Revierw: The Sittaford Mystery - Agatha Christie

Title The Sittaford Mystery (The Murder at Hazelmoor)
Author Agatha Christie
Pages 308
Year 1931
Reading Time 3 days (March 2010)
Rating 6 out of 10

This is so far Agatha's worst book in my opinion. books Agatha wrote.

The plot is simple... In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six characters around a small round table for a season of spiritism. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: 'Captain Trevelyan...dead...murder'. They all thing that is a joke but one of the characters go into the village to check on the captain unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot only to find him dead.

In this book we find no usual characters and I think for what I read those books with miss marple or poirot are not as good.

In this novel she also incorporates the supernatural for the first time in a full-lenght novel.

I think it was very hard to discover the assassin because of the few hints. I would like to know if someone did it because they are true detectives. The story itself was not that good in my opinion. But this book won't keep me from reading Agatha Christie novels.

Review: Day of the Daemon -Aaron Rosenborg

Title Day of the Daemon (Book I Daemon Gates)

Author Aaron Rosenborg

Pages 256

Year 2006

Reading Time 4 days (May 2010)

Rating 9 out of 10

I had this book for some time and as I made my monthly-unexpected distribution of my books from one place to another I start reading this book. It was small with barely 250 pages and it was a light read. There are three novels in this series. The second being Night of Daemon and the last one Hour of the Daemon. So far so good. The whole story develops as fast as they gallop across the empire (even if they say it took a couple of months). But even in that fast novel we get some character development. Just what I needed…. Being stuck on several books like Dune, Unlondon and 7 other books I wanted something different so I started reading this one. Well what a Joy it was. I am currently reading the second book called Night of the Daemon and so far so good.

The author was not unknown to me. I have Queen of Blades (starcraft) by him and other warcraft novels. Unfortunately as I have many books it's always hard to choose from them or to read them all. I am trying to diminish my reading pile but it's hard.

I enjoyed the book and this author it’s one who knows what is doing. He sure understands the warhammer world. It’s a shame that he only wrote this trilogy. The first book he gives you an image of Ind. I think it’s one of the few books who talks about that place. This second book goes to the Border Princes. Few books go there. And the third book goes to the Grey Mountains and the magical forest of the wood elves. Few books go beyond the Empire in the Warhammer Fantasy repertoire…

Now the plot… Four daemon-statues were made by an artist who was unaware the nature of them. One was discovered at Middenheim and the other three were sent to distant parts of the empire.

The story starts in Ind for the first chapter and it sure look like I was reading about Indiana Jones. Then the plot goes to Middenheim (White Wolf City) shortly after the Storm of Chao but most of the book is their search throughout the empire.

Our heroes are Dietz and Alaric von Jungfreud (a minor noble). If the latter is an archaeologist/tomb-raider the first is the one getting through all dangers.

After raiding the temple in Ind they escape to a rope-bridge (Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom anyone?) and they go home to Middleheim to sell a mask they had found and to learn from their exploits. As they try to sell to an honest artisan they discover one statue and confront the owner who tells them that he made four of them. Three have been already moved and this one is almost finish. As they tell him that those statues are chaos beings they tell the authorities that make them go after the other statues and destroy them.

Here is where the author gets its point. The plot is good but the development of the main characters is quite good. I enjoyed Kleiber, the witch hunter, but the rest of the characters are flat and un-interesting. But that’s okay because seeing a witch hunter like Kleiber is pretty unusual. This witch-hunter has some qualities and can even admit that he was wrong. He is not a fanatic as some of other authors portrayed them. There are other characters travelling with them in their quest (almost all with hidden agendas). There is an explorer, a merchant, a cartographer a scout and a small company of Middenheim troops. In their way they encounter several dangers such as beastmen, strigany (this one turn out to be good guys), orcs and humans. After destroying the three statues they return home and the last few chapters focus on the unfolding of a hidden agenda by Chaos-worshippers in Middenheim and provide the reasoning for events in the following instalment 'Night of the Daemon'.

This novel was good not only for those things I mentioned before but also because of the information give. Not only we get a brief glimpse into the relationship (or lack of it) between the Temples of Sigmar and Ulric but also we get to know some history behind the Strigany and the Empire. I really hope it continues this way...

