not more able bodies, but weapons that can be sold, bought, stolen to prolong life. This deviation from natural selection causes more sickness and weakness in humans. Zeno imagines a time when a person will invent a new, powerful weapon of mass destruction, just like the modern atomic bomb, that wasn't invented yet at the time, and another will steal it and destroy the world, setting it free of sickness.

Manuela Alva (Judy Garland), who lives in the small Caribbean village of Calvados, dreams of being swept away by the legendary Pirate, Mack "the Black" Macoco. However, her aunt and uncle (who have raised her) insist that she marry the town mayor, the rotund and bullying Don Pedro (Walter Slezak).

Shortly before her wedding, Manuela visits a nearby town, Port Sebastian. A traveling circus has arrived, and Serafin (Gene Kelly), its handsome leader, flirts with all the girls in the song "Niña". When he encounters Manuela, however, he falls in love with her at first sight. He compliments her beauty and begs her not to marry Don Pedro, but, angered, she hurries away. That night, however, she can't sleep, and sneaks out to go see Serafin's show.

At the show, Serafin hypnotizes Manuela, thinking that she will admit that she loves him. Instead, she wildly sings and dances about her love for "Mack the Black." Serafin awakens her with a kiss, and she flees in horror.

On Manuela's wedding day, the traveling players arrive in Calvados. Serafin begs her to join his troupe, and asks her to admit that she loves him. Don Pedro, hearing noise in her room, arrives at her door, and asks her to go away so that he can teach Serafin a lesson.

Serafin recognizes Don Pedro as Macoco, retired and obese. He blackmails Macoco with this information, swearing to tell it to Manuela if Don Pedro forbids the performers from putting on a show. Serafin then decides to pretend to be Macoco in order to win over Manuela. He reveals himself before the whole town as Macoco, then asks Manuela if she will come with him; she again refuses. Still, watching from her window as he dances, she begins to daydream about him. The next day, he threatens to burn down the town if he can't have her. Finally, she happily agrees to go with him.

One of Serafin's troupe accidentally reveals his plan to Manuela. To get her revenge, she first pretends to seduce him, then attacks him with words and throws objects. She accidentally knocks him out, then she realizes that she loves him, and sings "You Can Do No Wrong."

Meanwhile, Don Pedro convinces the viceroy that Serafin is the real Macoco and should hang for it. He plants treasure in Serafin's prop trunk to make him look like a pirate. The army arrests him, and Manuela's protests can't free him. On the night of his hanging, Manuela finally gets to look at the false evidence, and recognizes a bracelet with the same design as the wedding ring that Don Pedro gave her, and realizes that he is the pirate.

Serafin asks to do one last show before he is hanged, and sings and dances "Be a Clown" with two fellow troupe members (the Nicholas Brothers). As a finale, he plans to hypnotize Don Pedro into admitting he is Macoco, but Manuela's aunt uses her parasol to break the mirror that Serafin uses to hypnotize people. Panicked, Manuela pretends to be hypnotized and sings "Love of My Life," vowing everlasting devotion to Macoco. Don Pedro, jealous, reveals himself as the true Macoco and seizes her. Serafin's troupe attacks him with all the items and juggling balls, and the lovers embrace. Manuela joins Serafin's act and the film ends with them singing a reprise of "Be a Clown."

The film is set somewhere in Japan, in the mid-fourteenth century during a period of civil war. Two fleeing soldiers are ambushed in a large field of tall, thick reeds and murdered by an older woman and her young daughter-in-law. The two women loot the dead soldiers, strip them of their armour and weapons, and drop the bodies in a deep pit hidden in the field. The next day, they take the armor and weapons to a merchant named Ushi and trade them for food. The merchant tells them news of the war, which is driving people across the country to desperation. As they leave, Ushi makes a sexual proposition to the older woman, who rebuffs him. A neighbor named Hachi, who has been at war, returns. The two women ask about Kishi, who was both the older woman's son and younger woman's husband, and was drafted along with Hachi. Hachi tells them that they deserted the war and that Kishi was later killed when they were caught stealing food from farmers. The older woman warns the younger woman to stay away from Hachi, whom she blames for her son's death.

Hachi begins to show interest in the younger woman and, despite being warned to stay away from Hachi, she is seduced by him. She begins to sneak out every night to run to his hut and have sex. The older woman learns of the relationship and is both angry and jealous. She tries to seduce Hachi herself, but is coldly rebuffed. She then pleads with him to not take her daughter-in-law away, since she cannot kill and rob passing soldiers without her help.

One night, while Hachi and the younger woman are together, a lost samurai wearing a Hannya mask forces the older woman to guide him out of the field. He claims to wear the mask to protect his incredibly handsome face from harm. She tricks him into plunging to his death in the pit where the women dispose of their victims. She climbs down and steals the samurai's possessions and, with great difficulty, his mask, revealing the samurai's horribly disfigured face.

At night, as the younger woman goes to see Hachi, the older woman blocks her path, wearing the samurai's robes and oni mask, frightening the girl into running home. During the day, the older woman further convinces the younger woman that the "demon" was real, as punishment for her affair with Hachi. The younger woman avoids Hachi during the day, but continues to try and see him at night. During a storm, the older woman again terrifies the younger woman with the mask, but Hachi, tired of being ignored, finds the younger woman and has sex with her in the grass as her mother-in-law watches. The older woman realizes that despite all her warnings, her daughter-in-law wants to be with Hachi. Hachi returns to his hut, where he discovers another deserter stealing his food; the deserter abruptly grabs his spear and stabs Hachi, killing him.

The older woman discovers that, after getting wet in the rain, the mask is impossible to remove. She reveals her scheme to the younger woman and pleads for her to help take off the mask. The younger woman agrees to remove the mask after the older woman promises not to interfere with her relationship with Hachi. After failing to pull it off, the young woman breaks off the mask with a mallet. Under the mask, the older woman's face is now disfigured, as the samurai's had been. The younger woman, thinking her mother-in-law has turned into a demon, flees; the older woman runs after her, crying out that she is a human being, not a demon. The young woman leaps over the pit, and as the older woman leaps after her, the film ends.

Jimmy Muir, a worker at the Stones Brewery gets scouted, firstly by the well-known non-league side Hallam F.C. and then later by Sheffield United Football Club. It was filmed at various locations around South Yorkshire including Rotherham, Sandygate Road and Bramall Lane. Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott made his acting debut in a scene as Jimmy's brother, but the scene was cut from the final production.

A sequel has been written, which would see Sean Bean reprise his role as Jimmy Muir.

;Spy Swordsman (Onmitsu Kenshi)

The opening arc is distinctly western-inspired, with much horseback riding and gun fighting. It portrays the native Ainu people sympathetically as they substitute for American Indians in the frontier-like Ezo (modern Hokkaidō). Fuyukichi Maki appears in several episodes as the Ainu rebel leader Kamokuin, while Bin Amatsu plays two minor roles. It was actually aired as the last season in the Australian run of the series, as it was less representative of the show as a whole.

Shintarō has been ordered to investigate the resources of the Matsumae clan and write a report about them. The lord of Matsumae suspects that this will lead to the shogunate taking control of his fiefdom and sends his fanatically loyal but rightful retainer, Kiba Jinjūrō (played by Toshiyuki Katsuki), who vows to kill Shintarō. During his investigation, Shintarō struggles to help the downtrodden local Japanese villagers and the oppressed Ainu, and also fights local bandits and smugglers, often inadvertently aided by his just rival Kiba.

;Koga Ninjas (Ninpō Kōgashū)

The second story (aired as the first season in Australia) introduces ninja to the series, setting a theme that would then dominate ''The Samurai''. Set in Kai Province (modern Yamanashi Prefecture), the story follows the plot of a society of 13 master Kōga Ninja and their followers to use the lost gold mine of a 16th-century warlord Takeda Shingen to further their own ambitions - and Shintarō's efforts to foil them. The Kōga Ninja are led by Kōga Ryūshirō, a descendant of the founder of the Kōga, and include Genzō the Spider (played by Bin Amatsu, the first time in a ninja role), Kurobei who eventually defects to Shintaro, and the female ninja Oyo. Also introduced to the series is Shūsaku, a descendant of the great Takeda general Baba Nobukatsu, a real historical figure, whose father has been kidnapped by the Kōga Ninja.

;Iga Ninjas (Ninpō Iga Jūnin)

Set in May 1788, the story concerns the mission of Shintarō, aided by Tombei and his group of Iga Ninja, to stop Momochi Genkurō (played by Toshiyuki Katsuki), the best swordsman in Japan, and the leader of a renegade group of ten master Iga Ninja from the Manji Valley who are hired by the Lord of Owari to assassinate Matsudaira Sadanobu on the Tōkaidō road in the region between Edo and Kyoto. Unknown to his employer, Momochi himself has a secret agenda, to plunge the country back into civil war and revive the golden age of ninjutsu. His group includes a woman ninja Okayo, who at first wants to avenge the death of her brother Koheita, but later develops feelings for Shintarō (a similar character, Kazeba the sister of Nuinosuke, appears in the follow-up story), and Gensai the Wolf (Okami no Gensai) played by Amatsu.

;Black Ninja (Ninpō Yami Hōshi)

This story was shown in Australia after the final story even though it follows directly from ''Iga Ninja'' later on in 1788. It sees the return of Gensai the Wolf, who joins the Black Ninja (Yami Hōshi - literally Black Priest) group of Kōga Ninja led by Hakuunsai. The story revolves around an attempt to sign up disgruntled daimyō (feudal domain lords, called "landowners" in the series) in a political plot against the central government to install the young lord of the Owari clan as the new shogun. To further their aims the Black Ninja begin killing "secret samurai" in Edo and in the provinces to expose the elaborate system of spies that the shogunate employs to keep tabs on the domain lords. The Black Ninja hope that by doing this they can foment anger and dissatisfaction with the government and induce the clans to join in the plot. Shintarō foils all of the Black Ninja's plans, obtains the scroll containing the signatures of the plotters and eventually uncovers the instigator of the conspiracy and the true identity of Hakuunsai. Finally, in a great act of chivalry he saves the Owari clan from certain annihilation by destroying the proof of the plot against the shogunate.

;Fuma Ninja (Ninpō Fūma Ichizoku)

Set in 1790 in and between Edo and Odawara, the story introduces Fūma Kotarō (the chief antagonist being again portrayed by Amatsu), a descendant and namesake of the infamous 16th century ninja Fūma Kotarō. He is obsessed with finding the buried treasure of the Hōjō clan lost at the end of the 16th century when Odawara Castle fell to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and using the million pieces of gold it contains to revive the fortunes of the Fūma. Three mirrors hold the clues to its location: the Wind Thunder, the Water Tiger and the Fire Dragon mirrors. Most of the story is concerned with the efforts of the Fūma Ninja to find them and later to recover them from Shintarō and Tonbei who had taken them for safe-keeping. The younger sister of Fūma Kotarō, Oboro is introduced along the way and her attempts at obtaining the mirrors form a large part of the story. It ends with the apparent death of Fūma Kotarō when, wounded by Shintarō, he falls from a cliff.

;Fuma Ninja Continued (Zoku Ninpō Fūma Ichizoku)

This story continues the search for the Hōjō treasure which takes both Shintarō and the Fūma around the former Musashi and Sagami provinces. As in the case of two of the previous stories, a major enemy falls in love with Shintarō - this time it's the ninja princess Oboro (Naoko Saga, a pop singer from King Records), Kotarō's younger sister who has been introduced in the first part of the Fuma story and would also return in Contest of Death. Her attempts to aid Shintaro are discovered by Kotarō who orders his men to kill her. She is used as bait to trap Shintarō but he rescues her from certain death. In the end, Kotarō and Shintarō duel until Kotarō, apparently mortally wounded, blows himself up together with the treasure.

;Ninja Terror (Ninpō Negoru-Shū)

This story is set in Kii Province (modern Wakayama Prefecture) in December 1789 and concerns the succession of the new lord of Wakayama. The rightful heir is Prince Yorikata, supported by the retainer Oribe Hida and guarded by six Kishū Ninja led by Genyō. Opposed to him is another retainer, Naitō Daigaku, who wants to put Yorikata's younger brother Yoshitsuna in his place so he would become the regent and control Kii. Naitō eventually wants to also assassinate Ienari and install Yoshitsuna as the 12th shogun and control the entire country. To this end he employs the Negoro Ninja, led by Garyūdōshi (played by Yoshio Yoshida), to carry out his plans, while Shintarō and Tonbei aid Yorikata and the Kishū Ninja.

;Phantom Ninja (Ninpō Mabaroshi-Shū)

This story is set in and around Edo and concerns the mysterious Lord of Night (Kurayami no Gotairō) and his attempt to bring about Matsudaira Sadanobu's downfall by destroying those closest to him. To this end he hires Kongō of Kōga (actually Kotarō, returning due to popular demand from fans, and once again played by Amatsu) who in turn hires the seven Phantom (Maboroshi) Ninja from Phantom valley in Koga to assassinate those whose names appear in the so-called Book of Death. These include Tonbei and the other Iga Ninja as well as Shintarō. Shintarō thwarts all but one of the attempts to assassinate the others in the book and one by one he kills off the Phantom ninja, foiling their plot to disgrace Lord Sadanobu. In the end he is able to unmask the Lord of Night as Lord Rokkaku, one of the shogun's advisors.

This story is notable because the Phantom Ninja "baddies" are portrayed with some depth and sensitivity. It also portrays a woman Phantom ninja named Chidori as being in every way equal to her male companions with interesting ninja weapons and techniques of her own. She is also one of only three female ninja in the series who manage to resist Shintarō's charms and remain true to their cause (the other two being Oko in Ninja Terror and Namiji in Fuma Ninja Continued).

;Puppet Ninja (Kugotsu Ninpōchō)

Set in Kyūshū, this story is about Shintarō's battles with a group of Puppet Ninja, led by the ancient master Genshin. Tonbei is sent to Hizen Province (modern Nagasaki and Saga prefectures) to spy on the lords there because of suspected smuggling. When he fails to report, Shintarō goes after him and discovers Genshin of the Shiranui clan has been bringing in guns smuggled from abroad and distributing them to other lords in Hizen with the ultimate aim of toppling the central government and taking control of Japan. Kongō reappears in this story, stalking Shintarō and even saving him from the hands of the Puppet Ninja once so he can kill him himself later. This story was shorter than usual (only 10 episodes) because of the broadcast of the 1964 Summer Olympics.

;Contest of Death (Ayakashi Ninpōchō)

The originally final season of the whole series. Set in 1790, it tells of Kongō's attempts to have Shintarō assassinated by ninja of different schools, until they eventually turn on him instead. They see him, no less than Shintaro himself, as an obstacle to their ambitions. The season ends with Kongō and Shintarō leaving together in a boat sailing, as Shintaro says, into the far distance. There is in fact no duel between Shintaro and Kongo, because he and Kongo have already duelled successfully with the five ninja masters who believe (in vain) that they can bring back civil disruption and hence the glory days of the ninja clans. Wearied of fighting, Shintaro, with the disenchanted Kongo (who now sees the dream of restoring the past of bloodshed and violence to be futile), leaves for another life, his mission achieved and society at peace. As he and Kongo depart, Shūsaku, Tombei the Mist, and Oboro (Kotarō/Kongō's sister from the Fuma Ninja stories) remain behind on the shore, sadly crying out their farewells. A true hero—a true embodiment of Samurai chivalry—Shintaro retires into a glorious anonymity, his quests all accomplished.

Jimmy has an assignment to write a book report, and Jimmy decides to invent the Virtual World Reproduction Machine (VWRM), a device that will show the class what the book is about like a movie. Jimmy places his Jet Fusion book into the machine and it malfunctions, thus turning Retroville into a virtual world. Then Professor Calamitous kidnaps Jet Fusion and it's up to Jimmy to save him. Throughout the game, the player has to collect pieces for major and minor inventions, which help Jimmy continue to the next level. The one major invention in each level helps defeat the boss in the boss level, while the one minor invention in each world helps Jimmy battle his enemies and various obstacles. The minor inventions also come with a primary and secondary action.

The fantasy story takes place in Whitby and concerns the evil sorcerer Reverend Obadiah Demurral who is seeking two powerful amulets, called the Keruvim, which he plans to use to control the elements and dominate the world. At the start of the book he purchases the first Keruvim (which takes the form of a golden statuette of a cherub) from an Ethiopian mercenary named Gebra Nubera.

He then uses the Keruvim to destroy a ship upon which the next Keruvim is prophesied to arrive, but when he surveys the wreckage he finds nothing.

The next day an Ethiopian boy named Raphah arrives searching for the Keruvim. He befriends the main character, an urchin named Thomas and reveals that he is a messenger from God (referred to as Riathamus here), and that Demurral is a Shadowmancer, a sorcerer who can control the dead. Despite not believing in God, Thomas agrees to assist Raphah in regaining the Keruvim because he wants revenge on Demurral for evicting him and his dying mother from their home.

They pursue Demurral and the Keruvim with the assistance of Thomas's tomboy friend Kate and the mysterious smuggler, Jacob Crane. During the story, Raphah, Kate and Jacob Crane, who all for their own individual reasons did not believe in God, do come to believe in him.

Eventually it is revealed that, in using the Keruvim, Demurral has unleashed a demonic race called the Glashan who were imprisoned at the dawn of time for rebelling against God. Led by the evil Pyratheon (the Devil), they join forces with Demurral so that they can find the other Keruvim and harness its power to overthrow God and rule the universe.

It is eventually revealed that Raphah is the other Keruvim, so Demurral and Pyratheon try to capture him, so that they can kill him and turn him into an Azimuth (a slave spirit) to activate the Keruvim's full power.

At the climax of the story Thomas, Kate and Raphah meet an angel referred to as a Seruvim (a play on the word Seraphim) named Raphael, who goes by the alias Abram Rickards. A showdown takes place in Demurral's church during which Raphah is killed and Pyratheon obtains the Keruvim. He recites the incantation to activate its power and the world is temporarily plunged into night. Pyratheon thinks he has succeeded in stealing the power of God and gloats. However Abram then reveals that while Raphah is dead it has no power and all Pyratheon has done is meddle with time. After Abram restores life to Raphah, the sun rises, Abram is revealed in his true form and Pyratheon and Demurral flee.

Abram tells Thomas, Kate and Jacob Crane to take the Keruvim away to another land so they leave aboard Crane's ship, ''The Magenta''. However, in the closing page of the book it is revealed that they are being stealthily pursued by sea-demons known as Seloth.

Twelve-year-old Jamie discovers a strange place in his hometown in which mysterious and demonic entities, known only as ''Them'', are playing a board game with the entire world. Upon his discovering ''Them'', ''They'' are forced to make Jamie a Homeward Bounder; this means he must constantly travel from world to world until he finds his home again. Homeward Bounders cannot die, and must not interfere with Play. If he can reach his home he may stay, and re-enter play. No-one is allowed to interfere directly with the Homeward Bounders; for example, if someone were to attempt to hurt or steal from Jamie, that person would die mysteriously.

In his travels through the many worlds, Jamie meets the Flying Dutchman, with his ship and crew, and Ahasuerus, the Wandering Jew. In addition, he meets a strange entity chained to a rock by ''Them''. Every day, a Vulture comes to peck at him. While he is never named, the entity is Prometheus (he states that his name means "foresight" and that, according to legend, he was punished for bringing fire to humanity). Jamie becomes skilled at travelling, learning to read the signs left by other Homeward Bounders, growing fluent in many languages and proficient in many unusual skills.

So Jamie wanders through the worlds, time passing, never reaching his home, yet hardly aging at all, until he meets Helen Haras-Uquara, from the barbaric world of Uquar. She has a gift - she can change her right arm into anything at all (for instance, an elephant trunk or a snake). Helen has only recently become a Homeward Bounder, because she, like Jamie, has seen ''Them'' playing ''Their'' game with the worlds. Although she has no experience with anything much, having been shut in a temple for most of her life, she proves to be a resourceful and intelligent person; her knowledge of ''Them'', which mainly comes from the teachings of Uquar, her god, turns out to be very useful.

Helen and Jamie travel together until they meet Joris, another new Homeward Bounder, who was a slave and apprentice demon hunter from another world, separated from his master by a demon that showed him ''Them''. The three travel together until they come to a world in which they meet Adam and Vanessa.

This world is like our current world, and is also strongly reminiscent of Jamie's home world. He is sure that if they could just travel on one or two worlds more he would reach his Home. The Homeward Bounders convince Adam and Vanessa that ''They'' exist, when Konstam, Joris' demon-hunting-master arrives, and joins their party. Konstam is eager to fight this new kind of demon, if only because of the challenge that They present, and the six invade ''Their'' strange place and try to defeat ''Them''. The attack goes awry, however, and all six of them are made into Homeward Bounders. This fills the Bounder circuits to their maximum capacity; in effect, this means that ''They'' cannot create any more Homeward Bounders. Even ''They'' must play by ''Their'' own rules.

Jamie awakens, alone, and realizes that Adam and Vanessa's world is his Home, only 100 years too late – he recognizes a photo of Adam and Vanessa's grandmother when she was young; it was his little sister, grown up. He realizes that although he did not age during his time on the Bounder circuits, time was still passing on his Home world, and his family and his Home world have gone forever. ''They'' are cheating; his world is gone. He has no home to go to.

His hope of ever returning home crushed, he returns to the mysterious entity chained to a rock, and inadvertently frees him, as only one without hope can free him. With his help, Jamie rallies all the Homeward Bounders, and they make a frontal assault on the main base of ''Them'', and destroy many of ''Them'' and also ''Their'' special place, known as "The Real Place".

Everyone is returned to their respective home worlds, except for Jamie. Since his home is gone, he chooses to continue to wander through the worlds, so as to keep The Real Place in all the worlds, not just in one place, as They did. So, in the end, Jamie stops Them from returning for at least a few centuries, by giving up any hope of a normal life and having to endure watching his friends die while he stays young.

Dangerous weather and climate changes are ravaging the Earth. Masked super-scientist Commando Cody is approached by the U.S. government to investigate. Among the tools at his disposal are a sonic-powered one-man flying suit with an aerodynamic helmet and a new Cody-designed and built rocket ship.

With his colleagues Joan and Ted (later replaced by Dick), he ascertains the disasters are being caused by space-alien forces led by a mysterious "Ruler" of unknown planetary origins, with occasional help from hired, Earth-born criminals. Warding off various dangers, Cody and his associates are able to methodically close in on the culprits and reveal that The Ruler is from our sister world Venus.

In the final episode, Cody is able to capture The Ruler and his soldiers on Mercury with the help of the persecuted Mercurians and their queen. This brings a quick end to the Ruler's influence on Venus and a peace treaty soon follows, ending the Venus-Earth conflict.

In ancient India, the lives of many people are plagued by drought, famine, constant warfare and injustices in the caste system. The intertwining lives of many unhappy souls are drawn together by the birth of the young prince Siddhartha, who embarks on a spiritual journey and becomes Gautama Buddha, "the Enlightened One", and attempts to bring about a spiritual rebirth of the people in this desperate age.

Part One

Six months after the events of Infernal Devices, General Naga, the now-leader of the Green Storm after the supposed demise of the Stalker Fang, has formed a truce with the ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'', blossoming a new era of trade and peace.

Theo Ngoni, returning to his home of Zagwa and reuniting with his family, foils an assassination attempt on Oenone Zero, who is married to General Naga and has taken the title of Lady Naga. Zero was in Zagwa to facilitate peace terms with Zagwa and the Green Storm; and suspects that the attempt was made by Green Storm soldiers still loyal to the Stalker Fang. Due to the possibility of another attempt, Zero has an incognito merchant airship prepared that will take her an alternate route to Naga. As Theo saved her life, Zero wants him to accompany her; Theo agrees, hopeful that he might meet Wren. En route, Zero's servant Rohini is revealed to be Cynthia Twite, a Green Storm spy who survived the events of ''Infernal Devices'', and attempts to kill her, but Theo intervenes. Cynthia escapes and downs the airship. The pair survive the crash, but Zero is captured by air-trader Napster Varley who plans to sell her to the ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft''; whilst Theo is saved from slavers by Hester Shaw and the Stalker Shrike, who is unable to kill due to Zero's tampering. After Theo informs them of Zero's capture, Hester and Shrike decide to find her, as Zero will be able to reverse Shrike's "barrier" she implemented.

Cynthia reaches Naga's base in Tienjing and lies to him that Zero was killed by the Zagwans, though Naga refuses to take action against Tractionists. Cynthia manages to weasle her way to serve in Naga's household.

In the Traction City of Peripatetiapolis, Tom Natsworthy discovers that the bullet that Nimrod Pennyroyal shot him with in ''Predator's Gold'' has damaged his heart and he has not long to live, though he doesn't tell his daughter Wren. Tom soon discovers a woman that resembles Clytie Potts, a London Apprentice Historian that he knew. When questioned, she tells him that her name is Cruwys Morchard and that she is transporting Old-Tech devices. Unconvinced, Tom and Wren decide to pursue her, travelling on the ''Jenny Haniver'' to Murnau, a ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'' city, where they meet Wolf von Kobold, the son of the Mayor of Murnau and commander of the traction city Harrowbarrow. Wolf believes that the survivors of MEDUSA may be still inside London, and the three agree to make an expedition to London.

Tom and Wren meet Wolf on Harrowbarrow, a burrowing Traction City, which takes them closer to London. With Wolf accompanying them, they fly the ''Jenny Haniver'' over the Green Storm border, and finally reaching the debris field of London. There they discover that the survivors of MEDUSA have rebuilt a society in London, led by Tom's old boss and now Mayor Chudleigh Pomeroy. Garamond, the paranoid head of security, convinces Pomeroy to keep them there as he suspects that they may inform others of London's survival. Tom, Wren and Wolf eventually discover a new traction town being rebuilt near the ruins, a project that was in-progress long before Magnus Crome decided to use MEDUSA. Noticing that "New London" has no wheels, the leading Engineer Dr. Childermass explains that it uses Magnetic Levitation to float above the ground, making it less harmful to the environment. Wolf slips away from the conversation and escapes back to Harrowbarrow, intent on devouring New London and to use the technology to make his city better.

Meanwhile, the former Lost Boy Fishcake has partially rebuilt the Stalker Fang in Cairo. The Stalker Fang often malfunctions, alternating in personality between the kind and supportive Anna-side and the cold and merciless Stalker-side. Fishcake informs Fang that Cairo is stopping to trade with Lost Boy-ruled Brighton where they steal a limpet and make their way to the state of Shan Guo, where the Stalker will do something "important".

Walking the rest of the way by foot, Fishcake and Fang stop at a hermitage, that is inhabited by Sathya, an exiled commander of the Green Storm and an old friend to Anna. The Anna-side of the Stalker doesn't wish to harm Sathya, and wants former London Engineer Dr. Popjoy, who resurrected her in ''Predator’s Gold'' to eliminate the Stalker-side. Despite protestations, Fishcake accompanies her to Batmunkh Gompa. However, before meeting Popjoy, the Stalker-side returns and demands that he remove the Anna-side. Popjoy explains to her that the brain he fitted her with in Rogue's Roost was from a much older model he found in the Arctic and that it was from a "Remembering Machine" that helped to keep a nomad culture alive. When Popjoy discovers that the Stalker Fang will reactivate ODIN (standing for Orbital Defence Initiative), an orbital weapon with firepower similar to MEDUSA, he protests; but the Stalker kills him. The Stalker Fang takes Fishcake with her to Erdene Tezh, her old home.

