Гадателката (Хроника на човешкия вид, #2)

Penelope Bailey #1

by Mike Resnick, Сийка Нотева (Translator)

Те скитат из необятната, все още непокорена Галактика и легендите ги превръщат в гиганти. Герои и разбойници, звездни пътешественици и ловци на глави — Гробаря Смит, Вечното Хлапе, Ледения, Янки Ножицата…

Но най-опасно и издирвано от цели империи е едно изплашено момиченце, надарено със свръхестествена сила да предвижда, владее и унищожава. Името й е Пенелопа Бейли. От нейната воля зависи бъдещето на Вселената…

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Ebooks, Speculative Fiction

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, was a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He was the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed for major awards in England, Italy and Australia. He was the author of 68 novels, over 250 stories, and 2 screenplays, and was the editor of 41 anthologies. His work has been translated into 25 languages. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2012 Worldcon and can be found online as @ResnickMike on Twitter or at www.mikeresnick.com.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Resnick's Oracle trilogy is about Penelope Bailey, a girl who can predict the future, and an assassin called the Iceman who is assigned to kill her. Mendoza, the Iceman, wrestles with ethical dilemmas associated with killing someone who could change the universe for the better or destroy it.

The Oracle trilogy isn't as good as the Widowmaker Trilogy or the two Santiago books but it's pretty good. Iceman's struggle is believeable and well written, as it is in the subsequent two books dealing with Penelope.

One thing I have to mention is that the other killers Mendoza mentions are all featured in other Resnick books. That's the thing that drew me into Resnick's universe in the first place. Every bit of history or figure mentioned is featured in another of his books. The killing of Conrad Bland, for instance, is the basis of an entire novel, as are all the revolutions mentioned. Resnick's universe is tightly bound together but you won't be lost if you don't know all the details of the events.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Soothsayer" by Mike Resnick is the first book in a trilogy and an excellent start it is.

It is structured around interrelationships between three significant characters. First is Mouse—seen initially as a Rogue-like trickster who has skills and abilities that make her much more dangerous than she appears. Second is Penelope Bailey. Penelope is apparently a frightened little girl sought after by very dangerous bounty hunters who wish to sell her to unscrupulous customers (including Governments} who want to use her special abilities for their own ends. Finally there is the strange figure of the Iceman. His relationships with the other two provide a main focus of the novel. While the characterisation of these three is not particularly subtle, it does develop believably as the novel proceeds and effectively helps focus the primary conflicts in the book.

The novel is structured through five different books. Each linked to a significant character and set in a different locale: hence the richness of atmosphere and the variety of exotic and interesting characters. Certainly there is an element of the Space Opera about this novel though it is far more sophisticated than one usually presumes such novels to be. This is because there is also an element of "noir" throughout. This element of darkness strengthens as the plot develops and the relationships become more intense.

The principal conflict focuses on the problem that occurs when a human being has a gift that makes him or her both extremely desirable and simultaneously dangerous. Does any individual or society have the right to command such individuals against their personal wishes and thus hijack their chances of finding happiness? Do those with such gifts even have any right to that solace?

This novel provides no easy answers and that is one of its attractions.

I have just finished re-reading this great space opera with its wonderful and ambiguous finale. I enjoyed it so much that I added the extra star. I now will proceed to the rest of the trilogy.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Реално 2,5 звезди.

Нелош космически уестърн с ловци на глави, космически злодеи, добросърдечна крадла и много пукотевица покрай преследването на 8 годишно момиченце със странна дарба. Естествено, нито детето е невинно, нито всички злодеи са съвсем черни. Всъщност толкова дразнещ главен герой в детска възраст отдавна не бях срещала, и с какво заплени така крадлата, хич не ми стана ясно.

Леко се чете за една вечер, и е тънко книжле.

Ще видя и останалите две части, дано са по-добри.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think of The Wild West from America’s past, add in gunslingers and bounty hunters, season a bit with space travel, and mix it all together with a child who may one day have the power to rule…if she can see it clearly enough to make it happen. The resulting mix is “Soothsayer,” the first book in Mike Resnick’s Oracle Trilogy.

