First off, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Part I and absolutely adored Henry V. Having said that, I found Part II to be enjoyable, yet perhaps leaving something to be desired - like more action. Falstaff and Prince Hal both come off as somewhat disingenuous and calculating Machiavellian individuals. Disappointingly, Falstaff speaks poorly of Prince Hal while unwittingly in his midst. Conversely, The Prince of Wales prematurely takes the crown before his King Henry IV's death as well as disassociating himself with Falstaff after he is crowned King. These instances, along with others throughout the play, show the self-serving tendencies of both characters.

However, we can proudly witness the maturation of the young King from wild & dissolute young Prince Hal into one of the most revered monarchs in English history, King Henry V. Part II remains an intriguing play due to its paradoxical nature, yet unfortunately rarely acted out today. Now that I have read Henry IV(I&II) for the first time, I gladly move on to one of my personal favorites, Henry V. I recommend both parts(Folger editions) for all Shakespeare enthusiasts - they have given me greater insight into the young Henry V - when he was more concerned with downing a pint of ale rather than downing the French at Agincourt.

2 Magnificent Quotes from Henry IV Part II -
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." - King Henry IV
"He hath eaten me out of house and home." - Mistress Quickly

henry iv is misnamed since the play isn't really about king henry but about his son, prince hal, and his enemies, especially henry percy (aka 'hotspur') who is a rival to hal. hotspur is one of the leaders of the rebellion against the king and, at a tender age, is already an accomplished soldier. his story provides the drama of the play. hal, on the other hand, has fallen out of favor with the king, and is whiling away his days in the company of dissolute company, led by sir john falstaff, one of shakespeare's great characters. his adventures with sir john provide the comic relief. fortunately for the king, hal sheds his prodigal ways in time to save his father and his crown in the battle at shrewsbury, where, coincidentally, hal meets and slays his rival, hotspur.

this is one of shakespeare's best plays. the story of the rebellion is intriguing, and the adventures of hal and falstaff are laugh-out-loud hilarious. the culmination of the two stories in the final battle scene is wonderful. this is a fitting sequel to richard ii.

note that there are some historical inaccuracies and even outright inventions in this play. foremost is the character of falstaff who is pure invention (and genius). the story of hal's adventures stems from his reputation, enhanced by legend, as a playboy. falstaff was the perfect foil for a carousing prince. the biggest inaccuracy is hotspur's age. he was actually of the generation of henry iv, and not as young as he's depicted in the play. shakespeare made him younger to enhance, maybe even create, the rivalry with hal. there are other inaccuracies here, but better for the reader to consult 'shakespeare's kings', an excellent book by saccio that explains the history of the period and the discrepancies in the play.

The lengthy title for the 1598 printing was "The History of Henrie the Fourth, With the Battell at Shrewsburie, between the King and Lord Henry Percy, surnamed Henrie Hotspur of the North, with the humorous conceits of Sir John Falstaffe".

Surprisingly, Hal, Prince of Wales, (later Henry V) was not even mentioned in this verbose title although many would consider him to be the central character. This play is clearly the dramatization of a struggle for a kingdom, but it is equally the story of Hal's wild and reckless youthful adventures with Falstaff and other disreputable companions.

Shakespeare did not write his plays about English kings in chronological order, but these plays do have a historical unity. It is helpful (but not essential) to read the tetralogy Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 and 2, and Henry V in chronological order. Whatever route you take, I highly recommend buying a companion copy of Peter Saccio's "Shakespeare's English Kings", an engaging look at how Shakespeare revised history to achieve dramatic effect.

A wide selection of Henry IV editions are available, including older editions in used bookstores. I am familiar with a few and have personal favorites:

The New Folger Library Shakespeare is my first choice among the inexpensive editions of Henry IV. "New" replaces the prior version in use for 35 years. It uses "facing page" format with scene summaries, explanations for rare and archaic words and expressions, and Elizabethan drawings located on the left page; the Henry IV text is on the right. I particularly liked the section on "Reading Shakespeare's Language in Henry IV" and Alexander Legget's literary analysis (save this until you have read the play). The fascinating article "Historical Background: Sir John Falstaff and Sir John Oldcastle" adds a religious dimension to the play that I had not previously noted.