Part Two

Napster Varley arrives in Airhaven, which is floating above the ''Traktionstadtgesellschaft'', and unsuccessfully attempts to sell Zero to Wolf's father Kriegsmarschall von Kobold. Hester, Theo and Shrike arrive at the floating city and attempt to buy her from Varley, who asks for an extortionate price which they cannot pay. Hester and Theo discover Pennyroyal hiding in Airhaven in disgrace and debt after a newspaper exposed him as a fraud. Hester takes what remains of his money and heads to Varley's ship to buy Zero, with Theo accidentally mentioning to Pennyroyal about Zero being alive. With this knowledge and seeking to reclaim fame, Pennyroyal rounds up men from Manchester and marches to Varley's ship. Discovering a photograph of Zero that Varley placed on him, von Kobold attempts to rescue her to make further peace with Naga.

Hester's attempt to cheat Varley is discovered and he attacks her, but his abused wife kills him. As Hester and Zero make their way back, von Kobold finds them and helps them. Pennyroyal arrives with the Manchester men and a fight ensues where von Kobold is shot, but survives via his Old-Tech armour. Shrike manages to scare them away and gets Hester and Zero to their airship the ''Shadow Aspect'' and escape. Pennyroyal gets into an altercation with a journalist and falls from Airhaven and is assumed dead, but lands in the rigging of the ''Shadow Aspect''. Stalker-birds arrive but escort the airship to a Green Storm air base where they are hailed as heroes. The base is soon attacked by the ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'' and Harrowbarrow. All escape in an airship heading east except Theo who stays behind to retrieve a letter that Wren sent him, but is seemingly killed by a bomb shell.

Wolf returns to Harrowbarrow and meets with von Kobold and the Mayor of Manchester Adlai Browne. With support from other ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'' cities, Browne intends to destroy the Green Storm, despite von Kobold wanting peace. In Tienjing, Naga is informed of the Green Storm air base being attacked but does nothing, disheartened by Zero's supposed death. Cynthia has been poisoning his green tea to make him helpless further and fanatically believes that the Stalker Fang will return.

Fishcake and the Stalker Fang, whose personalities seem to be merged, steal Popjoy's air yacht and reach Erdene Tezh and her old home. Inside, she starts to create a device which will relay orders to ODIN.

Part Three

Theo survives the attack on the airfield and treks east across the plains toward London, where Wren's letter told him she would be; whilst the surviving Green Storm soldiers are transported off to Forward Command, an old traction city where Hester, Shrike and Zero were taken. Theo eventually reaches New London and is reunited with Wren, as well as warning the residents that the war between the Green Storm and the ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'' has restarted.

ODIN is fired upon Manchester and other cities by the Stalker Fang, killing Browne. Orla Twombley, a pilot formerly from Brighton, observes the destruction and reports to von Kobold in Murnau, telling him and the remaining cities to retreat from a Green Storm weapon. Naga receives communication that Zero is alive, and, realising that Twite has deceived him confronts her. Twite attempts to kill him, but ODIN fires on Tienjing. Naga survives but Twite is killed instantly in the blast.

The residents of New London see the firepower of ODIN from afar, and fearing that it is a Green Storm weapon, make plans to head north when the city is finished. Tom, fearing for Wren, takes the ''Jenny Haniver'' to Tienjing, hoping to convince Naga to not use his supposed weapon. Tom leaves a letter to Wren saying his goodbyes and entrusting Theo to take care for her, admitting that he is dying. Wolf hears of Manchester's destruction and is determined to continue on to London, claiming to his underlings that Harrowbarrow's creeping nature will help them survive.

Part Four

Hester, Shrike, Zero and Pennyroyal make their way to Batmunkh Gompa to reunite with Naga, who has been evacuated to there. They are told of the destruction of traction cities and Tienjing alike, which Shrike deduces is the work of the Stalker Fang. Zero intends to talk to Popjoy as he built the Stalker Fang and may know how to disable her for good.

Wren discovers Tom's letter and attempts to follow him with Theo, but they are stopped by Garamond, who believes they are Green Storm agents and are escaping to betray New London. It is revealed that Pomeroy had died in his sleep when Tom left New London and Garamond has taken his place. Garamond arrests the pair, but Childermass frees them and tells them to escape to a Green Storm settlement. It is revealed that Childermass is the mother of Bevis Pod.

Tom, flying the ''Jenny Haniver'', is intercepted on his way to Tienjing and brought to Batmunkh Gompa, where he is interrogated by Naga. Tom pleads for Naga to not use the weapon on New London, but Naga mistakes him for a ''Traktionstadtsgesellschaft'' spy and disbelieves him. Hester and the others arrive in Batmunkh Gompa, where Zero discovers Popjoy is dead. When Zero meets with Naga, he accuses her of being a spy, believing that London is the master of the new weapon and that Popjoy faked his death to join them. Naga has Zero beaten and detained, then orders for their forces to attack London. Pennyroyal informs Hester and Shrike of Zero's predicament, and Hester is shakily reunited with Tom, who tells her that Theo is alive and with Wren in London. With Shrike, the pair escape on the ''Jenny Haniver''. The Stalker Fang targets Zhan Shan, a volcano, with ODIN, triggering an eruption that will last for weeks and destroy many provinces. Tom and Hester deduce that the Stalker Fang has gone to Erdene Tezh and fly the ''Jenny Haniver'' there.

Wren and Theo hear Harrowbarrow approaching to devour New London. Wren boards it whilst Theo warns the Londoners of the approaching city. Wren confronts Wolf, and tricks him into diverting Harrowbarrow into an area that is full of energy left from MEDUSA. The Green Storm arrives and attacks, though Wolf continues ahead, having dealt with the Green Storm before, but Harrowbarrow is damaged by MEDUSA's left-over energy. Theo boards it and finds Wren, but Harrowbarrow starts moving again. Naga, informed of Harrowbarrow's approach, realises his error and defends New London, which finally begins to move, with Harrowbarrow in pursuit. Wolf confronts Wren and Theo on Harrowbarrow's back, but Wren accidentally kills Wolf when Naga's airship arrives and rescues them. Naga drops Wren and Theo on New London and pilots his airship straight into Harrowbarrow in a kamikaze attack, destroying the city and allowing New London to escape.

On board the ''Jenny Haniver'', Shrike finds Pennyroyal hiding, and the three tie him up. Stalker-birds attack the airship, severely damaging it. Shrike manages to save the three from being killed, but falls out of the ship and into the mountains. The airship downs near Fang's old home, where Hester and Tom leave Pennyroyal. Fishcake, having heard the airship, confronts them and tries to kill Hester, but is stopped by the Stalker Fang. Fishcake demands she kills them, but the Stalker Fang hits him and Fishcake runs away. Tom's heart begins to strain and he collapses. The Stalker Fang, deciding not to kill them as they will all die soon enough, takes Tom into the house as Hester follows.

The Stalker Fang explains to Tom and Hester that she destroyed various traction cities and Green Storm bases to make the two sides fight each other, giving her time to send a command to ODIN. This command targets various volcanoes around the Earth, which will erupt and kill humanity in the resulting volcanic winter, but will "make the world green again". Fishcake finds Pennyroyal, and they plan to escape in Popjoy's sky-yacht, but need the keys around the Stalker Fang's neck. Pennyroyal finds an anti-Stalker weapon that Hester dropped and makes his way toward the house. Tom attempts to convince the Anna-side of the Stalker to destroy ODIN, and the Stalker flashes between the converging personalities. Pennyroyal suddenly enters and kills the Stalker Fang, which falls onto the ODIN transmitter and destroys it. Tom's heart strains and he collapses again, whilst Pennyroyal takes the key to the sky-yacht and attempt to bring it to them to save Tom. As Hester takes Tom outside, they see a twinkling star in the sky, and Hester realises that the Stalker Fang had ordered ODIN to destroy itself. Pennyroyal attempts to fly the sky-yacht to Tom and Hester, but is threatened by Fishcake to leave them behind as revenge for leaving him on Brighton. Hester watches the sky-yacht fly away, and she comforts Tom as he dies. Hester commits suicide shortly afterwards.

Zero is informed of Naga's demise, and is appointed leader of the Green Storm, which she reforms as the Anti-Traction League. She makes a treaty with von Kobold to cease fighting forever, with many traction cities subsequently becoming static. Popjoy's sky-yacht fails outside Batmunkh Gompa, and Fishcake abandons Pennyroyal, who travels back to Murnau and spends time in debtors' prison before writing a truthful account of the events he survived, titling it ''Ignorant Armies''. However, it is never published due to his fraudulent activities, and Pennyroyal lives out the rest of his life in Peripatetiapolis with an old girlfriend. Fishcake makes his way to Sathya's hermitage, where he lives with her into adulthood and has children of his own. He comes to regret leaving Hester and Tom in Erdene Tezh, though he believes that they were resourceful enough to find a way to escape. Wren and Theo leave New London in the north a year later, and go to Zagwa to see Theo's family. When Airhaven arrives, Wren and Theo buy a new airship with Wolf's expedition money, calling it the ''Jenny Haniver II'' and become air-traders. New London thrives as it escapes predator cities and trades with anti-gravity furniture.

Miles away, Shrike revives himself and arrives at Erdene Tezh too late, finding the remains of the Stalker Fang. Although her Stalker brain is dead, Shrike downloads memories from the older part of her brain. He then finds Tom and Hester's bodies, and considers taking Hester to be Resurrected, but decides against it when he sees that they held hands when they died. As he takes their bodies, Shrike recalls his own long-lost memories of his own two children (Ruan and Fern from ''Fever Crumb'') before he was turned into a Stalker. Laying the bodies down in an outcrop nearby, Shrike shuts down and watches their bodies decompose over the years. As the years flash by him, an oak tree grows from Hester's body, and he eventually slows this time lapse when he notices human figures nearby. Finally out of his fugue state, Shrike discovers that a forest has grown round him, and meets a girl and a boy. The pair take him down into a village, where Shrike finds that he was considered an old shrine statue, and the people hung flowers around his neck for luck.

The Stalker discovers that the village has utilised Childermass' anti-gravity machines, and that he has woken hundreds, if not thousands of years into the future. When he asks if there are any traction cities in the world, the village people explain that they are thought to be fairy tales nowadays and find the idea ridiculous. When the people ask what he was for, Shrike responds that he is a "Remembering Machine", and is asked to tell his story. Shrike starts by speaking the first lines of ''Mortal Engines'':

"It was a dark, blustery day in spring, and the City of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-up bed of the old North Sea..."

Stewart McBain is a successful self-made demolitions expert who blows up buildings for a living. In the midst of one such project, a group of protesters stops the last building on a lot, the Dutch House, from being demolished. When McBain appears on TV to dismiss the protests, he is made to look foolish. Returning home, his three college-aged children–Daphne, Chloe, and Jimmy–ridicule him for his television appearance.

Feeling his children are spoiled, McBain kicks them out of the house. Giving them each $750, he drops them off at the Dutch House, which is dilapidated and on the verge of collapse. In order to finance their new lives, the children take on housemates. These include a fashion designer named Lionel; a homeless magician, Shitty; a stockbroker, Tom; and Sheryl, an amateur occultist. Chloe is commissioned to finish a calendar for an insurance company. Lionel has to complete his designs for a fashion show. Chloe uses her roommates in the calendar and Lionel ends up using some of them to model for his show.

A stockmarket crash brings McBain to ruin. He desperately attempts to stave off a hostile takeover of his demolition company and fails. He loses his home and becomes destitute. Ultimately, his children take him in and he starts to see the world in a new light.

In the magical dimension of Coventry, the royal witch Miranda gives birth to identical twin daughters on Halloween night. The sisters are named Apolla and Artemis after the Olympian twins, the gods of the sun and moon, respectively; in accordance with their namesakes, Apolla wears an amulet in the shape of the sun and Artemis wears an amulet in the shape of the moon. Their father Aron DuBaer, a powerful warlock, transfers the entirety of his magical powers to protect them from an evil entity known as the Darkness and is killed in the process. Karsh and Ileana WarBurton, a magical couple and friends of the family, assume the task of protecting the twins and flee to a non-magical dimension known as Earth to give them up for adoption. Apolla is adopted by a wealthy couple who name her Camryn Elizabeth Barnes, while Artemis is adopted by a single mother and is named Alexandra "Alex" Nicole Fielding. Alex grows up to be a night owl and stays up until the moon sets, writing about the chronicles of magical twin sisters, unaware that her stories are true. She shares a single bedroom with her close friend Lucinda, after her mother passes away a few months prior to her 21st birthday. Meanwhile, Camryn is a passionate artist and a lark, who wakes up at sunrise to sketch realistic pictures; unbeknownst to her, the images she creates are of Miranda and her homeland Coventry. She is spoiled and outgoing, unlike her quiet and reclusive sister; however, the duo share the traits of kindness and intelligence.

On the twins' 21st birthday, Camryn and her best friend Beth decide to shop, while Alex tries to look for a job. After Karsh and Ileana manipulate Alex into entering the store where Camryn is trying on clothes, the sisters encounter each other for the first time since their infancy. Although Camryn is overjoyed to discover Alex, the latter flees the store, prompting the former to grasp her hand, causing a burst of energy. As their magic is released, they discover that they share a sisterly bond and attempt to understand each other. Karsh and Ileana reveal themselves to the twins and inform them about their magical background, after which Alex realizes that her stories about Coventry are true. According to an old prophecy, the sisters are the only ones capable of vanquishing the Darkness and restoring Coventry. As she has the gift of knowledge, Alex refuses to help fulfill the prophecy because her stories end with death. Camryn manages to convince Alex to stay, assuring her that they are unstoppable together, and the two practice their magical powers as they bond. They dub themselves Twitches, a portmanteau of the words "twin" and "witches."

In the meantime, Miranda senses that her daughters are alive and informs their uncle Thantos, whom she married after Aron's death. The Darkness arrives at Alex's apartment, but the sisters manage to transport themselves to Coventry, and the experience overwhelms Camryn. Despite her sister's pleas, she decides that she does not want to venture further into their destiny. She leaves to participate in her costume birthday party on Earth. Alex, determined to help Coventry without her sister, reunites with Miranda and meets Thantos, who informs her that if Camryn is alone, she is powerless against the Darkness. At her party, Camryn discovers that she used to draw a face in the Darkness and learns from it that Thantos is responsible for the Darkness, and she escapes to Coventry after Karsh and Ileana sacrifice themselves to help her. As she reveals their uncle's crimes to Miranda and Alex, Thantos arrives and admits to killing his brother Aron in an attempt to acquire wealth and power. Thantos then takes Miranda with him and goes on a rampage around the castle. The twins combine their magic of light and love to vanquish him and restore Coventry, simultaneously reviving their mother Miranda, Karsh, and Ileana. They then celebrate their birthday on Earth, alongside Miranda and Camryn's adoptive parents, David and Emily.

The story starts with a peaceful Soddit called Bingo who is visited by a wizard, Gandef, and a party of dwarfs led by Thorri and Mori who ask Bingo to come with them on a quest to 'The Only Mountain' where 'Smug the Dragon' lives. After a few drinks, Bingo accepts, not knowing what they were actually searching for. "Gold, boyo gold, la, look you."

On the way, they have many adventures and close shaves, including their ponies drowning in the river and losing all luggage but one helmet. Roberts says he wanted the company fighting through the Piccadilly flea circus and fighting the Daleks from Doctor Who, but he says it was cut for time. They have a nasty run in with some trollops, who plan to eat them, successfully squash four dwarfs but they annoy the wizard Gandef, who temporarily turns them to mounds of sand as opposed to real stone. While at the tree village of Riverdale, Ellesquare and the other ''Tree Elves'' of the high council ridicule the dwarfs for their loss of their four comrades and call it "carelessness." The company entered the mountains after Gandef struggled to open the door until he coughed, which was apparently the password. In the mountains, they encounter Gobblins, which are evil turkeys, who take them to their town, but the dwarves all fight out, Gandef repeatedly decapitates countless Gobblins while in combat, a fifth dwarf dies in friendly fire from Gandef and Bingo gets lost by falling down the abyss. He falls into a cavern where he meets a morose philosopher named Sollum. He challenges him to a game of riddles; with the cannibalistic philosopher seeing Bingo's presence as the only delightful moment in his life. Bingo wins the riddles, and asks what he wins, but then remembers he found a Thing® that was created by evil dark lord Sharon and is Sollum's. So the philosopher tries to eat him but he escapes due to the Thing®'s super-speed.

After reuniting with the party, the dwarfs are chased by non-sentient wolves and hide up a tree, though not before a sixth dwarf is eaten. The wolves flee after Gandef sets them on fire, allowing the company to simply climb down the tree and walk away. Gandef plans to take them to a mill, which is "famous" but when they arrive they find it has been accidentally burned by the wolves. Then they go to see a fearsome ABBA-quoting maniac, Biorn the bear-man, who is reputed to change from man to bear at night, but later during the visit they find he is just a totally crazy, naked man who ''thinks'' he can transform. They shut him outside his house to calm him down and then they move on leaving him to mumble. The next bit is the "enchanted" forest of Myurkywood, which has been under an illusion spell for some time. As in the original, the streams are magic, and turn to rapids quick. They meet highly bitter, political spiders in the forest who want to lay eggs in their beards, but Bingo realizes the Thing® can get them out of their peril, which it does. It works by reversed spells but a seventh Dwarf dies from using it to heal his ankles. Then, they find a brewery, where the men are morbidly obese Dwarfs and drunk and want to drown them because they can't sing. After unintentionally using the Thing® to obtain drunken immunity, Bingo gets them out.

They get to Lakeside, where they go off to the ''Only Mountain'', where Bingo asks if the dwarves are going to finally tell him why he's there. Upon hearing that he has to go down a chimney, Bingo is accidentally thrown down said chimney when Mori promises to tell him the truth, and meets the dragon Smug, who is actually very friendly and even offers him tea. Smug says he hasn't made any enemies and doesn't know of anyone who would kill him. He is worried he has driven away the Lakesiders' business so he says he'll fly over to talk. But the dwarves are angry and tell Bingo that Gandef was a dwarf, he has changed into a wizard, and he'll now change into a dragon because that's nature and that's where dragons come from. Smug is shot dead at Lakeside by Lard the Bowman, and twenty thousand gobblins led by the Great Gobblin attack, but the six remaining dwarves led by Mori, five hundred men led by Lard, five hundred elves led by Ellesquare, and Bingo, led by himself, fight them. At the end, most of the men and elves are massacred, three more Dwarfs die, Mori is severely injured and the gobblins swarm round them demanding the Thing®, but Bingo tricks them by giving them the Barking Stone, which they believe is the Thing® and whispers in it "war", which causes Gandef's dragon breath to erupt from the Only Mountain's chimney and kill all the gobblins, which encircles the remaining soldiers of the other four armies. After the Battle of the Five Armies has ended, Mori dies in Bingo's arms, which finishes off in a style of a Looney Tunes ending and thus only two Dwarfs of the company have survived the quest. Gandef is confirmed and revealed to be a dragon, who can't remember that he wiped out the gobblin army and saved the survivors single-handedly, before flying Bingo home.

While working with Kanryū as "muscle" in his opium manufacturing operation, Aoshi came face to face with Kenshin, who was trying to rescue Takani Megumi. During the confrontation with Kenshin, Aoshi revealed that he aims to kill Kenshin, who was formerly known as the famed Hitokiri Battōsai. After an intense fight, their battle ends with Aoshi's defeat when Aoshi is struck a second time to the throat by his own Kodachi after Kenshin narrowly escapes death by having his scabbard reduce the damage brought on by Aoshi's Kaiten Kenbu. Kanryū betrays Aoshi and kills his four subordinates with a Gatling gun while they die one after the other protecting Aoshi, and when Kenshin had gripped his sword Kanryu ran out of bullets (in the anime, Beshimi threw a dart into the ammo belt, which jammed, allowing Kenshin to get in close) and was soon struck by Kenshin's sakabato and arrested. After the deaths of his friends and team-mates, Aoshi became even more determined to defeat Kenshin, obsessed even, stating that it is the only thing he can do for his fallen comrades now, to obtain the title of the strongest and bring it before their graves as flower.

Determined to achieve his goal, Aoshi follows him to Kyoto after training intensely for a few months and narrowly missing him when Kenshin heads to Kyoto with Saito and Misao, and joins Shishio Makoto (despite initially rejecting the offer) in hopes of fighting Kenshin. He lets no one stand in his way, going as far as fighting and severely injuring Okina (Kenshin however later remarks that Aoshi subconsciously held back against his former comrade) to try to learn of Kenshin's whereabouts (but fails to get the location). Aoshi joins forces with Shishio Makoto and plans to kill Kenshin and then commit suicide.

Towards the end of the Kyoto Arc, the much-anticipated battle arrives and Kenshin fights Aoshi. Kenshin saves Aoshi from his own madness, as he realizes that death is not the answer to his situation. To put an end to the feud and see who is truly the strongest, both decide to use their strongest attacks resulting in Kenshin's victory. Even though Kenshin's ougi, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, activated after Aoshi's Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren (which was already cutting his neck), the sheer speed of the attack allowed it to strike first and incapacitate Aoshi. He later appears to fight against Shishio, though still weakened from Kenshin's Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, yet he still managed to buy time for Kenshin, who had been knocked unconscious by Shishio, to get back on his feet.

Aoshi spends his time meditating in a temple, needing time to sort through what he has done and been through. Before Kenshin leaves Kyoto, he asks if Aoshi would like to share a drink (of sake) with him; Aoshi refuses the offer (saying that he does not drink), but goes on to say he would be willing to have tea with him when they meet again.

In the Jinchū Arc, Aoshi returns to Tokyo with Misao in order to deliver the diary of Yukishiro Tomoe to Kamiya Kaoru. They arrived to discover that Kaoru is "dead," though Aoshi soon solves the mystery and reveals that the body buried of Kaoru was actually a doll, created by a man named Gein. Subsequently, he defeats Gein in the graveyard after the latter returns to try to retrieve his creation which he considers his masterpiece, and allows him to burn in the flames who he himself started after telling him that Aoshi burned the doll as a sign of pity. Joining Kenshin and his friends as they travel to Yukishiro Enishi's island to rescue Kaoru, he defeats Suzaku, a master mimic who is one of the four Sushin bodyguards of Enishi's second in command before leaving Kenshin to fight Enishi. Following the battle, he and Misao return with the group to Tokyo, only for Aoshi to announce that they will return to Kyoto very soon because the high mountains where he will buried the remains of his four comrades will hit winter before the plains do, and they will have to give them a finer resting place. Before leaving, he honors Kenshin's request in Kyoto by having a cup of tea with him.

A few weeks after the events of ''Gateway to the Savage Frontier'', the mage Amelior Aminitas magically summons the party (by now called the "Heroes of Ascore") to eliminate the (apparently) last remaining troops of the Zhentarim from the dwarven city of Llorkh. Afterwards, the party is given a seemingly simple mission – to protect ambassadors of the "Lord's Alliance", which holds together the different cities of the frontier. However, the ambassadors are kidnapped, the Zhentarim and its allies (the Kraken Society and the Hosttower of the Arcane) plot to break up the alliance to conquer the region, and the party is framed as traitors.

Much of the game is devoted to having the players attempt to clear their names (usually done by completing a mission in each town of the Lord's Alliance) and alert the alliance's leaders of the plot. The final mission (which does not necessarily fit in the overall plotline) involves retrieving a treasure held by a dragon.

To uncover the plot, the player has to collect two different sets of items:

• Three different colors of crystals held by one of the three enemy groups (the Zhentarim, the Kraken, and the Hosttower). This can only be done by, in melee battles, carefully selecting and attacking different enemies in the right order.
• "Lucky papers" from each city in the game. Nominally good luck charms, when combined with the crystals, these papers spell out the entire enemy plot.

The player controls a character named Quiffy who is the last of his race of small green creatures. He lives underground in a series of sewers and tunnels. His mission is to reach the surface by navigating all the sewers, whilst they are slowly flooding. Quiffy can walk on walls and ceilings.

In a series of vignettes, ''The Stone Angel'' tells the story of Hagar Shipley, a 90-year-old woman struggling to come to grips with a life of intransigence and loss. The themes of pride and the prejudice that comes from social class recur in the novel. As a young girl she refuses to rock her dying brother in the garments of their mother. As a young woman she marries Brampton Shipley against her father's wishes, severing the family ties. She shows favouritism towards her younger son, John. After Hagar separates from her husband, Hagar takes John with her. However, he ultimately returns to his father. When John dies, Hagar does not cry, and at that point, she turns into a "Stone Angel". Later in life, her elder son Marvin is shown to have been the good and loyal son all along, despite the lack of his mother's favour. It is he at the age of 64 along with his wife Doris who takes care of her. As a 90-year-old woman, Hagar goes on an unexpected adventure into the woods alone. Given her age, there is an overtone that this event will be the last chapter of her life. In the woods, she meets another wanderer. The two have a bonding conversation, where Hagar finally opens up. A lifetime of buried emotion comes out, and she finally cries. The next day the police and Marvin come to rescue Hagar from the woods. In an act of love and repentance, she confesses to Marvin that he was the better son. It is unclear whether she dies at the end of the novel.

Jack Simpson is a wisecracking, directionless layabout who works at an inner city telemarketing firm. For years he has been a member at the Cityside Lawn Bowls Club (in fact he has three memberships), but he has never played a single game, having only joined to get the free parking spaces from which he makes extra cash by renting them to his workmates. But Cityside is in dire financial trouble and a greedy developer, Bernie Fowler, wants to turn it into a soulless pokies venue. The Club President, Len, decides that all existing members must now play and Jack reluctantly has to turn up on Saturdays to take part in the bowling matches. Jack proves to be a natural player but he soon annoys and upsets the older club members with his brashness and lack of tact. Veteran player Stan, sensing that Jack only needs some guidance, both in the game and in life, takes him under his wing, trying to teach him to think of other people apart from himself.

After losing his girlfriend and his job, the Bowls Club suddenly becomes all Jack has in his life and, despite himself, he grows fond of the older members. His flatmate, Dave, joins the club and he starts a relationship with Nancy, a journalist. Bernie, determined to take over the club, investigates Jack and exposes his illegal car park hiring scam, which almost gets him expelled. Cityside enters a major tournament at Bernie's glitzy club, the prize money from which will save their independence. Jack's selfish showboating almost costs them the first round but Stan and the others make Jack finally realise he is part of a team.

Police arrive to arrest Len as (in a tip-off from Bernie) they discovered marijuana stored at the club. The greenkeeper has been secretly growing it but Jack is blamed by the other members. Dave and two of the ladies, Gwen and Eileen, approach the State Governor and convince her to overturn a lifetime ban on Cliff Carew, the club's best player, and the latter takes Len's place. Cityside fights their way into the lead and Stan throws the winning shot but he suffers a severe heart attack as he does so and Bernie lodges a protest, meaning the shot is disallowed. Jack insists that the rules allow the team a re-shot and he takes his special shot, the 'Flipper', which wins the tournament. To rub salt into the wounds, Nancy proves that whilst spying on the club, Bernie violated a restraining order banning him from the club, an illegal act which disqualifies Bernie from holding a gaming licence.

Cityside experiences both triumph and tragedy; the club is saved and can continue in its old form. However, Stan passes away and the club names the green in his honour. The pot growing greenkeeper is sacked and Jack takes over his job and is comforted by Len who says Stan loved him like a son, he and Nancy begin a new life with their friends at the club. The film's end credits feature a postscript with still images and a narration by Jack describing the later exploits of all the characters.