The book has the feel of classic science fiction of the mid-20th century, where the story is king and the character development is secondary. This is not to say that readers won’t understand the motivations of the people walking around in Mr. Resnick’s story, but it is the story itself that propels this book, and the excitement begins with the first chapter and lasts until the end. Central also to this style is the author’s great care in revealing the soothsayer’s talents, allowing the dialogue to explain her powers in detail without allowing the story to become dry and uninteresting. As the story progresses, one begins to understand the danger that hides behind the shadow of innocence, moving the story to another level and providing one more hook to pull the reader into the book.

Although this 1991 book is first in the trilogy (books 2 and 3 were completed by 1993), the tale stands alone and one does not feel forced to move on to the next book (although the plot was good enough to whet my appetite and I probably will move on to the next book). Definitely a quick, fun read. Five stars.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an explanation of why I read this book, click here.

I've loved all the Mike Resnick books I've read. They feel like a comfortable fit for me as a reader, regardless of subject matter. So the only surprise about how much I loved this book is that it's the first five-star rating of the Project 53 books.

This is fundamentally not a complicated story. Penelope Bailey is an eight-year-old girl with the power to see and influence the future. Naturally, that means a lot of governments and private individuals and corporations want to control her. Penelope finds a protector in Mouse, a thief who loves Penelope like her own child. And the story is basically them going from place to place and getting out of one mess by leaping into another.

The ending is what got me: Mouse has been arguing with her former friend the Iceman, who insists that Penelope is dangerous and should be killed. Mouse's position is that Penelope is a child whose potential for destruction is going to be a matter of how she's raised. And then Penelope lets Mouse die because she has seen a future in which Mouse, full of doubts thanks to the Iceman, betrays her.

And I loved it and was shocked by it because I disagreed with the Iceman that Penelope's future was immutable. I was with Mouse on the subject of Penelope learning control and leaving behind her fears. I've raised four children and I know they can outgrow their early self-centered behavior. The complexity lies in the conundrum of whether the Iceman is responsible for Mouse's death because Mouse didn't have any doubts about Penelope until he interfered. Or would Penelope ultimately have turned on Mouse because she's not perfect? It was great.

I do have the rest of the trilogy, but I won't read it until I get back to Utah. I'm eager to see what Penelope grows up to be.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a space western, where a bunch of gunslingers help a girl who can tell the future.

[Julie Decker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mouse thinks this is just another routine job when she discovers a little girl named Penelope is trapped in a hotel room, so she frees her. Only to realize that this little girl has future sight capabilities and lots of seedy characters are looking for her. Penelope is able to use her abilities haphazardly--then more confidently--to escape capture, but the real question is whether her freedom will save or destroy the world they live in.

The storytelling style felt too pushed by external circumstances for me to enjoy it. I thought the characters felt more like concepts than people (especially since so many people had nicknames, though I gather this is maybe an Old West thing and the series attempts to invoke a cowboys-in-space feeling). I didn't connect to anyone really, but the little girl being able to do something nobody else could do was intriguing to me, so I wanted to read the next book in the series despite not getting into the storytelling style of this one.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soothsayer is an incredible book that is non-stop. It is about a thief that finds a little girl chained to a bed and rescues her.
Little does the thief know that the little girl possess powers that makes her a very wanted little girl with a very large bounty
on her head. It is all out action and bouncing from planet to planet, being kidnapped, escapes, close calls, meeting the most
unique characters, and the thief turns to her past friend/enemy for help as last resort. I have not read Mike Resnick's books
in a while and I forgot what a joy they are. Plot is full of surprises, characters well developed, action, adventure, fantasy(girl is a precog), sci fi, sorry no romance to really speak of, lol. Just the way I like it. Unsure what will happen page to page. Loved it. I can't wait to read the sequel!