The Bedford Shakespeare Series provides an excellent study text (edited by Barbara Hodgdon) titled "The First Part of King Henry the Fourth". It is a little more expensive, is about 400 pages, and provides a broad range of source and context documentation. It would be excellent for an upper level course in Shakespeare. The context documentation is fascinating and informative; it ranges from the Holinshed Chronicles to Elizabethan writing on Civic Order to detailed cultural studies of London's diverse populous. Other chapters address the OldCastle controversy and the "Education of a Prince".

I also like the Norton Critical edition (edited by James Sanderson), "Henry the Fourth, Part 1", particularly for its extensive collection of literary criticism. The essays are divided into two parts: 1) the theme, characters, structure, and style of the play and 2) a wide variety of interpretation directed toward that roguish character, Sir John Falstaff.

. . . to really achieve its full potential, this play needs to be acted out on stage. Still, highly excellent, involving twins, cross-dressing, love tangles, sword-fighting, secret marriages, music, disguises, mistaken identities, high speech, and lowbrow humour.

The entire play takes place in Illyria. In the main plot, Orsino is in love with Olivia, who unfortunately does not return his feelings. Viola is shipwrecked on the Illyrian coast, and dressed as a boy, comes to serve in Orsino's court, where she of course falls in love with Orsino. Meanwhile, in Olivia's court, some of her courtiers plan a cruel--but funny--practical joke against her pompous steward Malvolio. There is also a third plot later on involving Viola's twin brother Sebastian, who has been shipwrecked likewise. Naturally things get quite confusing, but, true to Shakespeare's comedic style, everything gets worked out in the end.

This is an enjoyable book to read, and the notes are very helpful. However, it is still better as a performance.

"Twelfth Night" is one of the famous romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare. Many critics said, "Twelfth Night" is the masterpiece among his comedy because his fully developed style and insight are in the "Twelfth Night", so it has special value and attractiveness.
There are four main characters in "Twelfth Night" ; Duke Orsino, Olivia, Viola, and
Sebastian. Duke Orsino who lives in Illyria loves Olivia, so every day he send one of
his servant to Olivia's house for proposal of marriage. However, every time Olivia
refuses his proposal for the reason that she lost her brother before long, so she is now
in big sorrow and can not love anyone. One day, Viola comes into Illyria. She and her
twin brother Sebastian are separated in a shipwreck and they are rescued by two
different people in two different place, so they think the other one is dead each other.
Viola disguise as a man and become a servant of Duke Orsino, and then she fall in
love with Duke Orsino. But, Duke Orsino loves Olivia and he send Viola whose new
name as a man is "Cesario" to Olivia for proposal. Unexpectedly, Olivia fall in love with
Cesario!! Therefore, love triangle is formed. In the latter scene, Sebastian also come into
Illyria, so the confusion getting worse. However, in the end, all misunderstandings are
solved and Cesario become Viola, so the four main characters find their love.
There are also four supporting characters in "Twelfth Night" ; Clown, Sir Toby Belch,
Malvolio, and Sir Andrew Aguecheek. They make the readers laugh through their funny
behaviors and comments in subplot.
"Twelfth Night" is very funny story and enjoyable book, so I recommend you.

