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Talk:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince/Archive 2

Chapter 1: The Other Minister
The story starts with a meeting between the Ministry of Magic and the United Kingdom's Muggle Prime Minister. The previous Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has been forced to resign, replaced by a new minister Rufus Scrimgeour. The Prime Minister recalls how, just after being elected, Fudge came to visit him and informed him of the existence of the wizarding world, and that the Ministry of Magic was its governing body in the UK. He then recalls several other visits by Fudge over the past few years. Arriving at the prime minister's office via the Floo Network, Fudge introduces Scrimgeour, and the prime minister is informed that several recent disasters in the Muggle world are connected to Voldemort and his followers. The Prime Minister is quite displeased with the wizarding world leaking in to the muggle world.

Chapter 2: Spinner's End
Bellatrix Lestrange and her sister, Narcissa Malfoy go to a house on a street named Spinner's End to find Professor Snape. Because her son Draco has been assigned a task by Voldemort that is far above his ability to accomplish, Narcissa wants Snape to help him, and do it for him if it looks as though he will fail. Bellatrix appears not to trust Snape, based on the fact that he has been working for Dumbledore ever since Voldemort was first defeated. Snape is able to explain his actions to Bellatrix, in such a way that she does not stop her sister from confiding in Snape. In the end, Snape takes an 'Unbreakable Vow' to prove his honesty and willingness to do as Narcissa asked.

Chapter 3: Will and Won't
Dumbledore turns up at the Dursley's house and tells Harry that 12 Grimmauld Place, Kreacher, Buckbeak and all of Sirius's possessions now belong to him. Harry sends Kreacher to work at Hogwarts and gives Buckbeak (now renamed Witherwings) to Hagrid for caring. Before parting, Dumbledore reminds the Dursleys to expect a short visit from Harry before his seventeenth birthday. Dumbledore and Harry leave his aunt and uncle's house.

Dumbledore also now has an injured hand, a product of his 'slowing reactions'; however, he does not tell Harry exactly how he got the injury.

Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn
Harry apparates alongside Dumbledore, but instead of going to The Burrow, they end up in a village. Dumbledore tells Harry that they need a new staff member (presumably for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher) and go off to convince one Horace Slughorn (an old colleague of Dumbledore) to join up.

Slughorn is an obese former head of Slytherin house. He is reluctant to go, but they succeed in convincing him to join the staff. Dumbledore then transports himself and Harry to the Burrow and tells Harry he will take private lessons with him (Dumbledore).

Chapter 5: An Excess of Phlegm
Arthur Weasley is head of the new Office of Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. In short, it means he finds and takes fake defence items like potions that protect others from danger or Sneakoscopes that serve as tracking devices for the Death Eaters.

Fleur Delacour is also staying with the Weasleys, and she and Bill Weasley are getting married. Hermione is also staying at the Burrow. The chapter title comes from Hermione and Ginny's derogatory nickname for Fleur, an obvious pun on her name (only one sound different)

Harry, Ron and Hermione get their O.W.L results. It is revealed that Troll is an actual grade, not Terrible as one might imagine. Harry's grades are:

 * Astronomy: Acceptable (A)
 * Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations (E)
 * Charms: E
 * Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding (O)
 * Divination: Poor (P)
 * Herbology: E
 * History of Magic: Dreadful (D)
 * Potions: E
 * Transfiguration: E

These results are good, but Harry believes his dreams of becoming an Auror are gone. He needed an 'O' in Potions for Snape to accept him into Advanced Potions, and Potions is one of the N.E.W.T subjects required for Aurors.

Ron receives similar grades (fails in History of Magic and Divination) but has no 'Outstanding's, while Hermione, not surprisingly having done well, receives 10 'O's and one 'E' (in Defence Against the Dark Arts).

The three of them have passed into N.E.W.T level.

Chapter 6: Draco's Detour
There are regular deaths and disappearances now. Igor Karkaroff is dead, killed by Death Eaters, and Ollivander (the wand maker) is missing.

Harry is also made Quidditch Captain, which according to Hermione, gives him the status of a Prefect (she states that he can use their bathroom, although whether there are other benefits is unknown).

The entire family goes shopping in Diagon Alley, where they meet up with Hagrid and have a nasty encounter with Draco Malfoy and his mother Narcissa. Harry sees Malfoy at Madam Malkin's and his suspicions are aroused when Malfoy pulls away from the dressmaker when she tries to pull up his sleeve. Harry believes Malfoy may be hiding a Dark Mark, a sign that he is a Death Eater.

The family then go to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a joke shop with a booming trade, not only with the joke items but because they are selling enchanted Shield Hats,Pygmy Puffs, Cloaks and Gloves to the Ministry (presumably for the war effort, since the items deflect spells).

Draco takes a detour to Knockturn Alley where he visits the shop Borgin and Burkes. He threatens Borgin, saying a 'family friend', Fenrir Greyback, will pay him a visit if he 'doesn't repair this item'. Malfoy also tells him to reserve an item for later purchase, and not to tell anybody about it.

Chapter 7: The Slug Club
Harry reveals his suspicions to Ron and Hermione that Draco is now a Death Eater. Harry mentions to them how when Madam Malkin tried to roll up Draco's sleeve, he yelled and yanked it away; he also showed Borgin something that made him take Malfoy seriously. It is just a suspicion so far, but the reader knows Narcissa mentioned something about "Draco being sent on a task".

Ginny Weasley also has a new pet, a Pygmy Puff called Arnold.

Later, on the Hogwarts Express, Harry and Neville are invited to have lunch with Professor Slughorn. They arrive and find a large gathering of people, including Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin in Harry's year. The students here are all connected to famous wizards and witches, except for Ginny, who was invited because Slughorn liked the curse she cast earlier. Slughorn interrogates them all (Harry, Neville, Ginny, Zabini, Cormac McLaggen and Marcus Belby) and sends them off, confident they will live up to their relatives. Leaving the carriage, Harry takes the opportunity to tail Zabini back to the Slytherin carriage to eavesdrop on Malfoy.

Malfoy lets slip that he might not be at Hogwarts next year, because he's moved on to "bigger and better things". The other Slytherins are surprised, and Zabini asks what he could do for Voldemort if he isn't even qualified. Malfoy retorts by saying the job the Dark Lord wants him to do doesn't require qualifications.

They arrive at Hogsmeade Station, but Harry is discovered alone by Malfoy. Malfoy petrifies him and breaks Harry's nose by stamping on his face. Malfoy then throws the invisibility cloak over Harry, which, coupled with the petrification, means that he might not get to school this year.

Chapter 8: Snape Victorious
Harry is rescued by Tonks, who mends his broken nose and conjures a Patronus, different from her previous one, to send up to the castle to notify the others that Harry is safe. She is still very troubled by Sirius's death and looks very pale. When they arrive at the Hogwarts entrance, Snape opens the doors and escorts Harry back to the Great Hall, deducting 70 points from Gryffindor along the way. Harry does not report Malfoy's action for shame and pride.

After the feast (which Harry misses by a few seconds), Dumbledore announces a huge appointment. Professor Horace Slughorn is to be the new Potions Master which means Snape will get the Defence Against the Dark Arts post.

Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince
Harry's hopes of becoming an Auror are real again. With Slughorn teaching potions, he can get in with an 'E' grade. Unfortunately for Hagrid, Harry and Ron are not continuing Care of Magical Creatures. They still share the rest of their subjects. Professor McGonagall also hands Harry a list of new Quidditch recruits for him to do trials with.

In the Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, the class learn silent magic, spells which can be cast without speaking. Harry gives Snape cheek after knocking him down with a Shield Charm and lands himself a detention. Luckily he is saved by Dumbledore's request for him to take a private lesson at the same time.

Potions is much more enjoyable now that Snape is gone, with Hermione earning Gryffindor thirty points. Slughorn (ex-Head of Slytherin) is pleased that Hermione is a good witch, even though she is Muggle-born; Lily Potter was also one of his favourite students (he prefers pure-bloods, though).

Slughorn has also brewed a potion on his desk; Felix Felicis (meaning "luck of luck" in Latin), which (as the name suggests) is liquid luck. Take one tablespoon at breakfast and you will have a perfect day. It is banned in competitions, examinations and elections, and excessive consumption will cause giddiness, recklessness and death if overdosed. For the first lesson, whoever brews the best Draught of Living Death will win a tiny flask of Felix, enough luck for twelve hours.

Harry brews his potion with the help of his tattered, borrowed second-hand copy of the book Advanced Potion Making. The textbook, however, has helpful hints written in the margin, and Harry manages to beat the entire class in creating the potion, even Hermione. He tells Ginny, Ron and Hermione at dinner that he has been following instructions from the book like Ginny did in her first year, but a check reveals no dangers to the book. Knocking it over, Harry picks it up and sees a note written on the back page: This book belongs to the Half-Blood Prince...

Chapter 10: The House of Gaunt
Hermione is angry about the book, suggesting to Harry that the 'Prince' may be female (the writing in the book looks more like a woman's). Harry retorts by saying, "how many girls have been Princes?" This exchange may mean that Lily Potter could have been the original owner (Slughorn himself says Lily was masterful at Potions).

Harry also goes off on his first private lesson with Dumbledore. Dumbledore says he will not learn spells; instead, they will do investigative work in trying to guess Voldemort's intentions. Dumbledore extracts a vial full of memories from Bob Odgen, who worked as a Magical Law Enforcer before he died. He pours them into the Pensieve and he and Harry go inside.

They visit a town called "Little Hangleton" (with a church, a graveyard, a manor and a small copse) where the House of Gaunt lies. Odgen goes into the house and tries to arrest a man called Morfin, who speaks in Parseltongue. His father, Marvolo, reveals that they are the last descendants of Salazar Slytherin and that they hate Muggles and mudbloods. His daughter Merope (Voldemort's mother) fancies a Muggle living in town, and when Odgen comes back with reinforcements to arrest the father and Morfin, she is set free. Merope bewitches the Muggle, Tom Riddle Sr., and they get married. However, when she releases him from the enchantment, he leaves her while she is pregnant. Dumbledore ends the lesson there and tells Harry that he will explain more to him later, as well as how he received his hand injury.