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Penelope Bailey trilogy is a well-plotted, well-written study of a specially gifted person and her interactions with the rest of society, and how society treats her because of her abilities. The titles explain the progression as she ages-- Soothsayer, Oracle, Prophet-- and the characterizations as Resnick explores those who want to help, exploit, kill, etc., are among his most thoughtful. They're fast-paced, interesting books.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun scifi, but the prophet character is very annoying... The ending was strong, though.

[Ajka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Už po x-tý raz a zakaždým excelentné

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn! This was an incredibly well done and logical book. It kind of scares me.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resnick is a fun author-- and this is a fun book.. but a far cry from greatness.. possibly because it is the first of a series and the conclusion leaves the reader a bit underwhelmed. The author creates a clever Science Fiction idea and then manages to write essentially an outerspace Western-- in a setting full of grifters, bounty hunters, and lawless frontier...

The story is clever-- Mouse, a petite sneak thief, on a burglary mission, discovers a child chained up in a hotel room. She rescues the child, only to find out that the child has psychic abilities that has every bounty hunter out looking for her. Multiple governments want her-- the underworld wants her.. Everyone wants her...

Soon, Mouse is working hard to protect this child from those who wish to exploit her or simply kill her. They lead their pursuers-- People like Three-Fisted-Freddy and Cemetery Smith on a merry chase from planet to planet. Mouse will have to make a difficult choice...

This is not one of Resnick's best novels, but it is an interesting Space/almost horse opera.

[John M · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was much younger, I used to look for Mike Resnick books in every bookstore hoping to stumble upon a story I had not yet read. His books were always fun.
I recently “stumbled” upon this one. I really liked the premise and the plot could have fit right into the Star Wars universe. The ride was great until the very ending. I won’t spoil the book with any details but I will say I was really disappointed. It was as if Resnick changed his mind about everything and burned the whole story down to the ground. Then, after he gutted everything, he ended the book abruptly.
It didn’t even feel like a cliff hanger although I am aware this is part one of a trilogy. It just felt like a terrible payoff after a 430 page investment. Why?
The editor dropped the ball too; there are dozens of missed typos.
All that being said, the book was enjoyable despite the disappointing ending. If it had satisfying ending I would have given five stars. I’m hesitant to read the next installment.

[Patiscynical · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wild West of the future..

Hired killers, bounty hunters, governments, corporations; they all want to find and control a little girl. She has a gift, or a curse. She can see what's going to happen, and she can see how to change it.
A grifter called the mouse, a woman who has seen tough times, stumbles across her and rescues her, when she finds her chained up in a room in a far off planet. The Mouse doesn't know when she rescues her that she is about to become the target of everyone trying to find this little girl. The Mouse forms a motherly bond with the girl, and refuses to give her up.
They move from planet to planet, trying to avoid the assassins gunning for her.
Results: a good adventure, but I didn't like the ending, and although the third book is available, for some reason the second book is not. Strange.

[malynosorozec · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Podstawowym obowiązkiem władzy jest chronienie siebie, a podstawowym instynktem silnych pożeranie słabych” [1]