I didn't read this particular version of Twelfth Night, so I'm rating the plot, not the editing. This book was the first play by Shakespeare that I read, and I loved it! It starts when Viola and her brother, Sebastian, are seperated in a shipwreck. Viola decides to disguise herself as a boy and work for Orsino, the duke. Orsino sends Viola to tell Olivia that he loves her. Viola does what he says, but she wishes she didn't have to, because she has fallen in love with Orsino! Then Olivia falls in love with Viola, thinking that she is a boy. While all this is going on, Andrew Aguecheek is wooing Olivia, who scorns him. Also, Maria, the maid, Sir Toby Belch, Olivia's uncle, and another servant write a letter and put it where Malvolio, a servant, will see it. The letter says that Olivia is in love with Malvolio. Malvolio immediately starts trying to woo Olivia. Maria and Sir Toby pretend to think that he's mad, and lock him up. Meanwhile, Sebastian comes to town with Antonio, the man who saved him from the shipwreck. Antonio gives him his purse and says that he must stay away from the city because he fought against the duke in a war. A few minutes later, Antonio realizes that he needs money for lodgings and goes to find Sebastian. In the city, Viola is being forced to fight Andrew Aguecheek for the right to marry Olivia. Antonio sees the fight and hurries to intervene. Orsino recognizes him and has him arrested. Antonio asks Viola for his purse so that he can pay bail, thinking that she is Sebastian. Viola denies having had a purse. Then Sebastian comes up. Olivia had found him and married him on the spot, and he, deliriously happy, had gone away to give Antonio his purse. On the way, he met Sir Toby and Andrew Aguecheek. When they try to force him to fight, he punches them and goes on. They come up too, bitterly accusing Viola. (No one has seen Sebastian yet.) Then Olivia comes up and speaks to Viola, who denies being her wife. Orsino becomes angry with her, thinking that she has married Olivia, and accuses her of treachery. Just as things are looking bad for Viola, Sebastian reveals himself. Then everyone is happy (since Orsino falls in love with Viola on the spot) except Andrew Aguecheek and Malvolio, who is later set free. The plot of this book is a little hard to understand, but it is halariously funny and makes for happy reading.

Cat on A Hot Tin roof deals with love and loss, but once looked into deeper, deals with each character's take on death. this play is genius, and to give you a taste--"...But a man can't buy his life with it [money], he can't buy back his life with it when his life has been spent, that's one thing not offered in the Europe fire sale or in the Amercian markets or any markets on earth, a mans can't but his life with it, he can't buy back his life when his life is finished."

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is another masterpiece by Tennessee Williams, who was truly one of the 20th century's greatest playwrights. This play was presented in New York in the 1950s, and in book form it is an excellent read.

I haven't looked at other editions, but the Signet edition contains two different versions of Act 3, along with a note by Williams explaining how director Elia Kazan persuaded him to write a second version. This feature makes the book particularly useful for teachers and students.

"Cat" takes place on a Southern plantation, and deals with a wealthy, but very dysfunctional family. Williams creates stunning dialogue for his characters: Brick, the bitter, alcoholic ex-athlete; Brick's frustrated wife Margaret; "Big Daddy," the patriarch, who is dying of cancer; and the rest. Williams also establishes the plantation's original owners as a haunting presence through the lines of his characters.

"Cat" is an explosive family drama about greed, secrets, guilt, alcoholism, and sexual frustration. Williams' characters are larger-than-life, and even grotesque, but Williams never loses a grasp on their essential humanity. An important book for those with a serious interest in American drama.

Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize winning play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a reverie filled drama of lust, greed, and death that puts emphasis on the interaction of families. Williams creates universal characters that are pathetic yet familiar and therefore warrant the reader's sympathy. He writes with such deceptive simplicity that he masks his characters's inner turmoil initially, making the turnout of such characterizations intriguing. The play presents that humanity isn't beautiful while attempting to shed light on the emotional lies that govern the interaction of families. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"'s intertwining themes of the lie of life and the deception of death provide the reader with insight towards the amblivalence of life.

To say so much within such a short piece is a mystery within itself. The sheer power of the plot is testimony of Williams's genius. The play is beautifully constructed and hits upon many themes and emotions with clarity and precision, making it an enjoyable read while having substance. I did an analysis of this book for my junior Reading class, and recommend the read to anyone seeking high drama and a well rounded take on death.

When I picked this book up, I thought it was all about my favorite character--sweet, wholesome, Elizabeth. It was about Elizabeth but she wasn't as nice as she is the regular series. I'm sure the other two books are even more naughty. This book kept me reading for more. i can't wait to get Elizabeth's Secret Diary Volume II. I also recommend you read the Wakefields of Sweet Valley and The Evil Twin.