Review: Sea of Swords - R A Salvatore (Forgotten Realms)

Title Sea of Swords (Drizzt 13 or 14 book)
Author R A Salvatore
Pages 390
Year 2001
Reading Time 5 days (May 2010)
Rating 8 out of 10

After reading The DarkElf Trilogy, The Icewind Dale Trilogy and the Legacy of the Drow quadrology I read the the Path of Darkness books where the Sea of Swords is the last one. I remember reading The Silent Blade and Servant of the Shard but I remember as well giving up on Spine of the World twice. Since it was a book about Wulfgar I gave up and after a couple of years I started again and quit yet again. I then began to read this one and it was quite good. As I remember Drizzt books being. In the near future I will read the next two trilogies about Driztt and the one with Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle.

This character has now 20 books I think. And I read that Wizards of the Coast made another deal with him for more six Drizzt books... I hope they don't decide to kill the character so he can "pursuit other interests" as they always put it. I think Salvatore is a great writer and everything he do goes well. (except the book with Wulfgar Spine of the World). I have as well The Demon Wars Saga 7 books. I hope they are quite as good as this are.

The Sea of Swords is the story of how Drizzt and his friends try and track down Wulfgar's magical hammer Aegis Fang. They stop Wulfgar's new wife Delly Curtie from being murdered in Waterdeep and are eventually reunited with Wulfgar himself with help from their old crewmate Robillard of the Sea Sprite. They track down the pirate Sheila Kree, the one who bought the hammer back in Luskan and who has now turned it into a symbol of her power. They discover her cohabiting in a cave complex with an ogre clan which she has bent to her will. There, Drizzt is faced by Ellifain, the elf child he saved when he was a part of a drow surface raid. She blames him for killing her mother; they fight and he unintentionally kills her, and with a little help from Morik the Rogue they succeed in taking back Wulfgar's weapon. Wulfgar then takes his family to Mithral Hall to live with his old friends.

One thing that I remember from the other books that I read four or five years ago were the fighting sequences. I remember vividly them because they were long (longer than any other book) and better written. I remember tryin' them with my sword. This book had some fighting sequences quite good.

I will try reading Warhammer and Forgotten Realms books two or three a month.

Review: Oathbreaker - Nick Kyme

Title Oathbreaker

Author Nick Kyme
Pages 416
Year 2008
Reading Time 48 (Feb to April 2010)
Rating 7.5 out of 10

Well, first of all let me say that I tried to read this book in February and after arriving page 100 I stopped. I love dwarves and believe me when I say I wanted to read and like this book. In the first 100 pages I was feeling a bit dissapointed. Since I tried never to leave a book un-read I started for second time (in the page I had left) and read it until the end and I was glad I did it.

After reading Gav Thorpe's dwarf book "Grudgelore" I must say that I enjoy the other one better. This book has good things believe. They are centered on dwarves and only dwarves (with a couple of pages dedicated to goblins and skaven). Of course the Gotrek series are the best dwarven books. For me they are in another level of magnitude, the William King ones because I still haven't read any book written by Nathan Long.

The dwarves in warhammer are far better than those in forgotten realms or dragonlance. But that is easily explained since Warhammer world is a grim world where the ending is inevitable. That made the dwarves of warhammer akin to Tolkien. They are a dying breed (as the elves).

The plot? Well a dwarven stronghold Karak Varn, has been overrun by skaven and the goblins and a band of dwarves from several strongholds ask an audiance to the High King to retake the hold. The first 150 pages is the meeting of the characters as they go into the stronghold and the rest of the book is all the process of retaking it.

This band is comprissed with several characters with nordic names. It was hard at the beginning because they not only introduced themselves with their name but clan and most of times with the profession. But as I write them down it was not hard for me... It was the main fault of the book in my humble opinion.

The battle scenes are the main focus of the novel and inbetween them the writer tries to develop the characters. I must say that apart for two or three of them I didn't care for them. In the end I didn't knew who was the main character... (maybe that was the design of the book).

The ending was good and not predictable. I must say that in the last one hundred pages I was trying to guess who was Nick Kyme trying to kill or not. I must say that Nick is good with Dwarves. There is a second book I will read and I hope that is better than this.