„Wróżbiarka”, „Wyrocznia” („Wyrok Na Wyrocznię”), „Prorokini” – trylogia, której autorem jest Mike Resnick opowiada o osobie, do której w różnych etapach życia odnoszą się te przydomki.
Penelopa Bailey jest najbardziej poszukiwaną istota w galaktyce. Potrafi widzieć przyszłość – tak myślą łowcy nagród, którzy wyruszają w pogoń za ośmioletnią dziewczynką. Prawda jest jednak bardziej skomplikowana i w tą prawdę wierzy jedynie jeden człowiek, który uważa, że Penelopa stanowi największe zagrożenie, z jakim kiedykolwiek zetknęła się ludzkość.
To tom pierwszy – ośmiolatka, która w towarzystwie swojej obrończyni ucieka przez Wewnętrzną Granicę Galaktyki. Jej droga usłana jest trupami, w miarę upływu czasu jej możliwości stają się większe. „Wróżbiarka” jest najlepszą częścią cyklu, przypominającą skrzyżowanie dzikiego zachodu z science-fiction. Mamy Gigantów (jak określa ich autor), którzy poruszają się po niegościnnej Wewnętrznej Granicy, a wszyscy oni są… no, Gigantami właśnie. Bohaterami legend i opowieści, których połączy osoba Penelopy. Na pierwszy plan wysuwają się posiadający własną planetę emerytowany superszpieg Demokracji Lodziarz i Wieczny Chłopiec – znudzony, niestarzejący się dwustulatek, który marzy by ktoś okazał się lepszym od niego zabójcą (Ta postać niemalże skradła książkę – ja widzę go jak połączenie młodego Clinta Eastwooda z jeszcze młodszym Leonardo Di Caprio)
Książka jest niezwykle dynamiczna i autor pokazuje nam w niej jak należy operować dialogami. Większości treści to właśnie rozmowy między bohaterami, z nich dowiadujemy się wszystkiego i nie pozostaje wiele miejsca na opisy (te, które są nadają dynamiki i po prostu nie mogą znudzić). Jest szybko, emocjonalnie, zaskakująco.

Część druga to już dorosła Penelopa. Sama Wyrocznia pełni jedynie epizodyczna rolę, jednak stanowi przyczynę dla wszystkich poczynań bohaterów książki. „Wyrocznia” to historia próby (właściwie prób) zamachu na życie ukrywającej się na jednej z planet kosmitów Penelopy. Główne role odgrywa dwójka najlepszych zabójców w Galaktyce (którzy nie zyskaliby tego miana, gdyby kilkanaście lat wcześniej duża część ich poprzedników nie zginęła w pogoni za pewną ośmiolatką). Tutaj mamy już więcej opisów, a całość ma paranoidalny charakter. Bohaterowie nie mogą być niczego pewni (zwłaszcza, że jedynie domyślają się zakresu mocy, jakimi operuje ich cel), musza stale oglądać się za siebie i spodziewać się niespodziewanego. Cały czas wszystko przypomina dziki zachód, gdzie w każdej chwili ktoś może wyciągnąć broń i powalić wszystkich wokół.

Trzeci tom to Penelopa w pełni swoich sił. Znów mamy najlepszych zabójców w Galaktyce i próbę powstrzymania największego zagrożenia dla Demokracji. Prorokini znów pojawia się w końcowej fazie książki. W tej ostatniej części autor dodaje nam chłopca, który chce zostać legendarnym bohaterem, mającego setki milionów wyznawców przywódcę rosnącej w siłę religijnej sekty i jeszcze więcej awanturników, łowców nagród i zabójców. W tej części czuć, że wszystko zmierza do finału, że w jakikolwiek sposób Penelopa nie zamierza wykorzystać swoich mocy, i jakikolwiek nie byłby ich limit, dowiemy się tego na kartach „Prorokini”. Sam finał, tak jak zakończenia poprzednich części, jest zaskakujący i więcej niż satysfakcjonujący.

Ot i cała trylogia, w której najlepsza jest część pierwsza, a po jej przeczytaniu ciężko jest nie pochłonąć kolejnych tomów.
Każdy tom zaczyna się tym samym wstępem. Słowami: „Był to czas Gigantów”, i wymieniem sporej ich liczby, których większość przewinie się przez trylogię (a ostatni akapit prologu to „A jednak pojawił się ktoś, kto wyrósł ponad wszystkich…”). Autor nie odciąga uwagi od głównych wątków budowaniem wiarygodnego świata i jego zależności. Daje nam tylko tyle, byśmy mieli ogólny obraz. Skupia się na pełnej awanturników, łowców nagród, piratów, i zwykłych przestępców Wewnętrznej Granicy, na którą napiera wciąż rozrastająca się ludzka Demokracja (mamy także najróżniejszych kosmitów, a jakże). Większość akcji dzieje się na słabo zaludnionych, peryferyjnych planetach, bohaterowie są w stanie dostać się wszędzie w przeciągu kilkunastu dni, dysponują najróżniejszymi rodzajami broni i autor nie wnika w szczegóły techniczne, nie serwuje nam zbędnych opisów. Ot: to pistolet dźwiękowy, strzela i ktoś pada trupem, to laser, działa inaczej ale efekt jest ten sam.