Loved the book, got it one year ago and I have read it four times. But it makes me realise that Elizabeth is really really uggh!! She is supposed to be smart but she makes really silly mistakes. Even Jessica's problems aren't as serious.

This is a GREAT book. It really surprised me that Elizabeth would cheat on Todd. And I can't believe that Sam ended up with Jessica. But I think Liz should have dumped Todd. I don't think she really likes him that much. I thought this one was way better than Jessica's diary Vol. 3. You should read Jessica Vol 3 and A Night To Remember.

I read this book,it was a fascinating experience to learn things from iacocca how he got over the struggling periods from Ford to Chrysler.Its a lif e of a man who is fired for his good work and loved to live with cars

I opted to read this book out of curiosity on how Lee lead Chrysler the way that he did; I was also surprised to learn about his beginnings with FORD. This book is a sort of "in your face" look at how management and leadership worked at both Chrysler and Ford to bring about successes. If you're in management or a leadership role, this book makes for good reading, and you may find yourself referring back to periodically--I have. There are some excellent points that remain quite valid in today's corporate environment. I think that Iacocca's comment: "Good leaders know how to follow their people.", says a lot about one's role in a leadership capacity, and what a good leader should be capable of. Good leaders should lead, but they should also know when to listen to their people. This book is a keeper!

It's truly a Management book but at the same time a thriller which should be read by people in low spirits especially those who have just been fired from their positions.

Wayyyyy back before anime went mainstream in America, before the likes of Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, and other such popular series that have recently hit our shores, there was a series called Gundam. 21 years later, we finally(we as the general public) are exposed to the Gundam universe. With the debute of Gundam Wing on Cartoon Network, anime fans and other oblivious TV viewers alike got a taste of TRUE anime on TV.We anime lovers are finally getting the satisfaction of the GOOD series airing, not just kiddie Pokemon and other so called anime that has been hyped to ridiculous proportions! Bottom line is this:If you've seen the series, then you're gonna love this! Now go back to the that time looong long ago(okay, so maybe not that long ago)where Gundam started, and be prepared, for the series is HUGE!The action is great, the story is better, and the characters ae memorable. Just one thing:those of you who are used to the flashy streamlined designs of the Wing series may be a bit taken by the more bulky and erratic designs of the Moble Suits in this series. Back then, anime robots weren't as well designed in my opnion. But soon Gudam started to change all that. If you can see past the 70's style art then there's a great story underneath waiting for you. This is only the start.Enjoy!

before there was gundam z, zz, x, 0080, 0083, formula 91, endless waltz, generation 0, the 8th MS team, wing (which most of you are probably familiar with), or any other gundam, there was gundam 0079(a.k.a. mobile suit gundam). This book contains everything you need to know about how the gundam saga got started. And eventhough the original series was created in 1979, the storyline and plot are excellent. This is a must-get-book to all of you who only know about gundam wing since wing is only a small fraction of the gundam universe. NOTE: this story takes place hundreds of years BEFORE wing.

It's disturbing to think how much people are focused on Gundam Wing because it's so mainstream... Personally, I find this to be a good book, but only if you are willing to GO BEYOND Gundam Wing. If you want to learn more about the UC era and the One Year War (not to be confused with Gundam Wing's AFTER COLONY era), go ahead and buy this book. But be warned! If you have no background in Gundam (in its ENTIRETY; not any of this ONLY GUNDAM WING experience), it may be confusing. Keep in mind that Gundam Wing is a totally DIFFERENT universe in comparison to the ORIGINAL KIDOU SENSHI GUNDAM storyline (it was one of 3 alternate universes commisioned by the creators of the original series). Therefore, while they may share some of the same aspects (i.e. the Gundams and the similarities between OZ and Zion), they do not share others, like beam "sporks" and other fun gimmicks. Sorry if the GW description offended anyone.