This is the story of a twelve year old who accidentally sets fire to the house where she lives with her grandmother. The grandmother decides that Erendira must pay her back for the loss, and sells her into prostitution in order to make money. The story takes on the characteristics of a bizarre fairy tale, with the evil grandmother forcing her Cinderella-like granddaughter to sell her body. They travel all over for several years, with men lining up for miles to enjoy her.

Meanwhile, Erendira falls in love. Her lover tries to poison the grandmother with arsenic in a birthday cake and to blow her up with a homemade bomb, but she survives all this and continues to dominate, until Erendira's lover finally stabs the grandmother to death. By the time he regains his composure, Erendira has fled alone.

Michael Havelock (an anglicized version of Michal Havlíček) is an intelligence officer working for the US State Departments black operation division "Consular Ops". At the beginning of the novel he believes he has just witnessed the execution of his partner and the love of his life, Jenna Karas (anglicized version of Jana Karasova), along an isolated stretch of the Costa Brava. Jenna had been marked for execution because she was proved to be a KGB double agent.

He immediately leaves the intelligence world, something he had been considering doing for some time and goes sightseeing in areas he had previously visited. In Athens, Pyotr Rostov, a senior director of the KGB forces a meeting with Havelock. Rostov denies that Karas is an agent of theirs. Later, in Rome, Havelock sees Jenna alive at a train station. She flees him, frightened, and he pursues her.

He makes contact with a former source at the US Consulate called Colonel Baylor, and begins his search for Jenna throughout several countries. Meanwhile, strategists for Consular Operations in the US government decide that he is a paranoid schizophrenic and must be terminated, lest he compromise entire networks across Europe. All the evidence available to them indicates that Karas was a double agent, and was successfully terminated on the Costa Brava. So one of them, "Red" Ogivile sets up an ambush on the Palatine Hill in Rome with the intention of taking Michael in. However, the two mercenaries he hired are taken out by Michael, the gas grenade he uses only affects him when Michael lashes out, and after being convinced of Havelock's innocence, he ends up taking an accidental bullet from Colonel Baylor who was sent to kill Havelock.

Back in the United States, however, the US government has a problem of its own: Anton Matthias, Secretary of State, acknowledged by the entire world as a genius and trusted with powers far beyond those his office allow him, has gone completely insane. Before anybody realized that he was insane, he negotiated treaties with parties he believed to be representing the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the People's Republic of China, each agreeing to a nuclear strike against the third party, but in fact with a man who identified himself as Parsifal. Parsifal demands a huge ransom to keep the documents from being released, thereby triggering a nuclear war. Once the ransom is paid, however, he does not touch it, having confirmed how desperate Washington is. Havelock, who as a child had been one of the few survivors of the massacre at Lidice, has a special bond with Matthias, a fellow Czech who had advised him in graduate school. Somehow Matthias's insanity is linked to the order to terminate Jenna Karas.

For her part, Karas has been told that ''Michael'' is a Russian spy and that he is trying to kill ''her''. Consequently, she is not especially eager to meet him. When Michael finally traces Jenna to an isolated farm in Pennsylvania, they realize that they were both deceived and that each had been told that the other was an enemy. They then work together with the President of the United States, Charles Berquist, and several trusted advisors to find Parsifal and stop him.

They are opposed by Arthur Pierce, a brilliant and murderous Soviet mole highly placed in the State Department. Pierce has ordered the murders of the strategists of Consular Operations ( two of them are crushed by a bulldozer in their car and driven off a cliff and another is shot), and then a string of successive killings - all in his own quest to gain evidence of Matthias's insanity. Pierce is working not for the regular KGB, but the VKR (Voennaya Kontra Razvedka), a fanatical branch of Russian intelligence identified as an offshoot of the OGPU. He is also, for that matter, a ''paminyatchik'' - an agent under deep cover, who has lived in the United States since infancy. For much of the novel, Pierce's true loyalties lie undiscovered. One of Havelock's allies, Undersecretary of State Emory Bradford, realizes that Pierce works for the VKR, but he is murdered by the ever-alert Pierce before he can warn anyone else. Pierce also solicits the murder of Rostov, who loathes the VKR and has tried to help Havelock.

When Michael finally finds Parsifal, a friend of Anton and a Soviet defector who is less fanatical than Arthur Pierce, he finds out that the documents were not produced to provoke nuclear war, but rather to demonstrate that no one man could be trusted with vast amounts of power. Pierce, however, has had his operatives murder Michael's bodyguards and breaks into Parsifal's house just as he agrees to burn the documents. However hearing that Rostov has been murdered, Parsifal decides to sacrifice himself by using his body to block Pierce's gun allowing Michael and Jenna time to get out. Michael and Jenna then kill Pierce's operatives by stabbing them and Michael then flanks Pierce and guns him down. They conclude that the documentary evidence of Matthias's insanity is best destroyed. Havelock tells Berquist of this; he is informed, in turn, that Matthias has just died. Finally safe, he and Jenna move to New England, where Havelock accepts an academic position.

Lise, a mentally unbalanced middle-aged woman, travels from her home in London to Rome, Italy where she embarks on a fatal destiny that she had helped to arrange for herself – a premeditated search for someone, anyone, with whom she could form a dangerous liaison. Lise meets a variety of people during her journey and stay in Rome who include Bill, a lecherous British businessman that she meets on the plane to Rome who tries to seduce her; Carlo, a young man whom Lise tries to know more about; an elderly Englishwoman named Mrs. Fiedke whom Lise bonds with to go shopping; and Pierre, a Frenchman who picks up Lise hoping to seduce her as well.

The film is told in a non-linear narrative as throughout the film are scenes of the local Rome police interviewing all the people that Lise interacted with as well as investigating the reasons for her strange behavior that led up to her own murder.

After being dishonorably discharged from the United States Navy for his illegal actions, Jack Carver (voiced by Stephen Dorff) became a gunrunner in Manhattan, until he was forced out of business by a gang, who performed a hit on him using weapons supplied by Jack against a Mafia heir. Consequently, a price was put on his head by the Mob, and he was forced to flee the United States and settle in Micronesia. Here, Jack purchased a used boat from a government auction and started another business: ferrying tourists and diving clubs around the area. Eventually, a journalist named Valerie Cortez offered Jack a large sum of money for taking her to a remote archipelago known as "Jacutan". Jack accepted the job, albeit with caution.

The game begins as Jack and Val arrive at Jacutan. After Val takes off on her own with a jet ski, Jack's boat is destroyed by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, forcing him to take cover inside a nearby wrecked Japanese aircraft carrier. After acquiring a headset, Jack begins to communicate with a mysterious man calling himself "Doyle", who reveals that Val is an undercover CIA agent and came to Jacutan to rescue him. Doyle has been on a mission to expose the works of a mad scientist named Dr. Krieger, who is working on a serum to enhance one's physical abilities and "unlock" hidden animal traits in them.

Doyle convinces Jack to find and rescue Val, who has been captured by Krieger's mercenaries. While covering Val, Jack himself is captured by Krieger's right-hand man, ex-Apartheid Colonel Richard Crowe, and taken to Krieger, who notes Jack's resourcefulness and tenacity and remarks that he would make a good test subject. Jack is injected with Krieger's serum and is to be transported to an observation area when he recovers prematurely and escapes. To his shock, Jack discovers that he now has "feral abilities", such as increased speed, night vision and a violent melee attack. However, along with these powers comes an implant designed to regulate the serum's effects and allows for specialized weapons to be used against Jack.

Doyle commands Jack to find him so that the implant can be removed. Along the way, Jack must prevent a mercenary computer programmer from deciphering Val's pocket PC, which would blow Doyle's cover. Descending into an old World War II-era Japanese bunker to stop the decryption, Jack is cornered by the mercenaries as he attempts to escape. He retreats through an old underground mining complex and follows Doyle's instructions to the main research facility. Jack then makes his way to the facility, where he discovers the extent of Krieger's work and the mutant monsters he has created. While in the facility, Jack discovers Crowe is gathering the mutants for an unknown purpose. After finally meeting with Doyle and having the implant removed, Jack begins to exhibit an uncontrolled evolution (represented in-game by Jack's adrenaline bar now decreasing with each use of one of the powers, and the ability to carry mounted weapons like a .50 caliber machine gun).

As Jack escapes the research facility, he discovers that Crowe has taken Doyle and the mutant serum and has unleashed the mutants in a plot to betray Krieger. Jack must fight through the middle of a war between Crowe's mercenaries, the feral mutants and an elite group of special forces under Krieger's personal command, under orders to "sanitize" Crowe's troops. Rescuing Doyle, Jack discovers that Crowe has injected himself with a quadruple dose of the serum Jack received and without an implant. Assuming control of the "Alpha" creatures, the most powerful and intelligent mutants with abilities similar to Jack's own, Crowe has gone straight to Kreiger's base of operations. Jack follows him and fights his way to Krieger's mansion atop an active volcano, where he battles and defeats the physically deformed Crowe. Krieger, in a last-ditch effort to use the Alphas against Jack, realizes that they now view Jack as their leader due to his victory over Crowe. The mutants turn on Krieger and kill him, viewing him as a threat to Jack, and thus allow him to escape as the volcano erupts.

Jack is able to retreat onto a Black Hawk piloted by Val and Doyle, who promise to pay for a new boat to replace his destroyed one. Doyle also promises that they "can do one better" and slides a metal case to Jack, who opens it and laughs cryptically at the unseen contents as the helicopter flies away.

John "Johnny" Forbes (Dick Powell) is a middle-class husband and father who is tired of his boring routine, working for the Olympic Mutual Insurance Company in downtown Los Angeles. On a day when he is especially downhearted about his life, private investigator and former policeman J.B. "Mac" MacDonald (Raymond Burr) reports to him regarding an embezzler who had been bonded by Olympic Mutual. The man, Bill Smiley (Byron Barr), is serving time for the crime, and is eligible for parole in two months. Smiley had given several expensive gifts – including a speedboat named ''Tempest -'' to his girlfriend, Santa Monica model Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott).

Mac admits he is attracted to Mona and, wanting to remain on the case, offers to go speak to her about retrieving the illicit gifts. Forbes tells the investigator his job is done and that he will go himself. At her apartment, the sultry blonde cooperates, especially after she learns that Smiley's parole may be sped up if she does, but needles Forbes about his job. He suggests they go for a drink. They go out on the speedboat, taking turns driving it; Forbes notices how much she loves the boat. After the drinks, Mona suggests dinner. The two begin a physical relationship. Mac, who is parked outside her apartment, sees Forbes leave much later that night.

The next day, Mac is waiting for Forbes in his office. He says he has noticed the list of items reclaimed from Mona, but that the boat is not there; Forbes denies knowledge of it. Mac reveals he possesses the bill of sale. He reiterates how much he likes Mona and asks Forbes what it was he found to spend so much time talking with her about. Forbes is taken aback and decides to allow the boat to be re-possessed. When he tells Mona about this, that Mac knew he had let her keep it and could cause trouble, she reveals that Mac had been pounding on her door the previous night "until all hours".

When Forbes arrives home, Mac is there and proceeds to beat him up, saying, "I told you I like that girl" and "Maybe this will keep you home where you belong for a few days".

A happy Mona awakes the next morning and finds that Forbes has left his briefcase in her apartment. From her job at May Company department store she telephones his office and learns that he has called in sick. She borrows a co-worker's car, having decided to go to Forbes' home to visit him and take him some food; she gets his address from a card in the briefcase. She arrives at the moment when the doctor, Forbes' wife Sue (Jane Wyatt), and their son Tommy (Jimmy Hunt) are all outside. She overhears their conversation and realizes her lover's marital status. When he recovers, Forbes meets Mona and she breaks off the affair, not wanting to destroy his family.

Forbes rededicates himself to his wife, son and career, feeling a new contentment. Meanwhile, Mac continues to stalk Mona, both at her job and at home; she tells him bluntly that she does not like him, but he is not deterred. She contacts Forbes to tell him that when she threatened to call police, Mac in turn threatened to tell Sue about the affair. Forbes goes to Mac's apartment and repays him for the beating, promising to kill him if he ever talks about his family again. Mac visits Smiley in prison and drops broad hints that Mona has been fooling around with the insurance adjuster. Shortly, Mona learns that her cooperation had an effect and that Smiley is getting out of jail imminently. She visits him the day before and he angrily asks about both Mac and Forbes; he sees that she is not wearing the engagement ring he had given her with the stolen funds.

Mona tells Forbes how Mac has been visiting Smiley and provoking him. At home, Sue, who has not believed the story that her husband told her about being beaten up by muggers, probes him to tell her what is on his mind. As he is about to do so, their son has a nightmare; the subject is dropped.

When Smiley is freed, Mona finds him in her apartment drinking. He has a gun given to him by Mac, and wants to know from her why Mac wants him to kill Forbes. Mona admits the affair but begs him to understand it is over. He says he can forgive her, but not Forbes, and leaves. Mona telephones Forbes to warn him; Forbes tries to get Sue and Tommy to leave but fails. He tells Sue that a man from the office is coming to talk to him. He waits in the dark for Smiley, with his own gun; when the man arrives, Forbes manages to sneak up and order him to leave, but Smiley does not and breaks a window to enter the house. Forbes shoots him dead.

Thinking that both his rivals are taken care of, Mac shows up at Mona's, fully expecting her to go away with him. She shoots him.

Forbes allows the police to think that he has killed a prowler, and after they are gone, he finally confesses everything to Sue. Over her objections, and after walking the streets all night, he also tells all to the District Attorney (John Litel). The DA reluctantly pronounces that Johnny is safe because it was justifiable homicide; his story matches up with Mona's, who is now in custody. The charge against her will depend on whether Mac lives or dies.

Outside, Sue is waiting for Forbes. She says she will give him a second chance, though she is not sure their marriage will ever be the same.

Cindy Liggett (Sharon Stone) is waiting on death row for a brutal double murder she committed in her teens, 12 years earlier. Clemency lawyer Rick Hayes (Rob Morrow) tries to save her, based on the argument that she was under the influence of crack cocaine when she committed the crime of which she was found guilty and that she is no longer the same person she had been at the time of the murder. However, her death sentence is carried out. The films ends with Rick on a trip to India after Cindy’s execution.

Retired international racing driver Al Shaw returns home to take over his late father's car-wrecking yard, "Smash Palace", on the remote North Island Volcanic Plateau. Al's French-born wife Jacqui is increasingly unhappy with Al's obsession with cars and refusal to sell the yard, and fears for the future of their daughter Georgie.

Jacqui begins a relationship with Al's best friend, local police officer Ray Foley. When Al finds Jacqui and Ray together, he violently beats and rapes his wife. Jacqui leaves Al, taking Georgie with her. Jacqui subsequently takes up a job as a teacher and continues her relationship with Ray.

Al can't adjust to the separation and harasses Jacqui in his constant efforts to see his daughter. Al plans to make a racing comeback, and Jacqui forbids Al from taking Georgie to the race. In response, he destroys part of Jacqui's house with his tow truck, and is arrested. Jacqui subsequently takes out a protection order on Al to prevent him seeing Georgie.

Al sets up a hideout deep in the bush, then kidnaps Georgie from Jacqui at gunpoint. He pushes his tow truck off a cliff into a river to create a diversion for police.

Al and Georgie get reacquainted in their bush hideout, but suddenly Georgie falls ill. Al drives into town and robs a pharmacy at gunpoint, where he is spotted by a patrolling police car. He takes the pharmacist hostage and flees with her and Georgie back to Smash Palace.

Ray and Jacqui arrive at the hostage scene. Jacqui defies orders and runs through the cordon to reunite with her husband and daughter. Al hands over Georgie, and agrees to let the pharmacist go in exchange for Ray.

The story is about a 14-year-old girl named Holly Faye Lovell from a tiny, rural town called Biscay in the U.S. state of Mississippi. She gets accepted as a scholarship student into the exclusive Haverty School of Performing Arts, and the story revolves around Holly's life in Haverty, where she is the poorest student, and her relationship with her mother, Wanda.

Hiroshi (Tadanobu Asano) wakes up in a hospital room and realizes that he was in a serious car accident that caused the death of his girlfriend, Ryoko (Nami Tsukamoto), as well as the loss of his memory. While trying to regain his memory, one of the first clues that Hiroshi finds are his old medical textbooks that he studied prior to his accident. This gives him a renewed purpose in life and he delves forward into his medical school studies. One of his medical school classmates, Ikumi (Kiki), soon becomes infatuated with Hiroshi, although he does not return her interests initially. During a 4-month period, in which his class dissects human cadavers, Hiroshi realizes that the body that he is dissecting is the body of his former girlfriend, Ryoko, which causes more of Hiroshi's memory to return. During this time, Hiroshi engages in a relationship with his classmate Ikumi, that helps him recall further memories of his ex-girlfriend. Ikumi, meanwhile, feels jealous rage because of Hiroshi's devotion in dissecting the cadaver of Ryoko, while Hiroshi is consumed in the quest to understand who that person was that died in his car and ultimately find out who he really is.

Wayne Dobie is a shy Chicago Police Department crime scene photographer who has spent years on the job without ever drawing his gun; his colleagues jokingly call him "Mad Dog". Wayne saves the life of mob boss Frank Milo during a hold-up in a convenience store. Milo offers Wayne a gift in return: for one week, he will have the "personal services" of Glory, a young woman who works as a bartender at Milo's club.

Wayne learns that Glory is trying to pay off a personal debt and wants nothing to do with Milo after the debt is paid off. After an awkward start, they fall in love. Wayne wants her to move into his apartment, but Milo has no intention of letting Glory go, saying that he owns her. When Wayne doesn't comply, Milo sends one of his thug Harold to take Glory away by force, but Wayne's partner Mike is waiting and beats Harold in a fight. Milo tells Wayne that he has to pay $40,000 to give Glory her freedom.

Glory rejects Wayne's attempts to buy her freedom, as she feels it represents her accepting being owned. As she walks down the street, Milo shows up. Wayne did his best to get the money, but falls short by $12,500. With Harold and an arriving Mike looking on, Wayne stands up to Milo himself, and after impulsively drawing his gun, ends up brawling with Milo in the street. Glory intervenes, suspecting that Milo might kill Wayne. Seeing that the two are in love with each other, Milo concedes and makes peace with Wayne and lets Glory go with no strings attached.

Graham Jones (John Inman) works as a personal secretary to female executive Joan Warner (Rula Lenska), within a London-based multinational corporation called 8-Star. Although he ably assists her in their busy office, Graham often helps Joan with her equally hectic domestic arrangements as she is a single mother to seven-year-old daughter, Lucy. Miriam Margolyes plays Joan's excitable Italian housekeeper, Maria.

After retrieving a truck load of plutonium stolen from a US military base in Croatia by freelance international terrorist Stavros, anti-terrorist agent Jack Paul Quinn retires to Southern France with Kathryn, his pregnant wife. A government representative tells Quinn that Stavros, Quinn's nemesis, has become active again and convinces Quinn to come out of retirement.

Quinn travels to Antwerp, Belgium where quirky arms dealer Yaz outfits him. Quinn and his team track Stavros to an amusement park, but Quinn hesitates to shoot Stavros when he sees Stavros is meeting with his six-year-old son. Stavros exploits Quinn's hesitation and a shootout ensues. Stavros' son is killed. Stavros flees into a hospital, pursued by Quinn. Stavros and Quinn fight in the maternity ward, and Quinn is knocked unconscious by an explosion.

Due to his hesitation, Quinn is declared killed in action and placed in 'The Colony', an invisible penal island for secret agents. The occupants of the Colony are expected to analyze terrorist threats and register themselves every day using a fingerprint scanner. While analyzing information from a terrorist bombing, Quinn picks up a message from Stavros telling him that Stavros has kidnapped Kathryn. Quinn slices off the skin of his fingertip and puts it into an automated device to fool the fingerprint scanner, then escapes the energy field surrounding the island by attaching himself to cargo due to be extracted from the air. Another agent on the Colony, Goldsmythe, is activated as Quinn's "guardian", responsible for tracking him down.

Quinn enlists Yaz's assistance by promising access to CIA bank accounts. The two go to Quinn's house, where they are ambushed by Stavros' men. After fighting the men off, Quinn receives a message from Stavros telling him that he must go to Rome for his baby's sake. When they arrive in Rome, Quinn admits to Yaz that the bank accounts are empty, and he has nothing to offer for Yaz's services, but a promise to repay him. However, Yaz volunteers his help after he learns that Quinn's wife is pregnant from a sonogram delivered to the given rendezvous. Quinn emails Stavros encouraging him to meet in a town square.

At the meeting point, Quinn catches sight of Kathryn in a car but is intercepted by Stavros and a shootout occurs as Kathryn is driven away. Quinn tracks Stavros' sniper to the hotel suite where Kathryn was being held and finds a clue to her whereabouts: a prescription bottle label. With the help of an order of monks Yaz has equipped with computers and Internet access, Quinn reaches the hospital. He finds Kathryn has given birth and Stavros has taken his son. Quinn locates Stavros and the baby in a Roman amphitheater. Stavros leaves Quinn in the middle of a minefield with his son and a tiger.

Yaz arrives on a motorbike and snatches the baby, leaving Quinn to escape from the tiger and go after Stavros. While Quinn and Stavros fight in the minefield, Yaz moves the markers, leading Stavros to step on a mine, unable to move without setting it off. Goldsmythe, who has tracked Quinn, finds the baby; Quinn, his son, Goldsmythe and Yaz run as Stavros is charged by the tiger and takes his foot off the mine. They take shelter from the explosion behind a vending machine. Goldsmythe asks Quinn for his hair and shirt as proof that he successfully tracked him; Yaz drops a smoke bomb, allowing Quinn to escape.

Lymon was 13 years old when the teenage group Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers erupted from radios and jukeboxes with their 1956 hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" and appeared in the movie ''Rock, Rock, Rock'' (1956).

After ''Mr. Rock and Roll'' (1957), Lymon started a solo singing career, but it all fell apart. Lymon's career was over by the time he was 18 years old, and he died of a heroin overdose seven years later.

Jumping from the 1950s to the 1960s, the film traces the rise and fall of Lymon (Larenz Tate) in a series of flashbacks as courtroom claims on Lymon's royalties are outlined by three women: Zola Taylor (Halle Berry) of the R&B group The Platters; Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. Fox), a petty thief from Philadelphia; and schoolteacher Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon). Ending credits show the real Frankie Lymon singing his song "Goody Goody".

Little Richard also makes a courtroom appearance, while Miguel A. Nunez Jr. portrays Little Richard in scenes set in the 1950s.

The film ends with Emira winning Frankie's estate.

Barry B. Benson, an idealistic honey bee who has the ability to talk to humans, has recently graduated from college and is about to enter the hive's Honex Industries honey-making workforce with his best friend Adam Flayman. Barry is initially excited to join the workforce, but his ambitious, insubordinate attitude emerges upon discovering that his choice of job will never change once picked. Later, the two bees run into a group of Pollen Jocks, bees who collect pollen from flowers outside the hive, and they offer to take Barry with them if he is "bee enough". While on his first pollen-gathering expedition in New York City, Barry gets lost in the rain, and ends up on the balcony of a human florist named Vanessa Bloome. Upon noticing Barry, Vanessa's boyfriend Ken attempts to squash him, but Vanessa gently catches and releases Barry outside the window, saving his life.

Barry later returns to express his gratitude to Vanessa, breaking the sacred rule that bees are not to communicate with humans. Barry and Vanessa develop a close friendship, bordering on attraction, and spend time together. When he and Vanessa are in the grocery store, Barry discovers that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey for centuries. He decides to journey to Honey Farms, which supplies the grocery store with its honey. Incredulous at the poor treatment of the bees in the hive, including the use of bee smokers to incapacitate the colony, Barry decides to sue the human race to put an end to exploitation of the bees.

Barry's mission attracts wide attention from bees and humans alike, with countless spectators attending the trial. Although Barry is up against tough defense attorney Layton T. Montgomery, the trial's first day goes well. That evening, Barry is having dinner with Vanessa when Ken shows up. Vanessa leaves the room, and Ken expresses to Barry that he hates the pair spending time together. When Barry leaves to use the restroom, Ken ambushes Barry and attempts to kill him, only for Vanessa to intervene and break up with Ken. The second day at the trial, Montgomery unleashes an unrepentant character assassination against the bees leading a deeply offended Adam to sting him. Montgomery immediately exaggerates the stinging to make himself seem the victim of an assault while simultaneously tarnishing Adam. Adam's actions jeopardize the bees' credibility and his life, though he recovers. The third day, Barry wins the trial by exposing the jury to the torturous treatment of bees, particularly use of the smoker, and prevents humans from stealing honey from bees ever again. Having lost the trial, Montgomery cryptically warns Barry that a negative shift of nature is imminent.

As it turns out, Honex Industries stops honey production and puts every bee out of a job, including the vitally important Pollen Jocks, resulting in all the world's flowers beginning to die out without any pollination. Before long, the last remaining flowers on Earth are being stockpiled in Pasadena, California, intent for the last Tournament of Roses Parade. Barry and Vanessa travel to the parade and steal a float, which they load into a plane. They hope to bring the flowers to the bees so they can re-pollinate the world's last remaining flowers. When the plane's pilot and co-pilot are unconscious, Vanessa is forced to land the plane, with help from Barry and the bees from Barry's hive.

Barry becomes a member of the Pollen Jocks, and they fly off to a flower patch. Armed with the pollen of the last flowers, Barry and the Pollen Jocks reverse the damage and save the world's flowers, restarting the bees' honey production. Later on, Barry runs a law firm at Vanessa's flower shop titled "Insects at Law", which handles disputes between animals and humans. While selling flowers to customers, Vanessa offers certain brands of honey that are "bee-approved".

Often attributed to its composition as a “collection of autonomous short stories,” that were originally published in various newspapers throughout 1938 in order for Graciliano Ramos to capitalise on his writings, the thirteen chapters of ''Vidas Secas'' can be read individually or as a group without affecting the overarching thematic qualities of the novel. The supposed fragmentary nature of the novel, in congruence with the readers’ exposure to various narrative or plot developments through the shifting point of view of different characters, has been cited by critics as intrinsically linking both reader and character in a shared emotional state.

The plot of ''Vidas Secas'' follows the exploits of the vaqueiro (cowboy) Fabiano, his wife Sinhá Vitória, their two sons (who remain unnamed throughout the novel), and their dog Baleia (whale), in their attempts to forge a meagre existence within the arid interior of Brazil’s north-eastern Sertão. The novel opens with Fabiano and his family escaping an extreme drought by taking shelter in an abandoned fazenda (farm), whereupon they await the return of seasonal rains and tend to a wealthy landowner’s cattle. Within the first few scenes of the novel, the harsh nature of life on the Sertão is illustrated by the family killing and eating their pet parrot, the mute papagaio.

Although their time at the fazenda initially brings an “austere version of domestic stability,” Fabiano’s inability to negotiate fair wages with the landowner, along with his difficulty in navigating the city and its corrupt officials, ultimately leaves the family destitute. The family’s troubles are exacerbated by Fabiano’s run-ins with the ‘Yellow Soldier,’ a corrupt government official who bests Fabiano in a crooked card game and provokes a fight which results in Fabiano’s imprisonment. Though Fabiano is subsequently released, problems for the family continue to arise.

The next few chapters explore the varying perspectives of the other family members. A chapter dedicated to Sinhá Vitória illustrates her obsession with overcoming their destitute circumstances through her imaginative conceptualisations of “owning a comfortable bed of leather and ''sucupira'' wood.” Similarly, proceeding chapters highlights the eldest and youngest sons’ struggle to understand the ''sertaneja'' (people of the ''sertão)'' lifestyle and explores their differing perceptions of their father.