Chapter 11: Hermione's Helping Hand
Classes resume as normal, with the trio still trying to do incantation-less spells. Harry resolves to go and speak with Hagrid, as he is ignoring them in the grounds. He also has to go to Quidditch trials and pick a new team. Meanwhile, Hermione makes an offhand comment about how Harry has "never been more fanciable" (a prod in the direction of a Harry & Hermione relationship), also saying "it doesn't hurt that you've grown about a foot over the summer". In response, Ron says "I'm tall" (Hermione is expressing interest in Harry now, much to Ron's displeasure). Harry starts to feel hot, even though the weather is miserable.

On more serious tones, Knight Bus driver Stan Shunpike has been arrested for discussing the Death Eaters' plans, and Dumbledore hasn't been seen since Harry's private lesson. Eloise Midgen has been taken out of school due to parents' concerns over her safety, and Hannah Abbott's mother was found dead recently.

When the trio pass Parvati and Lavender, Parvati nudges Lavender, who smiles at Ron. He smiles back uncertainly and Hermione becomes colder and more distant, not even wishing him 'good luck' in the trials.

The trials are a bit of a fiasco, but Harry picks Katie Bell, Ginny and a new player called Demelza Robins as chasers, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote as beaters, and Ron as keeper, much to Cormac McLaggen's dismay. Incidentally, Lavender Brown wishes Ron good luck as he flies up for his trial. Hermione picks this up and tells Ron he did brilliantly, leaving Lavender frustrated. Ron is quite happy to receive Hermione's praise.

Afterwards when they are walking to Hagrid's hut, Ron says McLaggen looked liked he was Confunded during the last goal shot. Hermione blushes, but Ron doesn't notice.

The talk with Hagrid is awkward, but eventually they make up after Hagrid tells them that Aragog is dying and the trio tells him (untruthfully) that Professor Grubbly-Plank is an awful teacher.

Horace Slughorn catches the trio before dinner and invites Harry and Hermione to a "little party, just a few rising stars", while resolutely ignoring Ron all the while. Harry says he's got detention with Snape and can't come. Slughorn will try to persuade Snape to let him out.

Later that evening, before Harry's detention, Hermione says that Arthur Weasley searched the premises of the Malfoys' residence, but didn't find anything, and that Malfoy couldn't have smuggled in whatever he wanted repaired because everything is checked by Dark Detectors. All this time Ron was staring at Lavender Brown.

Demelza passes Snape's message to Harry that he is expected at Snape's office, no matter how many parties he's been invited to.

Chapter 12: Silver and Opals
Harry lies in bed reading the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, which is full of spells that are quite handy. Harry casts a non-verbal one to levitate people, much like his father had done in Snape's memory. He pushes the suspicion that his father was the Half-Blood Prince out of his mind, as his father was pure-blood.

Dumbledore schedules another lesson on Monday night, which clashes with Slughorn's regular parties. Slughorn is determined to have Harry over along with Hermione and Ginny, but he is constantly thwarted by other appointments.

The first Hogsmeade trip is on as well. After fobbing off Slughorn's invitation, they encounter the bartender from the Hog's Head and Mundungus Fletcher, who has a case full of stolen goods, including a goblet with the Black crest on it. Harry seizes Mundungus by the throat and tries to take it back, accusing Fletcher of stripping the house when Sirius died. Fletcher blasts Harry away and Disapparates. Tonks also appears and says it's no use.

The trio spend time in the Three Broomsticks, but decide to go home. They follow Katie Bell and her friend Leanne back to the castle, until Katie and Leanne argue about a package. Leanne tries to take it and it tears, after which Katie rises six feet up into the air and screams before falling on top of all of them, writhing and screaming. Hagrid comes and takes her away, and Ron tries to touch the package but is stopped by Harry. The package contains a necklace that was in Borgin and Burges, with a label that read 'cursed'. Leanne tells them that Katie behaved strangely after she got out of the toilet, with a package she had to deliver. She suspected Katie was acting under the Imperius Curse, so she was trying to take the package when it tore and Katie touched it. Professor McGonagall comes and takes them away to her office, where Harry tells her he suspects Malfoy. McGonagall quashes the notion by saying Malfoy was doing detention with her, but Harry thinks it must have been an accomplice. Ron and Hermione ignore Harry every time he mentions Malfoy.

Chapter 13: The Secret Riddle
Harry attends his second lesson with Dumbledore. The last time they were in, Merope (Voldemort's mother) was expecting. She needed money as she didn't have the will to perform magic to feed herself, so she sold a golden locket that once belonged to Salazar Slytherin to Caractacus Burke, one of the founders of Borgin and Burke's. He only gave her ten galleons for what was an extremely pricey artifact.

In this lesson Harry is going into Dumbledore's memories. The young Dumbledore had auburn hair and beard, just as long as they are today.

Dumbledore visits a Muggle orphanage to speak to the eleven-year old Tom Riddle. After speaking with the matron, who says Riddle is a strange boy, Dumbledore talks to Tom directly. Even at the tender age of 11, Riddle has manipulated other children, strangled rabbits, hurt people and spoken in Parseltongue. The young Dumbledore is worried about his ambition, his cruelty, his thieving and other such things and resolves to keep an eye on him.

Back in the office, Dumbledore reveals he didn't know at the time that that young boy would grow up to become the most feared Dark Wizard for centuries.

Chapter 14: Felix Felicis
The trio are doing Herbology, tackling a plant called Snargaluff which has many tentacles and produces grapefruit-sized pods. Hermione tells Ron and Harry that the 'Slug Club' suppers are quite fun, and that Harry has to come to the Christmas one, as Slughorn has chosen a day when Harry is not busy. Ron gets angry and tells Hermione to "get off with McLaggen" so they can be "Slug King and Queen", Hermione hotly replies she was going to invite Ron, but as he's being so stupid she won't bother. The argument stops when Harry accidentally smashes his bowl.

Harry thinks to himself that, sooner or later, if Ron and Hermione get together a break-up could create an unbridgable gap between them that Harry couldn't close, or that the two would become so close they would shut Harry out. He tells himself he'll wait and see what will happen with the both of them under the influence of Butterbeer in the dimly lit room.

Meanwhile, Katie Bell is still in the hospital, which means the Gryffindor team is short of an excellent Chaser. Harry, after some thinking has to choose Dean Thomas, as he was next best flyer. Dean is happy and runs off to tell Ginny (his girlfriend and fellow chaser) the good news. Seamus, however, feels rather nonplussed. Harry gets some lip from the rest of the house over his decision to put a classmate on the team, but Harry is confident what with Dean's excellent showing at match practice. The beaters are also doing well.

Ron, however, is a different story. His old nerves have returned, making him so nervous he punches Demelza in the mouth. Harry encourages Ron and he visibly felt better until halfway towards the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron stumble across Dean and Ginny locking lips in a corridor. A monster grows inside Harry seeing Dean there, but Ron is angry with his sister.

Dean quickly hurries off, and Ginny and Ron start screaming at each other. They draw wands and Harry shoves Ron into a wall, causing him to narrowly miss his sister. Ginny insults Ron by saying all of his friends and family has kissed someone at sometime and that Ron has the "experience of a twelve-year old" and "the best kiss Ron's ever had was from our Aunt Muriel". Ginny storms off and Harry and Ron go back to the common room.

Along the way, Harry tells himself that he's angry because he saw a classmate kissing the sister of his best friend, but his real thoughts betray him. Harry sees himself in that corridor in place of Dean, kissing Ginny, with Ron storming in and shouting at Harry. He then sees himself alone with Ginny, with no Ron to interrupt.

Ron becomes aggressive and Harry drifts off to an uneasy sleep, trying to keep his mind off of Ginny. He tries to convince himself that he was feeling brotherly protectiveness.

The next day Ron lashes out at everyone around him, cold-shouldering Dean and Ginny and sneering at a hurt and confused Hermione. Hermione goes to bed quickly after being hurt and Ron stalks off to bed after swearing at some first-years. Ron doesn't get better, missing all the saves during the last Quidditch practice before the game with Slytherin and shouting so much he brings Demelza to tears. Ron almost resigns before Harry snaps him out of it. However, he is dejected through the rest of the evening, Harry's encouragement and shouting not making him feel any better.

Harry has a stroke of genius during the night, and the next day he wakes up feeling happy with a clear blue sky. Lavender tries to encourage Ron but he ignores her. Harry gives Ron some pumpkin juice at breakfast after spiking it with something (the Felix). Hermione is angry and tells Harry off, but then storms off after Harry makes a nasty comment.

Apparently, the Felix worked as Slytherin's best goal scorer is too sore to play and Malfoy got off sick as well. Harry suspects Malfoy is planning something, but Ron realizes that Harry must've put the Felix in his drink. Harry doesn't say anything and they play.

The new commentator is Zacharias Smith who takes every opportunity to insult Harry's team. After 30 minutes, Gryffindor is leading sixty to zero, Ron having made some spectacular saves (thanks to the luck potion) so Smith starts insulting the Beaters. After some more time and some more spectacular saves, Gryffindor is up 100-to-zero and the Slytherin Seeker sees the Snitch. Harry manages to distract him for a few seconds and catches it, winning easily. Back in the changing room, the atmosphere is jubilant; there would be a party later in the common room. They all leave except for Harry and Ron. Hermione bursts in at that moment and tells Harry off and how she should go to a teacher. Harry smiles at the two of them and tells Ron he didn't really put anything in at all and shows them the sealed flask. Ron is so happy he yells at Hermione and storms out, Hermione crying and following him after.

Harry is miffed that his plan to get them together backfired and stalks back. In the party, Ginny tells him that Ron is in the corner with Lavender. Harry finds Ron, who, according to Ginny, is "trying to eat her face". Harry spots Hermione going out and follows her. He tries to console her after finding Hermione in a room with conjured birds flying around her head. She had spotted Ron and was almost at a loss for words. Ron barges in with Lavender, who ducks out of the room. Hermione says goodbye to Ron and shoots the birds at him, which begin to attack him. She then runs out sobbing.

Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow
Ron is now spending every evening kissing Lavender Brown who "seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted". Hermione is becoming increasingly bitter, and Ron says she should be satisfied as she has kissed Viktor Krum before.

Meanwhile Harry is still making good on the Prince's notes in his book of Advanced Potion Making. Hermione says he should be careful but Harry (who thinks he might lose his voice because he hasn't used it for so long) replies he has learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than from Slughorn or Snape. Hermione angrily tells him she wasn't talking about the "Prince", she was talking about the girls who have been infatuated with Harry for the entire year trying to slip him a Love Potion. She suggests that he invite someone so the girls will be discouraged. Harry tries, unsucessfully to not think about Ginny who "kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful Ron could not perform Legilimency".

Harry brings up Malfoy and the necklace again, only to be told by Hermione that the Secrecy Sensors would definitely pick up a powerful curse, just not a love potion being disguised as a cough potion (Filch has banned all items in Weasley's Wizards Wheezes). Suddenly Harry is attacked by the insane Madam Pince who tries to claw Harry after seeing the Prince's writing in the textbook. Harry and Hermione escape and Harry expresses his thoughts that Pince and Filch may have a relationship.

In the Common Room, one of Harry's would-be lovers offers him a Gillywater and a box of chocolates which he quickly declines. Hermione was going to sit down until she sees Ron and Lavender entwined in the same armchair (after which she hurries off to bed).

The next day in Transfiguration, Hermione and Ron have a row, with Hermione running off crying. She is comforted in the bathroom by Luna Lovegood, who meets up with Harry. Hermione runs off straight away after she collects the things she left behind in class from Harry. Luna tells him that Ron says funny things sometimes, but sometimes hurtful things as well. Harry thinks to himself Luna has a knack for telling the awful truth. Luna also says Ginny sticks up for her and stopped two boys calling her "Loony" and Harry asks Luna to come with him to Slughorn's party. Luna is quite happy, as nobody has ever invited her to a party before. Peeves suddenly appears and taunts "Potty lurves Loony".

Soon, of course, everyone knows Harry asked Luna and Ron berates Harry, telling him he could've asked anyone but Loony. Ginny scolds him for that. Hermione is sitting alone, playing with her stew and Harry and Ron sit down. Soon, the other Gryffindor girls come and Lavender starts hugging Ron. Parvati feels guilty about laughing at Hermione, and asks her about the party. Hermione, as a way of attacking Ron, says she is taking McLaggen. Parvati is amazed and says Hermione really likes her Quidditch players, first Krum and now McLaggen! Hermione emphasises she only likes good Quidditch players.

Harry ponders the depth that girls would sink to to get revenge.

On the night of the party, Harry learns from Luna that Rufus Scrimgeour is coming to the party and Luna also says he's a vampire. Not knowing whether to believe her or not, they set off.

In the party, Slughorn introduces Harry to an expert on vampires and his vampire friend, Sanguini. The Weird Sisters are also there, along with Professor Trelawney who is still drinking. Snape is also present, and Slughorn lets slip that Harry is a natural, just like his mother. Snape says he didn't think he'd taught Harry anything over the past five years so Slughorn says it must be natural talent. Harry tells Slughorn that he is doing all the Auror subjects, after which Slughorn booms that Harry will be an excellent one and Luna mentions a conspiracy theory involving dark magic and gum disease.

Harry is having a great time with Luna and Slughorn when Malfoy is dragged in by the ear, by Filch who says Malfoy was trying to gatecrash. Slughorn laughs and tells him off, but will let him stay this time. Instead of looking pleased, Malfoy looks angry, Filch also and Snape slightly scared. Snape calls Malfoy off to have a word and Slughorn says not to be too hard on him, but Snape takes him anyway. Harry tells Luna he's going to the bathroom and eavesdrops on Snape.

Snape is trying to probe Malfoy for information about Katie Bell, but Malfoy stops him. Snape remarks that Aunt Bella must have been teaching young Malfoy Occlumency. Malfoy was wandering around upstairs, concocting some plan of his. Snape tries to help Malfoy and tells him that he took an Unbreakable Vow to protect him, but Malfoy won't have it. He storms out of the room, almost hitting Harry who was listening in his cloak.

Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas
Harry and Ron are at the Burrow, enjoying Christmas. Harry wants to tell as many trustworthy people as he can about the conversation between Snape and Draco. He gets his chance on Christmas Eve, telling Remus Lupin and Mr. Weasley. They both say Dumbledore trusts Snape, and that's good enough for them. Lupin tells Harry that Snape prepared his Wolfsbane Potion perfectly during his tenure at Hogwarts, but the bitterness between them (and Harry) cannot be healed. They should trust Snape, however.

Harry asks Lupin what he has been doing lately. Lupin tells him that he's been underground, living among the werewolves and spying on them for the Order. He says they are on Voldemort's side because they can be free under his rule, and it is hard to argue with Fenrir Greyback, the head and most vicious werewolf alive. It was Fenrir that bit Lupin, when he was a child. Fenrir targets children to raise them to hate wizarding kind. He also wants to bite enough people for the werewolves to take over.

Lupin finishes his sad tale and drinks his eggnog. Harry then asks him about the Half-Blood Prince who had invented the Levicorpus spell that James once used on Snape. Lupin says he has no idea because it wasn't James, Sirius or Lupin. Lupin tells Harry to find out how old the book is in order to get an idea of the identity of the Prince.

Harry and Ron receive Christmas presents the next morning. Among them was the usual jumpers, a disgusting necklace from Lavender for Ron, and a package full of maggots from Kreacher to Master. The family (along with Fleur and Lupin) spend Christmas eating, until Percy and the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, turn up. Rufus says hello to everyone and tells Mrs. Weasley that they were in the neighbourhood working when Percy "decided" to drop in for a visit. Scrimgeour really wants to talk to Harry, however. They go outside and Harry appreciates his battle-scarred, tough appearance over Fudge's portly nature.

Rufus wants Harry to make regular visits to the Ministry, to appear as the "Chosen One", a big hero who is approving of the Ministry. Harry says this will not work, as he does not approve of them locking up Stan Shunpike. Rufus turns very cold and tries to get information about Dumbledore from Harry. He won't tell and, after warning Rufus not to mess with Dumbledore, strolls off back to the house.

Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory
Harry, Ron and Ginny go back to Hogwarts after Christmas. In the common room, Harry meets Hermione, who is ignoring Ron. He tells her everything, including the conversation with Rufus. She says the same thing as Mr Weasley and Lupin, but reminds Harry about Fenrir Greyback. Malfoy was threatening Borgin with him, and now they know who he is.

A sign has been placed up on the noticeboard, announcing Apparition training for anyone who will be turning 17 before the 31st August, which includes the trio. Everyone is excited about the lessons and they ask Harry about the sensation (he's the only sixth year to have done it before). Eventually Harry fobs them off for his third lesson with Dumbledore.

Harry tells Dumbledore the whole story, Snape's conversation with Draco, Rufus Scrimgeour's meeting with him and what happened over Christmas. Dumbledore tells Harry that Snape's conversation does not worry him, and that he had indeed argued with Rufus over Harry. Dumbledore displays a rare flicker of emotion as Harry reveals his reaction to Scrimegeour dubbing him "Dumbledore's man through and through." This suggests an even deepening relationship between the two, a sharp contrast to the distance maintained by Dumbledore in the fifth novel.

But now, they must go into the memories. Dumbledore recaps; Riddle had been let into school and sorted into Slytherin, where he learnt of Salazar's ability to converse with snakes. The staff did not expect much from Riddle; he was a polite, good-looking and ambitious orphan, so many took pity on him. Dumbledore describes how the forerunners of the Death Eaters gravitated around Riddle in his school days but admits difficulty obtaining memories of Riddle at Hogwarts. Riddle became obsessed with his parentage.

The first new memory is one of Morfin's. Riddle arrives at the Gaunts' house, converses with Morfin in parseltongue, and the memory abruptly ends. Morfin did not remember anything after that point, until he woke the next day and his ring had been taken. Dumbledore explains that at the same time, Riddle Senior and his parents were found murdered. The Ministry fingers Morfin, who readily confesses. Harry and Dumbledore speculate that Riddle had stupified his uncle Morfin, performed the murders, and then placed the false memories in Morfin's head.

The second memory is Slughorn's. He and the slug club of Riddles time are chatting. There are two times during the memory that everything gets inexplicably foggy, and only Slughorn's voice is heard (notably when Riddle asks Slughorn about Horcruxes, and in the fog Slughorn responds that he doesn't know a thing about them).

Dumbledore explains that Slughorn's memory has obviously been tampered with and charges Harry with obtaining the true memory from Slughorn.

Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises
Harry confides in both Hermione and Ron the assignment Dumbledore has given him regarding Slughorn's memory.

Slughorn sets Harry's potions class with the difficult task of brewing the antidote for various poisons. The notes written in his textbook provide no assistance in this difficult task, but with two minutes left, he finds scrawled on a page a note, "Just shove a bezoar down their throats". Harry remembers that Snape said in their first year and first potions class that a stone taken from a goat (which is a bezoar) will protect from most poisons. He rushes to the cabinet and finds one. No one in the class succeeds in making an antidote, but when Slughorn comes around to his table, Harry simply holds up the bezoar. Slughorn is amused, yet impressed, telling Harry that he thinks like his mother. (Hermione is not amused.)

Harry lingers after the class and asks Slughorn about Horcruxes, but Slughorn sees what Harry is up to immediately and insists there was nothing more to the memory he'd given to Dumbledore.

Students sit their first Apparation course with a Ministry wizard. The students attempt to apparate just a few feet. After several attempts no one succeeds in accomplishing anything, except for Susan Bones, who splinches herself on the fourth attempt (she leaves a leg behind).

During the lesson, Harry overhears an argument between Malfoy and his lackeys and decides to start watching Malfoy using the Maurauders Map.