Cała trylogia pełna jest zaskakujących zwrotów akcji. Penelopa Bailey jest idealnie skrojona, zmienia się w miarę rozwijania się jej nadprzyrodzonych zdolności. Jednak to ludzie, a raczej Giganci, którym przyjdzie stawić jej czoła stanowią o sile książek.
Tempo, tempo i jeszcze raz tempo z dodatkiem przepełnionych testosteronem postaci. Powiedziałbym, że to lektura dla chłopców i mężczyzn, którzy z chłopców coś w sobie mają (a wiadomo, że tak jest w większości przypadków), ale nie ma co generalizować.
Mnie osobiście niezwykle przypadła do gustu cała trylogia. Książki, mimo deficytu wolnego czasu dosłownie wchłonąłem (można powiedzieć, że czytają się same).

Wróżbiarka 10/10
Wyrok na Wyrocznię 8/10
Prorokini 9/10

„Pomiędzy wiarą w siebie i szaleństwem jest bardzo cienka granica”[2].

„Większość ludzi z takiego czy innego powodu zasługuje na to, by ich zabić”[3].

„Dawanie ciepłą i otwieranie się przed ludźmi na dłuższą metę tylko przynosi ból”[4]

malynosorozec.blogspot.com

[1] Mike Resnick, „Wróżbiarka”, przeł. Juliusz Wilczur-Garztecki, wyd. Prószyński i S-ka, 1996, s. 285
[2] tamże, s. 84
[3] tamże, s. 86
[4] tamże, s. 100

[Øyvind Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light entertainment, but entertaining nonetheless.

What bothered me the most was the utter stupidity of the villains (and often the protagonists) of the story. Without going into details and thus spoiling the book, I can say there were ample opportunity for most of them to just sit back, make a deal and become filthy rich without any risk whatsoever. None saw it, or had their minds set on so low goals that they must have had no imagination whatsoever.

If you read this book, and I recommend it for any sci-fi action / western fan, think of two words when you're through, and imagine what could've been: Stock. Market.

[Austin Allred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book through a free giveaway for an honest review.

And boy am I glad I did. This book is very entertaining. It has bounty hunters, aliens, western style shoot outs, future tellers, and even magic. Everything you need for a great story.
A thief stumbles across a little girl locked up on an alien’s room, decides to rescue her. Now they are on the run because everybody from governments to bounty hunters what her captured, or murdered. They go every where to outrun all the bounty hunters, finding all sorts of interesting characters along the way.

Great characters! Great action! Interesting premise
Im excited to pick up the rest in the series.

[Lubosz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka która może spodobać się fanom Gwiezdnych Wojen z dodatkiem motywów typowych dla westernów. Akcja jest wartka, pełna pojedynków, ucieczek z opresji i legendarnych bohaterów budzących grozę samym pseudonimem. Nie ma tutaj wielkiego mędrkowania, ale niektóre wydarzenia i postaci
mogą skłaniać do przemyśleń. Zbyt mało miejsca zostało poświęcone na budowę świata i czasami dialogi potrafią się przeciągać, ale nie są to wady mocno wpływające na odbiór książki.
Oceniam na 7.5/10
Moja recenzja książki tutaj: https://youtu.be/KQNEKvtivwI

[Bill Stenross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read. It's the classic cowboys-in-space trope, but with a strange twist where a young girl can see the future. As she gains more understanding of her agency, the narrative takes a number of twists and turns. And just when you think know what will happen, the book turns it on its end.

Resnick introduces this story by tying the story into a larger mythology of this time in the galaxy, making it clear from the beginning that this book is presenting a small sliver of a larger, living universe.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always happy to find a Mike Resnick novel that I missed. He was a master at mashing up genres. In Soothsayer, he gives us a paranormal western space opera.