The family’s fortunes are met with further decline in the chapter ‘The Dog’ (or ‘Baleia’ in the original Portuguese edition) which has been cited by critics as “one of the most moving episodes in Brazilian literature.” The chapter, seen predominantly from the perspective of Baleia, was the first written by Graciliano Ramos and has thus been cited by critics as his inspiration for writing ''Vidas Secas.'''''''' ‘Baleia’ documents the sick and aging dog’s death at the hands of Fabiano, following his suspicion of her contraction of rabies. After being shot in the hindquarters by Fabiano, Baleia thinks only of her household duty to mind the family goats and rather than holding animosity towards Fabiano, thinks only of licking her masters’ hand. 

In the final chapters of the novel after continued economic deprivation at the hands of the wealthy landowner, along with the deep foreboding of the onset of yet another drought, the family escapes under the cover of night to wander towards “a big city in hopes of a better life.”

In 1932 New York City during the Great Depression, Yankee pladess Irving is a 10-year-old baseball fan whose father Stanley works as a custodian at Yankee Stadium. While the two are on the premises, a thief disguised as a security guard steals Babe Ruth's famous bat Darlin'. Stanley is falsely blamed and is temporarily dismissed until Darlin' can be found. Stanley blames yankee for being alone in the locker room and setting him up. And Stanley accuses him by grounding him from baseball or soccer and sending him to his room. But the real thief is Lefty Maginnis, a cheating pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Maginnis works for the Cubs' general manager Napoleon Cross, who desires to see the Cubs defeat the New York Yankees during the 1932 World Series.

Determined to reclaim the bat and save his family from being evicted and being out on the streets, Yankee journeys to Chicago where the next World Series game will be held. After putting the bat back on the train, Yankee decides to return it to Babe Ruth and thereby clear his father's name and save his job. Darlin' and her counterpart Screwie, a baseball, gain the ability to speak and telling him that he is just a kid and the real world and playing baseball or soccer (with his punishment standing) would let his punishment be in danger. Unbeknownst to Yankee, Maginnis attempts to steal the bat from Yankee during a wild chase. Yankee meets others who help him in his quest such as hobos Andy, Louis and Jack, a girl named Marti Brewster, her baseball pitcher father Lonnie Brewster, who helps him drive to the city by teaching Yankee to set his feet right, and Babe Ruth. Maginnis steals Darlin and gives her to Cross, who kidnaps Yankee. During the game, Cross manipulates Yankee inside the office and reveals his plans to him.

A series of improbable coincidences allows Yankee himself to play for the Yankees. After Yankee escapes the office and evades several security guards, Cross tries to talk Babe out of accepting the victory, saying that Yankee is too young to be a counting player after he was trying to return Darlin’ to the latter. Despite this, Yankee has shown confidence in beating the Cubs and manages to hit Screwie after two strikes. While the numerous Cubs players tried to strike Yankee out, he dodges and trips them. Maginnis tries to make his last attempts to strike him out, but Yankee manages to outsmart him by jumping over him (as payback for getting both him and Stanley in trouble) and landing on home plate, scoring a run. This restores the morale of the Yankees, who score seven more runs to take the lead and win the World Series.

The revelation of Darlin's theft leads to the arrest of Cross, who says that he was a fan that cheated. When his involvement as an accomplice and as a cheater is also revealed, Maginnis is kicked off the team and is also arrested. Stanley's name is cleared and officially reinstated as the stadium's custodian. Yankee, his parents and his new baseball friends, Screwie and Darlin, celebrate the Yankees’ World Series win in a victory parade where he becomes an official player while Cross is handing out the Babe Ruth bobbleheads with Maginnis sweeping the streets as part of their work release. Yankee happily plays catch with Screwie and the hobos' dog.

In a search for power, a short evil genius called Erwin has found a way to suck raw energy out of the world of the Ghosts (the Spectral Realm). He has created a syphon that can penetrate into the Spectral Realm. This is causing the Spectral Realm to collapse into the real world (Pac-Land), bringing about an environmental catastrophe. Meanwhile, Pac-Man is celebrating his 25th birthday with his family when he is teleported by Orson, a former nemesis of Pac-Man from the original ''Pac-Man World''. Orson communicates to him and tells him about the Spectral Realm (after Pac-Man complains to Orson about messing up his party and throwing him into a trash pit). Pac-Man is attacked by fiery Spectral monsters of the orange, green, and purple varieties which have been driven mad by Erwin's hypnosis with Inky and Blinky (Clyde) have been kidnapped as part of Erwin's evil scheme, but Pinky and Clyde (Blinky) managed to escape.

Now Pac-Man must join forces with the ghosts, Orson, Pinky, and Clyde (Blinky) to stop Erwin before he destroys both the Real World and the Spectral Realm.

The aptly-titled ''Curtain Raiser'' is set in the bar of a dance hall where a grim woman and an overweight former dance instructor connect. The grim woman attempts to deflect any advances by the man, telling him that when dancing she can only lead. In response, he teaches her how to improve her technique as she leads.

''Giving Up Smoking'' introduces us to Joanne, a lonely, middle-aged woman waiting to hear from Mel, her date for that evening. We are also introduced to Joanne's best friend Sherman, a lonely, middle-aged gay man waiting to hear from potential new boyfriend Gavin and Sherman's cancer-ridden but brightly optimistic mother Kathleen. One further introduction includes the guitar-strumming Mel, whose policy is to dump a woman before she becomes emotionally demanding.

The four characters discuss hopes and dreams, reminiscing about happier days in monologues that each character delivers from a separate area of the stage.

In ''Swing Time'', Mitzi and her husband Darryl are preparing for the imminent arrival of old friends Gail and Ron. The nature of the evening is revealed when highly-strung Mitzi bemoans the fact her bra and panties don't match. The two couples are slowly easing themselves into the intended purpose of the evening when the phone rings and Mitzi refers to "the private line". Her friends' indignation at not being given the number, and Mitzi's increasingly complicated reasons why they weren't given said number, disrupt the evening's plans in May's typically comic fashion.

Cookbook author Bess Lapin and her husband Jeffrey live in the Hamptons with their 3 adopted children. Jeffrey, newly retired is also writing a book about the connection between business and art. Two of the children return from a European trip and the family gathers for a reunion. Neighbors Elaine and her mother-in-law Sadie crash the welcome-home party. The returned children announce that they are planning to get married.

The protagonist is Kiefer who appeared originally in ''Dragon Warrior VII''. On Prince Keifer's tenth birthday, the prince was looking for a way to cause a little trouble and snuck out of Gran Estard Castle. This makes his father very angry, and when Keifer is finally caught, he hides in his room. While hiding in the closet, a masked figure that calls herself ''The Master of the Illusions, Magarugi'' appears and tells Keifer that if he finds the Orbs of Loto, he will be given one wish. Keifer is pulled into the spirit's realm of Torland, the world of ''Dragon Quest II''. When he first arrives, he encounters a caravan with a weak leader, Luin. Luin is also searching for the Orbs to save his sick parents. After their first battle together, the Caravan asks Keifer to lead them. All together, they must travel the world in order to find the cure for Luin's sick parents and allow Keifer to return to Estard Island.

It is the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and feudal Japan is in turmoil. The ruling Shogun are wielding their abusive powers to instill fear and dominance over their oppressed subjects. Beatings, imprisonment, rape, and even murder are the adopted tactics chosen to maintain their reign. A group of samurai have banded together to end the bloodshed. With the development of new weapons and new technology, this group of fighters has both the will and the equipment to fight back. Ichimatsu, one of the samurai fighters, works at a local tavern as a cover for his real job. By the dark of night he doles out some big-time, gun-barrel justice under the name "Samurai Gun".

The year is 1840. The Emperor of China warns the young Queen Victoria to know her place - "The Emperor's Greeting". The scene is set, panto-style, in a quaint, cardboard English village, "Dunroamin-on-the-Down", ancestral home of Sir Richard (Dick) Whittington and his widowed mother Lady Dodo.

Dick sets off with his manservant Jack Idle and the men of the village to seek their fortune in London or in the new towns of the Industrial Revolution. Jack is sad to leave his girlfriend, Sally. His horse Randy and her mare Cherry also fancy each other and have to be rebuked for their friskiness - "Whoa, Boy". Lady Dodo pines for the good old days, but Dick believes the age of gold is yet to come.

Sally, left with her mare, sings of her confusion. She likes Jack but pines for Sir Richard, who is also her legal guardian. Secretly, she and Dodo take off on their own for London.

In the City, Dick encounters Obadiah Upward, an up-and-coming merchant, who explains how their fortunes can be made in distant China from the sale of poppies. Dodo and Sally arrive and they agree to make the journey.

They sail to India, and, in the poppy fields, Dodo tells Upward why she loves him - "Nostalgie de la Boue". Dick and Jack reflect on British India, the East India Company and the Battle of Plassey in a Kipling-esque ballad - "John Companee"

En route for China aboard one of Upward's opium clippers, Dick persuades Jack and Sally to sample their wares, and they savour a pipe dream of paradise.

The Emperor of China tells Victoria to stop the cultivation of poppies, but she replies that the "Bounty of the Earth" is to be shared by every nation. She leaves him alone to lament his son's addiction to the drug. He sends Commissioner Lin to Canton to stamp out the trade. Here, Lin meets Viceroy Teng and his daughter Yoyo who is confused by Europeans - "They All Look the Same To Us".

Obadiah refuses to be intimidated by Lin's threats and sends Dick up the coast to seek fresh markets. Victoria joins his crew as an interpreter and Christian missionary and is questioned on her religious scruples. She explains there is a blessed trinity that justifies trade - "Blessed Trinity" (of Civilisation, Commerce and Christianity).

Before they leave, Dodo guesses that Sally loves Dick and tells her he is not only her guardian but also her half-brother.

The Chinese lay siege to the European compound, and the animals have to be slaughtered for food. Jack sings Randy a last lullaby before killing him - "Rock-A-Bye Randy"

In the war that follows, the Chinese are defeated and surrender Hong Kong Island. Dodo and Upward sing of how the British and French soldiers sacked the Imperial Summer Palace in Peking - "Rat-a-Tat-Tat".

Though there are dark and savage undertones to this fairy tale, in the end, most of the British live happily ever after, and it is the Chinese who learn to know their place.

The story takes place in the south of France, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Napoleon's rise to power, and the French-English rivalry in the Mediterranean. '''Peyrol''' (a master-gunner in the French republican navy, pirate, and for nearly fifty years "rover of the outer seas") attempts to find refuge in an isolated farmhouse (Escampobar) on the Giens Peninsula near Hyères.

The story is about Peyrol's attempt at withdrawal from an action- and blood-filled life; his involvement with the pariahs of Escampobar; the struggle for his identity and allegiance, which is resolved in his last voyage.

Michael Newman, an architect, is married to Donna and has two children, Ben and Samantha. Michael is bullied by his overbearing boss, John Ammer, and often chooses work over family. Michael visits the retail store Bed Bath & Beyond to buy a universal remote control. He stumbles around the various departments before falling asleep. Upon waking, a man named Morty offers Michael a free remote but warns it can never be returned.

Learning to use the remote, Michael finds that it can control reality much like a television. He uses it to his advantage at work but also uses it to fast-forward past illness or use "picture-in-picture", concentrating on a baseball game while Donna nags him. Morty tells Michael that during these times, his body is on "auto-pilot", going through his motions of everyday life while his mind skips ahead.

Michael is unable to buy bicycles for his children, but knowing that Ammer plans to promote him to a partnership, he uses the remote to skip to the promotion. He is shocked to find that a year has passed. During that time, he and Donna have entered marriage counseling, his children have grown out of their desire for bicycles, and the family dog has died. The remote, having learned his preferences, starts time-skipping in response to casual wishes Michael makes. Michael attempts to discard or destroy the remote, but it reappears in his hands shortly after each attempt, and Morty refuses to take it back.

At work, Ammer tells Michael he plans on retiring, which would make Michael the new head of the International Division. When Michael presses the subject of his promotion, Ammer tells him that, in time, he could be promoted to CEO, which causes the remote to instantly fast-forward ten years into the future. While Michael is wealthy, he has become morbidly obese and Donna has divorced him. He returns home to find Ben and Samantha have both become moody teenagers. He argues with Donna and new husband Bill, which causes their family dog to jump on Michael, knocking him into a coma. The remote time-skips six years to when Michael wakes, no longer obese, having undergone liposuction to save his life as a part of his cancer treatment and subsequent heart attack. A full-grown Ben is now a partner at the firm, however Michael learns his father Ted has died of old age.

While Michael is mourning his father, Morty reappears. Michael uses the remote to go to Ted's deathbed, but it fails. Morty explains the remote only replays events in his life where he was present, and his father's last hour was not one of them. Michael uses the remote to see when he last saw his father, when Michael rebuffed his father's offer to take him and Ben out to dinner. Michael visits his father's grave. Morty appears and reveals to Michael that he is the Angel of Death. Overcome with guilt and shame, Michael asks to go to a "good place", whereupon the remote fast-forwards him several more years in the future to Ben's wedding. Michael has a second heart attack when Samantha calls Bill her dad. When he wakes in the hospital later that night, he finds his family there, including Ben. Ben skipped his honeymoon to help fix issues with the firm. Michael, fearing that his son will make the same mistakes he made, implores him not to ignore his wife, but a nurse makes Ben and Samantha leave. Michael gathers his last bit of strength to follow them out of the hospital. He collapses and his family rushes to his aid. Michael tells Ben to always put family first and assures his family that he still loves them. He dies and Morty arrives to take Michael.

Michael wakes up in Bed Bath & Beyond and assumes that he was dreaming. He races to his family to make up for the mistakes he made with the remote and fulfills his promise to spend the 4th of July with them. He finds the remote on the counter with a note from Morty, reading "Good guys need a break". Michael considers what to do for a moment before throwing the remote in the trash, and is overjoyed when it does not reappear in his hand.

Henry Pollicut and two other bounty killers murder a man named Gordon and his wife. To prevent Gordon's son from giving them away, one of the killers slices the boy's throat, rendering him permanently mute. Pollicut becomes a corrupt Utah banker and judge of peace.

Years later in 1898, Gordon's son, now going by the moniker "Silence", operates on a principle whereby he provokes his enemies into drawing their weapons first so he can kill them in self-defense with his Mauser C96. A severe blizzard has swept the frontier, bringing privation to the town of Snow Hill. As a result, much of the community is forced to steal in order to survive. Pollicut, seeking to make a profit by attaining their property after they are killed, places prices on the thieves' heads, attracting the attention of a bounty killer gang led by "Loco". As they prey on the outlaws, Silence works with the bandits and their allies to fight against the killers.

One of the outlaws, James Middleton, leaves the safety of the group to be with his wife, Pauline. James is subsequently killed by Loco when he takes Pauline hostage. Vengeful, Pauline writes to Silence, requesting him to kill Loco. Meanwhile, the newly-elected Governor, hoping to have order maintained before declaring an amnesty regarding the outlaws, assigns the righteous but bumbling soldier Gideon Burnett as the sheriff of Snow Hill. On his way, Burnett encounters the outlaws, who steal his horse for food. After getting lost in the snow, he finds a stagecoach travelling to Snow Hill, on which he meets Silence, and later, Loco. Upon arrival, Silence meets Pauline, who promises to raise his reward.

Pauline attempts to sell her house to Pollicut, who demands that she becomes his mistress – his reason for putting a bounty on her husband. Pauline bitterly refuses. Silence leaves for the town saloon, and attempts to provoke Loco into drawing. Instead, Loco savagely beats him before Silence fights back. Angered, Loco attempts to shoot him, but he is stopped by Burnett, who arrests him for attempted murder and prepares to take him to a prison in Tonopah. Before leaving, Burnett requests that the townspeople provide food for the outlaws. Meanwhile, Pauline becomes romantically and sexually involved with Silence while tending his wounds.

Burnett and Loco stop by a frozen lake to allow Loco to relieve himself, but he springs a trap, shooting the ice surrounding Burnett and leaving him to die in the freezing water. Loco rides to his hideout and convinces the rest of his gang to confront Silence. Determined to take Pauline by force, Pollicut attempts to rape her as his henchman, Martin, tortures Silence by burning his right hand. Silence overpowers Martin and kills Pollicut. Loco and his gang arrive to look for Silence, just as the outlaws appear at the edge of town to collect the provisions, having been previously advised to do so by Burnett. Deciding to use them to draw out Silence, the gang herds the bandits into the saloon and captures Pauline. Loco tells Pauline to have Silence duel with him – if Silence wins, the outlaws will be set free; if he wins, they will be killed.

Despite Pauline's pleas that the duel is a trap, Silence stands outside the saloon. A killer shoots his left hand, greatly impairing his speed and marksmanship. Loco then stands in the doorway, ready to face the weakened Silence. As Silence begins reaching for his Mauser, Loco reaches for his Colt Single Action Army – but as Silence draws, another wounding shot is fired. Loco fires at Silence's head, killing him. Distraught, Pauline attempts to shoot Loco herself, but swiftly dies as well. The bounty killers turn their guns on the outlaws, massacring the entire group. As Loco and his men prepare to collect their bounties, he takes Silence's Mauser from Pauline's hands. The killers ride out of Snow Hill into the morning sun. A title card explains that Loco's actions resulted in widespread public condemnation of bounty killing, and a memorial was erected in Snow Hill to honor those who died by his greed.

Alternate endings

Happy ending

Due to the bleak nature of the original finale, Corbucci was obliged to shoot an alternate ending to appease his producers, who wanted the film to have a "seasonal" appeal due to its intended Christmas holiday release. Production histories of ''The Great Silence'' previously suggested that this "happy" ending was shot specifically for the North African and Asian markets, although there is no evidence to suggest that this ending was seen in either region. Some of the footage shot for this ending did, however, appear in the film's trailers. Because it was believed that no audio elements for this ending had survived, early DVD releases of the film, such as the American release from Fantoma Films, feature it without sound. Later releases, such as the Film Movement Blu-ray, include the ending with synchronized Italian audio.

In this ending, Loco draws his gun without waiting to be prompted by Silence. Suddenly, Burnett, having survived falling into the frozen lake, rides into town on horseback and shoots Loco in the head, allowing Silence to kill the remaining bounty killers. Burnett frees the outlaws as Pauline takes the bandages on Silence's burnt right hand off, revealing a gauntlet that he used for protection, before applying bandages to his wounded left hand. As Burnett takes the thieves to the local jail to await their amnesty, he asks Silence to become his deputy, which he accepts with a smile.

Ambiguous ending

Corbucci also delivered another, lesser-known ending to his producers. This version serves as a recut of the intended ending with additional footage not seen in the theatrical version. It was never publicly released until it was included among the special features of Film Movement's Blu-ray.

This ending depicts Silence being shot by Loco's henchman in both of his hands before he can draw his gun; wounded, he collapses to the ground as Pauline watches in shock. Appearing to show a change of heart, Loco gestures to his men to leave the saloon. As a result, the fates of Silence, Pauline and the outlaws are left unknown.

Analysis

In reviewing the alternate endings, film critic Simon Abrams believes that the producers' rejection of both of the above endings was justified, describing them as "emotionally dissatisfying conclusions for Corbucci's otherwise harrowing anti-fable". While finding the "ambiguous" ending's failures in its lack of answers for the fates of its characters, he considers the "happy" ending "amusing" due to its attempt to overhaul the film's pre-established tone. He also considers the latter to be of interest to fans of Sergio Leone's films due to Silence's gauntlet serving as a possible reference to Joe's use of a bullet-proof sheet of metal in ''A Fistful of Dollars''.

The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. Something is always wrong with those he meets and he cannot be certain they are ''real'' princesses because they have bad table manners or they are not his type. One stormy night, a young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a princess, but no one is really believing her because of the way she looks, so the prince's mother decides to test their unexpected guest by placing a pea in the bed she is offered for the night, covered by 20 mattresses and laid them upon the pea and placed twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.

In the morning, the princess tells her hosts that she endured a sleepless night, kept awake by something hard in the bed that she is certain has bruised her. With the proof of her bruised back, the princess passes the test and the prince rejoices happily, for only a real princess would have the sensitivity to feel a pea through such a quantity of bedding. The two are happily married, and the story ends with the pea being placed in a museum, where, according to the story, it can still be seen today unless someone has stolen it.

The story follows a Thranx, Ryozenzuzex (i.e. Ryo, of Family Zen, clan Zu, Hive Zex) who came from an odd-numbered hatching (thranx offspring almost always come in multiples of two) immediately making him somewhat different from his brethren. Setting himself aside as different Ryo decides that he has to know what is the secret of the new space-faring race that supposedly wear "their skeletons inside". To accomplish this un-thranxlike task, Ryo travels from his home planet, Willow-Wane, to the ice caps of the Thranx home world, Hivehom with the aid of the wealthy Wuuzelansem, a poet in search of inspiration. Once on Hivehom he is confronted with the "monsters" and comes to the conclusion that they must set them free, believing that an alliance between Thranx and these so-called "humans" is the only way to stop the aggressive advances of the AAnn Empire.

Thranx military and scientists, by studying the contained humans tendency to fight amongst each other came to the conclusion that the entire species could be insane and would destroy Thranx society if they were to attempt any further contact. Ryo, after spending a good amount of time with the humans, decides to aid in their escape from Hivehom. Once they escape, they return to a human research station where the reaction to Ryo is worse than anticipated. When the scientists there decide to kill and dissect Ryo the crew he rescued from Hivehom returns the favor and helps him escape his death sentence. It is at this point Ryo and the crew come to the conclusion that they must start a long-term program in order to properly integrate human and thranx society.

With the scientists he befriended on Hivehom, Ryo brings a group of human children and researchers to interact with a group of Thranx larvae on his home of Willow-Wane in an attempt to build lasting race relations. The larvae and human children seem to get along well and the compatibility between the two races is confirmed. When an AAnn raiding party attacks Ryo's hive, the militant humans take action which results in a formal first contact between both human and Thranx governments.

By his risky actions, Ryo plants the seeds of what would become the Humanx Commonwealth.

Jake Rodgers (Cedric the Entertainer) wakes up near a dead body with no recollection of the previous night. Throughout the day, he makes the assumption that he is a secret agent.

Alfred Redl, a Ruthenian boy from Galicia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, wins an appointment to a prestigious military academy in spite of being the son of a mere peasant farmer. At his departure from home, his mother instils in him eternal gratitude towards the Emperor Franz Josef. Redl is never to forget that he owes his promising career to the Emperor.

At the military academy, the young Redl soon stands out for his talent, drive and loyalty to the Crown. One of his teachers forces him to inform on Kristof Kubinyi, a student who is the subject of a practical joke; whilst he blames himself for incriminating his comrade, Alfred soon realises that to rise in the ranks he must overcome his peasant background by ingratiating himself with his superiors. Alfred and Kristof become firm friends. Kubinyi invites Redl home for the holidays to the elegant residence of his parents, who lead a life of privilege and nobility in Hungary. There, Alfred meets Kristof's pretty sister, Katalin, who welcomes him warmly. To Kubinyi's aristocratic parents, Redl hides his true humble background, pretending to be of Hungarian ancestry and a member from an old family who lost all its fortune.

Redl and Kubinyi slowly climb the ladder as career officers. Once they become adults, the two friends have different political ideals. As a Hungarian, Kubinyi slowly falls prey to the national aspirations of a Hungary free from Habsburg rule, while Redl remains fiercely patriotic and faithful to his benefactor, the Austrian Emperor. For Redl, his relationship with Kubinyi goes beyond friendship as Redl harbors an unrequited love for his comrade. When the two young men visit a brothel, Redl seems more interested in watching his friend having sex than in engaging a woman in his own room. Redl suppresses his attraction to Kristof, however, and transfers it, as best as he can, to Katalin, his friend's beautiful sister. Back at the academy, Alfred serves as a second in a duel between Kristof and another classmate, who is killed in the contest. This foolishness jeopardizes the careers of both Kubinyi and Redl, but the commanding officer, Colonel von Roden, having noted Redl's hard work and loyalty to the Emperor, arranges a promotion for him and a prized assignment in Vienna. In Vienna, Redl is able to renew his friendship with Katalin, who is, by then, unhappily married. They become lovers in spite of Katalin knowing well that it is her brother who Alfred really loves.

Redl is assigned to a garrison serving on the Russian border. The discipline there is lax and Redl readily stands out as a serious-minded young officer. When the district commander decides to retire, Redl is recommended for the job. As commanding officer, he proves very demanding, working hard to reinvigorate the discipline of his outfit. This does not sit well with the junior officers, including Kristof, especially because they feel superior to Redl by birth. When Redl and Kristof have a falling out over Kristof's sloppy habits and poor performance, Kristof mocks Redl's lowly origins in conversation with other officers.

Colonel von Roden intervenes on Redl's behalf again, bringing him back to Vienna to serve as deputy chief of the counter-espionage branch of the ''Evidenzbureau''. It's a nasty kind of job, since it entails spying on officers throughout the service, trying to identify those engaging in espionage activities for the Russians. On Katalin's suggestion, Redl undertakes a loveless marriage of convenience in order to quell rumors of his homosexual proclivities. His wife, Clarissa, suffers from ill health and remains a distant figure in his life.

Redl's single-minded devotion to duty draws him into the orbit of the heir to the crown, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who is a ruthless schemer (whose ultimate objective is portrayed as to overthrow the Emperor in a coup d'état). Redl participates in one of the Archduke's plots, which involves setting up an aging Ukrainian officer for a dramatic fall so as to shake the army out of its complacency. The man is accidentally shot to death, however, during the search and seizure, negating the value of the plan. The Archduke then decides to make Redl the fall guy instead. Redl contributes to his own downfall by allowing himself to be seduced by an Italian officer. Redl is now doomed. Under arrest, he is given a service pistol with which to take his own life. It falls upon Kristof to provide Redl with the gun and order him to commit suicide. After experiencing anger, hesitation and despair, Redl finally shoots himself. The film ends with a brief depiction of the notorious assassination of the Archduke at Sarajevo, and the resulting chain of events leading to World War I.

Munich, 1864. The 18-year-old, idealistic Ludwig II is crowned as the King of Bavaria. His first official act is a lavish support for the inspired but indebted composer Richard Wagner, who settles in Munich after Ludwig's request. Ludwig's cabinet cannot understand his support for the arts and is furious about Wagner's expensive lifestyle. Ludwig tries to find a faithful friend in Wagner, whose music he loves, but these hopes get shattered: behind the King's back, Wagner has an affair with Cosima von Bülow, the wife of Wagner's opportunistic conductor Hans von Bülow. In order to avoid a scandal, Wagner has to leave Munich. Ludwig continues to support Wagner and his projects, but he still mistrusts him.

Another important person for Ludwig is Empress Elisabeth of Austria, his independent and charismatic cousin. During a meeting with other aristocratic families in Bad Ischl, Elisabeth and Ludwig get close to each other and they share a kiss. However, Elisabeth is more interested in bringing up a marriage between her beautiful, cultivated sister Sophie and Ludwig, but the king ignores Sophie. Disappointed by Wagner and Elisabeth, Ludwig starts to withdraw from public into dream worlds. Ludwig wants Bavaria to stay neutral in the Austro-Prussian War 1866, but his cabinet has another opinion and they eventually support the Austrian's loser's side. Ludwig ignores the war and stays in his castle, much to the irritation of his younger brother Otto and his close confidant Count Dürckheim. Dürckheim advises him to a marriage in order to prevent loneliness.