It is Ron's birthday, and while opening presents, he mistakes the box of chocolates containing a love potion that Harry had received from Romilda as one of his gifts. After eating several, Ron developes an obsessive love for Romilda, and when Harry realizes what has happened, takes Ron to see Slughorn. Slughorn is able to create an antidote for Ron, and then decides they should toast Ron's birthday, and opens a bottle of mead. Ron drinks his first and it is quickly obvious that he has been poisoned. Slughorn is a bit slow on the uptake, but Harry finds a bezoar and forces it into Ron's mouth.

Chapter 19: Elf Tails
Ron is rushed to the Hospital Wing and his parents arrive there. It turns out that he will recover with rest.

In the next quidditch match, Cormac McLaggen replaces Ron as Keeper. However, in the process of trying to micromanage the team, he borrows a Beater's club and hits a bludger at Harry, cracking his skull, so Harry ends up in the Hospital Wing too.

While Harry is still in the Hospital Wing, he comes up with a plan to find out all of Malfoy's doings. He summons Kreacher, the late Sirius Black's house-elf. Kreacher appears, but Dobby the house-elf is with him, and they are fighting, apparently because Kreacher was insulting Harry in Dobby's presence. Harry and Ron manage to pull the two elves apart, and Harry tells them of his plan.

He instructs Kreacher and Dobby to trail Draco Malfoy everywhere, telling them to "stick to Malfoy like a couple of wart plasters". Harry tells the elves to give him regular reports on where Malfoy goes and what he does.

Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request
Harry has another lesson with Dumbledore. There are just two memories. The first is of a 20 something Voldemort working as a buyer for Borgin and Burke. He visits the house of an elderly rich woman, named Hepzibah Smith (a possible relative of Zacharias Smith), who claims to be distantly descended from Helga Hufflepuff. Hepzibah shows her two treasures. The first is a cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. The second treasure is a locket, which was seen earlier in the possession of Merope Gaunt, and which, of course, was once owned by Salazar Slytherin.

The second memory is of Dumbledore as headmaster meeting with Voldemort. He has travelled a long way to apply to become a Hogwarts teacher. Dumbledore confronts him about his true motives and some of his rumoured behaviour. Finally, Dumbledore refuses to give him the job.

Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room
Harry finds a new curse in his potions textbook called Sectumsempra, and wishes to test it. Kreacher and Dobby report to Harry on Malfoy's doings, including those regarding Malfoy's regular use of the Room of Requirement. When Harry tries to enter the room, he finds that the door disappears and the room is gone from the map.

Chapter 22: After the Burial
Hagrid informs Harry that Aragog, the former's giant pet spider, has died, and wishes that Harry attend the funeral. Harry drinks some of the Felix Felicis, and goes out to persuade Professor Slughorn to reveal his memory of Voldemort. However, the potion instructs him to go to Hagrid's hut. On the way, he meets Slughorn, and Slughorn is interested in getting some acromantula venom so he meets Harry at Hagrid's. After an emotional burial, Hagrid and Slughorn get drunk, and Harry uses this to his advantage, knowing that Slughorn will not remember the incident the morning after. He manages to persuade Slughorn to give him the memory of the Dark Lord by using Slughorn's fondness of Harry's mother, Lily Evans, to persuade him to reveal it.

Chapter 23: Horcruxes
Horcruxes are items that contain a piece of a person's soul. A limited number of people have cast a spell to leave half their soul within an item. No one has done more than just divide their soul in half. Dumbledore's theory states that Voldemort, desirous of achieving immortality, has done what no wizard has done: divided his soul into seven pieces; he cannot be killed while any of the horcruxes remain. It is believed by Dumbledore that Voldemort had unique objects as horcruxes, objects that had a deep history, so that nobody would want to destroy them. The seventh piece is evidently in himself, so there are six still out there. Two of Voldemort's horcruxes have been destroyed: his diary (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) and a ring once belonging to Marvolo Gaunt, Voldemort's maternal grandfather. Dumbledore reveals that his destroying the ring is what injured his hand. Dumbledore further explains to Harry that should he locate any more Horcruxes, Harry will be permitted to assist him in the quest.

Chapter 24: Sectumsempra
Harry, shadowing Draco yet again, finds him sobbing to Moaning Myrtle: whatever it is he's planning, he's scared he can't do it, and fears for the lives of his parents (and himself) if he fails. Quickly, however, he spots Harry. Faced with a Cruciatus Curse from Malfoy, Harry uses the Sectumsempra spell from the Half-Blood Prince's book, not knowing what it will do. The spell injures Draco badly, spilling his blood everywhere. Professor Snape responds swiftly and saves Draco's life. Having used Dark magic to cause serious harm, Harry is assigned detentions by Snape for the rest of the year and has to miss the Quidditch finals; Ginny replaces him as Seeker and Dean Thomas replaces her as Chaser. When Harry returns to the Gryffindor common room, he finds that the Gryffindors have managed to win the match and the quidditch cup. In the excitement, Harry kisses Ginny; Ron seems to offer his grudging consent.

Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard
Harry and Ginny are very happy together, laughing about the rumours going around school about them. Ron doesn't seem to have any problems with their relationship. Hermione reveals her theory regarding the 'Half-Blood Prince'. Harry is summoned, again, to Dumbledore's office, but on his way there, he encounters Professor Trelawney, who is unsuccessfully trying to access the Room of Requirement to stash away empty liquor bottles. Apparently, someone is inside already and won't let anyone else in. She hears a 'whooping' sound which makes Harry believe that Malfoy has finally succeeded in achieving what he was after. She eventually reveals to Harry the identity of the person that overheard the "Harry-Voldemort" prophecy at the inn: Snape! Realising Snape gave Voldemort the information which prompted Voldemort to kill Harry's parents, an enraged Harry confronts Dumbledore. After a fiery exchange, Dumbledore calms Harry down, and they embark on their quest to retrieve one of the Horcruxes.

Chapter 26: The Cave
Dumbledore Apparates himself and Harry to a cliff on the sea. It is here Tom Riddle, in his orphaned youth, led two younger orphans on a horrifying trip. The cave is submerged so Dumbledore, followed by Harry, must swim underwater until there is an air space. Here they ignite their wands with the Lumos charm to produce light. Dumbledore feels around for some sort of an opening. He articulates Voldemort's motives and decides Voldemort likes his enemies to be weakened. He then sheds blood, to Harry's protest, on the wall. An opening appears and Harry and Dumbledore find themselves overlooking a giant underground lake, with a strange green glow coming from its centre. Harry tries to use the Accio spell to summon the Horcrux, but this fails, and something large emerges from the water momentarily. They edge their way around and Dumbledore, using a form of magic instinct to recall an boat on an initially invisible chain. They reach the centre of the water which is a small island. There is a basin with a liquid in it. They presume the Horcrux to be submerged in this liquid at the bottom of the basin. Because they are unable to touch the basin or its contents, Dumbledore decides he must drink the substance. He produces a goblet and drinks the substance. He continues to suffer pain and in the end even says for Harry to kill him. But because Dumbledore made Harry promise to make him (Dumbledore) drink every last drop, Harry persists and Dumbledore finishes. The corpses start arising when Harry tries to give Dumbledore water at Dumbledore's request. However Dumbledore frightens them off with magical fire. They get the locket and the weakened Dumbledore and Harry row back to the bank of the underground lake. They safely get out of the cave and Harry apparates them to Hogsmeade.

Chapter 27: The Lightning-Struck Tower
Harry and Dumbledore return to Hogsmeade. Madame Rosmerta lends them brooms and they fly to where the Dark Mark is floating over the castle above the Astronomy Tower. Chaos reigns around them in Hogwarts. Draco enters the tower; Harry is frozen by Dumbledore and unseen under his invisibility cloak, while Draco reveals that the task set upon him was to kill Dumbledore. He also reveals that he has snuck other Death Eaters into Hogwarts via two Vanishing Cabinets. He had the broken Vanishing Cabinet that Montague was shoved into during Book 5, and the other was the Vanishing Cabinet at Borgin and Burkes.

Dumbledore calmly reasons with Malfoy to give up and join the side of good. Malfoy falters, unable to accomplish the task, even when joined by his fellow Death Eaters. Snape enters the room and pauses to take in the situation. Dumbledore says his name softly. Snape gazes at Dumbledore for several moments, a look of revulsion and hatred on his face. Dumbledore verbalises a plea to Snape, but never explicitly states what he's asking for. Snape kills him, sending his body over the parapet.

It is an idea amongst some fans that Dumbledore was pleading Snape to go through with a plan they apparently made, in which Snape would kill Dumbledore. However, it is still a mystery why Dumbledore wanted himself dead...

Chapter 28: Flight of the Prince
Having killed Dumbledore with the Avada Kedavra curse, Snape flees with Malfoy. Harry pursues them (through a melée of Death Eaters fighting Hogwarts students, faculty, and Order of the Phoenix members). Meanwhile, Hagrid has intercepted Malfoy and Snape. Because of his giant blood, he is resisting the spells that Snape is aiming at him. Harry catches up with them and tries to kill Snape, using spells (including Sectumsempra) that he found in the Half-Blood Prince's book, but fails because Snape is able to anticipate them. Harry attempts the Cruciatus twice on Snape but fails. Snape then reveals that he created those spells himself – he is the Half-Blood Prince! Snape and the Death Eaters escape, but not before Snape prevents the other Death Eaters from killing Harry (as his death belongs to Voldemort).

Harry and Hagrid approach a crowd standing around Dumbledore's twisted corpse. Harry takes the locket from Dumbledore's pocket, and in it finds a mysterious note "To the Dark Lord," indicating that the locket was not, after all, a Horcrux, but that the Horcrux had already been stolen. The author of the note hopes that he in some way contributes to Voldemort's downfall. The note is signed "R.A.B."

