Getting straight to it, Little Children is about what love is supposed to be and what love actually is. It is the hidden messages behind smiles and the warmth that we all seek to find by doing things that are, sometimes, just a little bit stupid.

In summary it’s like this: Todd is the stay-at-home husband of Kathy, a woman who sounds like a bitch but actually isn’t; she just wants what is best for their family, which includes her husband and their son.

Sarah and her daughter Lucy are part of the playground scene; every day they go to the playground and Sarah wishes she wasn’t there (herself, not Lucy; Lucy has a great time, when Sarah doesn’t forget Lucy’s food and get in trouble with the other mums by dishing out care advice). She doesn’t fit in with the crowd and she doesn’t know where she is going or quite what she wants to do.

Then Todd and Sarah meet, this, along with the story of a child abuser who moves in to the neighbourhood, creates a dazzling and heart-breaking read that is every bit as funny as it is poignant and serious. Everyone should read Little Children, just because It’s Good.

Many people, familiar with the art of Azimov, consider the “Foundation”series to be the best science fiction not only created by the author, but as a whole compared to the other science fiction books released in the 20th century. The trilogy (released originally in three books forming independant stories in a complete circle) is centered around the 12,000 year-old Galactic Empire which is the ultimate organisation of human kind. Tracking down the problems, the development and the new science methods adopted by this future society, the author presents a mixture of adventurous action and pure science thus emphasising on the importance which science have in the life of humans and underlining the uncountable opportunities that knowledge may reveal to people.

Strongly influenced by Binder (another american sci-fi author), Azimov creates another masterpiece in his career -released in 1950, his book “I, robot”became so popular that after technologies permitted the creation of a filmed version, it was released with great success among movie lovers. The book is centered around several short stories presenting the incorporation of artificial intelligente and mind (the robots) in the human society. Displaying the levels of science he is competent in (as biochemistry which was his strongest sphere of competence), Azimov mixes the fiction with scientifical theories and ideas creating a world that even if accepted metaphorically can serve for an example of tolerance and mutual understanding. Even being machines, robots, at the end of the story circle, remain an unbreakbale part of human societies thus representing not only the imaginary peace that has occured, but virtually reminding humans about the value of tolerance and acceptance in the modern-day world.

Isaac Azimov died in 1992 after a fruitful life in the modern literature. His books are sold in millions of copies, many other short stories keep being published for different occasions. The competence, the scope of knowledge and the vast imagination of that memorable author make him one of the most influential figures in the literature nowadays, creating imaginary worlds and expanding the scientific theories to such an extent that he can be said to have forseen the development of the human race long before modern science methods were accessible. This is the reason why the science fiction of Azimov makes him an author that is still being read and published, decades after his most impressive novels were released.

In early World War 2 the Germans occupied western Poland the Soviets occupied the East with dire consequences to Poles on both sides. The Russians arrested, imprisoned and tortured many soldiers, amongst them a young officer named Slavomir Rawicz.
Horrendously mistreated he was eventually forced on a 3 month journey by train and then on foot to his eventual prison deep in Russian Siberia, a journey that many would not complete.

Upon his arrival he discovered his prison was in fact the forest, deep in snow, way below freezing and guarded by not only armed guards but also thousands of miles of frozen waste and that he, along with his other prisoners, would have to chop would and build their own prison or die in the building as many did.

With a minimum of 25 years of hard labor ahead of him the young officer hatched a plan and began storing little pieces of tools and materials with which to give himself the best chance of survival. With a few trusted friends he had made whilst imprisoned he eventually broke out and headed south travelling at night, foraging for food and hunting when possible, but going hungry mostly.

As days turned into weeks and then into months the group slowly progressed through the cold forest, evading contact and capture and avoiding injury and serious disease whilst picking up a fellow escapee, a young girl who managed to escape from a female prisoner camp.

The book follows their journey out of the cold into the desert and beyond into and over the Himalayas before descending down into what they believed was freedom after a journey of 3 months which not all were to live through.

Tremendously moving and disturbing in equal measure it is a book that can be nothing but a heart breaking inspiration to all who read it.

The Historian is a story of a girl who strays into her father’s study one fine day (which is also the storage space for a huge amount of mysterious books) and gets hold of an interesting looking book. She questions her father about the history of the book and on finding some questions unanswered, she herself delves into finding the facts. The lethal past that unravels in front of her eyes is not only scary but also dangerous and fatal to her life, and can also cause harm to her loved ones. The unanswered questions take this little girl on a difficult journey.

The Historian is a book that is enriched with true facts. It talks about various cultures, religions and customs. The author has paid special attention while describing the places mentioned in the book. It can well be deemed as a travelogue with every place being described with excruciating detailing and authenticity. The book also describes the vivid architecture and customs prevalent in those places.

The Historian describes the many faces of Dracula. After reading this, one may truly start believing in the existence of blood sucking vampires. The writing style is very elaborate and descriptive and it is a gift for the hungry mind. However, somewhere in between one tends to lose the pace because of the length of the book. The book could have done away with a few pages. Apart from Dracula, who is described in the book to the tee, the other characters in the novel could have been defined with more elaborateness.

The story starts with rather a sad note, as Aurora, the grandmother of Sylvia, falls down and breaks her hips. Leandro takes her to a hospital for treatment and as he waits, he picks up the daily newspaper and starts perusing the sex pages. As he peruses the advertisements, he becomes keen on an ad about a “chalet” which is actually a brothel and decides to visit it. From this point onwards he loses all control over himself and his morals and become a sex addict. He becomes obsessed with a Nigerian prostitute and soon starts spending all his retirement benefits as well as his time by visiting her daily.

Sylvia stumbles into Ariel, a 20 year old Argentinean professional soccer player who had migrated to Spain and soon they start to have a passionate affair.

Earlier, Lorenzo had murdered his ex-business partner; Paco who had cheated him and made him financially broke. Due to this, Lorenzo is too much concerned about the consequence of his crime and worries about Sylvia who has come to reside with him.

The rather long story raises some very interesting questions about relationship, love, loss, morality, intimacy and ethics. The author has not been able to encompass the different scenes in a natural flow, which might be due to the fact that it is a translation from the original work. But, the story keeps the readers on hold, many of whom wonder whether Lorenzo will be arrested by the police and his sex escapades made public. What will be the end result of the affair between Ariel and Sylvia, as she is a minor? These are the questions that make the novel an interesting read.