Should I recommend it? To dwarven lovers? Yes but they must buy the Grudgelore to guide them. To anyone who plays and read warhammer novels? Yes. To a newcomer? No, maybe start with Gotrek and Felix.

Review: Stars Wars - Michael Raeves & Steve Perry

Title Death Star
Author Michael Raeves & Steve Perry
Pages 425
Year 2008
Reading Time 8 (May 2010)
Rating 7 out of 10

I've never read anything by both these two authors. But for what I know they both have written several novels each.

Being a Star Wars afficionado when I saw this book I said to myself that this one should be a sure one but after reading some awful reviews I was taken aback and only by a chance did I get this one.

I was glad I did. This book covers some ten charactes pov's in the Death Star. Besides Darth Vader, Tarkin that we already know from the movie everyone other character is new.

Well so what's this novel all about? Well, The Death Star is like a giant city right? There are milions of humans there (and other kinds). We think as we see the movie tha there are only military man. But there isn't. There is a all structure behind. From the female alien that runs the cantina where the stormtroopers go to relax to the medical doctor or the librarian. Besides this characters we see some other elements that are importants.. what was going on in the head of the soldier who pressed the button and destroyed Alderaan? Or who train all those soldiers? Who were the Tie-Fighters?

Well this is a full novel with several pov as I said and most of them are pretty good. I read it pretty fast and I enjoyed it. There are also parts from the films that occurred on the Death Star.

One of the best characters is undoubtly Lord Vader. In the movie as we follow the plotline we almost think Tarkin commands Darth Vader but that's not true. Darth Vader answers to no-one excepts the Emperor. And in the book we see the feelings other person have towards Darth. As he passes people are blown away with cold fury. They are all afraid of it. We get to see some of his doings. Some of them that elevates him to a new all level. This is the Darth Vader that should have been from the start.

The rest of the plot is the feelings of this characters towards the empire as they switch sides.. What happened to them we may ask but this book doesn't answer.

The rating is for the Darth Vader parts and the "what's behind those people we see in the movie but don't care". It's like an interaction TV as we see a football game but instead only seeing the ball and the players with it I decide to follow other footballer players or the bench of even the public. It's very good. Maybe one day the make a movie like that...

Review: Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Title Good Omens
Author Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
Pages 389
Year 1990
Reading Time 5 (March 2008)
Rating 8 out of 10

Having read books by both authors and enjoying them I read this book two years ago. Another one from the spring cleaning. What can I say? It's funny and a joy ride. That's fore sure. There is some interesting funny moments and it remind me of british comedy like "Black Book" a serie from BBC if I am not mistaked. This book is for everyone who wants to have some fun and wants too read something other that those massive books of fantasy or sci-fi. This style is probably to everyone liking but don't read several books one after another or else they will become not-appealing. I read a book by Terry Prattchett between ten fantasy books or something like that. One time I made the mistake reading two books in a row and I didn't enjoyed as much. I don't know why but I didn't.

Summary:

It's the coming of the End of Times. This comes to bad news to the angel Aziraphale (angel of the garden of eden) and the demon Crowley (the serpent) the representives of God and Satan on Earth. They gotten to living their cozy confortable lives an having taken to like humanity. They are both good friends (even if they represent good and evil) they decide to work together to keep an eye on the antichrist. Unfortunaly Warlock, the child everyone t hink is the anti-christ is in fact a perfectly normal eleven year boy an in turn of events Adam Young is a charismactic eleven year world that despite being the harbringer of the apocalypse has lived a normal life with no idea of his true powers. As he creates around him the world of Just William (a novel from the 1920's) the four horsemen (now bikers) of the apocalypse (War, Famine, Death and the newest Polution having replaced Pestilance after the discover of penicilin) assemble and the incedibly accurate (yet so specific to be uselsess) prophecies of Agnes Nutter (a XVII prophetess are coming true).

This witch wrote a book called the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter but did not sell very well because they were so unspectacular, cryptic and ironically true. She decided to published only so that she could receive a free copy as the author. On this day the only copy belongs to a descendant Anathema Device (cute name). Agnes was burned at the stake (because mobs did that) however because she had forseen her fiery end (Ye're tardy; I should have been aflame ten minutes since) and had packed 80 pounds of gunpower and 40 pounds of nails..... (BANG. Everyone was dead). Anathema teams up with Newton Pulsifer (a witchfinder that falls in love with a witch) a descendant of the man who initiated the burning of Agnes to use the prophesies to find the Antichrist.