Chapter 29: The Phoenix Lament
Ginny reveals to Harry that no one else (with the exception of one Death Eater) were killed in the battle, thanks to Ron's, Hermione's and Ginny's partaking of the Felix Felicis. The Order of the Phoenix begins preparations for Dumbledore's funeral. The Heads of Houses meet in Dumbledore's office to discuss the recent events. Fawkes (Dumbledore's phoenix) vanishes.

Bill has been bitten by a werewolf, but since the werewolf was not transformed at the time, he is only scarred and may have wolfish features for life. Despite this, Fleur still plans to marry him and this unites her and Mrs Weasley. Harry realises that Tonks is in love with Lupin, who was hesitant because of his being a werewolf. Mr. Weasley changes his mind after Fleur announces she still loves Bill.

Chapter 30: The White Tomb
Hermione tells Harry that Eileen Prince, the woman she had found before as a potential candidate for the owner of the book, was Snape's mother. Hermione discovered in the library that Prince married a Muggle named Tobias Snape and later gave birth to... Harry interrupts with the words "a murderer". Severus Snape is a Half-Blood, just like Voldemort (both of whom feel betrayed by their Muggle fathers) and Harry (though Harry is only considered Half-Blood because his mother was Muggle-born[1]).

Dumbledore is laid to rest in a white tomb overlooking the lake. Many previous and minor characters attend the funeral, as well as the merpeople and centaurs, who did a salute by firing arrows,(although they stay on the edge of the Forbidden Forest).

Harry breaks off the relationship with Ginny, as he is worried for her safety. Ginny accepts Harry's decision, but seems hopeful for their future after Voldemort is killed.

Scrimgeour asks Harry where he and Dumbledore had been that night, and Harry says he has nothing to say to him and repeats that he's "Dumbledore's man, through and through".

Harry, under questioning from Hermione and Ron, asserts that he will not return to Hogwarts, even if it remains open. He plans to return to the former home of his parents, and also to Privet Drive briefly to fulfill Dumbledore's wish that he remain protected, and vows to destroy the other Horcruxes and bring down Voldemort. Ron and Hermione pledge to stand alongside him and the three of them plan to go searching for the Horcruxes; the story ends with him comforted at the thought of spending one last peaceful day with them, at Fleur and Bill's wedding, before he returns to the war.


text:
Dimitar Paskov

Dimitar Paskov (Димитър Пасков, 18 October 1914, Gorno Brodi – 24 April 1986, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian chemist who led the Sopharma team that extracted Nivalin (Galantamine) in 1959. The original phytopreparation is an extract of the alkaloid from bulbs of common snowdrop.

Galantamine hydrobromide (Nivalin) has formula C17H21NO3.HBr and molecular weight 386.3.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Dimitar Paskov


text:
Doorways in the Sand

Doorways in the Sand is a science fiction novel by American writer Roger Zelazny. Featuring both detective fiction and comic elements, it was originally published in serial form in the magazine Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact; the hardcover edition was first published in 1976 and the paperback in 1977. Zelazny wrote the whole story in one draft, no rewrites and it subsequently became one of his own five personal favorites in all his work. Doorways in the Sand was nominated to the Nebula and Hugo awards.

Plot introduction
A galactic confederation of alien civilizations exchanges the star-stone and the Rhennius machine, mysterious alien artifacts, for the Mona Lisa and the British Crown Jewels as part of the process of admitting Earth to its organization. The star-stone is missing, and Fred Cassidy, a perpetual student and acrophile, is the last known person to have seen it. Various criminals, Anglophile zealots, government agents and aliens torture, shoot, beat, trick, chase, terrorize, assault telepathically, stalk, and importune Fred in attempts to get him to tell them the location of the stone. He denies any knowledge of its whereabouts, and decides to conduct his own investigation. Through the examination of an alien telepath, Fred finds out that the star-stone entered his body through a wound while he was asleep. An alien agent, a representative of the Whillowhim culture, attempts to steal the stone when it is removed from Fred's body. The Whillowhim seek to limit the power of an alliance of newer, less-developed members of the galactic coalition, and its theft would temporarily stop the entry of Earth into the organization. In a struggle atop the building housing the Rhennius machine, the Whillowhim agent falls to its death. Fred accepts a position as alien cultural expert for the legation of the U.S. to the United Nations. The star-stone, now identified with the name Speicus, is a sentient, telepathic sociological life-form that can gather and analyze information and make reports using Fred as its host.

Principal characters
Fred Cassidy: A building-climbing, wise-cracking, perennial student is the last known person to have seen the missing star-stone, a unique alien crystalline object of unknown origin and function. He denies any knowledge of its whereabouts. Fred receives a generous stipend from his cryogenically-frozen uncle as long as he is a full-time student and has not received an academic degree, which he has put off for 13 years by changing majors repeatedly. Since he is an acrophile, a lover of high places, he occasionally climbs tall buildings.

The Rhennius machine: An alien device can transform objects in different ways through its "inversion program." In Doorways it reverses, turns inside out, and incises objects.

Dennis Wexroth: Fred's latest academic counselor is determined to graduate Fred against his will.

Hal Sidmore: Fred's best friend and former roommate unknowingly switches a model of the star-stone for the real one in Professor Byler's laboratory. When he moves out, he leaves the stone in Fred's apartment.

Paul Byler: A professor of geology and world-renowned crystallographer manufactures replicas of the star-stone for the United Nations. As an extremist Anglophile, Byler is incensed by the loan of the British Crown Jewels to the alien confederation. He hires two thugs, Morton Zeemeister and Jamie Buckler, to plan and help carry out the theft of the star-stone during the delivery of a replica and the real stone to the United Nations.

Charv and Ragma: Alien police officers investigate the theft of the star-stone in order to return it to the United Nations. They assume Fred does not know where it is, but believe the secret of its recovery lies in his subconscious. Ragma is disguised as either a wombat or a dog, while Charv wears a kangaroo suit.

Morton Zeemeister and Jamie Buckler: Sadistic professional criminals are originally employed by Paul Byler and others in his extremist Anglophile group to plan the theft of the star-stone. Ragma and Charv assume that they want the stone for themselves to ransom it back to the United Nations; however, they really work for the Whillowhim.

Speicus (the star-stone): A sentient telepathic alien life form of unknown origin in the shape of a stone acts as a recorder and data processor of sociological information. It needs a symbiote in order to use its nervous system to collect data. Speicus enters Fred's body through a wound while he is sleeping and convinces him to reverse himself through the Rhennius machine so that it can be fully activated. It can keep its host alive indefinitely.

Doctor M'mrm'mlrr: An alien telepathic analyst practices a technique known as assault therapy. It examines Fred and discovers that Speicus is inside him.

Ted Nadler: A representative of the State Department persuades the university to award Fred a Ph.D. in anthropology and hires Fred as an alien culture expert for the U.S. legation to the United Nations.

The Whillowhim Agent: An alien disguised as a black cat desires the stone in order to keep Earth from joining a coalition of newer, weaker planets whose interests are at odds with the Whillowhim civilization and the massive power bloc of older, entrenched powers that it belongs to. Fred identifies the Whillowhim with Carroll's Cheshire cat. And Speicus calls him a Boojum, a very bad snark.

Ralph Warp: Fred's partner in the Warp and Woof, a crafts shop, lets Fred crash at his apartment.

Setting
The setting is in the "near-future Earth." The "near future" is defined in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as an "imprecise term used to identify novels set just far enough in the future to allow for certain technological or social changes without being so different that it is necessary to explain that society to the reader."

One character describes the near future in Doorways:

"I am especially conscious of the difference between that earlier time and this present. It was a cumulative thing, the change. Space travel, cities under the sea, the advances in medicine—even our first contact with the aliens—all of these things occurred at different times and everything else seemed unchanged when they did.  Petty pace."

Add air scooters and flycars and that completes the near future in Doorways.

The action takes place mostly in the United States at an unnamed university in an unnamed city near an unnamed ocean. However, the Australian desert, New York, a small unnamed town in the Alps, and a spacecraft in orbit are other locations in the narrative.

Plot summary
The will of Fred Cassidy's cryogenically frozen uncle provides him with a generous stipend to attend the university until he is awarded an academic degree. By carefully choosing his courses and changing majors, Fred avoids mandatory graduation for thirteen years. He meets with his new academic counselor, Dennis Wexroth, who is infuriated by what he calls Fred's "dronehood" (See text box.) and threatens to send him off into the real world by graduating Fred in the coming semester. Fred, however, finds a way to get enough credits in different majors to avoid graduation.

Fred goes to his apartment and finds it ransacked. He examines the apartment, but finds nothing missing. Paul Byler, Fred's geology teacher comes out of a closet. He slaps Fred around demanding the return of a replica he made of the crystalline star-stone. Byler is a world-renowned expert in crystallography and says he makes copies of the star-stone in order to sell them as novelty items. Fred states that the replica is not in the apartment and maybe his ex-roommate has it. Byler does not believe Fred. After a brief fight Fred escapes through a window to an outside ledge.

Byler visits Hal Sidmore, Fred's ex-roommate, roughs him up and demands the model of the star-stone. Hal insists he does not have it saying that Fred probably has it in their old apartment. Previously, during a poker game, Byler gives the copy of the star-stone to Hal. However, Hal switches it without Byler's knowledge for what he thinks is a better model, but is in fact the star-stone itself. Arriving home Fred sees a news story on television reporting Byler's murder and the odd removal of some of his vital organs.

As part of his study plan Fred goes to the desert in Australia to study ancient carvings on a cliff. Zeemeister and Buckler, two professional criminals, arrive and torture Fred for the location of the star-stone. Two alien law officers, Charv and Ragma, disguised as a wombat and a kangaroo respectively save Fred, and they all go into orbit in their spacecraft.

Later, as he comes slowly into consciousness a voice instructs Fred that he should not permit the aliens to take him to another world where they want to telepathically examine his mind for clues to the whereabouts of the star-stone. Fred convinces them that it would be against their alien field regulations to take him without his consent. They return him to Earth.

