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World of Warcraft: Arthas Rise of the Lich King

2009-10-23T20:21:00.000+08:00

By Christie Golden

His evil is legend. Lord of the undead Scourge, wielder of the runeblade Frostmourne, and enemy of the free peoples of Azeroth. The Lich King is an entity of incalculable power and unparalleled malice -- his icy soul utterly consumed by his plans to destroy all life on the World of Warcraft.

But it was not always so. Long before his soul was fused with that of the orc shaman Ner'zhul, the Lich King was Arthas Menethil, crown prince of Lordaeron and faithful paladin of the Silver Hand.

When a plague of undeath threatened all that he loved, Arthas was driven to pursue an ill-fated quest for a runeblade powerful enough to save his homeland. Yet the object of his search would exact a heavy price from its new master, beginning a horrifying descent into damnation. Arthas's path would lead him through the arctic northern wastes toward the Frozen Throne, where he would face, at long last, the darkest of destinies.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

World of Warcraft: Night of the Dragon

2009-10-23T20:20:00.001+08:00

By Richard A. Knaak

Grim Batol: its dark legacy stretches back into the mists of Azeroth's past. But most know it as the site of a terrible tragedy where the vile orcs corrupted the hatchlings of the noble Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza, and used them as weapons of war. Though a band of heroes, led by the enigmatic mage, Krasus, defeated the orcs and freed the captive dragons, the cursed mountain stands as another ravaged landmark within the World of Warcraft.

But now Krasus known to some as the red dragon Korialstrasz senses the malice of Grim Batol rising once more to threaten those he holds dear. Determined this time to confront this evil by himself, he is unaware of the quests that will draw others to Grim Batol and reveal the monstrous truth that could not only herald their deaths, but usher in a terrible new age of darkness and destruction.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal

2009-10-23T20:17:00.000+08:00

By Christie Golden & Aaron Rosenberg

The aging orc shaman Ner'zhul has seized control of the Horde and reopened the Dark Portal. His brutal warriors once again encroach upon Azeroth, laying siege to the newly constructed stronghold of Nethergarde Keep. There, the archmage Khadgar and the Alliance commander, Turalyon, lead humanity and its elven and dwarven allies in fighting this new invasion.

Even so, disturbing questions arise. Khadgar learns of orcish incursions farther abroad: small groups of orcs who seem to pursue a goal other than simple conquest. Worse yet, black dragons have been sighted as well, and they appear to be aiding the orcs. To counter Ner'zhul's dark schemes, the Alliance must now invade the orcs' ruined homeworld of Draenor. Can Khadgar and his companions stop the nefarious shaman in time to stave off the destruction of two worlds?

Oi's Rating: 5/5

World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness

2009-10-23T20:16:00.000+08:00

By Aaron Rosenberg

After killing the corrupt Warchief Blackhand, Orgrim Doomhammer was quick to seize control over the Orcish Horde. Now he is determined to conquer the rest of Azeroth so that his people will once again have a home of their own in the...

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

Anduin Lothar, former Champion of Stormwind, has left his shattered homeland behind and led his people across the Great Sea to the shores of Lordaeron. There, with the aid of the noble King Terenas, he forges a mighty Alliance with the other human nations. But even that may not be enough to stop the Horde's merciless onslaught.

Elves, dwarves, and trolls enter the fray as the two emerging factions vie for dominance. Will the valiant Alliance prevail, or will the Horde's tide of darkness consume the last vestiges of freedom on Azeroth?

Oi's Rating: 5/5

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde

2009-10-23T20:14:00.000+08:00

By Christie Golden

Though the young Warchief Thrall ended the demon curse that had plagued his people for generations, the orcs still wrestle with the sins of their bloody past. As the rampaging Horde, they waged a number of devastating wars against their perennial enemy -- the Alliance. Yet the rage and bloodlust that drove the orcs to destroy everything in their path nearly consumed them as well.

Long ago, on the idyllic world of Draenor, the noble orc clans lived in relative peace with their enigmatic neighbors, the draenei. But the nefarious agents of the Burning Legion had other plans for both of the unsuspecting races. The demon-lord Kil'jaeden set in motion a dark chain of events that would succeed not only in eradicating the draenei, but forging the orc clans into an single, unstoppable juggernaut of hatred and destruction.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

Warcraft: War of the Ancients Archive

2009-10-23T20:12:00.002+08:00

By Richard A. Knaak

Months have passed since the cataclysmic Battle of Mount Hyjal, which put an end to the Burning Legion's invasion. Most Legion forces on Azeroth have been slain or driven into hiding. Yet now a mysterious energy rift in the mountains of Kalimdor propels three heroes to the distant past: the dragon mage Krasus, the human wizard Rhonin, and the weathered orc veteran Broxigar. It is a time long before orcs, humans, or even high elves roamed the world. A time that marks the Legion's first invasion of Azeroth, brought about by Queen Azshara and other night elf nobles. A time when the Dragon Aspects are at the height of their power -- unaware that one of their own will soon turn on the world he was charged to protect.

Get the entire War of The Ancients Trilogy in this one archive collection! War of the Ancients Archive contains The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul, and The Sundering.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

The Warcraft Archive

2009-10-23T20:10:00.000+08:00

A compilation of stories by Richard A. Knaak, Christie Golden, Jeff Grubb and Chris Metzen with cover art by Blizzard™'s Glenn Rane.