I am not spoiling the ending but I guarantee that you are in for a treat... It has also aliens, tunneling Tibetians, Atlantis and much more...

Review: Rule of Four - Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

Title Rule of Four
Author Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
Pages 527
Year 2004
Reading Time June 2004
Rating 7.5 / 10

As I needed some space I grab the old books that I have read and put them in boxes on my storehouse. This one grab my attention because it was one of the oldest books I have (in english). I remember reading it and I had a small review on a sheet of paper as I usually have as I read a book. Since I didn't had a blog at the time of the reading I never had the possibility to post it. So here it goes.

From time to time I like reading some thrillers or adventure novels. I never read the Da Vinci Code and if one day I read it will be because I read almost everything else. I had the book and gave it away.

What I remember this book is that it was a fast book and not that memorable. Usually this kind of fiction is quick and a page turner maybe that's why most of the books have one hundred or so chapters. Some work... some do not. I can't read James Patterson after reading and liking two books I try again and again and for me it does not work. This one was good but as I said It could be better.

This book was compared to Da Vinci but I think for what I know it has nothing to do with it...

Summary:

Almost all book is set in Princeton Campus during a weekend an involve four seniors and friends (Tom, Paul, Charlie and Gil). Now two of the student (Tom and Paul) are trying to solve the mystery in a beautifully decorated book called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. This book was written in a bizarre italian (modified) and with material from other languages and made-up words. Tom (the narrator) is the son of a professor who dedicated his life to the novel. His roomate (Paul) is a brilliant scholar who is writing a thesis on that book.

~This book has a great characterization of the friendship of this four students. It's better than most books out there on this theme or simliar. Mainly the main character as he struggles between the doom book and his girlfriend katie (the book already had two victims.. his father and his mother)

Paul with the help of the diary of Tom's father starts solving the hidden messages (the title comes from way they were encrypted). As they discover the secrets more of the author history is revealed and the purpose of the book. Bill (Paul's friend) and Vincent (thesis advisor) were conspiring together to steal Paul's thesis and claim credit (and the treasure guarded within). Then they were murdered by Curry (a benefactor of Pal). But in the end in a final struggle between the roomates and the so called benefactor starts a fire and Curry dies. Charlie, Gil and Tom thinks that Paul has die as well but after some years Tom receives something that makes him think otherwise.

This is book was published in 2004 when Da Vinci Code was on everybody lips. Maybe that's why it was made famous. The story is midly interesting. By the way... What happenned to the authors? They didn't wrote anything else afterwards...

Book Review: Lords of Valour - Various

Title Lords of Valour (Warhammer)
Author Various
Pages 287
Year 2001
Reading Time 16 (April & May 2010)
Rating 8 out of 10

Lords of Valour. Here's a book I start reading a while back then stopped only reading one story. Since I am trying to catch up with warhammer older books I started here. It was a good book to read. Here is my individuals reviews...

Faith - Robert Earl - A story about an Bretonnian Knight (and a squire) and the quest to be a knight. He tries to defeat an evil greater athan his brother. He has defeated some before but none pleases him enough. He arrives at a village in need of help of him. There he finds a fiend that masquerades as the Lady of the Lake (the sacred goddess of tne Knights) but he was not fool... I think it was a good story to begin with this book. I have read two books by Robert Earl but this was is chronological before. I always enjoy knights (and I always thought that more books about them should be written). 8/10

A Choice of Hatreds - C L Werner - This tale is probably the first tale of Mathias Thulman. I really enjoy it and it had some interesting points. Being a Witch Hunter and after reading some books with witch hunters (none were main characters) I was taken aback that this was not an ordinary Witch Hunter.The story is quite good and the ending was very twisted. It is a good thing I read this story. Maybe sometime later this year I will read the trilogy of Mathias Thulman. 9.5/10

Tybalt's Quest - Gav Thorpe - Another interesting tale with a Bretonnian Knight. It was as good as the first but good nevertheless. This one had necromancers in it which are always interesting. It ended pretty quickly. 7/10