'As you like it' is one of those Shakespearean plays that is considered 'great' by critics, but never really found true popular acclaim, perhaps due to the absence of charismatic characters (the romantic hero is particularly wet) or compelling dilemmas.

It shares many features with the great comedies - the notion of the forest as a magic or transformative space away from tyrannical society ('A Midsummer night's dream'); the theme of unrequited love and gender switching from 'Twelfth night'; the exiled Duke and his playful daughter from 'The Tempest'. But these comparisons only point to 'AYLI''s comparative failure (as a reading experience anyway) - it lacks the magical sense of play of the first; the yearning melancholy of the second; or the elegiac complexity of the third.

It starts off brilliantly with a first act dominated by tyrants: an heir who neglects his younger brother, and a Duke who resents the popularity of his exiled brother's daughter (Rosalind). there is an eccentric wrestling sequence in which a callow youth (Orlando) overthrows a giant. Then the good characters are exiled to Arden searching for relatives and loved ones.

Theoretically, this should be good fun, and you can see why post-modernist critics enjoy it, with its courtiers arriving to civilise the forest in the language of contemporary explorers, and the gender fluidity and role-play; but, in truth, plot is minimal, with tiresomely pedantic 'wit' to the fore, especially when the melancholy scholar-courtier Jacques and Fool Touchstone are around, with the latter's travesties of classical learning presumably hilarious if you're an expert on Theocritus and the like.

As an English pastoral, 'AYLI' doesn't approach Sidney's 'Arcadia' - maybe it soars on stage. (Latham's Arden edition is as frustrating as ever, with scholarly cavilling creating a stumbling read, and an introduction which characteristically neuters everything that makes Shakespeare so exciting and challenging)

Anyone with a working knowledge of Shakespeare's plays knows that As You Like It is a light, airy comedy. It is clearly not one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. As You Like It is more obscure than famous. Even amongst the comedies it comes nowhere close to the popularity of plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, or Twelfth Night. That said, it is a treasure in its own right. This is so, if for nothing else, because it contains one of the greatest pictures of a woman to be found in Shakespeare's works, excluding the Sonnets.

Ah, sweet Rosalind. In her are encapsulated so many ideas about the nature of woman. She is first pictured in a rather faux-Petrarchan manner. This quickly fades as an intelligent woman comes to the fore. While the intelligence remains, she is also torn by the savage winds of romantic love. Rosalind, in all her complexity and self-contradiction, is a truly modern female character.

Most of the women in Shakespeare's tragedies and historical plays are either window dressing (as in Julius Caesar) or woefully one-sided (Ophelia, Lady Macbeth). This is not the case with Rosalind. Rather than being marginalized, she is the focus of a good chunk of the play. Instead of being static and [standard], she is a complex evolving character.

When Rosalind first appears, she outwardly looks much like any other lady of the court. She is a stunning beauty. She is much praised for her virtue. Both of these elements factor in the Duke's decision to banish or [do away with] her.

Rosalind falls in love immediately upon seeing Orlando. In this way she at first seems to back up a typically courtly idea of "love at first sight." Also, she initially seems quite unattainable to Orlando. These are echoes of Petrarchan notions that proclaim love to be a painful thing. This dynamic is stood on its head following her banishment.

Rosalind begins to question the certainty of Orlando's affection. She criticizes his doggerel when she finds it nailed to a tree. Rather than wilting like some medieval flower, she puts into effect a plan. She seeks to test the validity of her pretty-boy's love. In the guise of a boy herself, she questions the deceived Orlando about his love.

Yet Rosalind is not always so assured. Her steadfastness is not cut and dried. Composed in his presence, Rosalind melts the second Orlando goes away. She starts spouting romantic drivel worthy of Judith Krantz. Even her best friend Celia seems to tire of her love talk. This hesitating, yet consuming passion is thrown into stark relief with her crystal clear dealings with the unwanted advances of the shepherdess Phebe.