In the mist-shrouded haze of past, the world of Azeroth teemed with wonders of every kind. Magical races and ancient beasts strode alongside the tribes of man -- until the arrival of the demonic Burning Legion and its baneful lord, Sargeras. Now dragons, elves, orcs, and dwarves all vie for supremacy across their scarred, war-torn kingdoms -- all part of a grand, malevolent scheme to determine the fate of the world of Warcraft!

The Warcraft Archive contains the four original tales set in the Warcraft Universe:

Day of the Dragon by Richard A. Knaak
A terrifying upheaval among the highest ranks of the world's Wizards sends the maverick Mage, Rhonin, on a perilous journey into the Orc-controlled lands of Khaz Modan. What Rhonin uncovers is a vast, far-reaching conspiracy, darker than anything he ever imagined – a threat that will force him into a dangerous alliance with ancient creatures of air and fire if the world of Azeroth is to see another dawn.

Lord of the Clans™ by Christie Golden
Slave and Gladiator. Shaman and Warchief. The enigmatic Orc known as Thrall has been all of these. Raised from infancy by cruel human masters who sought to mold him into their perfect pawn, Thrall was driven by both the savagery in his heart and the cunning of his upbringing to pursue a destiny he was only beginning to understand – to break his bondage and rediscover the ancient traditions of his people. Now the tumultuous tale of his life's journey – a saga of honor, hatred, and hope – can at last be told.

The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb
The Guardians of Tirisfal were a line of champions imbued with godlike powers, each one through the ages charged with fighting a lonely secret war against the Burning Legion. Medivh was fated from birth to become the greatest and most powerful of his noble order. But from the beginning a darkness tainted him, corrupting his soul and turning to evil the powers that should have fought for good. Medivh's struggle against the malice within him became one with the fate of Azeroth itself… and changed the world forever.

Of Blood and Honor by Chris Metzen.
The paladin Tirion Fordring had always believed the Orcs were vile and corrupt, but an unexpected act of honor and compassion sets in motion a chain of events that will challenge his most fundamental beliefs and force him to decide, once and for all, who are the men… and who are the monsters.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Twilight

2009-10-23T20:04:00.002+08:00

By Christie Golden

After the seeming defeat of the dark archon Ulrezaj on the protoss homeworld of Aiur, Jake and Rosemary become separated as they flee through the newly repaired warp gate. Rosemary finds herself with the other refugee protoss on Shakuras, while Jake is catapulted elsewhere. But Jake does not have long to live: their enemies are regrouping, and Zamara's essence must be separated from Jake's mind before time runs out. Jake knows he must survive long enough for Zamara to pass on her vital secret. But which faction -- Valerian, zerg, or the recovered and increasingly powerful Ulrezaj -- will find them first? His only hope rests with the powerful and legendary Zeratul, but as Jake is about to learn...even a dark templar can have a crisis of faith.

Book 3 of the StarCraft Dark Templar series.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Shadow Hunters

2009-10-23T19:59:00.000+08:00

By Christie Golden

Driven by the living memories of a long-dead protoss mystic and hounded by the Queen of Blades' ravenous zerg, archaeologist Jake Ramsey embarks on a perilous journey to reach the fabled protoss homeworld of Aiur.

Seeking a vital piece of protoss technology, Jake finds that Aiur has been overrun by the zerg. Descending into the shadowy labyrinths beneath the planet's surface, he must find the sacred crystal before time runs out -- for him...and the universe itself.

Yet, what Jake discovers beneath Aiur is a horror beyond his wildest nightmares -- Ulrezaj -- an archon comprised of the seven most deadly and powerful dark templar in history....

Oi's Rating: 3/5

StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga: Firstborn

2009-10-23T19:56:00.001+08:00

By Christie Golden

Jake Ramsey - an unassuming, yet talented archaeologist - has been given the chance of a lifetime. Hired to investigate a recently unearthed Xel'Naga temple, he knows this latest assignment will open up whole new possibilities for his career. Yet, when Jake discovers the remains of a long-dead Protoss mystic, his hopes and dreams are irrevocably drowned in a flood of alien memories. Bonded to the spirit of the dead Protoss, Jake has become the sole inheritor of the Protoss's total history - every event, every thought - every feeling.
Struggling to maintain his own fragile identity amidst the raging psychic storm in his mind, Jake soon realizes that he has stumbled upon a secret so cataclysmic in magnitude - that it will shake the very foundations of the universe.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

StarCraft: Queen of Blades

2009-10-23T19:53:00.000+08:00

By Aaron Rosenberg

Former marshal-turned-rebel Jim Raynor has broken away from the power-crazed Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. Enraged over Mengsk's betrayal of the powerful telepath, Sarah Kerrigan, to the ravenous Zerg, Raynor has lost all faith in his fellow humanity.

Yet, in the aftermath of Mengsk's treachery, Raynor is plagued by strange visions of Char -- a deadly, volcanic world haunted by horrifying alien creatures. As the nightmares grow in intensity, Raynor begins to suspect that they may not be figments of his imagination -- but a desperate form of telepathic contact. Convinced that the woman he loves is still alive, Raynor launches a hasty mission to rescue Kerrigan from Char. But deep beneath the planet's smoldering surface, Raynor finds a strange chrysalis...and is forced to watch in horror as a terrible, all-too-familiar entity rises from it.