Who Mourns a Necromancer - Brian Craig - Being a fan of Brian Craig (Brian Stableford) it was a tale I had read several years before and now I read it again. Unfortunally it was not it's best. It's interesting because this is not a story with action as the previous. This is a tale of a Necromancer. As I say this word it comes to our mind a person who deals with the dead. We see it as a awful people who wants to to bring back the dead and recluse being. Then read this this tale. It has nothing of it. I enjoy that part but I think he could been better 7.5/10

Son and Heir - Ian Winteron - This is a tale of a author who didn't write a full novel to black library. All others have. This tale again it has Bretonnians and it takes us to a battle for faith. how appearances ilude. I enjoy the tale even if it remind me of something. The characters were that good either... 6/10

The Judas Goat - Robert Earl - This tale didn't had bretonnians. It was a tale about a band of fighters patrolling outside the city of Nuln. As their numbers dwindle he captain thought of desertion but the reality was other. They were being betrayed by one of them to the skaven. It had a good main character but besides that I didn' enjoy it. 6.5/10

The Sound which Wakes You - Ben Chessell - This tale is set on Bretonnia of old times. I mean that corrupted Bretonnia that vanished. It's a tale of a small village where an iron fist lord use it's land as it's private kingdom. There we know a young boy with rebellion on his mind and he sets a plan to free the village that doesn't go as plan. Good story but it's a cliche 7/10

Portrait of My Undying Lady - Gordon Rennie - This tale depicts vampires and an artist. Being one of my favourite writers than unfortunally left Black Library I was pleased to read the tale. It was a story with good characters and no fighting. I enjoy it even if it was nothing special. 7.5/10

The Plague Pit - Jonathan Green - This a tale of Torbar and it's mercenaries. Probably the first story. I have the book the Dead and the Damned that was released two years later. It was a good tale of them against a nurgle daemon prince. I thought it realistic and I am leaning to read the book in the following months.. 8/10

Ancestral Honour - Gav Thorpe - The first tale of Dwarves. Being beings of honour to the guts it's odd that nobody else made a story of dwarves. It was one of the my favourite tales. Undoubtl Gav Thorpe is good with dwarves. He wrote a full novel (linked storis) some years later which turned out good. I really hope he writes antoher book in the near future (with dwarves that is). 9/10

A Gentleman's War - Neil Rutledge -This tale was quite good. I don't know why Rutledge didn't wrote a full novel. This is a tale of a small dispute in the border of the empire and bretonnia. As our main character full of honour (the ones in ballads and court) goes into his first battle. We see two world clashing. Honour vs Winning. It was good even if it depicts everyone without honour besides the main character (I think the writer wanted to made him a boy with that Honour found in books but not used). Besides that criticism to one valour (I may be wrong), I enjoyed the tale. 8.5/10

The Ultimate Ritual - Neil Jones & William King - This was an odd story. It has one of the most acclaimed writers in the Black Library and I enjoyed it. It was a tale into the unknown. I don't think I had ever read anyting going so far into the realms of chaos (besides C L Werners books) and besides that into the sea of souls where they see the constelations of the ruinous powers and even talk to Tzeentch. I don't know if we were supposed to know that much. It even hinted into the warhammer 40k with machines 80feet hight that could level cities.. (titans?) It was a good tale. If it had a couple more pages depicting all that scenery it would be great. 9.5/10

Review: Ring - Koji Suzuki

Title Ring
Author Koji Suzuki
Pages 392
Year 1991
Reading Time 24 (April & May 2010)
Rating 8 out of 10

This is another book I read after seeing the movie. Having seen both japanese and english movie I never understood the title. In the TV there is a ring in the tape but on the book it does not (well at least they don't talk about it).

After four teens mysteriously die in Tokyo at the same time, Kazuyuki Asakawa a reporter and uncle of one of the deceased he decides to launch is own investigation. That leads to some resort where the teens were last together exactly one week before. There he finds a mysterious videotape and watches it. It's a strange sequence of abstract and realistic footage that ends with an warning... Who watched this tape will die in one week from now. As the tape is saying the only way to survive we got cut off (taped over by an advertisement). This tape affects Asakawa that doesn't doubt that is a warning and true. He then enlists his curious friend Ryuji Takayama (a professor) and a rapist who has no fear and who admits that he would seen the end of the world if he could out of curiosity. He then watches the tape and as Asakawa he too believes in the tape. He then askes Asakawa to copy it so he can study it.