After being set down on Earth, Fred goes to visit Hal who reports that he receives phone calls from various people trying find Fred. People break into and ransack his apartment several times. And that Ted Nadler, a State Department employee, is looking for him. Finding himself intoxicated Fred stays the night with Hal and hears the voice, now identifying itself as Speicus, that has been talking to him. It tells him to test the inversion program of the alien Rhennius machine and then get intoxicated. It is easier for Speicus to talk to Fred if he is drunk. Fred breaks into the room with the Rhennius machine and, hanging from a rope from the ceiling, puts a penny through the machine three times. The first time Lincoln is looking backwards and the ONE is also backwards. The second time the penny is incised like an intaglio. The third time returns it to normal.

Fred goes bar-crawling to get drunk as Speicus instructs him. He runs into a shady old school adviser named Doctor Mérimée who tells him he is being followed. He joins Mérimée at a party at his apartment, finishes getting drunk, and falls asleep. On waking Fred remembers a communication with Speicus during the night. According to Speicus, reversing himself through the Rhennius machine will put "everything in proper order."

By subterfuge Fred manages to reverse himself by going through the Rhennius machine. Left is right and vice versa, and letters are read backwards from right to left with the letters turned backwards. He remembers his biochemistry and realizes that this reversal can be dangerous to his health. Meanwhile, Ted Nadler convinces the university to award Fred a Ph.D. in anthropology. This outrages Fred because he loses his uncle's stipend and has to get a job.

Fred calls Hal and they agree to meet in a secret place. They begin driving, aimlessly Fred thinks. Hal explains that Zeemeister and Buckler have his wife, Mary, and are demanding the star-stone. He has another replica of the stone from Byler's lab and is going to trade it for Mary. Fred agrees to go along with the plan against his better judgment. They go to a beach cottage where they find Zeemeister, Buckler, a cat and Mary. Zeemeister declares the stone to be a fake and threatens to pull Mary's fingernails off until they tell him where the star-stone is. Paul Byler, brought back to life by multiple organ transplants, enters through the back of the cottage with a drawn gun. In the ensuing struggle Buckler shoots Fred in the chest, and he blacks out.

Fred awakens in a hospital. He is alive since his heart was on the right side of his body due to the reversal, and he was shot on the left side where the heart is usually found. Everyone else from the cottage survives with minor injuries. Ted Nadler stops by Fred's hospital room and offers him a position as alien culture specialist for the U.S. legation to the United Nations. Fred says he'll think about it.

Nadler explains the history of the star-stone. The United Nations hires Byler as an expert in synthetics and crystals to make a replica for safety purposes. The loan of the British Crown Jewels to the aliens outrages Byler and some of his fanatical Anglophile friends. Byler and an accomplice exchange the real star-stone for a fake one. Byler hires Zeemeister and Buckler in their capacity as professional criminals to assist in the substitution of the stones, but they really want the original for themselves for a ransom, Nadler believes.

While shaving the next morning Fred remembers a smile that remains with him from his night's dreams. Ted Nadler and Fred travel to New York to meet with a telepath. As Fred enters his hotel room he is seized and raised into the air by the tentacles of an alien telepathic analyst who practices attack therapy. He attempts to reach into Fred's subconscious for information about the star-stone. He is stunned to discover that the star-stone, Speicus, is inside Fred, having entered his body through a wound while Fred was asleep. Since he was reversed by the Rhennius machine Speicus is now fully functional and should be able to communicate telepathically directly and easily with Fred, but because Fred is now reversed it cannot. On the way to the Rhennius machine to have him reversed back to his original state, Speicus warns Fred about an unknown enemy by saying, "Our Snark is a Boojum."

In the building housing the Rhennius machine Doctor M'mrm'mlrr, the alien analyst, supervises the removal of the star-stone from Fred's body. On the wall Fred sees a vision of "massive teeth framed by upward curving lips. . . .Then fading, fading. . . Gone." Fred looks up and sees a black shape and cries out, "The smile." Fred chases a telepathic alien disguised as a black cat up to the roof and over girders of the adjacent building. It attacks Fred and falls to its death. During the fight Fred realizes that Zeemeister and Buckler work for the alien agent called a Whillowhim.

Ragma explains that the Whillowhim are one of the oldest, most powerful and entrenched cultures in the galaxy. However, there is an alliance of younger ones that back common policies in conflict with those of the older blocs. The Whillowhim belong to a faction of the galactic coalition that opposes the policies of younger, newer members on major issues. One way to limit the power of the newer, less developed planets is to limit their number. The Whillowhim seeks to steal the star-stone to embarrass Earth and delay its entrance into the coalition of planets thereby weakening the power of the newer planets' alliance.

Fred's future is as an alien culture expert for the U.S. legation of the United Nations and as a host for Speicus. Speicus will use Fred's nervous system as well as his broad knowledge of many subjects to gather information and process it as a kind of sociological computer. It can produce uniquely accurate and useful reports on anything they study together. In the end, Fred sees a beach with doorways leading to unique experiences in exotic places throughout the galaxy.

Reception
Some reviewers expressed disappointment not only in Doorways, but in Zelazny's previous recent work as well. Praise was unenthusiastic.

Spider Robinson in Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine stated that Zelazny's initial works gave the science fiction world hope that he would write "muscular adventure in the language of the poet, uniting drama and beauty," but he had failed. Nonetheless, he described Doorways as "A cracking good yarn, thin on calories but delicious."

Richard E. Geis in Science Fiction Review wrote that "at the end I was left vaguely unsatisfied," but the novel had "Zelazny magic; that indefinable stylistic touch that makes him extremely readable."

Locus magazine's Susan Wood wondered if Zelazny's "promise would ever be fulfilled." She described Doorways as "a well-written adventure," and "fast enough, interesting enough, to carry any bedtime reader through arbitrary plotting to midnight and the loose-ends-tied-up conclusion."

Having read seven of Zelazny's most recent books in one month, Richard Cowper in Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction lamented the loss of Zelazny as science fiction's prose-poet: "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. As I progressed from one improbable fantasy to the next, I winced at what I felt to be the squandering of a rare and remarkable talent and felt a growing sense of dismay—in truth as much for Zelazny as for myself. There are felicities of style, of invention, of learning or wit, which stamp it as being his alone.  The energy is still there, together with the desire to experiment, but the early promise remains unfulfilled.  He has yet to give us that major work."

Nonetheless, he rated Doorways as "definitely superior."

On the other hand, Algis Budrys in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction wrote that Doorways "is one of the first hopeful signs from this author in some time" and "a return toward the power Zelazny once displayed, plus a maturation that runs deeper than witticism." He called Doorways a "rather good novel."

Doorways in the Sand has had five English editions with separate ISBN numbers, the last in 1991, and has been translated into German, Bulgarian, Dutch, Russian, Hebrew, Japanese, French, Italian, and Polish.

Genres
Zelazny mixes other genres into his science fiction and fantasy works. In his fantasy Amber series, Krulik identifies space opera, mystery and fairy tale elements in Nine Princes in Amber; tales of knighthood and allegory in The Guns of Avalon; drawing-room mystery in Sign of the Unicorn; and, as in Doorways, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in The Courts of Chaos. ''

Doorways is a science fiction novel with mystery and comic elements that evokes and offers homage to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark; and to notes by Martin Gardner in The Annotated Alice.

Science fiction
While it is difficult to define "science fiction," some features often cited include: Many of the hallmarks of science fiction are part of Doorways: The setting is Earth in the near future. Aliens come in space ships giving the Rhennius machine and the star-stone. Fred leaves Earth in a space ship to orbit the globe. In the end Fred and the star-stone are on an alien world.
 * Science or pseudoscience orientation to the story
 * The future
 * Space near earth
 * Space travel
 * Aliens, especially visits by aliens
 * Visiting other worlds
 * Different political systems
 * New inventions and technologies

Detective fiction
Doorways is also detective fiction. Some characteristics of detective stories are: In Doorways there are two mysteries: the location of the star-stone and what it can do. Fred investigates because everybody keeps after him thinking that he knows where it is. Two alien law officers run a parallel investigation. Some clues are offered such as the fading smile and Speicus' communications. The star-stone and its functions are discovered. The evil party, the Whillowhim, and its goals are revealed. Its death ends the detective story.
 * Detectives, amateur and police
 * A crime or mystery
 * An investigation
 * Clues
 * A solution to the crime or mystery
 * Exposure of the guilty parties
 * Hardboiled detective language (See text box.)

Fantasy
While Doorways is clearly not a fantasy novel, it is necessary to understand the differences between fantasy and science fiction since Zelazny converts elements of one into elements of the other. Some traits of fantasy are:

 * Inspiration from mythology and folklore
 * Self-contained world different from ours.
 * Consistent rules of magic.
 * Fantastic devices
 * Supernatural elements

Doorways shares none of these characteristics.

Comedy
Zelazny laces many of his works with humor, but with Doorways he set out to write a truly comedic novel.

Krulik writes:

"An important reason for Doorways' success is Zelazny's humor. This novel is probably his most wildly comic work, combining the kind of verbal humor he is known for with ridiculous situations that border on the absurd, and secondary characters whose posings and behavior give an antic flavor to the comedy."

An example of the absurd is the name Zelazny gives to the cryonics facility that stores Fred's uncle: "Bide-A-Wee."

Here is an example of wordplay between Fred and his best friend, Hal Sidmore:

"Enter, pray."

"In which order?"

O bless this house, by all means, first. It could use a little grace."

"Bless," I said, stepping in.

Here he satirizes some silly practices of bureaucracies with some double-talk. This is a series of conversations between Fred and the alien cop, Ragma:

"Indicated by whom?" I asked.

"I am not permitted to say"

He cut short a snappy rejoinder by pouring more water down my throat. Choking and considering, I modified it to "This is ridiculous!"

"How? How did you know?"

"Sorry," Ragma said. "That's another."

"Another what?"

"Thing we are not permitted to say."

"Who does your permitting and forbidding?"

"That's another."

"However, since it is all contingent on the results of the analysis, it would be an exercise in redundancy to detail the various hypotheses which may have to be discarded."

"In other words, you are not going to tell me?"

"That pretty well sums it up."