Rosalind contradicts herself in taking the side of Silvius in his pursuit of Phebe. She seeks to help Silvius win the love of Phebe because of his endearing constancy. Yet the whole reason she tests Orlando is the supposed inconstancy of men's affections.

This idea of Male inconstancy has made its way down to the present day. Men are seen, in many circles, as basically incapable of fidelity. Though a contradiction to her treatment of Silvius' cause, Rosalind's knowing subscription to pessimistic views on the constancy of a man's love places her on the same playing field as many modern women.

Rosalind takes charge of her own fate. Until and even during Shakespeare's own time women largely were at the mercy of the men around them. This is satirized in Rosalind's assuming the appearance of a man. Yet she had taken charge of her life even before taking on the dress and likeness of a man. She gives her token to Orlando. She decides to go to the Forest. She makes the choice of appearing like a man to ensure her safety and the safety of Celia.

Rosalind finally finds balance and happiness when she comes to love not as a test or game, but as an equal partnership. Shakespeare is clearly critiquing the contemporary notions of love in his day. His play also condemns society's underestimation and marginalization of women. However, the Bard's main point is more profound.

As You Like It makes it clear that the world is never picture perfect, even when there are fairy-tale endings. Men and women both fail. Love is the most important thing. With love all things are possible.

"As You Like It" is bar none, one of Shakespeare's VERY best works. It is probably the most poetic of the comedies and contains perhaps as many famous quotations as any other of his plays. Rosalind is perhaps his greatest female character and this work, along with the equally (or even more) brilliant "Midsummer Night's Dream," is the best example of Shakespeare's theme of the "dream world" vs. the "real" world. This play, especially the scenes in the forest, is a celebration of language and the power of the freedom of the imagination. It consequently can be read as a criticism of the "real world," here represented by Duke Ferdinand's court. Like many of the other comedies, Shakespeare is mocking the "ideal" which many in his society would have praised. Though this play deals with some pretty dark themes (which of his plays doesn't?) it is a light-hearted and fully enjoyable read!

"The Duplicate" was an exceptionally good book, which keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole story. It will keep your interest throughout the entire story, giving you several twists and turns to read through. When David finds a mysterious machine, the Spee-dee-dupe, which only copies living organisms, he thinks that all his problems are over. In this case, he could go out with Angela, and the duplicate could go to his grandmothers. Just use your imagination. You could spend the whole day at the mall, while the other was at school. All these possibilities are never ending, or in this case, a never ending nightmare. I'm sure you will find hardly any negative points in this book. In the begining of the story it gives you some very unnecessary information which makes it a little boring. Throughout the whole story, everything is written flawlessly untill you reach the end. It has an okay ending, but it's kind of hard to really picture people acting the way they do. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, wether you're a bookworm, a Sci-fi freak, or just the opposite of those. This action packed book is remarkably suspenseful, and everyone should read it at least once in their life time.This book also teaches you a lot about life. It taught me that you can necer take the short cut through life. Always sort out your problems as they come along, and never leave one behind, because it will always be with you.

I like the book The Duplicate because it is full of a lot of action and suspense. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. After I read this book I wanted to read other books by the same author because I like the way he writes science fiction. Sleator's books are very,very fantastic books to read.

Some positive things I liked about this book were that it had lots of action. This book would catch any reader's eyes that love science fiction. I also think that Sleator describes a lot of things real well. For example, he decribes the scene where the kids were on top of the mountain.

Some negetive things that I didn't like were that the character duplicated himself in the beginning of the third chapter. Maybe Sleator could have built the story up more before doing this. Also, some parts of the story were boring. For example, in the middle of the story some chapters were very boring because they didn't have any action.

I would recommend this book to children from the ages ten through fifteen. I think you'll love this book.