There are some other minor characters such as Shizuka and Yoko (Wife and Daughter of Asakawa) who watch the tape by mistake three days after Asakawa. Mai a friend of Ryuji who appears briefly (I know that the second book this character will appear again).

And of course the antagonist... Sadako Yamamura a she/he hermaphrodite with special powers similar to EPS.

Well there are several and abysmal differences between the movies and the book. I must say that the book is a pseudo-science/medical-mystery approach against the movie who has a supernatural ghost story. Ryuji from the movie is totally different from the book. So different that thinking back I didn't enjoy in the movie. Here it was the most interesting character.... even if he dies in the end.

Well most important of all in the book the main character is a guy and in the movie is a girl.

The "disease/curse" from the book is so different and complicated than the movie that I don't understand the movie producers... Oh well...

Returning to the book we saw them investigate as they travel around the country for clues just for the end to return where it all began. There they find that Sadako was raped and thrown down the well. Both protagonists get the girl from the botton of the well and return her home. Thursday has passed and Asakawa was alived. But on friday his friend die the same way as all other previous victims. Asakawa can't understand why he lived and his friend not. Again the supernatural enters as he asks for his friend assistance... It came to his mind about evolution and diseases... virus... There he has a epiphany and realizes that he surpassed the curse because he made a tape of the Virus therefore he made it's purpose. Since Ryuji didn't shown it to anyone he died. Asakawa understands now what must be done... To his daughter and wife to live they must record two tapes and give to two differerent persons... It's here Asakawa wants her daughter and wife to show to her father and mother... Therefore the title RING... Because to survive you must make a copy and if you go to many lines it becomes a ring... as it happens noawadays with those stupid chain e-mails...

In the end I enjoyed the book and it was different from the movies.. The Japanese version was one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. But to me they are not equal... They have so many differents that I treat them differently. Maybe I will buy and read the second book.. Let us see my disposition.

Review: Stardust - Neil Gaiman

Title Stardust
Author Neil Gaiman
Pages 336
Year 1999
Reading Time 4 (March 2009)
Rating 6.5 out of 10

After seeing the movie a while back I had to read this novel. Neil Gaiman is a strange author and if I didn't like one or two books I keep reading because it seems everyone loves him. With this book I had mixed feelings. Having seen the movie and then the book I must say that I enjoyed more the film. Maybe it's just me but those extra scenes in the movie may them a good relaxing movie and with the book was ending to fast. I really didn't enjoy it. My rating is most of all because of the funny comments and the world itself (even if not explored) and the fighting between the princes. The rest of the book is not that good and I thought the main characters a little two-sided... I can't understand what people like these book so much. I must read a couple of reviews because I really didn't understand. But I will not stop reading Neil Gaiman. I believe that he can make a good book... Look at American Gods.

Review: Flu - Wayne Simmons

Title Flu
Author Wayne Simmons

Pages 282
Year 2010
Reading Time 12 (April 2009)
Rating 8/10

This was a book that as soon as I received I start reading it. It is a theme I enjoy and it was a small book. All good qualities... It was my first book of this new author (not suprising since he's got only one other book called Drop Dead Gorgeous).

This book had an interesting concept of how the zombies were "created". Each book with zombies try to explain how where they created... This book it was the flu... It all that worry about the pandemic flu lying around it was a good concept... The Flu mutated and behold...

We follow several characters from cops to ex-ira member or military men, as they tried to survive the end of civilization. In the end almost all of them are joined (or death). The ending strongly suggests that this is not over and we will get a sequel. It's not necessary but if he writes it I will buy it. As I said most of the characters are interesting but some are underdevolped and they are only there to die. The zombies in the other end are driven by hunger and perhaps warmth (why are fascinated by fire?)

In this world of death and chaos there aren't any Good Knight in shinning armor. All characters have their flaws and sometimes they do something humane but in the end they only want to survive in this new world. I enjoyed the book and Wayne Simmons is a author to check it out.