Shortly after Ludwig becomes aware of his homosexuality, he suddenly announces his engagement with Sophie in January 1867. His mother and the cabinet send an actress into his apartments, who is instructed to give him sexual experience. Ludwig feels angry about the actress and throws her into his bathtub. Ludwig has doubts if he can be a good husband to Sophie who loves him, and he postpones and eventually cancels the marriage. Instead, he starts having relationships with his servants, although the devout Catholic feels guilt about his homosexuality. Bavaria supports the Prussian army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, but during the following Unification of Germany, he loses much of his sovereignty to the Prussian emperor Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, the mental health of Ludwig's younger brother Otto declines and doctors have to take care of him. Ludwig is shocked by his brother's illness.

Ludwig does not care about politics anymore, instead, he spends his money building Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Palace and Herrenchiemsee. The cabinet feels increasingly frustrated by the eccentric and secluded king's debts. In 1881, the king has a short but fierce friendship with actor Josef Kainz, whose ''Romeo'' performance he adores, but Kainz is mostly interested in the king's money. Ludwig also hosts some orgies with his servants. When his cousin Elisabeth wants to visit him after a long time, he refuses to see her.

In 1886, the psychiatrist Bernhard von Gudden declares that Ludwig is insane, following the advice of his scheming Cabinet. With the help of his faithful servants, Ludwig can arrest his cabinet for a few hours. His friends advise him to fight against the accusation that he is insane, but he only feels world-weary and depressed. Eventually, his uncle Luitpold is declared Prince Regent of Bavaria. Ludwig is brought to Berg Castle near Lake Starnberg, where he has to stay under arrest and gets psychological treatment. Two days later, Ludwig and Von Gudden leave the castle for a walk. A few hours later, their corpses are found in the Lake Starnber, dead by unknown causes.

Oswald is preparing a trolley (tram) to transport his bunny kids and other animal characters, but there are some obstacles. The first is Clarabelle Cow who walks onto the tracks and refuses to move until Oswald drives the trolley underneath her. Oswald thinks that all is well until the hill gets steep. Oswald uses a goat to get the trolley up the hill, then down the hill.

The trolley unexpectedly goes onto a bumpy road, tossing the kids out of the trolley. Oswald prays that he will live, takes off his foot, and rubs it on his head (as per the saying that a rabbit's foot gives you good luck). Eventually, the trolley crashes into a river and becomes a raft. Oswald uses a big stick to row it downstream.

Todd Arnold, senior producer of ''The Return of the King'', stated that the game was not intended to re-tell the story of the film, but to allow the player to come as close as possible to experiencing the critical parts of the film for themselves. Levels were designed with this goal in mind, with just enough plot to give context to the player's actions. Liberties were thus taken with the plot, and critics noted there was little footage which could spoil the film for those who had not seen it. GameSpot's Greg Kasavin said "if you didn't know anything about the story of ''The Return of the King'', then the story of the game may be hard to follow, though you'll still get the gist of it." However, he also advised, "in case you don't want any aspect of the movie spoiled for you, it'd be wise to hold off on playing ''The Return of the King'' until after you've seen the movie."

Synopsis

The game begins during the Battle of the Hornburg at Helm's Deep, with the Uruk-hai having just penetrated the outer walls. With the defenders falling back to the inner court, Gandalf (voiced by Ian McKellen) appears on a hill-top flanked by thousands of Rohirrim. The player takes control of Gandalf as he enters the battle and helps defeat the Uruk-hai and orc army. After this level, the game splits into three separate mission arcs, each with its own individual set of characters. The "Path of the Wizard" follows Gandalf, the "Path of the King" follows Aragorn (Chris Edgerly), Legolas (Andrew Chaikin) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and the "Path of the Hobbits" follows Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), although initially only Sam is playable.

The Path of the Wizard continues immediately after the events of the first level. The remains of the Uruk-hai and orc army flee into Fangorn Forest. However, within the forest, the Ents, led by Treebeard, have awoken and joined the fight against Sauron. Gandalf helps the ents as they destroy the rest of the army, and then assists them in bringing down a dam holding back the River Isen. This floods Isengard, trapping Saruman (Christopher Lee), who had joined forces with Sauron, in his tower, Orthanc. Gandalf and Pippin (Billy Boyd) then head to Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor, leaving Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the Rohirrim to follow them. Gandalf has gone ahead of the others because Sauron mistakenly believes that Pippin has the Ring, and Gandalf plans to use this confusion to distract Sauron as Frodo and Sam are led by Gollum (Andy Serkis) towards Mount Doom to destroy the Ring. In Minas Tirith, Gandalf helps repulse the enemies from the walls for a time, but eventually, they break through the city's defenses. Gandalf and the soldiers of Minas Tirith then retreat to a courtyard, where they must defend the fleeing civilians from the enemy. Once the people are safely inside, Gandalf can do little but await the arrival of Aragorn.

The Path of the King picks up with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the Rohirrim on the way to Minas Tirith. Before arriving, however, the three companions must walk the Paths of the Dead in an effort to convince the Army of the Dead to join their cause in the War of the Ring. To do so, they must defeat the King of the Dead (Jarion Monroe) in combat. After this, the Paths of the Dead start to collapse, and they must escape before the falling rubble crushes them. With the Army of the Dead pledged to aid them, they travel to Minas Tirith and enter the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Joining the Rohirrim and the soldiers of Minas Tirith, they face orcs, Easterlings, Haradrim and oliphaunts. They must also defend Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Éowyn (Lorri Holt), allowing Éowyn the opportunity to defeat the Witch-king of Angmar. As it seems they are about to be overwhelmed, the Army of Dead arrive, destroying the forces of Mordor and saving Minas Tirith.

The Path of the Wizard and Path of the King share the same final level, set at the Black Gate of Mordor. In a further effort to distract Sauron from the approach of Frodo and Sam, Gandalf advises that Aragorn and the remaining army marches to the Gates of Mordor as a direct challenge to Sauron, who will send out a vast army to meet them, thus keeping his attention away from Mount Doom. Upon arriving at the Gate, the party are confronted by the Mouth of Sauron (Roger L. Jackson), who tells them that Frodo is dead. They kill him and must then face a massive army of orcs, before fighting the remaining Nazgûl. Not believing Frodo to be dead, they plan to fight as long as they can, ultimately sacrificing themselves so as to give Frodo enough time to destroy the Ring.

In The Path of the Hobbits, Frodo, Sam and Gollum must first escape from Osgiliath, fighting past orcs to get to the sewers and ensuring that Frodo is not kidnapped by the Nazgûl. However, upon escaping, Gollum decides to betray them and take the Ring back for himself. He tricks Frodo into going on without Sam, but Sam follows them into Shelob's lair. In the lair, Gollum abandons Frodo, and Sam must fight past giant spiders and orcs, eventually facing Shelob herself, who has attacked Frodo. Sam defeats Shelob, but upon reaching Frodo, he mistakenly believes him to be dead. About to go to Mount Doom on his own, he hides as a group of orcs arrive and hears them say that Frodo is alive but unconscious. They take him with them as Sam follows them to the Tower of Cirith Ungol. As Sam is about to enter the Tower, the orcs begin fighting among themselves, and Sam uses the distraction to rescue Frodo. Together, they head to Mount Doom. However, before Frodo can throw the Ring into the lava below, he is attacked by Gollum, who takes the Ring. In the final level, the player controls Frodo as he fights Gollum on the edge of the precipice. Frodo successfully defeats Gollum, knocking him into the lava and destroying the Ring forever.

Series one

The first series consisted of twenty-six episodes. It starred Adam Saunders as Heath, the relaxed joker who struggles with school; Tahyna Tozzi as Perri, resident glamour queen from the Gold Coast; Sophie Luck as Fly, the youngest; Kate Bell as Bec, the local; Khan Chittenden as Edge, the aggressive and competitive teenager; Chris Foy as Matt, the generic 'smart guy' and Mara Scherzinger as Anna, a famous German Kiteboarder. At the end of the year, two of them (one girl and one boy) get a wild card spot on the pro-circuit tour. The first series was released on DVD in 4 volumes, though fans are strongly urging for a complete re-release featuring the entire season in one package, as was later done with Series Two. Sophie Luck won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Young Actor for her role in the series. The winners for series one were Fly and Edge.

Series two

Filming of a second series began in early January 2006 in Sydney, with a revised cast, which included Sophie Luck who was back as Fly, Adam Saunders as Heath, who leaves in episode six and Trent Dalzell as Corey, Ryan Corr as Eric, Lesley Anne Mitchell as Brooke, Taryn Marler as Rachel, Gabrielle Scollay as Amy, and James Sorensen as Mike. It premiered on 28 June 2006. Sophie Luck, Adam Saunders, Kate Bell, Chris Foy, Tahyna Tozzi, Nadine Garner and Khan Chittenden have all reappeared in the second series in various episodes. The winners of Series Two were Brooke and Eric.

The complete second series was released on DVD in Australia on 1 October 2007.[http://www.sanity.com.au/product/product.asp?sku=2084157]

Series three

The third and final series began filming in October 2007. Kate Bell returns as Bec for series three and is joined by Craig Horner as Garry. The new Solar Blue pupils are Guy (Kain O'Keeffe), Charley (Lachlan Buchanan), Adam (Eka Darville), Bridget (Cariba Heine), Loren (Amy Beckwith) and Cassie (Rebecca Breeds). Series Three began screening on Rollercoaster on 3 April 2008.

The winners are Bridget and Adam, but Bridget decides to go to university instead of joining the Pro Circuit, so Loren gets the wild card after Cassie literally 'draws the short straw' (as they both have the same number of points in the final surf-off, so they decide who gets the wild card this way). In the last episode, Simmo makes a surprise return as one of the three judges in what is described as "one of the best finals Solar Blue has seen", saving the day as he pulls "not a rabbit out of a hat, but an elephant", ensuring that the winners of the final surf-off still get a wild card invitation.

Johnny Kapahala, a boy living in Hawaii, is a surfer who has good friends and a happy family, including parents Pete and Melanie, and his paternal grandfather, the famous surf legend Johnny Bartholomew Tsunami. When Pete gets a sudden job transfer, the family is forced to move to Vermont, while Tsunami stays in Hawaii.

In Kapahala's new town, there are two schools: a private school where the students are skiers known as Skies; and the public school where the students are snowboarders known as Urchins. Johnny goes to the skiers' school, but would prefer to snowboard because he thinks it is more like surfing. After some difficulty, Johnny eventually learns how to snowboard with help from a new friend named Sam Sterling.

At his new school, Johnny becomes good friends with a girl named Emily, who is Headmaster Pritchard's daughter. However, a skier named Brett likes Emily too and thinks Johnny is not right for her. The Urchins ride the side of the mountain that belongs to the skiers and are confronted by the Skies. Later, Emily nearly falls off the mountainside while learning how to snowboard with Johnny and his new friends.

A fight ensues between Johnny and Brett regarding the incident, but is immediately dispersed when a snow ranger arrives. After a meeting with his parents and the headmaster concerning the fight with Brett, Sam tells Johnny that he is moving to Iceland, as are his father's orders since he is a first sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and relocating also means a promotion to sergeant major. Pete tells Johnny that Sam moving away would be best, as he wants Johnny to fit in with his peers at private school. A fight occurs between Johnny and Pete. Johnny wishes his grandfather were there because he understands him better than Pete; however, Pete feels that Johnny Tsunami – a surf bum – is a bad influence on his son. Johnny and Sam run away from home and fly to Hawaii on a cargo plane to stay with Tsunami. Via telephone, Pete demands the boys be sent home immediately, but Tsunami refuses until they are willing to return. Melanie tells Pete her feelings about him unnecessarily punishing Johnny and tells him he needs to stop forbidding Johnny from his friends and let him snowboard. Pete tries unsuccessfully to defend his actions with Melanie, who reveals that she wishes that he could be the easy-going husband that she once loved, before he became the way he is.

Johnny and Sam enjoy surfing and the warm weather in Hawaii, but they decide to return to Vermont along with Tsunami. Pete is shocked to see his father in Vermont, and the two have a heart-to-heart talk about Pete's punishment in forbidding his son from snowboarding with his friends. Pete admits he went too far in punishing Johnny. Tsunami encourages Pete to go easy on Johnny and let him make his own mistakes so he can learn from them. Tsunami tells Pete the more he tries to punish Johnny, the more resentful he will be towards his father later in life. The next day, Johnny is amazed to learn Tsunami has great snowboarding ability, and they decide to ride the skiers' side of the mountain, where the best rides are.

Brett and his gang encounter Johnny and Tsunami, and decide to have a one-race challenge between Brett and Johnny Kapahala. If Johnny wins the race, then the skiers must share the mountain with the snowboarders. If Brett wins, then he is awarded the Tsunami Medal, a prize given to the best surfer in Hawaii. Pete encourages Johnny to win the race to keep the medal in the family. He wins the race, despite Brett's cheating attempts, allowing him and Emily to begin a relationship. Brett's friends congratulate Johnny and are inspired to learn how to snowboard with the Urchins.

Johnny's parents throw a celebration party. Brothers Randy and Ronnie, who own the opposite sides of the mountain, reveal their story as they were the original Sky and Urchin. Their parents divorced long ago and they could not agree on what should happen when they inherited the mountain after their father died 10 years earlier. The mountain was split between the two, with the Skies having the best rides. Randy and Ronnie decide to reunite the mountain and open a new shop which allows everyone access to the best slopes. The brothers thank Johnny for helping them see the error of their ways.

Jack Morgan is a dog therapist, once famous for being able to read his dog's mind. Although Jack cannot read the minds of other dogs, he still operates a canine mind-reading business, without divulging his inability to customers. Mr. Mooney and his wife bring their dog to see Jack. Dissatisfied with Jack's inability to read his dog's mind, Mr. Mooney, who is a friend of the city mayor, threatens to have his business closed down. After the Mooneys leave, a wealthy man named Clyde Windsor brings his dog, Lucky, to see Jack, who is stunned by his ability to read the dog's mind. He seems worried by this fact and ends the session early. Before Windsor leaves, Jack informs him that Lucky is bothered by three individuals that live with him.

Two weeks later, the city closes down Jack's business. Simultaneously, Windsor's personal driver, Calvin Bridges, informs Jack that Windsor has died. Windsor's lawyer, Allison Kent, reads Windsor's will to his niece and two nephews: Margaret, Lyle, and Rueben. The will reveals that the three individuals receive next to nothing from the estate of Windsor, who chose Lucky to inherit his money and mansion. Jack meets with Allison and is informed that he is Windsor's chosen trustee for Lucky's $64 million trust fund. Jack agrees to move into the mansion and become Lucky's new owner, as required by the trust fund, thus forcing Lyle, Margaret and Rueben to move out.

Windsor's relatives meet with Mr. Phister, a greedy lawyer who will only take the case to trial for 30 percent of the money in their uncle's trust fund. Windsor's relatives, who are used to living a luxurious lifestyle, instead plot to regain the mansion and to become the trustees of the trust fund on their own. One night, Jack begins acting like a dog after Lucky becomes overly excited about dog bones he had buried in the mansion's backyard. Jack joins Lucky in his search for bones, and later tears up furniture with Lucky, scaring away the mansion's two maids with his dog-like behavior. The morning after this incident, Jack explains to Calvin that when Lucky becomes too excited, he takes over Jack´s body and Jack ¨becomes¨ Lucky. Later that day, to help Lucky get over the death of his owner, Jack and Calvin take him to a local shopping mall. At the mall's pet store, Jack signs additional paperwork for Allison and also meets her daughter, Nicole, who wants to buy a puppy. However, Allison tells her daughter that their apartment is not a suitable living environment for a puppy. In the mall's food court, Lucky becomes excited at the scent of food. Jack's mind once again transforms into that of Lucky’s. Jack and Lucky devour leftover food on tables and inside a trash bin.

After numerous failed attempts, Windsor's relatives agree to Phister's expensive offer to take the case to trial and have Jack declared mentally incompetent. At the courthouse, Jack demonstrates his connection to Lucky by getting him excited and demonstrating that when Lucky controls his body, he can identify objects that he cannot see, but Lucky can. Jack discovers through Lucky's thoughts that Lyle likely poisoned his uncle. Lyle threatens the courtroom with a gun after Jack accuses him of murdering his uncle. Lucky knocks Lyle over, and he is arrested along with Margaret and Rueben. At the mansion, Jack reveals to Allison and her daughter that he purchased all of the dogs at the mall's pet store, at Lucky's request. Among the dogs that will live at the mansion is a puppy for Nicole and a female companion for Lucky.

The platoon arrest a suspect agent, who insists on being a British citizen, despite his accent, and the fact that he has a dog called Fritz. He attempts to help them put out a fire in the church hall, and is then found to be Warden Hodges' uncle. He comments that he doesn't know how Britain will win the war, and Wilson agrees.

Professor Challenger, a big burly man, is arguing with people who are persistently calling him on the telephone when his young friend Malone, a reporter for ''The Daily Gazette'', enters and requests Challenger accompany him to inspect the discovery of Theodore Nemor, who claims to have invented a machine capable of disintegrating objects. Skeptical of the invention, Challenger accepts Malone's proposal and accompanies him to the house of Nemor.

At first Nemor offers to disintegrate Challenger and put him back together to demonstrate the machine, but Malone convinces Challenger that should the machine fail to restore him, his scientific work would go unfinished, and thus Malone nominates himself to be disintegrated.

Malone is successfully disintegrated and put back together and Challenger then undergoes the same treatment. As punishment for Challenger's lack of faith in the invention and lack of courtesy to Nemor, the inventor restores the professor without any hair. In a fury, Challenger assaults Nemor, throws him to the floor and threatens his life should he not restore the professor to his previous state. Nemor restores Challenger's hair and Challenger congratulates him on his machine and inquires as to its practical application. Nemor boasts that in the hands of the Russians, who were the highest bidder for the rights to the invention, London and its millions of inhabitants could be destroyed.

After ascertaining whether any others know the secret of the machine, Challenger inspects it. Challenger claims that a small amount of electricity is leaking from the chair on which he sat when he was disintegrated. Nemor refutes this and sits himself in the chair in an attempt to feel this electricity. Challenger then disintegrates him and, considering it is for the greater good, he and Malone leave without restoring Nemor.

In 1925 in the Yukon, prospector Jack McCann spends the evening in a remote brothel, where he has a spiritual experience with the madam, Frieda, a clairvoyant who bestows him a mysterious stone. Frieda warns Jack that he will strike gold, but that it will lead him toward a grim fate. The following morning, while prospecting, Jack falls through a glacier into a cache of gold beneath. Jack returns to the brothel—now strangely empty and dilapidated—and witnesses Frieda, lying alone in the parlor, die. Jack's discovery quickly makes him one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Twenty years later in 1945, he lives in luxury on a Caribbean island that he owns, in an estate named Eureka. However, Jack's wealth brings him no peace as he copes with Helen, his bored, alcoholic wife; Tracy, his headstrong daughter who has married Claude Van Horn, a dissolute, philandering social-climber; his paranoid assistant Charles Perkins; and Miami mobsters led by Aurelio D'Amato sent by crime boss Mayakofsky, who wants to acquire Jack's island and build a casino there. Jack's life is entangled with the obsessions of those around him with greed, power, and debauchery against a background of occult symbolism.

Tracy, caught in the midst of her father's hostility toward Claude, eventually decides to break ties with her father. This results in Jack lashing out at both her and Claude, whom he comes to believe want to "steal his soul." Meanwhile, under Mayakofsky's supervision, Aurelio continues to vie for Jack's island, but Jack resists their attempts. One night during a rainstorm, Tracy and Claude attend a voodoo ritual that descends into a maddening orgy. The same night, Aurelio, along with several of his henchmen—including an associate named Pete—arrive on the island and travel to Eureka. Jack remains defiant against their attempts to stronghold him and take ownership of the island. In response, Pete brutalizes Jack, bludgeoning him in the head with a wrench before meticulously burning him alive with a blowtorch as he lay helpless in his bed, and then decapitating him with a cleaver. The vicious murder is witnessed by Claude, who returns to the house in the midst of it, as well as by Charles, who was sleeping in an adjacent bedroom.

Claude is swiftly apprehended by authorities, who believe him to be Jack's killer, and he is put on trial for murder. After several witnesses give testimony, including a dramatic testimony from Tracy, Claude is ultimately acquitted of Jack's murder due to lack of evidence. His acquittal coincides with the end of the Caribbean War. Claude and Tracy celebrate his freedom with a formal dinner, during which Claude proposes that they sell Eureka. Tracy responds that she wishes to give the entire island away for free. The two leave the island, while Jack's murder remains unsolved.

''The Forest of Doom'' is a fantasy adventure scenario in which the hero character travels through a hazardous forest in search of the missing pieces of a magic warhammer needed to assist the dwarves in their war against the trolls.

The show centers around Vivienne Keill (Saunders) and Jackie Riviera (Joanna Lumley), two aging stage actresses who live in vertically adjacent flats. The two are of questionable talent, and their careers seem to be at a standstill. During the course of the pilot, Vivienne has the opportunity to be cast in a new show but delivers a horrifying rendition of the standard "Send in the Clowns", thanks in part to Jackie's off-kilter advice.

Julia Sawalha plays Freda Keill, Vivienne's younger sister and a more serious (and successful) actress. Jane Horrocks plays Yitta Hilberstam, a vicious Icelandic actress/waitress. June Whitfield appears as Dora Vermouth, a former vaudeville actress who spends most of her time intoxicated at the local pub and is showing slight signs of dementia. Harriet Thorpe plays Cat Rogers, an actress who is busy understudying multiple roles.

''City of Thieves'' is a fantasy scenario in which the hero is retained by the village of Silverton to save them from Zanbar Bone, lord of the undead; to do this, the hero must first travel to Port Blacksand to enlist the aid of the magician Nicodemus.

The player takes the role of an adventurer on a quest to find and stop the powerful Night Prince Zanbar Bone, a being whose minions are terrorizing a local town. Hired by a desperate mayor, the player must as the adventurer journey to the dangerous city-state of Port Blacksand (the titular "City of Thieves"), and find the wizard Nicodemus, who apparently knows of Bone's one weakness. What follows is a series of challenges as the player must locate certain key items, escape Port Blacksand and eventually confront Bone.

As a 1917 graduate of the Naval Academy, Naval Aviator Jonathan L. "Scotty" Scott (Gary Cooper) spends 28 years, from 1921 to 1949, promoting U.S. naval aviation and the power of the aircraft carrier. During that period, he antagonizes powerful people in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Congress, and marries Mary Morgan (Jane Wyatt), the widow of a fellow flier who died in a crash during a carrier takeoff aboard USS Langley (CV-1). Throughout, Scott has the help and friendship of his mentor and superior officer, Pete Richard (Walter Brennan).

The Scotts spend two years in Hawaii and then move to Annapolis, where Scott, now a lieutenant commander, is to teach naval aviation but his outspoken stand in favor of aircraft carriers in combat causes him to lose a promotion. After Japan invades Manchuria, Scott is offered a civilian sales position selling aircraft in Europe, but remains in the Navy.

After Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, Scott's ship, , is heavily involved in action at the Battle of Midway. Scott later travels to Washington D.C. to plead for more carriers and eventually a carrier fleet is produced. During the Battle of Okinawa, the fleet, with Scott as the captain of the carrier , proves its worth. When his carrier flight deck is badly damaged by Japanese torpedo aircraft, the ship is forced to withdraw to the U.S. for repairs and the war ends when they arrive in at the Navy Yard in New York City. Four years after the end of the war, Scott, as a rear admiral, retires and joins Mary, who is waiting for him on the dock.

While much of the archive footage used for the ship commanded by Scott was of the USS Franklin, the actual situation more closely resembles the attacks on USS Bunker Hill. Especially as in real life, Franklin had already been knocked out of the war before the invasion of Okinawa began.

The show begins as the announcer says the magic words to the audience. Barney makes his grand appearance by coming out behind the curtains jumping and dancing around to the theme song with the audience clapping to the tune. Barney sings "Everyone is Special" as he tells the audience that everyone is special in their own way. As the show continues, Michael, Amy, Luci, Tina, Adam, and Derek come out and introduce themselves to the audience and begin by performing their rap wearing yellow T-shirts with black words for the names, yellow socks, blue shorts, and white shoes as they're down with their hands on the stage and bent knees. During the show, Barney introduces Baby Bop who comes to join in for the rest of the show. The show starts to end as they sing "You're a Grand Old Flag" and Barney's favorite song "I Love You." As Barney, Baby Bop, Michael, Amy, Luci, Tina, Adam, and Derek finish the song, the audience bursts out in a round of applause, and then they bow. Barney closes out with blowing kisses at the audience.

Immediately after the events of the TV film, the Eighth Doctor finishes reading ''The Time Machine'' (a book written by his old friend H.G. Wells). After he checks the Eye of Harmony in his TARDIS, he falls prey to a final trap set by his old enemy, the Master; which erases all of his memory. The only fact he knows for certain is that he is called "the Doctor" – but Doctor who? His instincts tell him to "trust the TARDIS", which immediately lands.

He has landed at a scrapyard at 76 Totters Lane, London in 1997; where he encounters a young lady by the name of Sam Jones, who is being accused by local drug dealers, led by Baz Bailey, of "grassing" them over to the police. Having saved Sam from these insidious characters, who were intending to force Sam into taking drugs to get her addicted, the Doctor falls foul of the local police who promptly charge him with possession and selling the cocaine he has confiscated from the thugs. Sam tells her two teachers, who have noticed her lateness, and takes them back to the junkyard to verify the story. The Doctor escapes in the confusion of Bailey's desperate attack on the local police station, he runs back into the TARDIS and it dematerialises – taking the cocaine with him to dispose of it safely. This leaves Sam alone, defenceless against the knife-wielding druggies...

The TARDIS lands in the year 100,000 BC, and he meets his first incarnation in the jungle and they psychically link (giving the Eighth Doctor his memories up to that point in his life). The Eighth Doctor stops his other self from killing a caveman who was slowing their party down. The First Doctor explains that he must get away before the "time bubble" his Eighth self is in bursts and starts to damage the timeline. The Eighth Doctor then leaves.

The TARDIS then lands during the events of ''The War Games'', where he helps his second incarnation, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot with their important mission to contact the Time Lords. Having regained his second life's memories, he leaves happily.

He next meets the Third Doctor, who himself has just fought the Master and the Sea Devils; and has saved humanity by blowing up a Sea Devil base. He, blaming his Eighth self for his exile to Earth and for the Master's concurrent escape, threatens him with the Master's Tissue Compression Eliminator. But he tosses the weapon to him instead. The Master has again escaped to fight another day, and the Eighth Doctor leaves.

Having landed during the events of ''State of Decay'', the Eighth Doctor gives the Fourth Doctor an emergency blood transfusion after his younger self is attacked and nearly fatally drained by another group of vampires, and leaves with yet more memories (to the astonishment of companion Romana).

Meanwhile, back on Gallifrey, Lady President Flavia has noticed the Doctor crossing his timelines and demands that he be carefully watched. A Time Lord called Ryoth demands the Doctor be executed: the resulting paradoxes could be irreversible. Flavia denies this. Ryoth alerts the Celestial Intervention Agency to the situation, and the Agency give him access to the fabled Timescoop technology, perfectly preserved since the Death Zone incident. He uses it to send a Raston Warrior Robot to the Fifth Doctor and his companions, Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough. Luckily, the Eighth Doctor then arrives at the aftermath of ''The Five Doctors'', where he saves his fifth incarnation and his companions from the Raston Warrior Robot and a passing platoon of Sontarans by tricking the two into fighting each other. The Doctors create a feedback system, so when Ryoth sends a Drashig to kill them, it instead materialises in the same room as Ryoth and eats him and the Timescoop. It is then caught and transmatted to the Death Zone by guards in the Capitol in the hopes that it will take care of the other horrors there.