Before him stands a creature of depthless malice and vengeance...

Sarah Kerrigan: the Zerg Queen of Blades.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

The StarCraft Archive

2009-10-23T19:51:00.000+08:00

By Jeff Grubb, Gabriel Mesta, Tracy Hickman, Micky Nelson

In the distant future, a loose confederacy of terran exiles is locked in battle sixty thousand light-years from Earth, caught in the crossfire between two powerful alien races: the enigmatic protoss and the ruthless zerg swarm. Conflicts rage across the Koprulu sector as each of the three species fights for its existence among the stars.

LIBERTY'S CRUSADE: Behind the attacks of the zerg and the protoss lies the story of a lifetime, and investigative reporter Mike Liberty is determined to uncover it. But every new piece of information only deepens the mystery. Thrown into the middle of a war that may determine the fate of humanity in the Koprulu sector, Liberty reports on the escalating conflict and wonders whom he can afford to trust.

SHADOW OF THE XEL'NAGA: Bhekar Ro is a bleak, backwater world on the fringe of the Terran Dominion, and every day is a struggle to survive for the planet's human colonists. Yet when a violent storm unearths an unfathomable alien structure, Bhekar Ro becomes the greatest prize in the Koprulu sector. Zerg, protoss, and terran forces turn the planet into a bloody battlefield in their haste to claim the lost secrets of the most powerful species the universe has ever known.

SPEED OF DARKNESS: All Ardo Melnikov ever dreamed of was living in peace on the verdant colony of Bountiful. That dream was shattered when the zerg attacked the colony and annihilated his loved ones. Now a marine charged with defending the worlds of the Terran Confederacy, he must come to terms with the painful memories of his past...and the unsettling truths that may dominate his future.

UPRISING: She is the Queen of Blades. Her name has become legend throughout the galaxy, and that legend is death for all who dare oppose the swarm. Nevertheless, Sarah Kerrigan was once human, and an extraordinary human at that. Forced to become one of the Terran Confederacy's merciless psionic assassins, she carried out her orders without question until a twist of fate propelled her toward a destiny no one could have foreseen. This is the tale of Kerrigan's shadowy origins -- and the war that was fought for her very soul.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

Diablo Archive

2009-10-23T19:47:00.001+08:00

By Richard A. Knakk, Mel Odom, Robert B. Marks

Since the beginning of time, the angelic hosts of the High Heavens and the demonic hordes of the Burning Hells have been locked in a struggle for the fate of all Creation. That war has now come to the mortal realm...and neither Man nor Demon nor Angel will be left unscathed....

LEGACY OF BLOOD: Norrec Vizharan has become a living nightmare. While on a quest for magical treasure, he discovers an artifact beyond his wildest dreams: the ancient armor of Bartuc, the legendary Warrior of Blood. But the mysterious armor is cursed, channeling a malevolent power into Norrec's tortured soul. Pursued by demons who covet the dark armor for their own purposes, Norrec must overcome a bloodlust he can scarcely control and learn the truth about his terrifying curse before he is lost to darkness forever.

THE BLACK ROAD: Darrick Lang is coming home. Years ago he left the town of Bramwell to walk the wide world as a champion of the realm. But Bramwell is not as he left it. Something dark and terrifying has ensnared the townsfolk, something very old and very patient, tangling innocents in a web of malice and profaning the very earth itself. Now that same power calls to Darrick...and his only hope may be to walk the same perilous path of damnation.

THE KINGDOM OF SHADOW: Legend speaks of a long-dead city known as Ureh, thought by many to have been a gateway to the High Heavens. It is said that every two thousand years, Ureh is reborn -- and all its lost riches are revealed to those brave enough to seek them out. Now the Vizjerai sorcerer Quov Tsin has come to witness Ureh's rebirth for himself with Kentril Dumon and his band of mercenaries in tow. But what awaits them is like nothing they imagined.

DEMONSBANE: What was to have been a victorious last stand against a demonic invasion of Blackmarch has instead become a massacre. Only Siggard remains, a warrior unable to remember the final hours of the battle. As he hunts the demon lord who butchered everything dear to him, Siggard pieces together the truth of that terrible battle...and finds that his nightmare is only beginning.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant

2009-10-21T21:33:00.000+08:00

By Karen Traviss

Based on the blockbuster Xbox game, this is the stunning story of the men and women who stood between a planet and total destruction–and now have to face the consequences of their actions.

After a brutal fifteen-year war for survival, the Coalition of Ordered Governments is forced to destroy mankind’s last city in a final bid to stop the Locust Horde. As the survivors flee Jacinto, they must contend with the last of the Locust, bent on vengeance, as they struggle to stay alive in an icy wilderness. Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and their fellow Gears fight to get Jacinto’s refugees to a safe haven, but find themselves in a lawless new world where the enemy is human–and as desperate and dangerous as any grub.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

Gears of War: Aspho Fields

2009-10-21T21:31:00.000+08:00

By Karen Traviss

For the first time, fans of the blockbuster Gears of War video games get an in-depth look at Delta Squad’s toughest fighters–soldier’s soldier Marcus Fenix and rock-solid Dominic Santiago–as well as a detailed account of the pivotal battle of the Pendulum Wars.