In Doorways as in The Courts of Chaos the evocations of and homage to Lewis Carroll's works provide many of the gags and mad humor. Lewis Carroll is mentioned by name in the novel. Here are some of the many allusions to Alice in Doorways:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Doorways begin on warm May afternoons. On page one of Doorways Fred says, "I glanced at my watch. It indicated that I was late for my appointment." Zelazny relates Fred to the White Rabbit, who on page one of Alice says, "Oh dear! Oh dear!  I shall be too late." He then takes out his pocket watch and looks at it. Many other Doorways characters are parallel to Alice characters:

 * Morton Zeemeister and Jamie Buckler are sadistic versions of the Walrus and the Carpenter. Zeemeister is described as "a little under six feet—but heavily built and beginning work on a paunch."  He produces "a surprisingly delicate handkerchief."  Alice's Walrus is tall, corpulent and dabs his eyes with a prettily decorated handkerchief in Tenniel's drawing.  The Walrus and the Carpenter mercilessly consume the oysters that they have lured out of their beds, and Zeemeister and Buckler torture Fred at length and threaten to pull out Mary's fingernails.
 * Ralph Warp, Fred's partner in the crafts store, Warp and Woof, is described as having bad posture and much dark hair. He teaches basket weaving and moves his furniture around so often that it's always confusing to Fred.  Chapter 5 of Through the Looking Glass is entitled Wool and Water.  Tenniel's drawing shows that the sheep in the shop has dark wool and no shoulders to speak of, and is knitting.  Whenever Alice tries to look directly at an item on a shelf, it moves.
 * Throughout the story Fred is haunted by a phantom smile, perhaps telepathic touches of the Whillowhim, his evil alien nemesis. Before his fight with the Whillowhim who is disguised as a cat he sees on the wall of the building housing the Rhennius machine:  "massive teeth framed by upward curving lips on the far wall.  Then fading, fading . . . Gone."  In Alice the Cheshire-Puss slowly disappears beginning with its tail and ending with its grin full of teeth hanging in the air for a few moments before disappearing.

Zelazny refers to well-known Carrollian quotations throughout the novel:

 * "Curiouser and curiouser."
 * "Our snark is a Boojum."
 * Zelazny lampoons Carroll's Jabberwocky: "Behold the riant anthropoid, beware its crooked thumbs!"  The corresponding lines of Jabberwocky are "Beware the Jabberwock, my son!/The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!"

Other references to Alice include:

 * Zelazny writes a nonsense poem that uses the non-Euclidean geometry of Nikolai Lobachevsky and Bernhard Riemann to extol the curved features of the female form.
 * One device used in Doorways is reversed writing, a result of Fred's reversal through the Rhennius machine. Carroll uses mirror writing for the first stanza of Jabberwocky before printing the whole poem correctly.  After his inversion, Fred reads all writing backwards, most notably the writing on his Ph.D. diploma.
 * Alice talks to many different creatures in her walks through Wonderland. Fred talks to aliens disguised as a kangaroo, a cat, a dog, a wombat and a donkey.  The kangaroo, a cat, and a (non-speaking) dog are found in Alice.  Gardner suggests that Alice's dormouse may have been modeled after a real wombat.  The donkey is absent.

First person
Doorways is mostly narrated in the first person by its protagonist, Fred Cassidy. However, in the last chapter Speicus, the sentient sociological computer, takes up the story.

One reviewer has been critical of Zelazny's use of the first-person narrative technique: "It's a difficult form to control, since the narrator has to be used to tell his . . . own story, give us a sense of his own personality, suggest enough of outside events and responses to give another perspective on that character.  Over and over in his work, Zelazny only accomplishes the first of these tasks."

Structure
Zelazny experimented with a number of narrative techniques. Doorways uses a flashforward technique which can be confused with flashback. Zelazny himself used the term flashback: "Once I knew what the story was to be, I ran it, a piece at a time, through a flashback machine, using the suspense-heightening flashback trick so frequently and predictably that the practice intentionally parodied the device itself."

Zelazny divided most chapters into two to five sections, placed the most mysterious or exciting part first, then arranged the other pieces of the narrative out of sequence. His use of this method had a mixed reception.

Susan Wood in Locus magazine wrote, "Used sparingly, it could effectively create suspense.  Used in each chapter, however, it becomes monotonous and mannered, interfering with the flow." Another critic stated, "It seems like grandstanding, and it gets in the way of my enjoyment of the story. . . . It makes it easy to identify with a protagonist who doesn't know what's going on either, but it's irritating." However, Fred Kiesche of SF Signal felt that "The magic of the plot [is] where you're never sure of what exactly is going on."

Prose
Zelazny has been repeatedly referred to as a prose-poet. However, there does not appear to be agreement about the true nature of his prose.

Geis writes that Doorways "is written with the Zelazny magic; that indefinable stylistic touch that makes him extremely readable." The prose in Doorways has been variously described as "straight-forward," "well-written and fast paced," "colloquial and functional."

Cowper writes that Zelazny"has fashioned for himself a style which . . . is designed to dazzle. Seen at its best, . . . it is allusive, economical, picturesque and witty [and] highly metaphorical. There are felicities of style, of invention of learning or wit, which stamp it as being his own."

Sturgeon praises him for his "texture, cadence and pace."

Lindskold asserts that "In the final analysis . . . unlike a poet, a fiction writer must emphasize content and character over form, image, and structure."

Poetry
Lindskold adds as elements of poetic diction alliteration, internal rhyme, and metaphor to form, image, and structure.

In Doorways, with the exception of Speicus' narration in the last chapter (See text box.), Zelazny utilizes the language of poetry to characterize the mental states of falling asleep or into a stupor, or awakening from such states.

In the Australian desert, bound and being tortured by Zeemeister and Buckler, Fred evokes losing consciousness: "Sunflash, some splash. Darkle.  Stardance. Phaeton's solid gold Cadillac crashed where there was no ear to hear, lay burning, flickered, went out.  Like me."

In Charv and Ragma's space vehicle Fred comes out of unconsciousness with Speicus speaking to him in his head: Thus, thus, so and thus:  awakening as a thing of textures and shadings:  advancing and retreating along a scale of soft/dark, smooth/shadow, slick/bright:  all else displaced and translated to this:  The colors, sounds and balances a function of these two.

Advance to hard and very bright. Fall back to soft and black. ..

"Do you hear me, Fred?"—the twilight velvet.

"Yes" —my glowing scales.

"Better, better, better . . ."

"What/who?"

"Closer, closer, that not a sound betray . . ."

On a long bus ride Fred nods off drunkenly: "Drifting drowsy across the countryside, I paraded my troubles through the streets of my mind, poking occasional thoughts between the bars of their cages, hearing the clowns beat drums in my temples."

Again with Speicus in his head, Fred describes going to sleep and dreaming: "Some upwelling in the dark fishbowl atop the spine later splashed dreams, patterns memory-resistant as a swirl of noctilucae, across consciousness' thin, transparent rim, save for the kinesthetic/synesthetic DO YOU FEEL ME LED? which must have lasted a time-less time longer than the rest, for later, much later, morning's third coffee touched it to a penny's worth of spin, of color."

Immortality
More than half of Zelazny's novels have characters who are immortal or nearly immortal. Zelazny believed living a long life would make people have great intellectual and perceptual faculties and would produce a good sense of humor.

Immortality for Zelazny generally meant an immortal can be killed like any other person, but not from old age. A long life according to Zelazny would not cause ennui, but rather curiosity, changing and maturing, growing and learning, and lead to knowledge, culture and satisfying experiences. According to Samuel R. Delany, Zelazny believed that "Given all eternity to live, each experience becomes a jewel in the jewel-clutter of life; each moment becomes infinitely fascinating because there is so much more to relate it to."

In Doorways Fred achieves near immortality as a host for Speicus. In the hospital after being shot all of Fred's injuries heal speedily. Later Speicus tells Fred that he is able to repair his body indefinitely.

Education
For Zelazny one of the attractions of immortality was that an immortal could continue to learn forever. And Zelazny had a lifelong love of learning.

In college he often audited courses he found interesting in addition to his regular plan of studies. In 1971 he designed an evolving curriculum of studies for himself that he would pursue for the rest of his life. One of his concerns was to obtain greater amounts of diverse information that would make him a better writer. These studies included cultural and physical geography, ecology, education, history, biography, literature, and other sciences and humanities. A principle of his studies was the notion that we create ourselves, and learning is part of that process.

In Doorways Fred has a similar program of studies, not just motivated by a desire to learn, but also to keep money flowing from his cryogenically frozen uncle's trust fund.

During his thirteen years of studies at the university he takes just enough courses in each discipline to not receive a degree according to the mandatory departmental graduation requirements, making him very broadly-educated.

Literary revisionism
Zelazny wrote science fiction and fantasy, receiving Hugo and Nebula awards in both genres. However, he sometimes took elements from one and converted them to the other. Krulik writes: "This imposition of science upon magic, and its reverse, forms a fascinating conflict that is apparent in his writings." In Doorways Zelazny changes three fantasy elements into science fiction elements.

Jewels with supernatural properties are a staple in fantasy. In Zelazny's Amber series the Jewel of Judgment plays a decisive role in the plot. In Jack of Shadows, Jack is imprisoned in a jewel that is worn around the neck by another character, the Lord of Bats.

Zelazny takes the jewel fantasy motif and revises it into the star-stone in Doorways. Instead of having magical qualities, the star-stone is described in the vocabulary of science:  "To function properly, [Speicus] requires a host built along our lines. It exists then as a symbiote within that creature, obtaining data by means of that being's nervous system as it goes about its business.  It operates on this material as something of a sociological computer.  In return for this, it keeps its host in good repair indefinitely.  On request, it provides analyses of anything it has encountered directly or peripherally, along with reliability figures, unbiased because it is uniquely alien to all life forms, yet creature-oriented because of the nature of the input mechanism.  It prefers a mobile host with a fact-filled head."