I give The Duplicate five out five stars because it had lots of action with some romance. I like how this book leaves you in suspence at the end of every chapter. William Sleator used soom good description. When he describes David, the author says, "I'm a good son, decent, well behaved, and all that boring stuff." He also describes Carl as "Very tall, with curly black hair, and dark eyes." I also like how he wrote the book. He wrote it so everyone can understand what is going on. In addition to the action to the action and romance, there is a little bit of mystery and a little bit of fright. Since I really liked this book, I don't think there are many bad things. But one thing I didn't like was the very last line. It makes you want to read on but it is the end of the book. Also, this author did not wrap all the questions at the end of the book. Just like the other chapters, William Sleator leaves you in suspense. But, there is no sequal to this book so you don't know what happens. I would recommend this book because it is really interesting and you will wonder what will happen next. This book would be good for everyone because it has a little bit of everything in it. I learned that in the future when we are able to duplicate ourselves, it might not be as good as everyone thinks it will be. This book helped me understand that having a duplicate is not like having a twin sister or brother.

A Review by Colton

Two identical twins Barry and Harry krasner, Harry is a rough kind of guy who is athletic and in the story he makes a suggestion to watch over there uncles empty farm. Harry who is very different he is gentle and sensitive he thinks, sure why not hoping that they would become close more like brothers instead of rivaling friends or enemies. The people who live near the farm house stay away because there is something scary and chilling about that old abandoned farm house. There is a shed that is locked on there property and they think all these creepy feelings are coming from there what they find in side is crazy and

I love the phrase on the front "it's not just a play house it is a portal into terror."
And it's not a play house it is a shed I hate that when people do dumb things like that.
And it was really interesting.

You should read this book and find out what is in that locked shed it will surprise you

While not a great work of literature, "Singularity" is still very much worth reading. The idea of a sort of reverse black hole is an interesting departure from more typical science fiction plot elements, but the most interesting part of the book is its depiction of Harry's relationship with his brother and how it changes as Harry matures. The step that Harry takes reminds the reader of the character in Chekhov's short story, "The Bet," who does much the same thing, although from

different motives. Sleator's description of Harry's life while he is carrying out his plan is convincing; the reader knows how Harry feels, and the change in Harry's character seems natural and inevitable rather than forced. All in all, I find this book to be one of Sleator's most memorable, which means, of course, that is is one of the more memorable of modern books for young people.

William Sleator is a newly emerging author into the world of science fiction. One of his greatest works is Singularity, a story of teenage twins Harry and Barry and their adventure in time. Singularity is an exciting science fiction novel that is enjoyed by nearly all its raeders. William Sleator was born in 1945 in Maryland and attended Harvard University with intentions of becoming a scientist. After college, Sleator began writing rather than getting involved in the scientific field. Some of Sleator's most well-known books are: House of Stairs, Among the Dolls, The Green Futures of Tycho, Interstellar Pig, and Singularity. Sleator spends most of his time in Maryland and Bangkok, China. Sleator says, "Bangkok makes me feel the most at home. It is so exotic that it feels like another planet. (Don't ask me why that makes me feel at home.)" In the novel, Singularity, twins, Harry and Barry, are teenagers living in an average town. Barry is much more popular and outspoken than Harry. Harry seeks revenge on his twin for his arrogance and cruelty. Harry and Barry are on their way to the home of their deceased uncle where they are to spend the summer. When they arrive, they discover that the house is ornamented with skeletons of bizarre animals, unknown to our world. Out back, there is a small, metal structure, almost like some sort of a bomb shelter. It is barricaded by a strong double lock. After searching, the twins find the keys to the "playhouse" and begin their adventure into time. They quickly discover that time is slower in the playhouse; a second in real time is like hours in the playhouse. At first, the playhouse is like a game, but they soon wish they had never found the keys . . . The characters of Singularity are very realistic while the setting is characteristic of most science fiction novels. The "black hole" keeps the story from seeming exceedingly realistic but the author does a wonderful job of making it seem believable. The story draws the reader in, making it almost impossible to put the book down after the first few pages. It is full of excitement and wonder which encourage the reader to read on. Singularity is a "crafty interplay of fantasy and sibling psychology" (Kirkus Reviews). Sleator did a wonderful job of drawing the reader in and making science fiction seem believable. Singularity is an excellent story, even for those who don't enjoy most science fiction novels.