As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they were torn apart. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom’s elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There’s a new war to fight now, a war for mankind’s very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom. For Marcus–decorated war hero, convicted traitor–the return of an old comrade threatens to dredge up an agonizing secret he’s sworn to keep.

As the beleaguered Gears of the Coalition of Ordered Governments take a last stand to save mankind from extermination, the harrowing decisions made at Aspho Fields have to be re-lived and made again. Marcus and Dom can take anything the Locust Horde throws at them–but will their friendship survive the truth about Carlos Santiago?

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

2009-10-21T21:27:00.000+08:00

By Eric Nylund

The Spartan-II program has gone public. Tales of super-soldiers fending off thousands of Covenant attacks have become the stuff of legend.
But just how many Spartans are left?
While the Master Chief defends a besieged Earth, and the myriad factions of the Covenant continue their crusade to eliminate humanity, an ultrasecret cell of the Office of Naval Intelligence known as “Section Three” devises a plan to buy the UNSC vital time. They’re going to need hundreds of willing soldiers, though . . . and one more Spartan to get the job done.
The planet Onyx is virtually abandoned and the perfect place to set this new plan in motion. But when the Master Chief destroys Halo, something is triggered deep within Onyx: Ancient Forerunner technology stirs, and fleets of UNSC and Covenant race to claim it to change the course of the Human-Covenant War.
But this reawakened and ancient force may have plans of its own . . .

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

Halo: First Strike

2009-10-21T21:25:00.000+08:00

By Eric Nylund

The Human-Covenant war rages on as the alien juggernaut sweeps inexorably toward its final goal: destruction of all human life!

Halo has been destroyed, and the threat it posed to sentient life, neutralized. But victory has come at a terrible cost for the UNSC. Thousands of valiant soldiers fell in the battle to prevent the alien construct from falling into the enemy’s clutches.

Now, everything depends on the Spartan known as the “Master Chief.” Yet even with the aid of the artificial intelligence Cortana, the Master Chief will be hard-pressed to rescue survivors and evade the Covenant ships patrolling the remains of Halo in debris-strewn space.

Ahead lies a dangerous voyage home, through a gauntlet of Covenant forces. For the sake of all, the Master Chief and his war-torn squad must not only survive, but take the fight to the enemy with a decisive first strike.

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

Halo: The Flood

2009-10-21T21:23:00.000+08:00

By William C. Dietz

The Human-Covenant War, a desperate struggle for humankind’s very survival, has reached its boiling point on the mysterious, ring world called Halo. But the fierce Covenant warriors, the mightiest alien military force known, are not the only peril lying in wait.

As the fortress world of Reach and its brave defenders were bombarded to rubble, a single cruiser fled the carnage with the battle’s only human survivors—Captain Keyes, his crew of a few hundred Marines, and the last remaining SPARTAN super-soldier, the Master Chief.

With the cruiser’s artificial intelligence, Cortana, concealed in his battle armor, the Master Chief crash lands on Halo in the midst of a massive Covenant occupation. Curiously, the alien soldiers appear to be searching for something hidden on the ring. Built by a long-dead race, Halo harbors many deadly secrets, but one overshadows them all. Now the Master Chief must lead the scattered troops in a brutal race to unravel Halo’s darkest mystery—and unleash its greatest source of power. . . .

Continuing from Halo: Fall of Reach

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

Halo: The Fall of Reach

2009-10-21T21:20:00.000+08:00

By Eric Nylund

As the bloody Human-Covenant War rages on Halo, the fate of humankind may rest with one warrior, the lone SPARTAN survivor of another legendary battle . . . the desperate, take-no-prisoners struggle that led humanity to Halo--the fall of the planet Reach. Now, brought to life for the first time, here is the full story of that glorious, doomed conflict.

While the brutal Covenant juggernaut sweeps inexorably through space, intent on wiping out humankind, only one stronghold remains--the planet Reach. Practically on Earth's doorstep, it is the last military fortress to defy the onslaught. But the personnel here have another, higher priority: to prevent the Covenant from discovering the location of Earth.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the soldiers seem to have little chance against the Covenant, but Reach holds a closely guarded secret. It is the training ground for the very first "super soldiers." Code-named SPARTANs, these highly advanced warriors, specially bioengineered and technologically augmented, are the best in the universe--quiet, professional, and deadly.

Now, as the ferocious Covenant attack begins, a handful of SPARTANs stand ready to wage ultimate war. They will kill, they will be destroyed, but they will never surrender. And at least one of them--the SPARTAN known as Master Chief--will live to fight another day on a mysterious and ancient, artificial world called Halo. . . .

This is the prequel to the award-winning Xbox game Halo.

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

Resistance: The Gathering Storm

2009-10-21T21:16:00.001+08:00

By William C. Dietz

Three years ago, Russia went dark. Nothing got in. Nothing got out. The world assumed it was political strife. But it was the Chimera: voracious extraterrestrial invaders. And in December 1949, they burst across the Russian border and poured into Europe. The luckiest humans died. The less fortunate succumbed to an alien virus–and changed.

Within a year, most of Europe had fallen. Only Great Britain, after struggling desperately, had kept the conquerors at bay. But as the Chimera were repelled, they were evolving. Building. Planning.

America. November 1952.