Soon he arrives in the middle of his second trial by the Time Lords; which his Sixth self seems to be losing (especially as the insidious Valeyard has just accused him of a mass genocide attack against the Vervoids). After giving him advice and encouragement- as well as helping to begin an investigation into his past self's trial on Gallifrey-, he leaves, his memories almost completely intact.

He finally arrives on the planet Metebelis Three, where the alone and depressed Seventh Doctor is trapped by a giant spider. After rescuing his former self (by killing the arachnid with the TCE), he remembers leaving Sam, and immediately dashes back into the TARDIS to her rescue.

Once saved by the Doctor, Sam decides to join him on his travels.

In this latest installment of the Fudge series, Fudge is still five years old and takes up an obsessive and greedy love for money, driving his twelve-year-old brother, Peter, insane, and after some talking with his family, they decide to take him to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. for a long weekend to show how it is made, hoping that his obsession would stop there. That plan doesn't work, and instead, they meet up with their long-lost cousins, the Howie Hatchers. There is Howie, a park ranger who resides in Hawaii and is traveling the country, his pregnant wife, 'Eudora', their perfect, slightly overindulged twelve-year-old identical twin daughters, Flora and Fauna, who are sometimes nicknamed the "Natural Beauties" and the "Heavenly Hatchers", and last but not least, three-year-old Farley Drexel Hatcher, which is also Fudge's real name. Peter dubs him "Mini," and the nickname sticks. The Hatchers are forced when the Howie Hatchers invite themselves to move in with them for weeks in their Upper West Side apartment.

Peter is also having a rough time throughout the story because his best friend, Jimmy Fargo, has left the Upper West Side and moved "far off" to SoHo on the other side of Manhattan, although they still get to go to the same school, where they're both in the seventh grade, while Fudge is in Mixed group, along with his new friend, Melissa Beth Miller.

Near the end of the story, in a semi-homage to the ending of the first novel, Mini swallows Fudge's baby tooth that just fell out, making him furious at him because he was planning to get a dollar for it from the tooth fairy. After the Howie Hatchers leave with Mini for good, Fudge throws a temper tantrum over what Mini did, saying he hated him. Then Peter tells him that he felt the same way when Fudge swallowed his pet turtle, Dribble, in ''Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing''. Genuinely surprised at this news, Fudge apologizes to him for doing so and finally realizes that he hasn't been a very good brother to him.

The paperback edition contains an after-story interview with Judy Blume, who claims she has no definite plans, but may write yet another Fudge story, which, as of December 2021, has not come to fruition.

Set one hundred years after the first film, Damodar is revived after his defeat by Ridley Freeborn, having been cursed by his former master, Profion, to walk the earth as an undead entity. Driven insane by the curse, he seeks revenge against the kingdom of Izmir, and the descendants of those who defeated him.

After years of searching with the aid of two dark talon lizardfolk shaman, he locates the Orb of Faluzure, an ancient artifact linked to the power of Faluzure, a dragon god imprisoned under Saragasso's mountains. With the Orb's power, he heals the curse, and prepares to awaken the dragon to destroy Izmir.

Lord Berek, a fighter and former captain of the king's guard, now a bored lord of the King, and Melora, his wife, a young mage, investigate reports of poison gas emanating from Saragasso's caves and find the still-slumbering dragon. Researching the threat in Izmir's library, Melora excitedly reports to Oberon, the head of the Mages' Council, that Faluzure was imprisoned three thousand years ago by a powerful ancient civilization called the Turanians, who also created the Orb. While trying to locate the Orb through magic, Melora is cursed by the much-more powerful Damodar, and begins dying slowly.

She hides her illness from Berek, who is appointed by the King to assemble a party of adventurers; small enough to infiltrate Damodar's lair undetected, but strong enough to face their enemies: Lux, a female barbarian, Dorian, a male Cleric of Obad-Hai, Ormaline, a female elven wizard, and Nim, a master thief. Together they resolve to locate the vault of the warlock Malek, a worshiper of the demon Juiblex who was gifted a magical scrying pool known as the Pool of Sight; Berek believes the pool will allow them to penetrate Damodar's defenses and reveal the orb's location.

The party sets out to locate Malek's Vault, while Oberon and the other mages try to decipher the tomes of Turanian magic in their library, to find a way to defeat the dragon. While traveling through a haunted forest, Berek's party catches the attention of the powerful lich Klaxx the Maligned, who offers his services to Damodar. Damodar does not trust him, but is confident that the Orb makes him more powerful than Klaxx. After confronting a white dragon, and losing Dorian in the fight, Berek's party finds the Pool of Sight, securing their way to Damodar's castle. Confronting him, Berek manages to take advantage of his overconfidence and steal the Orb, though Ormaline and Nim are badly wounded before the wizard teleports them to the Temple of Obad-Hai. While Ormaline and Nim are treated by the clerics, Berek rides back to Izmir, Lux staying behind to delay demons summoned by Damodar.

Using his shape-changing abilities, Klaxx infiltrates Izmir's castle, kills Oberon in his bath, and assumes his shape. When Berek returns with the Orb, Melora uses it to unlock a vault discovered beneath the castle, where the Turanians hid the secrets of their magic. Klaxx reveals himself, stealing the Orb back and kills the King and many of the castle's inhabitants before returning the Orb to Damodar. Falazure awakens and destroys the Orb, regaining his godly power. Damodar asks Falazure to witness the city's destruction and to let him rule over its remains as Falazure's servant; the dragon god agrees, but demands tribute in the form of 100 human sacrifices for every new moon in honor of his release, to which Damodar also agrees.

While Berek rides in pursuit, Melora, who is near death, manages to decipher the Turanians' secrets and gains the blessing of Obad-Hai, who gifts her a new Orb. Berek and Lux meet up and confront Damodar, who no longer has the Orb's power. They force him to cancel Melora's curse and she rallies the remaining mages in a magical attack that defeats the dragon, sealing him away once more. Klaxx, who has no interest in helping Damodar, disappears with a laugh. In the aftermath, Izmir is rebuilt, with Berek immersed in his ministerial duties, and Melora appointed as the new head of the Council of Mages. Lux, Ormaline and Nim are shown to have fully recovered from their wounds. Damodar is imprisoned in a dark dungeon beneath Izmir, but smiling to himself as if he is fully prepared to wait another hundred years to have his revenge.

Michael "Micha" Ehrenreich (Scheer) is a 17-year-old growing up on Sonnenallee on the East German side of the street in Berlin in the 1970s. Micha and his friends enjoy contraband records, cassette tapes, and other pop culture. While listening to the newest tape Micha has ripped, Sergeant Major Horkefeld, the neighborhood's overzealous policeman, approaches them and confiscates the tape, but announces he is going to make himself a copy. Micha then spies Miriam for the first time and is spellbound. Shortly after, Heinz, Micha's smuggler uncle from the West, visits and harangues Micha over his intention to join the National People's Army. Later, at a disco, Micha tries to dance with Miriam, but she is more interested in her West German boyfriend, who is thrown out of the disco by the overzealous sergeant major. For allowing a West German into the disco, Miriam is made to deliver a self-critical lecture at the next meeting of the Free German Youth.

At school the next day, Mario (Beyer) vandalizes a sign in their classroom, but Micha claims responsibility in order to win over Miriam with a self-critical lecture of his own. After the lecture, Mario berates Micha for getting into "the system" for the sake of a woman. Micha then sees Horkefeld, who has been demoted to Sergeant for playing contraband music in the presence of a higher officer at a party. At a black market gathering, Mario meets Sabrina, an existentialist, and feigns an interest in Sartre in order to sleep with her. After a run-in with Mr. Fromm, a sinister-looking neighbor thought by the entire apartment to be a Stasi agent, Micha's father, Hotte, reveals that he has been provided a telephone due to a chronic illness. Miriam phones Micha, who runs to a pay phone in order to have more privacy. Having forgotten his ID card, he is hauled in by Horkefeld and held for over ten hours.

That night, Mario hosts a party at his parents' house, as they are gone for the weekend. Fueled by drugs, the party becomes raucous, and Micha and Mario escape to the balcony, where they are photographed urinating onto the border wall below. Miriam arrives to a chaotic scene, and leaves after encountering a stoned Micha, who claims that he has written many diaries about his feelings toward Miriam. The next day, Micha and Mario are called into their headmistress' office, where a Stasi agent informs the pair that the photographs of them urinating on the Berlin Wall made it into West German press. The headmistress berates the pair for disrespecting the sacrifices of the country, and strips Micha of his student stipend, expelling Mario entirely. No longer tied to the city, Mario and Sabrina begin to journey through the East German countryside. Micha sees Miriam, who reminds him that he promised to let her read his diaries. Caught in his lie, Micha goes home and begins to write many years' worth of diaries. Doris, Micha's mother, carries out a plan to defect to the West using a stolen passport and makeup, but changes her mind at the border station.

Some time later, Heinz returns, and is pulled aside by a border guard who shows him confiscated material. While plugging in a Japanese stereo, which uses different voltage amounts, the guard overloads the power grid and knocks the street into darkness. Among the chaos, Sabrina confides in Mario that she is pregnant, and Micha's young friend Wuschel makes a run for the border. He is shot by Horkefeld, but the copy of Exile on Main St. he is carrying stops the bullet. Discovering the record has shattered, he is heartbroken.

Nearing the end of his diary forgeries, Micha has a sudden realization about his political beliefs, and reneges on his promise to join the army. As he is leaving, he sees Mario at the recruitment station, who confesses that he is joining the army to provide for his new child. Micha grows outraged, and the two scuffle. When Micha returns home, he discovers Heinz – who always claimed the asbestos in East German dwellings would kill someone – dead of lung cancer. Here, the family discovers that Fromm is not a Stasi agent, and works for a funeral company instead. Doris is allowed back into the West for his funeral, and smuggles his ashes back in a coffee can in order to bury him with their mother. Micha goes to Miriam's house and delivers her the diaries, as her now ex-boyfriend waits outside, growing impatient. As he exits his car, he hits Wuschel with the door and bribes him not to talk to the police. While Micha and Miriam share an intimate moment, the 'Wessi' is stopped at the border with a trunk full of weapons. With border guards pointing weapons in his face, he reveals that his fancy cars come from the hotel where he serves as a valet.

Back in Micha's room, he and Wuschel listen to the new Exile On Main St. album purchased by Wuschel with his bribe money. They discover that the black market salesman has forged the album, but play air guitar to it on the balcony in front of a crowd of people, including a now-jobless Horkefeld, newly-married Mario and Sabrina, and the rest of the characters. The film ends with the crowd massing at the border, followed by a long black and white shot of the border gates opened and the street abandoned.

Twist's mother dies in childbirth in the middle of nowhere. Fearing blame, the locals bury her in an unmarked grave and drop the baby off at a rural orphanage, where he is named Twist.

Growing up in the dusty wastes of the Swartland, sold from orphanage into child labour on the farms, and later to a rural undertaker, Twist finally takes his fate into his own hands and escapes to Cape Town. Wide eyed at the wonders of the city, he falls in with Fagin - an ancient Ethiopian Rastafarian who runs a network of child thieves. His new friend Dodger teaches him the tricks of the trade, but the inexperienced Twist is caught trying to steal from Ebrahim Bassedien.

Although neither understand it, there is a strange affinity between this old man - who has lost his daughter - and the young boy who never knew his mother. Bassedien takes the little stroller in and for a moment it seems that the trauma is over - as the little boy encounters love for the first time in his short and brutal life.

Enter Monks - the only person who knows Twist's true identity. He is paying Fagin to keep the little boy marginalised. If he ends up in jail or dead on the street, so much the better, for Monks stands to lose his inheritance if anybody ever discovers that Twist is Bassedien's grandson.

The brutal gangster Bill Sykes, and his prostitute girlfriend, Nancy, steal Twist back for Fagin, and the struggle for a little boy's soul begins in earnest.

On an Arctic flight the crew of a RAF transport aircraft overflies a crashed aircraft. Although a survivor is spotted, the crew realizes that a rescue is not possible and rules out a landing. Rupert Royce (Sam Waterston), a U.S. meteorologist aboard the flight, volunteers to parachute to the ice with first aid supplies to treat the survivor.

Bringing supplies with him, Royce lands near the wreckage and finds Averyanov (Aleksandr Potapov), a Soviet navigator, the sole survivor who is injured and unable to be moved. Intending to wait until further help arrives, Royce makes repairs on the shattered aircraft, but soon realizes help is not coming, as the aircraft is far off course. The ice shifts below the wreckage, further complicating their survival.

When a blizzard strands the two men and forces them to survive on their own, they have to accept that different cultural backgrounds cannot jeopardize their survival. As supplies run low and a leaking heater nearly kills them, releasing deadly carbon monoxide into their small enclosure, Royce begins to make plans for both of them to find a way to reach civilization, the nearest settlement, 200 miles away. The isolation, ever-present wolves and dwindling supplies leaves Royce little option.

Setting out into the wilderness with an improvised sled to carry the injured airman, Averyanov urges Royce to save himself, and not to risk his own life in a vain attempt to save someone who will likely die soon anyway. Royce refuses and strives mightily to save the two "captives" of the wild.

Set in the mid-1950s, the story is about the "Wormsley Common Gang", a boys' gang named after the place where they live. The protagonist Trevor, or "T.", devises a plan to destroy a beautiful two-hundred-year-old house that survived The Blitz. The gang accepts the plan by T., their new leader, and executes it when the owner of the house, Mr. Thomas (whom the gang call "Old Misery"), is away during a bank holiday weekend. Their plan is to destroy the house from inside, then tear down the remaining outer structure. Mr. Thomas returns home early, however, and the gang locks him in the outhouse. T. refuses to stop until the destruction job is complete, because even the facade is valuable and could be reused. Inside, they find a mattress filled with money—which they burn. The final destruction of the house occurs when a lorry pulls away a support pole from the side of the house. Mr. Thomas is released from the outhouse by the lorry driver to see the rubble of what once was his home. When the driver finds the situation funny, Mr. Thomas is incensed, but the driver is still unable to stop laughing.

Six months after the events in ''Romancing the Stone'', Joan Wilder's (Kathleen Turner) and Jack Colton's (Michael Douglas) romance has grown stale. While moored at a port in the South of France, Joan, suffering writer's block, wants to return to New York, while Jack prefers aimlessly sailing the world on his boat, the ''Angelina''. At a book signing engagement, Joan meets Omar Khalifa (Spiros Focás), a charming Arab ruler who wants Joan to write his biography.

Joan accepts and leaves with Omar over Jack's protests. Jack later runs into Ralph (Danny DeVito), the swindler from Jack and Joan's previous adventure in Colombia, who demands Jack turn over the stone Jack and Joan found. Shortly after, an Arab, Tarak (Paul David Magid), informs Jack about Omar's true intentions and claims that Omar has the "Jewel of the Nile"; just as Tarak finishes his explanations, the ''Angelina'' explodes from a bomb set by one of Omar's men. Ralph and Jack team up to find Joan and the fabled jewel.

Joan soon discovers that Omar is a brutal dictator rather than the enlightened ruler he claimed will unite the Arab world. In the palace jail, Joan encounters ''Al-Julhara'' (Avner Eisenberg), a holy man who is, in fact, the "Jewel of the Nile" and whom Omar fears. Al-Julhara tells Joan that Omar plans to declare himself ruler of all of the Arab world at a ceremony in the city of Kadir.

Realizing that Al-Julhara is the only one who can stop Omar, Joan decides to escort him to Kadir herself. The pair escape and find Jack, and they flee into the desert in Omar's hijacked F-16 fighter jet. Ralph is captured by Tarak's rebel Sufi tribe who are sworn to protect the Jewel so he can fulfill his people's destiny.

After encountering a Nubian mountain tribe, Joan and Jack's romance is rekindled. Joan tells Jack that the jewel is not a gem stone but Al-Julhara. In Kadir, Omar intends to use a smoke-and-mirror special effect provided by a British rock promoter to convince onlookers that he is the prophet who will unite the Arab world. Jack, Joan, and Al-Julhara arrive to expose Omar but are captured. Omar suspends Jack and Joan with ropes over a deep pit (a scenario taken from Joan's biggest-selling novel, ''The Savage Secret'') while Al-Julhara is in a stockade. Ralph, along with the Sufi tribe, arrives in time to rescue the three prisoners.

As Omar takes center stage to address the Arab people, Jack and Joan disrupt the ceremony while the Sufi battle Omar's guards. A fire breaks out, engulfing Omar's stage. Jack and Joan are separated, and Omar corners Joan atop the burning scaffolding. Ralph, using a giant crane, helps Jack reach Joan in the nick of time; he kicks Omar over the side and down into the flames, killing him. Al-Julhara rises and safely walks through the blazing inferno, fulfilling the prophecy that he is the true spiritual leader.

The following day, Jack and Joan are married by Al-Julhara. While Ralph is genuinely happy for Jack and Joan, he laments once again having gained nothing for his efforts, but Tarak acknowledges that he is a true Sufi friend and presents him with a jeweled dagger as Jack and Joan happily sail away down the Nile.

''Dr. Bloodmoney'' is set in a post-apocalyptic future. In 1972, before the start of the narrative, Dr. Bruno Bluthgeld (German for "Blood-Money") had led a project testing nuclear weapons as a protectionary measure against Communist China and the Soviet Union. However, a miscalculation caused an atmospheric nuclear accident leading to widespread fallout and mutations. More recently the United States has been involved in a prolonged period of hostilities with China and the Soviet Union erupting in a war in Cuba.

In 1981, the now universally hated Bluthgeld seeks psychotherapy with Dr. Stockstill for his paranoia and guilt. Meanwhile, Stuart McConchie, Hoppy Harrington and Jim Fergesson, employees at Modern TV Sales and Service in Berkeley, California, go through a fairly typical day, pausing to watch Walt and Lydia Dangerfield being launched into orbit in the first stage of a colonization mission to Mars. This ordinary day, however, is disrupted by a massive nuclear strike. Orbiting overhead, Walt Dangerfield witnesses the tragic events as they unfold, while other characters are reduced to desperate measures in their struggle for survival. Fergesson is killed as his shop collapses. Meanwhile, Bluthgeld is convinced that he caused the strike in response to a universal conspiracy against him. Believing that he has shown the world his power, he sets out to heal and restore order through his imagined magical powers.

The narrative jumps to 1988, when many communities have begun to rebuild a sort of order. A military government has arisen in Cheyenne, Wyoming, while in California government is by local community councils that view one another with varying degrees of hostility. Most pre-war technologies and amenities have been lost. Oil shortages result in disabled cars being pulled by horses or fitted with wood-burning (steam) engines. Former California ranch territory has been converted into agricultural land for corn and other crops. Human mutants have become more common, such as phocomeli, as well as conjoined symbiotes. At the same time, former domestic animals like dogs and cats have undergone mutations that have greatly enhanced their intelligence. Many of these former pets and zoo specimens have allied themselves into ferocious tribal units of their own. Bruno Bluthgeld's dog Terry is capable of imitating simple human speech, while some species of felines may have developed their own evolved languages.

Walt Dangerfield, supplied with enough rations to last him for at least several more years, as well as a vast treasury of books and musical recordings, has become a disc jockey in orbit. His broadcasts help provide some sense of continuity with pre-war civilization in the isolated settlements that comprise the postwar world. His wife Lydia committed suicide at some point during the intervening period. Dangerfield has begun to experience symptoms of an unknown medical condition, causing some of his listeners to worry.

In Marin County survivors including Bonny Keller, Dr. Stockstill, June Raub and Hoppy Harrington have organized into a self-governing community. Harrington, a Thalidomide baby missing all four of his limbs, harbors a quietly smoldering resentment of the patronizing and condescending attitudes he endured before the war. He has now become a successful mechanic thanks to electronic servo-mechanism technology as well as his gradually increasing abilities of psychokinesis or mind-over-matter. As such, he becomes a genuinely respected and absolutely indispensable member of the community. His ultimate goal, however, is to dominate and humiliate the people within his community through intimidation via his increasingly capricious and violent misuse of his ever-strengthening powers. He's been using his talents to gradually weaken Walt Dangerfield in order to take over Dangerfield's much-beloved satellite transmissions. Meanwhile, Bluthgeld, under the assumed name of Jack Tree, lives as a sheep farmer outside the community. One outsider searching for the infamous Bluthgeld was exposed by Bonny Keller and summarily executed for his troubles.

Stuart McConchie has become a travelling entrepreneur in the post-apocalyptic world, selling "smart" robotic rat traps for a company based in post-war Berkeley. Still holding onto his ambitious pre-war salesman's mentality, McConchie travels to Marin County to meet Andrew Gill, a cigarette and alcohol entrepreneur, to discuss the re-introduction of automation within his factory as an agent of Berkeley-based business interests. His appearance in West Marin startles Hoppy Harrington and Bruno Bluthgeld, both of whom had last seen McConchie on the day of the "Emergency".

Bluthgeld's increasing psychosis eventually leads to the discovery of his identity. His magical powers, however, do not appear to be entirely imaginary. In his ardent desire to silence the talking satellite he seems to initiate another series of atmospheric explosions merely by willing them to occur. Hoppy, viewing him as a potential rival as well as a direct threat to the community and the planet itself, kills him from several miles away. Harrington employs his own psychokinetic powers in flinging the mad scientist high into the air and then simply letting him fall back to the ground. The Marin County council decides to thank Hoppy by presenting him with gifts of Gill's tobacco, alcohol and a monument in Harrington's honor, but Hoppy scorns these gifts as being much less than he deserves. Bonny Keller begins to worry that Hoppy will set himself up as a vindictive little tin god, and so she flees the county with Gill and McConchie in hopes of eventually settling beyond the reach of his powers.

Meanwhile, Edie Keller's conjoined twin brother Bill, a sentient fetus within her body, has been yearning for an independent existence. Bill Keller is able to communicate telepathically with the dead, and they warn him how dangerous Hoppy is becoming. When Edie approaches Hoppy's house, Harrington uses his powers to draw Bill outside of her in hopes of causing him to perish. Little Bill has a near-lethal adventure inside of an owl before finally engineering a body-swap with Hoppy which quickly proves fatal to Harrington. The idol with feet of clay has finally been toppled.

At the conclusion of the book, Dr. Stockstill begins a course of psychotherapy, broadcast over the radio, with Walt Dangerfield, who seems to be slowly recovering from his illness in the absence of a jealous Hoppy Harrington's debilitating mental emanations.

The ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701-D) is assigned to diplomatic duty to host the wedding between two houses of the Tizarin, a race that lives only in space and engages in commerce. One of the guests is Lwaxana Troi, to represent Betazed. The time setting places it after the events of "Deja Q" (third season) and before "Q-Pid" (fourth season). Kerin, heir to the house of Nistral, will marry Sehra, the daughter of the house of Graziunas.

Q puts in an appearance. Although he toys with Picard while asking to be allowed to attend the wedding festivities, he promises to behave himself. Q attracts Lwaxana's notice, and she is fascinated by Q. To Picard's horror, Q fans the flames of love. Later, Q also begins to fan the animosity between the two Tizarin houses, mainly by feeding on the occasional blowups between the bride and groom, who are themselves irritated: Sehra by her future father-in-law Nistral's comments and Kerin by his future mother-in-law Mrs. Graziunas' comments.

The two families come to battle, and a despairing Lwaxana wishes she could do something. Q gives her power, and Lwaxana stops the battle, and Kerin and Serah determine they will marry, no matter what. Meanwhile, Q has revealed his true colors: another way of annoying lower life forms. He scorns Lwaxana, who gives Q a serious thrashing.

Meanwhile, a gift of gratitude by Sehra to Wesley Crusher turns out to be anything but a joy, as Sehra gives Wesley a clumsy slave girl. After much pain and a broken rib, Wesley returns the slave girl to Sehra, who had been trying to get rid of her but is now happy to have her back.

Roger Crumpkin is a young, accident-prone maintenance man at an egg factory that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Sydney Opera House. He stumbles on his boss's plan to increase sales by lacing the eggs with nicotine. Crumpkin must risk his job and girlfriend to stop him. In the meantime Crumpkin and his UFO-obsessed girlfriend, Sunday Valentine (Helen Dallimore) discover in ancient sedimentary rock a metal object that bears an uncanny resemblance to the wheelcap (hubcap) from a Volkswagen Beetle.

The war reaches Earth

The plot begins in ''Captain America'' #398 (March 1992) with the kidnapping of Rick Jones by Shi'ar agents intent on recovering Kree artifacts to aid them in the construction of a superweapon. In the course of rescuing Jones, Captain America discovers that a conflict has begun between the alien Kree and Shi'ar empires.

In ''Quasar'' #32 (March 1992) Captain America's fellow Avenger Quasar discovers that the use of a nearby stargate by the warring factions is destabilizing Earth's Sun. The Avengers gather and resolve to intervene in the conflict to try to ensure the safety of their solar system either by bringing about a truce or by diverting the two empires from using the nearby stargate.

The Avengers assemble

In ''Avengers'' #345 (March 1992) a gathering of over twenty Avengers is divided into three teams to deal with the threat. One of the teams stays on the Earth to protect the planet for the duration of the conflict, while the other two are sent to the Shi'ar and Kree homeworlds via the Stargate to try to negotiate with the two empire's leaders.

The "Earth team" is led by the Wasp and includes the Falcon, Henry Pym, Gilgamesh, Mockingbird, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, and U.S. Agent. Quasar, Her and Binary also remain in the Solar System to guard the stargates.

The "Shi'ar Team" is led by Captain Marvel and includes the Living Lightning, the Scarlet Witch, Starfox, Thor, Vision, and Wonder Man.

Finally, the "Kree Team" is led by Captain America and includes the Black Knight, Crystal, Goliath, Hercules, Iron Man, and Sersi.

In the story, U.S. Agent is originally assigned to the "Kree Team" and Hawkeye to the "Earth Team", but Clint Barton (Hawkeye's real identity) perceives this as a slight and is given some Pym Particles by Hank Pym so that he might increase his superhuman abilities (and thus qualify for inclusion on the "Kree Team") by re-assuming his Goliath identity.

This is one of the story's few overt references to the original "Kree-Skrull War" storyline, as Barton appears as Goliath in that storyline as well (something which Barton and Pym comment on in the story).

The Kree-Shi'ar War

The Kree and Shi'ar Avengers teams go on to encounter the various factions (including their own super-powered teams, Starforce and the Imperial Guard, respectively) and are largely unsuccessful in engaging them in negotiations. Captain America's team are repeatedly captured and imprisoned by the Kree authorities while Captain Marvel's team engages in a number of short battles with various Shi'ar forces.

During the course of these encounters it is revealed that the Sh'iar has managed to create a massive super weapon—the "Nega-Bomb"— using Kree artifacts including the original Captain Marvel's Nega-Bands which has been stolen from the dead hero's tomb. This bomb is capable of devastating an area equivalent to that of the Kree Empire (which is supposedly located throughout the Large Magellanic Cloud).

Also during the conflict, the Kree's military leaders are assassinated by the Shi'ar agent Deathbird, the Supreme Intelligence regains (temporary) control of the Kree forces, and Skrull agents are revealed to be surreptitiously manipulating the court of the Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra into escalating the conflict.

Eventually, Captain Marvel's Avengers delegation manages to convince Lilandra to try to begin peace negotiations with the Kree. However, by this point, the Nega-Bomb has been stolen by Skrull agents and her efforts to recall the weapon fail.

Despite the presence of Avengers members Wonder Man and the Vision in the Nega-Bomb's massive interior, the device is successfully detonated in ''Wonder Man'' #9 (May 1992). The Kree Empire is devastated by its effects, with billions dying instantaneously.