Penelope is an eight-year-old waif who can sometimes see near-term alternate futures and pick the one she likes. It makes her an effective shill in a casino. If you are playing blackjack, she can cue you when you should hit or stand pat. She can also make sure the right gunslinger draws first. It’s good to be her friend, but don’t make her mad, or your luck might change for the worse.

[Sublimacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 pretože som fanúšik Mike-ovho písania.

Myška zachraňuje malé dievčatko po ktorom pátra polovica galaxie. Dievčatko Penelopa má schopnosti ktoré z nej robia cieľ mocných ľudí a vydáva sa za ňou každý lovec odmien a vrah.

Neustále unikajú s pomocou pár dobrých ľudí a okolností štatisticky takmer nemožných.

Dúfam, že v dvojke tú sviňu chytia a zavraždia pekne pomalinky aby trpela!!!!!

[Kingdonmur · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to this universe but I like the way the factions have been designed. This is an action story and I found I cared a lot or Mouse and Penelope. It reads like a western with the frontier vibe and the bounty hunter nicknames. There's even a straight up Old West shootout that could be from any dime store western.

[Adam Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, well paced, breezy reading. Borrows quite a bit from the western genre. That's not a complaint, just an observation. I thoroughly enjoyed this and definitely want to read more of the series. I came away thinking this would make a great movie. Joss Whedon, get to work!

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the tale and the ethical dilemma. the ending surprised me. I did not expect it to end so abruptly. Only then did I 7nderstand that this was the first of a trilogy. I must read the second and decide if I will read the third.

[Dave Shar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting novel, and I was surprised to see the way it ended

[Zalias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patiko vaikystėje, ypač, kad pagindinė veikėja mergaitė su super galiomis. Ir dabar įtraukė, greitai susiskaitė. Gal kiek nuobodesnė dalis apie lošimus. Puiki fantastika su keliais netikėtumais.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan of generic westerns—even if set in space.

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story, very imaginative!

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher in return for an honest review.

The setting of Soothsayer is a western that happens to occur in space, much like the TV show Firefly (although Soothsayer predates Firefly by a decade, as do many other books and stories by Resnick which occur in the same universe). The galaxy is filled with small frontier worlds, often with a single town of note, each with a saloon or two, a general store, and multiple brothels. There is pretty much nothing in the way of formal law; the local robber baron does what they will and/or bounty hunters kill their way to their target without any fear or retribution. The galaxy is filled with characters (many appearing in the story, others just background color) with western-style names: instead of Billy the Kid, Doc Holiday, and the Sundance Kid, we get the Forever Kid, the Yankee Clipper, and Three-fisted Ollie (to name just a few).

Into this setting we are introduced to the focal character Mouse: an accomplished female thief who, while in the middle of a minor job, stumbles across and rescues Penelope, a small, child being held prisoner by an alien. Before they can get their bearings they find themselves on the run from every bounty hunter in the region, each determined to get hold of Penelope to sell her to the highest bidder. It turns out Penelope is a precog--she has the unique ability to see possible paths through the future and is learning how to choose among them: a power which makes her greatly desired by governments and power brokers across the galaxy.

Soothsayer is a fast-paced book that lacks much in the way of character development (in fact, most of the characters are remarkably flat and one-dimensional, in a stereotypical western/cowboy sort of way). I feel like the story was supposed to be mildly humorous in some nebulous way I could never pin down. It has two primary foci: the larger plot is predominantly an on-the-run adventure as the protagonists constantly find themselves falling into more dangerous situations and enemies. The deeper story is about Penelope’s power and the consequences of a person with such a power to both those closer to her as well as the galaxy at large. This second story isn’t explored in the depth I would have preferred, and leads to a rather abrupt ending. Not a cliff-hanger, but a very sudden shift (although a shift which does logically follow from the rest of the story). Of course, Soothsayer is the first book of a trilogy: while it stands alone fairly well, I expect that some of these deeper questions are explored throughout the other two books.