The Chimera have crossed the Atlantic. Their lightning strikes on American borders are devastating. Cities are lost. Small towns overrun. Citizens transformed into monstrosities. Enter Lieutenant Nathan Hale, U.S. Ranger. A veteran of the Chimeran conflict, he is uniquely immune to the alien virus. And when regular troops can’t stem the Chimeran onslaught, Hale and his special-operations team meet the menace head-on.

But while they battle the relentless Chimera, deadly power games rage in the White House. And when Hale discovers a far-reaching conspiracy, one with deadly consequences for the human race, his allegiance to country and mankind is stretched to the breaking point.

Based upon the best selling PS3 games, Resistance: Fall of Man.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

Tom Clancy's EndWar

2009-10-21T21:10:00.000+08:00

By David Michaels

Based on the bestselling video game, this new series will take readers onto the battlefields of World War III with the technical savvy and explosive action that Clancy fans have come to expect.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

Fragment

2009-10-21T21:05:00.001+08:00

By Warren Fahy

The tag line 'Jurassic Park meets Lost in this electrifying new adventure thriller.'

A reality TV show called 'SeaLife' land on a unexplored island hoping to find new species of plants. Little do they know they'll find much much more. What they find are species which have evolved separately from the rest of the world making them a danger to makind. A team of scientist sent in by the US president to research these species. Who will make it off the island alive. A decision is made to destroy the island to protect the rest of the world...this decision is made before an important discovery which will divide the world.

This books is overated. The plot doesn't have much suspense or thriller in it. Plain boring. But the book cover is very nice.

Oi's Rating: 1.5/5

Invisible Trade II

2009-10-21T20:58:00.002+08:00

Invisible Trade II - Secret lives and sexual intrigue in Singapore

By Gerrie Lim

In this long-awaited sequel to the Singapore bestseller Invisible Trade, journalist Gerrie Lim seeks to unravel and demystify two major aspects of the sex industry in modern Singapore: the secretive double lives led by the beautiful, upscale escorts and the reasons why men habitually need to spend money to pay for sex. Both, he discovers, involve addictive behavior fed by deep existential forces fraught with anger and pain, often disguised as carnal longing.

There’s the girl who works at a public relations agency by day and moonlights as an escort by night, the karaoke-bar mamasan who deals in wild and wanton girls from mainland China, the American male escort who gets paid by visiting Shanghai socialites for his companionship both in an out of their hotel bedrooms, and the Singaporean university student who freelances as a bondage model. Male customers include the Englishman who went on a rabid sex spree in the red-light district of Geylang following his divorce, and the self-proclaimed diehard sex tourist from Los Angeles who came to Southeast Asia to sample its professional paragons of feminine perfection, finally facing his nemesis among the nightbirds of Singapore.

As with Invisible Trade, this is investigative reportage with a startling difference—smart and sardonic, based on true lives and vivid memories, often evocative and haunting.

Needless to say, another best and awesome book by Gerrie Lim.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

Invisible Trade

2009-10-21T20:56:00.001+08:00

Invisible Trade - High-class sex for sale in Singapore

By Gerrie Lim

When an ambitious, adventurous gent named Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles “discovered” the tiny Southeast Asian island of Singapore in 1819, claiming it for the British Crown, he envisioned it as a geographical gateway between East and West. Now an independent city-state, Singapore is considered an Asian economic miracle, still a strategic crossroads, but its position on the map has also garnered bluechip status in the international sex industry. Thanks to the constant influx of business travelers, a floating world exists that few talk about, where beautiful escorts from various countries offer discreet companionship for a price, one not usually proffered in the bars and brothels of Asia.

Writer Gerrie Lim investigated this phenomenon and gained access to the secret world of highpriced sex workers. The result is a series of lucid portraits offering insights into this remarkable area of modern commerce. His subjects are women who are lavishly rewarded with money and gifts, some diverging from the oft-trod path to perform kinky services that include whipping and spanking, others being flown to exotic resorts in the company of men with money to burn. He also enters the shadowy domain of gay male escorts and karaoke hostesses, whose views challenge societal norms and question assumptions made about their career choices. The result is a fascinating work of cultural observation, from the vantage point of an eloquent literary voice.

Just 1 word to describe this book: BEST

Oi's Rating: 5/5

Life's Like That

2009-10-21T20:53:00.000+08:00

By Lydia Teh

A light, feel-good casserole of a book, bursting with engaging slices of Malaysiana that will keep you utterly gripped - either wincing with recognition or chuckling with glee.

Oi's Rating 2/5

Genghis Khan: Life, Death, And Resurrection

2009-10-21T20:50:00.000+08:00

By John Man

This is the life story of Genghis Khan from his birth to childhood, to being taken captive while still a teenager, his escape from his captors and the rise of the future leader of the Mongol Horde. This book further reveal how he unite the Mongol people under his one rule.

Oi's Rating : 4/5

China: Friend or Foe?

2009-10-21T20:39:00.001+08:00

By Hugo De Burgh

China is the world’s next superpower. Should the West celebrate – or be afraid?

China’s economy is growing phenomenally, with half the world’s cranes currently on its soil. Its 1.3 billion people have around 300 million mobile phones, and a purchasing power second only to the US. Yet, especially in rural areas, there is widespread poverty.

But few in the West know much about China. Popular press coverage is limited to stereotypes and the serious media to economics and business. What does it mean to us?