In ''Avengers'' #347 (May 1992) the various Avengers (all of whom manage to survive the bomb's effects; the Vision turned intangible, Wonder Man's ionic body absorbed the released energy, Sersi turned the rest of the Kree team into inanimate matter, and the Shi'ar team hadn't arrived on the scene yet) gather on Hala, the Kree homeworld, and discover that most of the events of the war- up to and including the Nega-Bomb's detonation- have been manipulated and engineered by the Kree Supreme Intelligence. This creature, an amalgam of the consciousness of thousands of generations of Kree military leaders, calculated that the bomb's radioactive effects would serve to jumpstart the Kree race's evolution which had previously been thought stalled.

Horrified by this revelation, and faced with the problem with what to do now with the captured Supreme Intelligence, a group of Avengers decides that the Supreme Intelligence should be killed for its act of genocide.

Disagreeing with this idea completely, Captain America holds a vote, and when a majority of Avengers agree that killing the Intelligence is not appropriate, he orders that no Avenger should kill the creature. Iron Man refuses to follow this order (invoking his seniority as a founding member), and he and the other dissenting Avengers- Black Knight, Hercules, Sersi, Thor, Vision, and Wonder Man attempt to terminate the creature, apparently succeeding.

A Shi'ar delegation then appears and announces that they will annex the devastated Kree Empire, with Lilandra's sister Deathbird becoming viceroy of the Kree territories. The Avengers return to Earth divided and disillusioned by the events of the storyline, and the consciousness of the Supreme Intelligence is shown to have survived and escaped to a waiting spaceship manned by Skrulls.

Aftermath of the war

The immediate aftermath of the storyline is explored in the ''Captain America'' and ''Quasar'' titles. ''Captain America'' #401 (June 1992) examines the effects of the conflict on Captain America, such as his disappointment in those teammates who disobeyed his orders and in the Avengers group as a whole.

''Quasar'' #35 and #36 (June - July 1992) explores the larger repercussions of the storyline: the effect on the wider cosmos of the Nega-Bomb explosion and the sudden death of billions of lifeforms and the collapse of a major space empire.

Other comics which tie directly into the events of "Operation Galactic Storm" include ''Silver Surfer'' (vol. 2) #79 (April 1993) which features the return of two Kree characters, Doctor Minerva and Captain Atlas, who are thought to have died at the conclusion of "Operation: Galactic Storm"; and ''X-Men Unlimited'' #05 (June 1994) which features the Shi'ar's formal ceremonies of the annexation of the Kree Empire into the Shi'ar empire, likewise ''Avengers Forever'' #8 (July 1997), features how the events of the crossover may lead (and led at least in one timeline) the Avengers to become a paramilitary group that controls a vast and repressive interstellar empire, Iron Man's actions at the time having been provoked by Immortus to create a crucial schism in the team that would prevent them from following this path.

Sequels

In a more general sense, the implications and repercussions of the events depicted in the crossover have had a wide and continuing effect on many stories set in the Marvel Universe, most especially stories featuring the Kree, Shi'ar, and Skrull as the events of the crossover changed the status quo of each of those races to varying degrees.

Many subsequent ''Avengers'' storylines feature attempts by surviving Kree to exact revenge on the Avengers team for their supposed role in the Nega-Bomb's detonation, more specifically Avengers #364-366 and the 1998 four-part Avengers crossover '''Live Kree or Die!'''. The former, would introduce Deathcry to the Avengers, a Shi'ar rebel who would be part of a secret movement that sought to help the Kree who were suffering under Shi'ar rule. Deathcry would ultimately leave the Avengers in Avengers #389, in order to help fight alongside the Kree.

The crossover event "Maximum Security" and its prequel, "Avengers Forever" would ultimately restore the Kree Empire to its former glory. Using the Time Crystal acquired in "Avengers Forever", the Supreme Intelligence would rapidly evolve the Kree to a new monstrous form known as the Ruul. Pretending to be a newly discovered species, the Ruul would reveal themselves to be the Kree. They manipulate the Galactic Council, a coalition of the universe's oldest planetary ruling powers, into turning Earth into a prison planet for alien criminals and briefly merge a spore of Ego the Living Planet with humanity's world, so as to turn Ego into a weapon for the Kree and eliminating the Terran threat to their plans. Revealing their true identities, the Kree launched a galaxy-wide invasion of all of the major rival empires, reclaiming much of their lost territories and establishing a new Kree empire. However, Earth's mightiest heroes would be able to liberate Earth and free it from Ego, denying them a major weapon.

Alan Richards and his wife Doris have recently returned from Africa, where Alan's company is constructing a hydroelectric dam. He discovers she has secretly kept several items given to her by a local shaman for protection. When he confronts her about them, she says she is frightened by the natives opposed to the dam and begs him to stop construction. He dismisses her pleas and opens the door to leave for work. In the hallway of his apartment building, just outside his door, is the carcass of a dead goat.

Alan attends a board meeting, where they discuss the dam and the fact that, although the natives will benefit from it in the long run, they are upset that they will be displaced in order to build it. He warns that the local witch doctors have threatened to use black magic against anyone associated with the project. When the other board members scoff, he points out their own superstitions: one carries a rabbit's foot, another practices astrology, and even the building does not have a 13th floor.

Later, he is in a bar having a drink with a friend before heading home, and shows him a lion's-tooth amulet Doris has given him. Supposedly the tooth will protect him against a lion attack. Alan begins to head home but finds his car won't start. He attempts to return to the bar but it is locked and he has forgotten his lion's-tooth amulet inside. He attempts to use a pay phone, but it's out of order. As Alan walks away, the phone rings. He answers it and hears nothing but sounds of the jungle.

He heads home on foot, still hearing the sounds of the jungle all around him (including tribal drums), becoming more and more nervous and jumpy. He tries to take a taxi home, but the driver dies suddenly while stopped at a traffic light. Alan meets a bum and asks him about the jungle noises, which the bum claims not to hear. He offers the bum money to escort him through the park, but the bum disappears while Alan's back is turned.

Alan continues on, and finally reaches the safety of his apartment. The noises suddenly stop. Relieved, Alan enters and pours himself a drink. He hears a lion's roar from the bedroom. When he opens the bedroom door, he finds a lion on the bed, as well as his wife's corpse. The episode ends as the lion leaps towards Alan for the kill.

The book covers the last years of Mick Foley's in-ring wrestling career up until the birth of his second son, Michael Francis Foley, Jr., which he mentions in the book's epilogue. It has a more celebratory tone than his first book, as he is writing about the time of his career where he has already achieved success. The book alternated between in-ring wrestling activities and Foley's life away from the ring. In the book, he also describes his obsessions, such as theme parks and Christmas.

He also writes about his experience writing his first book without the aid of a ghostwriter. He defends himself against being misquoted by news program ''20/20'', and explains the events surrounding his "I Quit" match with The Rock at the Royal Rumble in January 1999, which can also be seen in the documentary ''Beyond the Mat''.

The book also heavily defends the World Wrestling Federation against accusations of being violent. Foley made an effort to pointedly refute claims made by detractors, citing statistical data and other evidence he compiled himself. He criticizes the actions of the Parents Television Council.

While enjoying themselves at Madame Zenobia's club on Saturday night, Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin are held up by robbers who raid the club and steal Steve's wallet. When they realize that a winning lottery ticket worth $50,000 is in the wallet, Steve and Wardell set out to find the crooks themselves with the help of gangster Geechie Dan Beauford, who wants to defeat his rival Silky Slim. Steve and Wardell devise a plan to recover the ticket.

Petty stars as Georgette "George" Sanders, a bohemian artist who was wild and uninhibited. Parsons played Margot Hines, a snooty, airheaded wanna-be businesswoman. The two would get into conflicts generally surrounding one of their crazy schemes. In one aired episode, George fakes her own death to draw attention and higher prices to her paintings. In another, Margot convinces some of George's gay male friends to pose as her boyfriend and frighten off her ex-husband.

The Dark Science Empire Desdark launches its scheme for world conquest from their Destopia Castle in Germany. Dr. Hideki Hongo, founder of the Future Science Laboratory, is saved from one of their attacks by world class explorer Kenichi Akama. Using his Computer Boys & Girls, Hongo recruits five people, including Kenichi, to form the Dai Sentai Goggle-V (Goggle 5), the only force capable of stopping Desdark.

The novel begins in the afternoon of April 18, 1775, when Adam's father, Moses, sends him out to draw water from the well for his mother, Sarah. After completing this task, he heads upstairs to talk with Granny. During it, they engage in a debate on religion. Afterwards, they head downstairs for dinner. Then they pray and the meal, consisting of bread pudding and donkers, begins. In the middle of it, Moses confronts Adam about a "spell" to be said while drawing water. As a result, the confrontation starts an argument, which is interrupted by Cousin Simmons arriving. He, chosen to draft a letter on the rights of man, comes to Moses with his draft seeking criticism. Another debate arises over his description of rights as "god-given." Moses asserts that rights come from the people backing them, not God.

After dinner is over and Adam finishes some evening chores, he heads over to the Simmons' house to meet with Ruth, his love interest, and go on a walk. Before he is able to see her, however, Aunt Simmons makes conversation with him and feeds him pie. Then Ruth comes downstairs, and she and Adam leave on a walk. During it, they talk about various things, including their futures and what they want to be in the world. After a kiss he walks her home and then he himself heads home. Upon arrival, he spots his brother, Levi, cleaning his gun. He does not like this but Sarah insists that he let him do it. Then he heads upstairs and goes to bed. Before falling asleep he overhears his parents talking about the committee meeting. Finally he falls asleep.

Suddenly, Adam is awakened by Levi, who draws attention to a speedy rider that stops in the center of town. Now all the Coopers are awake and curious. People gather around the rider on the green, who informs them that the British are coming and may be marching through their town. He then rides off. Because of this news, arguments stir in the crowd on whether to muster the militia. The people of Lexington agree to muster it. Adam signs up and is then tasked to take Ruth home. After doing so, he comes home to overhear his parents designating him a man. As he walks in Moses chastises him. He then has him load his gun and go to the muster.

After Adam and all the other men arrive at the green, the militia muster falls into order and the women and children are sent inside. They stand there for a few hours until the redcoats march into town. The British fix bayonets, then fire upon the militia. Moses falls and Adam runs away. He hides in a smokehouse until Levi comes in. Levi tells him to leave town because the British are searching. He leaves, jumps over a wall, and meets Solomon Chandler. He feeds and comforts Adam on the events he just witnessed. Then they walk until they meet Cousin Dover, Cousin Simmons, and the Reverend. They continue to walk until they arrive at the militia encampment. There the militia plans several ambushes and Adam shares his story of the massacre on the Lexington green. Then the militia sends a horseman to scout ahead while the others lie in wait by the road. He returns, then the British come. The militia releases a few volleys before retreating over the hill. The militia, not pursued by the British, stop to rest and plan the next ambush.

During the next ambush Adam falls asleep under some brush. He is awakened by Cousin Simmons and the Reverend searching for his body and talking about him. He calls to them, to their relief, and they send him home. He returns home and is greeted by Levi, who walks him into the house. It is occupied by mourners, Ruth, Granny, and Sarah. The latter sends him to get Moses a coffin and take it to the church. After a brief conversation with the coffin-maker he returns home. He eats dinner, then Sarah sends him to light candles by Moses' coffin. Ruth accompanies him and they talk for a while, until he walks her home. Then he himself goes home and to bed.

The cartoon centers around Porky Pig and Daffy Duck's attempts to escape the Broken Arms Hotel manager without paying their bill (on which they are charged for every luxury, including breathing air, sunshine, and goodwill); they are trying to evade payment because Daffy lost all their money playing craps.

Despite numerous methods to elude the hotel manager (using the elevator, throwing the manager down a large spiral staircase, knotting sheets and rappelling from a window, swinging from a window to a building across the street), he gets the upper hand every time and eventually locks them in a room, in shackles, where they will stay until they pay up. Winter arrives and Daffy is beginning to lose his sanity. Porky (who has written "Porky Loves Petunia" on the wall, and is keeping track of their incarceration with prison-style graffiti) says, "Gosh, if Bugs Bunny was only here." Daffy concurs and decides to call Bugs for advice, as the trickster is famous for being able to get out of seemingly inescapable situations. Once on the phone, Bugs asks Daffy if they have tried the various methods of escape which they did indeed try. Daffy replies "Yes" each time and adds, "We tried all those ways." The door to the next room opens and Bugs is seen in shackles. He says, "Ahh, don't work, do they?"

The film follows the production of ''Home for Purim'', a low-budget drama film about a Jewish family in the southern United States in the 1940s. The cast consists of character actress Marilyn Hack as the family's dying matriarch; veteran actor turned kosher hot dog mascot Victor Allen Miller as her husband; ''ingénue'' Callie Webb as their lesbian daughter, whose return home with her girlfriend serves as the driving plot of ''Home for Purim''; and Brian Chubb, who is dating Webb, as their son.

The film's director constantly incorporates bizarre camera shots and acting notes, while the producer, heiress to a diaper service, knows nothing about producing films. The two screenwriters are at odds with the director, as they struggle to align the film's period Southern setting with incongruous Jewish references and words.

When an unattributed rumor begins to circulate that Hack, Miller, and Webb are likely to receive Oscar nominations for the film, each begins obsessing about the award. Hack pretends not to care while secretly pining for the award, Miller demands a higher salary and pushes his agent for more dignified work, and Webb breaks up with Chubb. Later, the hosts of entertainment news program ''Hollywood Now'' visit the set and interview the cast.

The studio intervenes in the production of ''Home for Purim'' and, deeming the film to be "too Jewish," re-title it ''Home for Thanksgiving''. Despite this, the Oscar buzz around the film intensifies, and the three prospective nominees begin to make press appearances to promote the film. Miller appears on a hip-hop teen show called ''Chillaxin''' in youthful attire with capped teeth, a tan, and dyed blonde hair. Hack gets breast implants and extensive plastic surgery to the point where her face is comically ecstatic. Webb goes on a shock jock radio show, only to field questions exclusively about her nude scenes.

The Academy Award nominations are announced, and only Chubb (who sleeps through the morning of the announcement) is nominated. Miller returns to auditioning for commercials. Webb attempts to revive her failed one-woman show, ''No Penis Intended''. Hack makes a drunken rant on ''Hollywood Now'' and becomes an acting teacher, having uncomfortably made peace with her mediocre career.

Homer and Marge discover that their house is partially sinking. Homer tries to repair it, but fails. He decides to call a foundation repairman: the repair will cost $8,500. Homer takes Marge to a party for the retirement of a Springfield Nuclear Power Plant employee. Marge decides to apply for the position now open so that they can pay for the foundation repair. Lisa helps her write a résumé, and Marge gets the job. Mr. Burns is enchanted by Marge, but when she tells him that she is married he dismisses her. She threatens a lawsuit and enlists the help of Lionel Hutz, who is completely unsuccessful and flees from Burns' army of real lawyers; but Burns yields after Homer defends his wife. The episode ends as Homer and Marge enjoy a private show performed by the singer Tom Jones, who is being held captive by Burns following Marge's revelation that she is a fan of Jones's music, and secretly begs Marge to help him escape.

Meanwhile, at school, Bart does not want to take a test, so he fakes a stomach ache. Edna Krabappel asks if Bart has ever read ''The Boy Who Cried Wolf''. When Bart returns to school, Edna suggests that he take a make-up test, but he evades it. Grampa comes to pick him up and on the way home references ''The Boy Who Cried Wolf''. Again, Bart is unfazed. When he returns to school again, he is forced to take the test. He protests, but Edna ignores him. She places him alone outside the classroom, hands him the test, and leaves.

At Krustylu Studios, the taping of Krusty the Clown's latest show features a wildlife expert, showing a hawk and a wolf. She warns that the wolf is spooked by loud noises. But "loud" is the secret word of the day. Celebration and noise ensue, causing the wolf to panic and escape. Roaming freely, it runs to Springfield Elementary School, where it attacks Bart outside the classroom. He cries "Wolf!" but Edna ignores him. Groundskeeper Willie rescues Bart by fighting the wolf, giving Bart time to return to his classroom. Since he feels that he will not be believed if he tells the truth, Bart says, with apparent honesty, that he made up the story. He then passes out and Edna realizes that Bart really was attacked. Grampa takes him home, while Willie gives the wolf some alcohol and consoles him for losing.

Tom Merriam (Russell Wade), a young merchant marine officer, joins the crew of the ship ''Altair.'' At first, all seems well and Merriam bonds with the captain, Will Stone (Richard Dix). The ship, already shorthanded due to the death of a crew member before it left port, almost loses another ("the Greek") when he develops appendicitis. Taking direction over the ship's radio, the captain is to perform the appendectomy, but he is unable to make the incision. Instead, Merriam successfully removes the sailor's appendix, but – feeling he should be loyal to the captain and spare him embarrassment – swears the radio operator to secrecy. Afterward, the captain has a self-serving explanation for his failure.

One of the crew, Louie (an uncredited Lawrence Tierney), tells the captain he should pull in to port and take on new crew. The captain says, "You know, there are captains who might hold this against you, Louie." Shortly after, the captain closes the hatch to the chain locker with Louie inside, and Louie is crushed to death by the chain. Merriam believes that Captain Stone, who is obsessed with authority, did it intentionally. When they dock at the fictional Caribbean island of "San Sebastian" (which had appeared in RKO's ''I Walked with a Zombie''—another Lewton production—and later in RKO's ''Zombies on Broadway''), Merriam attempts to expose the Captain's madness at a board of inquiry. The crew all speak favorably of the captain, including the Greek, who credits the captain with saving his life. Merriam states his intention to leave the ''Altair''.

After the inquiry, the captain admits to a female friend (Edith Barrett, who had appeared in ''I Walked with a Zombie'') that he fears he is losing his mind. Soon after, Merriam is involved in a fight in port and knocked unconscious. One of his former shipmates – unaware that he has left the ''Altair'' – brings the unconscious man back aboard ship before the vessel departs. Merriam wakes up on the ship and fears that the pathologically insane Captain Stone may now attempt to kill him, a fear that is only reinforced when the captain, referring to the young officer's accusations, says, "You know, Mr. Merriam, there are ''some'' captains who would hold this against you."

Merriam, scorned by the crew, finds that he can no longer lock the door to his cabin. Fearing for his life, he tries to steal a gun from the ship's weapons locker, but is confronted by Captain Stone. Stone dares Merriam to try to get the support of the crew, but Merriam is rebuffed in this effort. This changes when Radioman Winslow (Edmund Glover) receives a radiogram asking if Merriam is on board, and Captain Stone orders Winslow to lie, replying that Merriam is not aboard. The radioman shows Merriam the captain's reply radiogram and says that he now mistrusts the captain and will send a message to the company expressing his concerns about Stone's mental health. However, as he leaves Merriam's cabin, Winslow encounters the captain. As the two walk side-by-side, Winslow drops the captain's radiogram to the deck, and it is picked up by an illiterate crewman, Finn the Mute (Skelton Knaggs), whose internal monologues serve as a sort of one-man Greek chorus throughout the film.

Captain Stone now orders Merriam to send a radio message to the corporate office advising them that Winslow has been washed overboard. Merriam accuses the captain of murdering Winslow, and the two fight. Crew members intervene, and the captain has the crew tie up Merriam and put him in his bunk. The captain then has First Officer Bowns (Ben Bard) administer a sedative to Merriam. Finn finally delivers the captain's radiogram to Bowns. After reading it, Bowns becomes deeply alarmed. The first officer talks to several other crew members, all of whom now begin questioning the captain's sanity.

Captain Stone overhears Bowns' conversation with the crew, and goes insane. He takes a knife and enters Merriam's cabin to kill the young officer, but Finn arrives to try to stop him. While the crew is up on deck singing, Finn and the captain engage in a desperate struggle in the dark, during which Finn kills the captain. After the captain's death, Merriam is reinstated and the ship returns to its home port of San Pedro.

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In 1959, Andrew Monday, multi-billionaire playboy industrialist has founded the futuristic utopian city, Punchbowl, in Pennsylvania. During its opening ceremony, deceased traveling salesman, Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield, rises from his grave as a Zombie and begins to consume the brains of the inhabitants of Punchbowl, quickly creating his own army of the undead, causing increasing amounts of havoc as the Zombies clash with the various militant factions of the area. Beforehand, Stubbs heads to the Punchbowl Police Station where he is captured and the police chief is planning on dancing on Stubbs' grave. Stubbs manages to escape by ripping his arm off and using it to control a scientist to release his restraints. Stubbs makes his way to the chief's office where they have a dance-off before the chief dances to the armory, unaware he has Stubbs' pancreas on him which explodes, killing him.

As he continues his path of the destruction, eating the brains of civilians, Stubbs comes across Otis, a paranoid trigger-happy leader of a local redneck militia called "The Quaker State Irregulars" who believes the Zombie outbreak is part of a Communist infiltration mission. Stubbs follows Otis back to his farm where he gives a rousing speech (consisting of only the word "Brains" in various cadences) to his fellow Zombies in a parody of the war film ''Patton''. Upon cornering Otis, Stubbs seems to be at a disadvantage, as Otis has prepared a large stockpile of TNT which he intends to detonate, killing them both. But before he can light it, Otis seems to recognize Stubbs from when he was alive and begins to panic. This gives Stubbs the chance to light the TNT himself and escape to a safe distance before the house is blown up. He then rides a bewildered sheep back to Punchbowl. Stubbs goes to the dam where he relieves his bladder by urinating in the town's water supply, contaminating it, and then causes the dam to explode by having the other Zombies use themselves as electrical conduits.

Upon arriving at City Hall to confront Andrew, Maggie Monday (Andrew's very attractive mother), realizes the Zombie looks familiar and stops Andrew from shooting him, proclaiming her love for Stubbs. She explains that 26 years ago, during The Great Depression, she was a young country girl living at her family's farm. Stubbs, still a living man at the time, arrived at their house in an attempt to do business. Finding him extremely charismatic, Maggie took Stubbs back to her room where the two had sex. Unfortunately, Maggie's father, Otis, returned home and caught the two together. Unbeknownst to Maggie, he had killed Stubbs and dumped his body in the wilderness (in the same spot where Punchbowl would later be built). Maggie also reveals that she became pregnant with Andrew from the experience, making Stubbs his father. This is the cause of Stubbs' inordinate infatuation with Maggie shown throughout the game. The two share a romantic embrace, which is abruptly cut off by Stubbs eating her brains. Enraged by seeing his mother murdered and learning the truth of his conception, Andrew attacks Stubbs from behind a forcefield, partially destroying Punchbowl in the process. Stubbs survives the battle and attempts to murder Andrew, but is stopped by Maggie, who has become a Zombie herself. The game ends with Stubbs and Maggie sailing off in a small rowboat as Andrew and all of Punchbowl are destroyed by a nuclear bomb to cleanse the undead infestation, and they both "live" happily ever after. During the credits, photos of things that happened during the events of the game are shown on the left.

A heavenly paradise becomes a hellish nightmare when a toxic spill turns harmless ants into gigantic rampaging monsters.

The opening narration briefly introduces the viewer to the ant and its behavior. It takes note how ants use pheromones to communicate, and how they cause an obligatory response that must be obeyed. "But we (humans) don't have to worry about it..." As the opening credits roll, barrels of radioactive waste are being dumped off a boat into the ocean. Eventually, one of the barrels washes up on the shore and begins to leak a silvery goo attractive to the local ants, which are seen feeding on it.

Meanwhile, shady land developer Marilyn Fryser (Joan Collins) takes a bunch of new clients to view some 'beachfront property' on a nearby island. In reality, the land is worthless, but the trip is cut short by the group stumbling upon the lair of large ants. The ants destroy their boat and chase the group through the woods. Fleeing for their lives through the wilderness and losing many of their party along the way, the remaining survivors eventually discover the local island town. But their safety is short-lived when they realize that not only are the large ants feeding on the sugar at the local sugar factory, but that they are doing so at the invitation of the humans. The queen ant, using pheromones, has the entire town completely under her control. However, the survivors manage to escape and burn the sugar factory, killing the large ants, and leave the island by a speedboat.

A significant element of the play is George's unavailing efforts to define 'Good' and other philosophical abstractions, in which he demonstrates his foolishness and lack of connection with the real world.

The bathetic climax comes when George, firing an arrow to demonstrate Zeno's paradox, accidentally shoots dead a pet hare he uses to model the fable of the Hare and the Tortoise. Blinded by grief, he steps on and crushes the tortoise which forms the other part of the demonstration.

The British moon landing parodies the Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole led by Robert Falcon Scott, in which the astronauts, rather than dying together, turn on one another in adversity.

Claiming to be inspired by actual, but never publicized facts, the story of ''Nekro'' is staged in mid-1980s Romania. Its basic building block is the eternal fight between God and Satan. Securitatea, the Communist Romanian secret police, takes notices of an illegal religious sect. David, a colonel serving with Securitatea, is assigned to eradicate the sect. He arrests the leader of the sect and subjects him to a series of sadistic interrogations. During the interrogations, David's mind blurs. He gets revelations from the World of Darkness, and starts acting as a man possessed by a demon. The leader of the sect vanishes from prison.

Diagnosed as a madman by a psychiatrist, David is dismissed from Securitatea. Eight years later, he senses the presence of his Master in the surroundings, but cannot locate him. He sees the former leader of the sect, who returned to Romania as a film producer, on the news. David has no doubt that he is his Master. However, as David was not cursed by God to be a Demon, he is able to gather the last of his strength and attempt to kill the Master. Consequently, David is arrested and taken by the police to a hospice.

As all these events unfold, several young women are murdered in Bucharest, the killings becoming breaking news. The psychiatrist who diagnosed David as madman, and who possesses psychic powers, has a vision of the next murder victim. He calls and leaves a message on her answering machine to warn her. The young woman is indeed killed. Looking for clues, the police search her residence and hear the psychiatrist's message. They talk to him, and the psychiatrist directs the detectives to David. The lieutenant in charge of the investigation knows that David cannot be the killer, as he was under surveillance at the hospice at the time the woman was murdered. The lieutenant suspects that they are dealing with a serial killer, as sex was performed on each corpse after the killing. What he does not know though, is that the sex acts were videotaped for commercial purpose.

David escapes from the hospice, and his daughter is kidnapped. His senses take him to a forest that spreads beyond the city limits, where his Master, the actual serial killer, performs the killing rituals. It turns out that he ordered the kidnapping of David's daughter, who is next on his list, but David's appearance in the forest has complicated plans. Eventually, David is ordered to force himself on his own daughter. Instead of doing so, he kills her, and then gets killed himself. Was David cursed by God to be a Demon? In the afterlife, David defeats the evil spirit, who reincarnated itself into the leader of the sect, and later into the film producer. Do God and Satan exist?

Frustrated by being "overlooked", film director C. C. Deville steals the "Edgars" (statuettes that are a parody of the Oscars) and threatens to melt them all unless studio chairman Thaddeus Plotz gives him a lucrative contract. While carrying out his evil plot, Deville's dim-witted assistant accidentally crashes his getaway blimp into the Warner Bros. water tower. This scatters 44 of the 45 stolen Edgars across the studio lot and Ralph the Guard releases Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, who agree to search for the missing awards. The many different types of levels include: Western, Horror Movie, Fairy Tale, O'Sullivan Mines, and Epic. The final level takes place in the sky chasing and shooting down Deville's blimp.