Very interesting and informative book. The author spends a lot of time gathering the facts and it's written in a way any people from any age could just picks it up, read it and understand.

Oi's Rating: 4.5/5

A Different Chinese

2009-10-21T20:33:00.000+08:00

By C.Q

“A Different Chinese” is a book that peeps into the business and human behavior of Chinese people from 9 different countries in today’s flattened world by the author. This book uses light, sarcastic and realistic approach, utilizing the self-invented method of “WESET”. It illustrates the special characteristics of Chinese from various countries, some with criticism, some with praises, some with ridicule, some hitting the straight notes, highlighting the awareness and invisible hand of “Chinese Economic Power” in the region as well as in the flattened world.

This book was written from a very one-sided point of view. The author writes as if it refers to all Chinese people having the same living condition and experience the same rich lifestyle like himself.

Oi's Rating: 1.5/5

Political Tsunami

2009-10-21T20:25:00.001+08:00

Political Tsunami: An End to Hegemony in Malaysia?

Malaysians who voted on March 8th, 2008 both made an indelible mark on Malaysian history and forever became a part of it.

In over fifty incisive articles supported with revealing polling data, this book provides insight into what generated this unprecedented tsunami, and the new political landscape that is still unfolding in front of our eyes.

An all star cast of commentators that include prominent politicians, analysts and figures from civil society are brought together to piece together the puzzle that was March 8th and ponder on a new era free from political hegemony.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

The unchartered waters of Malaysia’s new future are mapped out, while writers reveal the hidden forces behind the scenes that converged to produce unforgettable electoral results.

Even Madder About Malaysia

2009-10-21T20:23:00.000+08:00

By Dean Johns

I just want to record my appreciation of Dean Johns whose acerbic political commentary on Malaysiakini has always been spot on and a fabulous chuckle too. Johns certainly puts his highly developed skills as a wordsmith to good use by lacing his insights with ebullient wit. As an Aussie married to a Malaysian he has the neutral perspective of an outsider coupled with a profound affection for his adoptive country that comes shining through his columns.

Antares

Dean Johns is Australian former ad nomad Dean Johns has lived and worked as a gweilo in Hong Kong, a gora in India, a farang in Thailand, a bule in Indonesia, has also done a good deal of what he calls "asing around" in Malaysia, and is currently based in Sydney.

This is Dean John's second book after his first, Mad about Malaysia.

Oi's Rating: 1.5/5

Mad About Malaysia

2009-10-21T20:20:00.003+08:00

By Dean Johns

Mad about Malaysia reflects a commitment and it comes delightfully packaged with a style of writing that – trust us – will make you smile, laugh, sigh, curse or roll your eyes up as you go along. This is a book to be read once and taken out again at regular intervals by all those who wish to reminiscence, regret, rejoice and celebrate together with that curious species known as Malaysians. – S. Vicknesan

…….More and more are getting even madder than I am, however, and becoming increasingly brave and bold in speaking-out and standing-up for themselves and their compatriots. So these days, i’m more madly in love than ever with the good side of Malaysia, and even madder in my determination to help expose and defeat the bad. – Dean Johns

Oi's Rating: 2/5

Mahathir vs. Abdullah

2009-10-21T20:16:00.001+08:00

The book is a compilation of articles that try to cut through the sandiwara (playacting) of the vicious war of words, and see what really drove TDM to launch such a merciless attack on his handpicked successor, as well as analyze the factors influencing each turn this scandal-ridden battle took. It also includes letters from Malaysiakini readers - representing a truly wide spectrum of opinion, critical thought, and passionate support for both parties. The book features a number of high-profile contributors, including Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Guan Eng, P. Gunasegaram, Tian Chua, Collin Abraham, M Bakri Musa, Steven Gan, P Ramasamy, James Wong, Kim Quek, Charles Hector, Khoo Kay Peng, and many more.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

Religion Under Siege?

2009-10-21T20:13:00.001+08:00

Edited by Nathaniel Tan & John Lee

Malaysia’s diversity of religion is at once both a treasured resource and a powder keg for conflict.

This book traces key recent events in Malaysia that have become lightning rods for contention over the freedom of religion in Malaysia.

The conversion of Lina Joy/ Azalina Jailani and the question of whether Malaysia is an Islamic State is tackled head on, as are issues such as the Moorthy burial debate and the demolition of places of worship.

Perhaps for the first time, the entire spectrum of opinion and passions with regards to religion in Malaysia has been gathered in one book.

Contributors range from fundamentalist conservatives to liberal progressives and, most importantly, the majority that lies in between.

The picture that they paint together reflect the true breadth and width of feelings surrounding the relationship between Malaysians, their faiths, and the faiths of their neighbours.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

The Associate

2009-10-20T23:30:00.001+08:00

By John Grisham

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

The Appeal

2009-10-20T23:27:00.003+08:00

By John Grisham

Politics has always been a dirty game.

Now justice is, too.

In a crowded courtroom in Mississippi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it.

Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided?

The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

The Broker

2009-10-20T23:26:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

In his final hours in the Oval Office, the outgoing President grants a controversial last-minute pardon to Joel Backman, a notorious Washington power broker who has spent the last six years hidden away in a federal prison. What no one knows is that the President issues the pardon only after receiving enormous pressure from the CIA. It seems Backman, in his power broker heyday, may have obtained secrets that compromise the world’s most sophisticated satellite surveillance system.

Backman is quietly smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, a new identity, and a new home in Italy. Eventually, after he has settled into his new life, the CIA will leak his whereabouts to the Israelis, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Saudis. Then the CIA will do what it does best: sit back and watch. The question is not whether Backman will survive—there is no chance of that. The question the CIA needs answered is, who will kill him?

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

The Last Juror

2009-10-20T23:24:00.002+08:00

By John Grisham

In 1970, one of Mississippi’s more colorful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23 year-old college dropout, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgitt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper.

The murderer, Danny Padgitt, was tried before a packed courthouse in Clanton, Mississippi. The trial came to a startling and dramatic end when the defendant threatened revenge against the jurors if they convicted him. Nevertheless, they found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

But in Mississippi in 1970, “life” didn’t necessarily mean “life,” and nine years later Danny Padgitt managed to get himself paroled. He returned to Ford County, and the retribution began.

Oi's Rating: 2/5

The King of Torts

2009-10-20T23:23:00.001+08:00

By John Grisham

The office of the public defender is not known as a training ground for bright young litigators. Clay Carter has been there too long and, like most of his colleagues, dreams of a better job in a real firm. When he reluctantly takes the case of a young man charged with a random street killing, he assumes it is just another of the many senseless murders that hit D.C. every week.

As he digs into the background of his client, Clay stumbles on a conspiracy too horrible to believe. He suddenly finds himself in the middle of a complex case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, looking at the kind of enormous settlement that would totally change his life—that would make him, almost overnight, the legal profession’s newest king of torts…

Oi's Rating: 4.5/5

The Summons

2009-10-20T23:21:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

Ray Atlee is a professor of law at the University of Virginia. He’s forty-three, newly single, and still enduring the aftershocks of a surprise divorce. He has a younger brother, Forrest, who redefines the notion of a family’s black sheep.

And he has a father, a very sick old man who lives alone in the ancestral home in Clanton, Mississippi. He is known to all as Judge Atlee, a beloved and powerful official who has towered over local law and politics for forty years. No longer on the bench, the Judge has withdrawn to the Atlee mansion and become a recluse.

With the end in sight, Judge Atlee issues a summons for both sons to return home to Clanton, to discuss the details of his estate. It is typed by the Judge himself, on his handsome old stationery, and gives the date and time for Ray and Forrest to appear in his study.

Ray reluctantly heads south, to his hometown, to the place where he grew up, which he prefers now to avoid. But the family meeting does not take place. The Judge dies too soon, and in doing so leaves behind a shocking secret known only to Ray.

And perhaps someone else.

This book happens to be the worst of all JG's series. The plot is terrible and quite boring.

Oi's Rating: 1/5

The Brethren

2009-10-20T23:18:00.003+08:00

By John Grisham

Trumble is a minimum-security federal prison, a “camp,” home to the usual assortment of relatively harmless criminals–drug dealers, bank robbers, swindlers, embezzlers, tax evaders, two Wall Street crooks, one doctor, at least five lawyers.

And three former judges who call themselves the Brethren: one from Texas, one from California, and one from Mississippi. They meet each day in the law library, their turf at Trumble, where they write briefs, handle cases for other inmates, practice law without a license, and sometimes dispense jailhouse justice. And they spend hours writing letters. They are fine-tuning a mail scam, and it’s starting to really work. The money is pouring in.

Then their little scam goes awry. It ensnares the wrong victim, a powerful man on the outside, a man with dangerous friends, and the Brethren’s days of quietly marking time are over.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

The Testament

2009-10-20T23:17:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

Troy Phelan is a self-made billionaire, one of the richest men in the United States. He is also eccentric, reclusive, confined to a wheelchair, and looking for a way to die. His heirs, to no one’s surprise–especially Troy’s–are circling like vultures.

Nate O’Riley is a high-octane Washington litigator who’s lived too hard, too fast, for too long. His second marriage in a shambles, and he is emerging from his fourth stay in rehab armed with little more than his fragile sobriety, good intentions, and resilient sense of humor. Returning to the real world is always difficult, but this time it’s going to be murder.

Rachel Lane is a young woman who chose to give her life to God, who walked away from the modern world with all its strivings and trappings and encumbrances, and went to live and work with a primitive tribe of Indians in the deepest jungles of Brazil.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

The Street Lawyer

2009-10-20T23:15:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

Michael was in a hurry. He was scrambling up the ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a giant D.C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers. The money was good and getting better; a partnership was three years away. He was a rising star with no time to waste, no time to stop, no time to toss a few coins into the cups of panhandlers. No time for a conscience.

But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Who was this man? Michael did some digging, and learned that he was a mentally ill veteran who’d been in and out of shelters for many years. Then Michael dug a little deeper, and found a dirty secret, and the secret involved Drake & Sweeney.

The fast track derailed; the ladder collapsed. Michael bolted the firm and took a top-secret file with him. He landed in the streets, an advocate for the homeless, a street lawyer.

And a thief.