The Emperor of China learns that one of the most beautiful things in his empire is the song of the nightingale. When he orders the nightingale brought to him, a kitchen maid (the only one at court who knows of its whereabouts) leads the court to a nearby forest, where the nightingale agrees to appear at court; it remains as the Emperor's favorite. When the Emperor is given a bejeweled mechanical bird he loses interest in the real nightingale, who returns to the forest. The mechanical bird eventually breaks down; and the Emperor is taken deathly ill a few years later. The real nightingale learns of the Emperor's condition and returns to the palace; whereupon Death is so moved by the nightingale's song that he allows the Emperor to live.

The book begins with a "fair haired" boy rowing a canoe to the place where Necromancer DomDaniel drowned, along with his ship. His skeleton climbs into the canoe, while the fair haired boy thinks about exacting his revenge on all the people who underestimated him. He thinks that they'll be sorry, especially when he becomes the ExtraOrdinary Wizard.
Septimus Heap has become the apprentice to Marcia Overstrand, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, and a year has gone by. Septimus's older brother, Simon, had run away after an argument between him and Sarah and Silas Heap about Septimus, who Simon dislikes. He comes back and kidnaps Jenna on his horse, Thunder. Septimus goes to search for her and he is assisted in his search by his brother Nicko, who helps build boats at Jannit Maarten's boatyard. Along the way, Septimus meets his old friend Boy 409 from the young army, who went missing before the events of Book 1. He is now called Wolf Boy. Jenna runs away from Simon's observatory in The Badlands and makes her way towards The Port. Eventually Septimus is able to rescue Jenna with his elder brother Nicko's help from the Port but they are tracked by Sleuth, Simon's tracking ball.

They make their way to the Marram Marshes where they take the Dragon-Boat from Aunt Zelda's cottage and fly her to the Castle. However, they are pursued by Simon, who used a Flyte Charm to fly in the sky. Simon drops a huge ''Thunderflash'' on the Dragon-Boat's wing and it drops over Jannit Marten's Boatyard. Septimus, Jenna, and Aunt Zelda are able to revive her through the ''Transubstantiation Triple'' spell.

Septimus is also in search of the long lost ''Flyte'' charm. He finds the separated charm and unites it along with the small pair-of-wings ''Flyte'' charm that Marcia had given him as a token for his apprenticeship. Eventually he is able to fly and even warns Simon never to harm Jenna again. Also, the rock that Jenna gave him at Aunt Zelda's cottage turns out to be the egg of a dragon and eventually it hatches. Septimus absolutely adores the dragon and names him Spit Fyre. The dragon, based on the seeing-is-believing basis, identifies Marcia as his mother after yelling at him on the dragon launch pad.

Septimus rescues Marcia by identifying the shadow that has been trailing her. He also finds out that the '''''ShadowSafe''''' Marcia is developing contains, unbeknownst to her, the bones of the dead Necromancer, DomDaniel, which, once reassembled, tries to kill Marcia. With Septimus's help, Marcia is able to ''Identify'' him and he is once again destroyed.

Frank Castle is a former undercover police detective and U.S. Marine whose wife Julie was killed five years ago, along with their two daughters, by a Mafia car bomb intended for Frank who is also presumed to be dead. Castle has since become the city's most wanted, and most mysterious, vigilante - known only as "The Punisher". He now lives in the labyrinthine sewer-system of NYC, having assassinated 125 mobsters (not counting henchmen) in the past half-decade. His work is known by the use of special throwing-knives engraved with a skull. Castle's sole ally in his one-man war against organized crime is Shake (taken from Shakespeare and "the shakes"), a stage-performer-turned derelict who typically speaks in rhyme.

The underworld families have become so weakened by the Punisher's guerrilla warfare that kingpin Gianni Franco is forced out of retirement. Franco plans to unify the decimated families. However, this attracts unwanted attention from the Yakuza, Asia's most powerful crime syndicate. Led by Lady Tanaka, the Yakuza decide to take over the Mafia families and all of their interests. In order to sway the mobsters to their cause, they kidnap their children and hold them for ransom.

Shake pleads with the Punisher to save the children, who are likely to be sold into the Arab slave trade regardless of whether the Mafia give into the demands. The Punisher attacks Yakuza businesses, warning that for every day the children are held in captivity, he will inflict heavy costs on them in property damage. The Yakuza later capture the Punisher and Shake and attempt to torture them into submission, but the Punisher breaks free and decides the only course of action is a direct rescue.

He is able to save most of the children and commandeers a bus to get the kidnapped children to safety. However prior to this Tommy Franco, the son of Gianni Franco, had been taken away to Yakuza headquarters. When driving the busload of kids, the Punisher runs into a police roadblock and is arrested. While in custody Castle is reunited with one of his old partners, who warns his multiple killings will likely get him executed, however at a later point Castle is broken out of jail by Franco's men. Franco admits he brought this on himself as the hit on Castle's family was an error, and persuades the Punisher to help him save his son. Castle agrees to work with his old enemy for the sake of stopping the Japanese criminal underworld from taking root in America.

Franco and the Punisher raid the Yakuza headquarters, fight and kill all the Yakuza, including Lady Tanaka and her daughter. Upon being reunited with his son, Franco betrays the Punisher, but the Punisher defends himself and kills Franco. Franco's son Tommy then threatens the Punisher for killing his father, but cannot bring himself to take revenge. Castle warns Leonard's son to "stay a good boy, and grow up to be a good man", not following his father's misdeeds. He also warns he will return should the boy commit any crimes, then disappears. The police arrive, only to find no trace of the Punisher. Meanwhile, at his lair, Castle narrates that he'll be waiting "in the shadows."

An FBI bust of smuggling operation in Tampa Bay results in the deaths of Bobby Saint, the son of mafia boss Howard Saint, and Otto Krieg, an arms dealer. However, Krieg's death was faked, and he is revealed to be undercover FBI agent Frank Castle on his final mission before retirement. Enraged at the death of his son, Saint orders his men to learn everything they can about Krieg, and acquires access by bribing corrupt federal law enforcement officers for his federal service history. He orders Castle killed at a family reunion, though Saint's wife Livia insists that Castle's family be killed as well. At the reunion, Saint's men, including Saint's best friend Quentin Glass, and Bobby's identical twin John, kill Castle's entire family. Though Frank Castle Sr. takes down some of the attackers, John then shoots Castle, leaving him for dead. However, Castle survives and is nursed back to health by a local fisherman.

With the police and FBI unwilling to pursue the killers due to Saint's power and influence, Castle moves into an abandoned apartment occupied by three outcasts—Joan, Bumpo, and Spacker Dave—and begins his mission to bring the Saints down. With the help of information provided by Mickey Duka, Saint's less malevolent henchman, Castle studies the Saint family and learns their every move, during which he discovers Glass to be a closeted homosexual. He openly attacks Saint's business and sabotages his partnership with his Cuban partners.

Saint discovers Castle is alive and sends assassins to kill him. The first, Harry Heck, ambushes Castle on a bridge, but is killed when Castle fires a ballistic knife into his throat. The second, a Russian behemoth, nearly beats Castle to death in his own apartment, but Castle manages to kill him as well. The tenants treat Castle's wounds and hide him in his hidden elevator as Saint's men arrive for him. When Dave and Bumpo refuse to reveal Castle's hideout, Glass tortures Dave by plucking each of his piercings with pliers. They leave one of their men to intercept Castle, but Castle kills him after they leave.

With Mickey's help, Castle poses as an anonymous blackmailer and arranges for Glass to be at certain places while planting Livia's car in the same location, and ultimately placing one of Livia's earrings in Glass's bed. When Saint finds the earrings, he stabs Glass to death and, despite her protest that Glass was gay, accuses Livia of having an affair with his best friend. He throws Livia off an overpass onto a railroad track, where she is run over by a train.

With Saint despondent, Castle assaults Saint's club and kills every member of his mob, including his remaining son John. Saint escapes the building, albeit wounded. Castle pursues him and shoots him in a duel. As Saint lies dying, Castle reveals his schemes that led Saint to kill his friend and wife. He ties Saint to a car and sends it into the club's parking lot, which is rigged with explosives, prompting a set of explosions that kills Saint, and which forms the shape of a skull when viewed from the air.

Castle returns home and prepares to kill himself with his mission fulfilled, but changes his mind after seeing a vision of his wife, instead deciding to continue to fight crime. He leaves some of Saint's money as a farewell gift to the tenants for protecting him. He is then seen standing alone on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge at sunset, where, in a voice-over, he vows to kill all killers, rapists, psychopaths, sadists, and anyone else who harms innocent people in any way in his new identity, the Punisher.

Jonesy, Beaver, Pete, and Henry are four friends on an annual hunting trip in Maine. As children, they all acquired telepathic powers which they call "the line" after saving a boy with disabilities named Douglas "Duddits" Cavell from bullies and befriending him.

One night, Jonesy sees Duddits beckoning him to cross the street, but as he does so, Jonesy is hit by a car. His injuries heal with mysterious speed, and six months later, he is able to make it for the group's annual trip. Jonesy rescues a man lost in the forest named Rick McCarthy. He is very ill, so Jonesy and Beaver let him rest and recover inside their cabin. Suddenly, all the forest animals—predator and prey both—run past their cabin in the same direction, followed by two military helicopters that announce the area is now quarantined. Jonesy and Beaver return to the cabin to find a trail of blood from the bedroom to the bathroom, where Rick sits dead, covered in blood. A three-foot long worm-like creature writhes and screams in the toilet. Beaver sits atop the toilet lid to trap the creature, but the creature breaks out and kills him. Jonesy tries to escape, but is confronted by a large alien called Mr. Gray, who possesses Jonesy's body.

Nearby, Henry and Pete crash their SUV to avoid running over a frostbitten woman from Rick's original hunting party. Henry walks for help while Pete stays with the woman. She dies and also excretes a worm, which Pete barely manages to kill. Mr. Gray tricks and kidnaps Pete, but Jonesy telepathically warns Henry to stay hidden. Henry returns to the cabin to find Beaver dead and the worm that killed him laying a group of eggs. To kill all of the alien larvae, he sets fire to the cabin.

Meanwhile, an elite military unit specializing in extraterrestrials, led by the unhinged Colonel Abraham Curtis, seeks to contain everyone exposed to the aliens. Col. Curtis is planning to retire after this operation and will pass command, along with a pearl-handled stainless-steel .45 pistol, to Captain Owen Underhill, his trusted friend and second-in-command. The two lead an air-strike into a large forest clearing where the aliens' spaceship has crash-landed. The aliens use telepathy to ask for mercy, but the helicopters massacre most of the aliens with mini-guns and missiles. The alien ship self-destructs, destroying the remaining aliens and two helicopters.

Jonesy retraces his memories of the area while watching Mr. Gray use his body. Mr. Gray tries to coerce Pete into cooperating but eats him when he refuses. Jonesy realizes that Mr. Gray possessed him, not by chance, but to access memories of Duddits, which he needs. Henry arrives at the fenced-in quarantine camp only to realize that Col. Curtis plans to kill all of those quarantined. Henry convinces Underhill to prevent this by going over Curtis' head and having him relieved.

Henry and Underhill break out of the camp and head to Duddits' home. Duddits, who is dying of leukemia, informs them Mr. Gray is headed for the Quabbin Reservoir to seed the water with alien larvae. Curtis, realizing the danger looming to the entire planet, leaves the camp in his armed helicopter and tracks down Henry, Underhill, and Duddits, attacking them at the reservoir. Underhill is mortally wounded and dies shortly after he shoots Curtis down.

In the reservoir's pump house, Henry manages to stop Mr. Gray's plan, but struggles to bring himself to kill Jonesy, unable to tell if he is possessed. Unknown to him, an alien larva hatches and begins crawling toward the water. Duddits confronts Mr. Gray, who finally exits Jonesy's body. The two struggle as Duddits reveals himself to also be an alien of a different race. Both aliens explode in a cloud of red-dust which briefly resembles a dreamcatcher. Jonesy, now himself again, steps on the final alien larva before it can contaminate the reservoir.

''Mio, My Son'' starts by introducing Bo Vilhelm Olsson (nicknamed Bosse), a nine-year-old boy who has been taken in by an elderly couple who dislike boys. They harass him and tell him to stay out of their way. Bosse's mother had died during childbirth and he has never known his father. His only friend is a boy his age, Benke. One day he receives an apple from the kindly shopkeeper, Mrs. Lundin, who asks him to mail a postcard for her. Before doing so, he takes a look at the postcard and sees it is addressed to a king, saying that his son will soon be coming home, recognised by his possession of a golden apple. Bosse looks at his apple and suddenly it turns into gold.

Soon after, Bosse finds a bottle with a spirit trapped inside. Upon freeing it, the spirit recognises the apple and takes Bosse to another world, far, far away.

Upon arriving, Bosse is told that his real name is Mio, and that he is the son of the king and thus a prince of the land. He finds a new best friend, Jum-Jum, and receives the horse Miramis from his father. As he explores his father's kingdom, he meets and befriends other children. However, he also learns that not everything in this world is as wonderful as it first seemed. In the lands beyond that of the king lives an evil knight named Kato, whose hatred is so strong that the land around his castle is barren and singed. He has kidnapped several children from the nearby villages, and he poses a constant threat to the people living there.

Mio is told that his destiny is to fight Kato, even though he is only a child. Together with Jum-Jum and Miramis, Mio sets out on a perilous journey into the land of Kato, as the stories have foretold for thousands and thousands of years.

In the American version, Mio is first called Karl Anders Nilsson, nicknamed Andy, and Jum-Jum's name is Pompoo.

Martin, a Gentile, returns with his family to Germany, exhilarated by the advances in the old country since the humiliation of the Great War. His business partner, Max, a Jew, remains in the States to keep the business going. The story is told entirely in letters between them, from 1932 to 1934.

Martin writes about the "wonderful" Third Reich and a man named "Hitler." At first Max is covetous: "How I envy you! ... You go to a democratic Germany, a land with a deep culture and the beginnings of a fine political freedom." Max soon however has misgivings about his friend's new enthusiasms, having heard from eyewitnesses who had gotten out of Berlin that Jews were being beaten and their businesses boycotted. Martin responds, telling Max that, while they may be good friends, everybody knows that Jews have been the universal scapegoats, and "a few must suffer for the millions to be saved."

"This Jew trouble is only an incident," Martin writes. "Something bigger is happening." Nonetheless, he asks Max to stop writing to him. If a letter were intercepted, he (Martin) would lose his official position and he and his family would be endangered.

Max continues to write regardless, when his own sister, Griselle, an actress goes to Berlin and goes missing. He becomes frantic to learn her fate. Martin responds on bank stationery (less likely to be inspected) and tells Max his sister is dead. He admits that he turned Griselle away when she came to him, her brother's dearest friend, for sanctuary – she had foolishly defied the Nazis and was being pursued by SA thugs. (It is implied earlier in the book that Martin and Griselle had had an affair before the events of the book take place.)

After a gap of about a month, Max starts writing to Martin at home, carrying only what looks like business and remarks about the weather, but writing as though they have a hidden encoded meaning, with strange references to exact dimensions of pictures and so on. The letters refer to "our grandmother" and imply that Martin is also Jewish. The letters from Munich to San Francisco get shorter and more panicky, begging Max to stop: "My God, Max, do you know what you do? ... These letters you have sent ... are not delivered, but they bring me in and ... demand I give them the code ... I beg you, Max, no more, no more! Stop while I can be saved."

Max however continues, "Prepare these for distribution by March 24th: Rubens 12 by 77, blue; Giotto 1 by 317, green and white; Poussin 20 by 90, red and white." The letter is returned to Max, stamped: ''Adressat unbekannt.'' Addressee Unknown. (The title of the book is actually a mistranslation of ''Adressat unbekannt:'' The correct translation of "Adressat" is "addressee," not "address"; which is much more in keeping with the plot of the story.)

After a long absence and being presumed dead, Aquaman's mortal enemy Black Manta has returned. Bringing with him waves upon waves of dedicated warriors, Manta intends to terrorize and ultimately destroy Aquaman's kingdom of Atlantis. In order to protect his subjects and the rest of the seven seas from Manta's evil machinations, Aquaman must venture into his city, save his people, and defeat Black Manta. Little does he know, however, that there is an even greater enemy waiting, who will attempt to take the Throne of Atlantis right out from under him.

The protagonist of this legal thriller is 33-year-old, Nikki Hill. Nikki is a lead prosecutor at the District Attorney's office, and he has trusted her to help find the killer of Madeleine Gray, Hollywood's most popular TV host of a blackmail show.

At first there is a hands down suspect, Jamal Deschamps, who was found at the scene of the crime. He possessed her ring and his skin was also under Maddie's thumb. After a lie detector test, it was proven that Deschamps was not the killer. It turned out, he merely found the cadaver and whilst stealing its ring, cut himself on her thumb. Nikki, another smart aleck prosecutor, and two quirky homicide detectives have a few loose strings, and bewilderment of who the real killer is. At Maddie's mansion, there was a missing rug, and a glass a ball that had Maddie's blood on it. And upstairs, where her ''blackmail'' files are, there is a busted drawer with missing contents. Nikki and the team discover that R&B singer, Diana Cooper, had a fight with Maddie the day of the murder. She quickly becomes a major suspect when Maddie's blood is also found in her trunk. The detectives come up with a scenario: Maddie threatened to give Diana's blackmail information, so she stole it and killed Maddie. This was soon proven wrong when detective Goodman's girlfriend confessed to stealing the black mail file for Diana's husband. Diana's charges were also dropped due to conflict with her alibi the time of the murder. Next, fingers were pointed towards John Willins, Diana's husband. Maddie had told Palmer, her neighbor, that she had slept with a '''J''' man. There were also logs at a private getaway club that a '''J. W.''' and '''M. Gray''' went together several times. Nikki and the team try to trace John Willin's past, and it turned up that he was from a small town. While putting together clues, they find out that John's family was killed in a fire, and that he could be taking on the identity of his deceased cousin. This leads to another question: did he murder his family with the fire? The only way to really find out was to go to the town and see if there was a grave for "John Willins". When they report this phenomenal news to district attorney, Joe Walden, he decides he wants to come along. And when they finally get to the town's only cemetery, they find out that Joe Walden, the district attorney, is the ''J.W.''...!

Category:1999 American novels Category:American thriller novels Category:Legal thriller novels

Years of civil war have brought the ninjutsu code and its warriors to the brink of extinction. A ninjutsu master selects three children to carry on the ninja traditions for the next generation: two brothers, Kazuma and Sho, and his own daughter Aya. He begins to train them.

Fifteen years pass. The oldest boy, Kazuma, begins to reject all the ninjutsu teachings, save for the technique of strength. Obsessed with power, Kazuma demands that the master teach him the ultimate technique. The master refuses, and Kazuma vows to return one day and take revenge. Sho and Aya continue their studies and master the ninjutsu teachings.

Kazuma returns with an army and the resources to build a fortress. Although the old master has died, his pupils contain the secrets of the ultimate technique. Kazuma sets up a trap to lure Sho into his hideout, and kidnaps Aya to use her as a bait.

In the ending, Kazuma sacrifices himself to save Aya and Sho from an explosion.

Charles Lodge (William Powell), a free-spirited bohemian who lives in a cluttered car trailer, disrupts the well-ordered life of successful, hardworking businesswoman Margit Agnew (Myrna Loy) when he convinces her younger sister Irene (Florence Rice) that she should become an actress. However, Margit is determined that Irene marry the fiancé she (and her mother before) had personally picked out for her sister, the pliable, weak-willed cousin Waldo (John Beal).

Fed up with Waldo's lack of initiative during a four-year engagement, Irene becomes infatuated with Charles. He pretends to return her feelings so he can stay close to Margit. When Margit confronts him, he agrees to never see Irene again if Margit will let him paint her portrait. She reluctantly agrees to three weeks of sittings. As they spend time together, she begins to respond to his decidedly unconventional charms. Meanwhile, Charles tries to teach Waldo to stand up for himself so that he can regain Irene's regard, but with little luck.

When Irene shows up unexpectedly at his trailer, Charles gets her to leave, but she is spotted by Margit. Believing he lied about giving Irene up, she angrily smashes the painting over his head. Charles arranges for a wedding, ostensibly to marry Irene, but actually as a ploy to simultaneously reconcile Irene and Waldo and win Margit's hand. However, Waldo is nowhere to be seen when Charles is asked if he will take Irene for his wife. He is forced to answer no, and that he is really in love with Margit. She finally admits she loves him too. A drunk Waldo then shows up, punches Charles in the nose and carries a delighted Irene off.

One ordinary day in the village, Asterix, Obelix, and Dogmatix leave for the forest to hunt for wild boars. As they are walking, a storm begins to brew, and a nearby tree is struck by lightning. Dogmatix is frightened and runs away. While they are searching for him, Asterix and Obelix see flames in the distance. Asterix hurries off to investigate, while Obelix remains and searches for Dogmatix. Upon arriving at the scene, Asterix meets a Roman secret agent, formerly in Caesar's service. He feels scorned for having been sacked by Caesar and agrees to help Asterix and Obelix foil the Romans' plans. Asterix enters the village to find it ablaze and full of Romans. He quickly defeats them and makes his way through the Gaulish countryside to a hilltop by the sea. There, he meets up with Obelix, who tells him that Dogmatix is still nowhere to be found. They learn from the Roman agent that their fellow villagers have been kidnapped by the Romans. Asterix and Obelix then follow him to a dock, where he points out two barges far off in the distance, and mentions that their friends are probably being held prisoner aboard them. Farther up the path, the secret agent finds Dogmatix, and Obelix's beloved pet joins the duo in their Roman-bashing antics. Asterix and Obelix then fight off many more Roman soldiers, plowing through a country road. After finally defeating all of the warriors, the two discover a padlocked wagon at the end of the road. Obelix breaks open the door, and the village druid, Getafix, clambers out. He explains to them that while he was locked up, he overheard Caesar's plans to send the Gaulish villagers to different parts of the Roman Empire. Their locations were etched into a white marble map, which Caesar smashed after showing to his soldiers. Thus, Getafix returns to the village, and Asterix, Obelix, and Dogmatix set off to the first location to free their fellow villagers from the clutches of the Romans.[https://web.archive.org/web/20040419063506/http://cube.ign.com/objects/665/665207.html Asterix & Obelix XXL] at . Retrieved 26 June 2008.

After his mother is shot and killed by a hunter, Bambi is greeted by his father the Great Prince, who takes him to the den. The Great Prince asks Friend Owl to find a doe to raise Bambi, but Friend Owl tells him that due to the harsh winter, the does can barely feed themselves. The Great Prince has to take care of Bambi until spring.

Sometime later, the Great Prince allows Bambi to be with his friends Thumper and Flower. At the groundhog ceremony, Bambi meets Faline, a young doe he had encountered before. The Groundhog is coaxed out of his hole, only to be scared back in by an older fawn named Ronno, who tries to impress Faline with stories of his encounter with Man. When Bambi believes the story, Ronno is about to fight Bambi until he is called away by his mother.

When the others leave, Bambi falls asleep waiting for his father and dreams about reuniting with his mother. He wakes up to what appears to be his mother's voice, which calls him into a meadow, but it turns out to be an ambush by Man. The Great Prince comes to Bambi's rescue and saves him in time, but is furious that he fell for the trick and almost getting himself killed. Days later, Bambi informs Thumper and Flower about his wish to impress his father. They decide to help Bambi be brave, but while doing so, they encounter a porcupine, who sticks his quills into Bambi's backside. Ronno and Faline, hearing the commotion, investigate; Bambi sees Ronno bothering Faline and gets into a fight with him. Ronno chases Bambi and Thumper through the forest until Bambi leaps over a large ravine to safety. The Great Prince, having seen the whole thing, is impressed by this feat. Ronno, jealous of the young prince, tries to jump over the chasm himself, but falls in, thwarted for now.

The next day, Thumper encourages Bambi to talk to the Great Prince, and the two connect. The Great Prince allows Bambi to come along with him on his patrols, and as the two get closer, Friend Owl approaches them and introduces them to Mena, a doe who was a childhood friend of Bambi's mother and has been selected by Friend Owl to be Bambi's new mother. Bambi realizes the Great Prince had planned on sending him away and snaps at his father, while the Great Prince concludes that he is not meant to raise Bambi. Bambi sadly accepts the change.

On the way to Mena's den, Ronno shows up to taunt Bambi again. The two get into another fight that sets off one of Man's traps, alerting Man. Bambi saves Mena by leading Man's dogs away from her, and the Great Prince arrives. The dogs chase Bambi, and his friends help him fend them off. Bambi evades all but one of the dogs. Bambi kicks the other dog off a cliff but falls off as well. Everyone grieves him until Bambi reveals he is still alive, and he and the Great Prince reconcile.

Sometime later, Thumper shares his version of the chase with the rest of his friends, and Bambi, whose antlers have just grown in, enjoys the tall tale with Faline. Ronno appears and vows vengeance on Bambi before being bitten on the nose by a turtle and runs off. Bambi meets up with the Great Prince, who shows him the field where he and Bambi's mother first met as fawns.

The evil giant, Death Adder, has invaded the countries of Firewood, Nendoria and Altorulia and killed the royal families. A young hero from Firewood sets out on a quest to destroy the giant. To counter Adder's evil magic he needs to find the nine crystals of the royal family from Firewood. These crystals warded off Death Adder until the king was betrayed by a minister who sold the crystals to Adder. Death Adder has hidden the crystals in nine labyrinths. On his quest the hero visits numerous villages and discovers numerous people hiding from Death Adder. He can learn the Thunder, Earth, Fire and Water magics. He learns that the princess of Firewood is still alive and that he is the son of the king of Altorulia. After finding all nine crystals the hero is able to enter the tenth and final labyrinth where he must find the mythical Golden Axe, the only weapon that can harm Death Adder, before facing the giant himself.

''Jade Cocoon'' is the story of Levant, a young man who lives in the town of Syrus. The silent protagonist is guided by the player on his quest to follow in his presumably dead father's footsteps to become a ''Cocoon Master''. To do this, he must marry a ''Na'gi'' woman, and is betrothed to a girl named Mahbu (voiced by Michelle Ruff). On the day of a large festival in Syrus, the village is attacked by demons known as the ''Onibubu'', which cause many villagers to fall into a deep slumber. An elderly Nagi woman, Garai, repels the Onibubu using Nagi magic before their curse affects everyone.

After a quick wedding ceremony, Levant is given the title of cocoon master and leaves to explore the surrounding forest to find a rare herb rumored to be able to lift the curse. He traverses four forests on his quest, the Beetle, Dragonfly, Spider, and Moth forests, which are populated with a variety of monsters known as ''minions'' (or just Divine Beasts) that Levant may capture into cocoons and tame. Throughout Levant's journey, his wife, Mahbu experiences treacherous ordeals called Nagi Brandings in order to soothe the souls of the minions the protagonist captures. On his quest he meets many others, such as Koris, the Blue Cocoon Master, Kikinak, the Bird Man, and Yamu, who assist him in saving the people of the village.

In a desperate attempt to save their village, the government of Syrus makes an attempt to sacrifice Garai to the Divine Tree, believing her to be the Goddess of sewing souls. Garai reveals herself to be the goddess, and ties the souls of the village to Levant, turning the people into stone. Levant makes one final journey into the gates of the Moth Forest to find the Temple of Kemuel, a place where he must go into the nether-realms to fight challenging inner demons and save his village once and for all and fulfill a prophecy.

Rather than being thrown away like trash, Gregor Samsa was secretly sold to a Viennese sideshow by the Samsas' chambermaid. He then met various figures like Wittgenstein, Spengler and Albert Einstein and witnessed American Prohibition, the Scopes trial, was involved in Alice Paul's feminist movement, encountered the Ku Klux Klan, and conferred with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Robert Oppenheimer.