Oi's Rating: 2/5

The Partner

2009-10-20T23:13:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

They watched Danilo Silva for days before they finally grabbed him. He was living alone, a quiet life on a shady street in Brazil; a simple life in a modest home, certainly not one of luxury. Certainly no evidence of the fortune they thought he had stolen. He was much thinner and his face had been altered. He spoke a different language, and spoke it very well.But Danilo had a past with many chapters. Four years earlier he had been Patrick Lanigan, a young partner in a prominent Biloxi law firm. He had a pretty wife, a new daughter, and a bright future. Then one cold winter night Patrick was trapped in a burning car and died a horrible death. When he was buried his casket held nothing more than his ashes.From a short distance away, Patrick watched his own burial. Then he fled. Six weeks later, a fortune was stolen from his ex-law firm’s offshore account. And Patrick fled some more.But they found him.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

The Runaway Jury

2009-10-20T23:10:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

Every jury has a leader, and the verdict belongs to him. In Biloxi, Mississippi, a landmark tobacco trial with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake beginsroutinely, then swerves mysteriously off course. The jury is behaving strangely, and at least one juroris convinced he’s being watched. Soon they have to be sequestered. Then a tip from an anonymousyoung woman suggests she is able to predict the jurors’ increasingly odd behavior. Is the jury somehow being manipulated, or even controlled? If so, by whom? And, more important,why?

This novel was adapted into a film with the same title but different case. In the novel, it is against the tobacco company whereas in the film it is about the gun company. The film stars John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz.

Oi's Rating: 5/5

The Rainmaker

2009-10-20T23:07:00.001+08:00

By John Grisham

The Rainmaker tells the story of a young man barely out of law school who finds himself taking on one of the most powerful, corrupt, and ruthless companies in America — and exposing a complex, multibillion-dollar insurance scam. In hs final semester of law school Rudy Baylor is required to provide free legal advice to a group of senior citizens, and it is there that he meets his first “clients,” Dot and Buddy Black. Their son, Donny Ray, is dying of leukemia, and their insurance company has flatly refused to pay for his medical treatments. While Rudy is at first skeptical, he soon realizes that the Blacks really have been shockingly mistreated by the huge company, and that he just may have stumbled upon one of the largest insurance frauds anyone’s ever seen — and one of the most lucrative and important cases in the history of civil litigation. The problem is, Rudy’s flat broke, has no job, hasn’t even passed the bar, and is about to go head-to-head with one of the best defense attorneys — and powerful industries — in America.

This novel was adapted into a film starring Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight and Danny Glover.

Oi's Rating: 4/5

The Chamber

2009-10-20T23:02:00.000+08:00

By John Grisham

In the corridors of Chicago’s top law firm:
Twenty -six-year-old Adam Hall stands on the brink of a brilliant legal career. Now he is risking it all for a death-row killer and an impossible case.

Maximum Security Unit, Mississippi State Prison:
Sam Cayhall is a former Klansman and unrepentant racist now facing the death penalty for a fatal bombing in 1967. He has run out of chances — except for one: the young, liberal Chicago lawyer who just happens to be his grandson.

While the executioners prepare the gas chamber, while the protesters gather and the TV cameras wait, Adam has only days, hours, minutes to save his client. For between the two men is a chasm of shame, family lies, and secrets — including the one secret that could save Sam Cayhall’s life… or cost Adam his.

Was adapted into film starring Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell.

Oi's Rating: 3/5

The Client

2009-10-20T22:57:00.004+08:00

By John Grisham

In a weedy lot on the outskirts of Memphis, two boys watch a shiny Lincoln pull up to the curb…Eleven-year-old Mark Sway and his younger brother were sharing a forbidden cigarette when a chance encounter with a suicidal lawyer left Mark knowing a bloody and explosive secret: the whereabouts of the most sought-after dead body in America. Now Mark is caught between a legal system gone mad and a mob killer desperate to cover up his crime. And his only ally is a woman named Reggie Love, who has been a lawyer for all of four years. Prosecutors are willing to break all the rules to make Mark talk. The mob will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. And Reggie will do anything to protect her client — even take a last, desperate gamble that could win Mark his freedom… or cost them both their lives.

Oi's Rating: 2/5

The Pelican Brief

2009-10-20T22:50:00.002+08:00

By John Grisham

In suburban Georgetown a killer’s Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home… In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death… The next day America learns that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief… To Darby Shaw it was no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant guess. To the Washington establishment it was political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder — a murder intended for her. Going underground, she finds there is only one person she can trust — an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak hotter than Watergate — to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of Louisiana and the White House’s inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For somone has read Darby’s brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthinkable crime.

This is a very nice thrilling book which was also adapted into film starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington.

Oi's Rating: 3.5/5

The Firm

2009-10-20T22:46:00.005+08:00

By John Grisham

At the top of his class at Harvard Law, he had his choice of the best in America. He made a deadly mistake. When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, he thought he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage and hired him a decorator. Mitch McDeere should have remembered what his brother Ray — doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail — already knew. You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on Mitch’s firm and needs his help. Mitch is caught between a rock and a hard place, with no choice — if he wants to live.

John Grisham's second book. this was also adapted into film starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris.

Oi's Rating: 4.5/5

A Time To Kill

2009-10-20T22:42:00.006+08:00

By John Grisham

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young man. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. Until her black father acquires an assault rifle — and takes justice into his own outraged hands.

For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client’s life…and then his own…

This is John Grisham's 1st book. In 1996 the novel was adapted into a film of the same name, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson.

Oi's Rating:: 3/5