Another fantasy element that Zelazny converts to science fiction is Alice's looking glass. Looking through her mirror Alice observes that objects are the same as in her drawing room, but ". . . the things go the other way." A book held up to a mirror in the right hand has reversed writing in the mirror and the book is in the left hand of the mirror image of the person on the other side of the looking glass. The mirror reverses the image from one side to the other.

In Doorways Zelazny reimagines Alice's looking glass as the Rhennius machine, the device given to man by the aliens that reverses objects into their mirror images. At Speicus' urging Fred puts himself through the machine. The left side of his body is on the right and vice versa. Also left becomes right and vice versa, and writing is backwards for Fred.

And finally, Zelazny reenvisions another Alice artifact in Fred's mind. In Alice the White Rabbit goes down the rabbit hole which leads to Wonderland. While Fred is being tortured in the Australian desert, he looks around for a doorway in the sand, a passageway that will take him out of his surreal nightmare back to his normal world.

However, at the end of Doorways Zelazny revises the rabbit hole again. Fred imagines all the doorways in the sand that will lead to all the exotic places he and Speicus will visit and experiences that they will have throughout the galaxy: "Behind me the beach was suddenly full of doorways, and I thought of ladies, tigers, shoes, ships, sealing wax. . . ."

Protagonists
Zelazny's literary biographers have disagreed over the basic profile of his protagonists. Krulik writes:

"More than most writers, Zelazny persists in reworking a persona composed of a single literary vision. This vision is the unraveling of a complex personality with special abilities, intelligent, cultured, experienced in many areas, but who is fallible, needing emotional maturity, and who candidly reflects upon the losses in his life. This complex persona cuts across all of Zelazny's writings. . .."

Fred Cassidy does not appear to be a complex personality, but he has two special abilities: he climbs buildings well because of his acrophlia and he has an extraordinary thirteen-year education in all the departments of the university. He is intelligent, cultured and experienced due to his education only, fallible, needs emotional maturity and experience, but does not dwell on his life's struggles very much.

Lindskold believes that Krulik's view oversimplifies Zelazny's protagonists and proposes four classifications: heroic, morally ambivalent "heroes," more villain than hero, and ordinary people. She classifies Fred as an ordinary person "who is forced into action by extraordinary circumstances."

Maturation
Zelazny portrays Fred as a hard partyer who sometimes drinks too much, a gambler, and a good student who wants to study but not get a degree. Professor Wexroth, Fred's academic adviser, calls Fred a playboy and an irresponsible dilettante with no desire to work or repay society.

With regard to the maturation of his protagonists, Zelazny writes: "I am interested in characters in a state of transformation.  I feel it would be wrong to write a book where the character proceeds through all of the action and winds up pretty much the same at the end as he was in the beginning, just having an adventure.  He has to be changed by the things that take place."

In this vein Krulik observes: "Growth of any fictional character depends on what he learns about himself during the course of a work, and how he changes as a result of this knowledge.  This is a basic tenet of all literature and certainly one that Zelazny subscribes to."

In Doorways Fred goes through a series of life-changing experiences. He is stalked, slapped around, beaten, chased, threatened, terrorized, tortured and shot. He fears mutilation and contemplates his own death.

In the end he accepts a responsible position as an alien culture specialist for the U.S. legation to the United Nations. And he agrees to serve as host for Speicus and travel the galaxy studying various cultures. His old mentor, Professor Dobson, urges him to learn something in his job, if only humility. Using Fred's acrophilia as a metaphor, Dobson tells him to "Keep climbing. That is all.  Keep climbing, and then go a little higher."

Allusions
Zelazny makes many obscure literary and scientific allusions. His critics disagree over the effect these references might have on readers.

Theordore Sturgeon in his introduction to Four For Tomorrow calls Zelazny's more obscure allusions "furniture." Some allusions, he writes "can keep a reader from his speedy progress from here to there, and that his furniture should be placed outside the traffic pattern."

Krulik takes the view that "It's a risky business, but Zelazny has enormous stylistic power, and his strong characterizations are usually able to draw back the reader to the written word after chewing momentarily on the morsel given to him for thought."

Lindskold feels that in stories "the reader who is uninterested in delving into the subtext can still enjoy the story simply for the plot alone."

Below are a few of the literary and scientific allusions in Doorways:
 * A quotation from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Berryman's The Dream Songs is written in reversed writing: "I stalk my mirror down this corridor/my pieces litter. . . ."
 * Zelazny refers to Flatland and Sphereland, books which discuss applications in Euclidean (flat) and non-Euclidean (sphere) geometry.

 * Along the same lines, Zelazny writes a nonsense poem, Lobachevsky alone has looked on beauty bare, evoking the non-Euclidean geometry of Lobachevsky and Riemann to describe the curves of the female anatomy. This is a takeoff on Euclid alone has looked on beauty bare, a 1922 poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
 * See above under "Literary revision" and "Comedy" the many tributes to Alice.
 * Zelazny refers in passing to B. Traven, a mysterious German novelist who lived most of his life in Mexico. He is known for his novel The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
 * A "brace of roods" does not describe two crosses in Doorways, but rather a double cross.
 * Fred says he does not want to remain a "Spiegelmensch" (a mirror man) very long. This is a reference to Franz Werfel's 1921 play whose title is translated as Mirror Man.  The play is about a pair of doppelgangers, one good, one evil.
 * Hilbert space is a mathematical concept that is about the conversion of 2-dimensional space to spaces with more than two or three dimensions.
 * After Fred gets shot the next chapter does not begin in the hospital showing that he is alive, but rather is preceded by two pages discussing Charles William Eliot, President of Harvard University and his impact on the modern liberal arts curriculum, and the pseudosexual behavior of an African wasp and an orchid.
 * When going to sleep Fred says, "'Let there be an end to thought. Thus do I refute Descartes.'  I sprawled, not a cogito or a sum to my name."  This refers to Descartes' famous dictum "Cogito ergo sum," "I think therefore I am."

Publication history

 * (1975 June) Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact. Conde Nast Publishers Inc. pp. 180. Part 1 of 3. Digest, magazine. English.
 * (1975 July) Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact. Conde Nast Publishers Inc. pp. 180. Part 2 of 3. Digest, magazine. English.
 * (1975 August) Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact. Conde Nast Publishers Inc. pp. 180. Part 3 of 3. Digest, magazine. English.
 * (1976) New York:  Harper and Row.  pp. 181.  Hardcover. English. ISBN 0-06-014789-X
 * (1976) Harper and Row/Science Fiction Book Club #2869. pp. 181. Hardcover. English ISBN 1299478670
 * (1977) New York:  Avon Books.  pp. 189.  Paperback.  English. ISBN 0-380-00949-8
 * (1977) London: W.H. Allen/Virgin Books.  pp. 185. Cloth. English. ISBN 0-491-02022-8
 * (1977) Stersteen. Het Spectrum. pp. 192. Paperback. Dutch, Flemish. ISBN 90-274-0929-3
 * (1978) Star Books/W. H. Allen.  pp. 185.  Paperback.  English. ISBN 0-352-39724-1
 * (1981) Stempel über Fußschnitt.  Moewig, Rastatt.  Paperback.  German.  ISBN 3-8118-3525-4
 * (1981) Suna no naka no tobira. (trans. Hisashi Kuromaru). Hardcover. Japanese.
 * (1984) Le rocce dell'Impero.  Editrice Nord. Paperback. Italian.  ISBN 9788842901457
 * (1985) Tore in der Wüste. Pabel-Moewig Verlag Kg.  Broschiert. German. ISBN 3-8118-3525-4
 * (1991) New York: HarperPaperbacks. Paperback. English. ISBN 0-06-100328-X
 * (1993) Bramy w piasku.  Warszawa: "Alkazar".  Polish. ISBN 83-85784-17-9
 * (1998) La pierre des etoiles.  Denoel (Editions).  pp. 192.  Mass Market Paperback.  French. ISBN 2-207-24778-3
 * (1998) La pierre des etoiles.  Denoel (Editions).  pp. 192.  Poche.  French. ISBN 2-207-30243-1
 * (1998) Пясъчни врати. Юлиян Стойнов (Translator). Камея.  pp. 208. Paperback.  Bulgarian.
 * (1999) Dveri v peske. Moskva: Ėksmo-Press.  Russian.
 * (2003) Miftaḥim ba-ḥol. Tel Aviv : ʻAm ʻoved.  Hebrew. ISBN 965-13-1656-X
 * (2004) Dveri v peske. Moskva: Ėksmo.  Russian.  ISBN 5-04-009653-4
 * (2006) Dveri v peske. Moskva: Ėksmo.  Russian.  ISBN 5-699-17339-0

Awards and nominations

 * Nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1975.
 * Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1976.

Other sources

 * Kovacs, Christopher S. The Ides of Octember: A Pictorial Bibliography of Roger Zelazny . Boston: NESFA Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-886778-92-4

title: Doorways in the Sand


text:
Chilthorne Domer

Chilthorne Domer is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated 4 mi north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 574. It is situated on the old coach road from Ilchester to Yeovil.

History
The village was known as Cilterne in the Domesday Book of 1086, which is a British hill name including the element celto meaning high. The second part of the name was after the Domer family, who held one of the manors. The other was held by the Vagg family and was known as Chiltorne Vagg. This survives in the name of Vagg farm southeast of the village.

The parish of Chilthorne Domer was part of the Stone Hundred.

The current manor house was built in the 17th century and has its own well. In the garden about 70 ft south of the house is a six-seater privy built about 1720. It was used until 1939.

Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Yeovil county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Education
The village has a primary school for children between the ages of 4 and 11.

Religious sites
The Anglican parish Church of St Mary has 13th-century origins and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. It was granted to Bruton Priory in 1301.

Notable residents
Susan Miller took the title Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer in 1998 after serving as a councillor at parish, district and county levels from 1987 to 2005, leading South Somerset District Council and as a member of Somerset County Council.

Stanley Adams, former pharmaceutical company executive at Hoffmann-La Roche and corporate whistleblower, lived in Chilthorne Domer from the late 1980s to 1993, when he was convicted of hiring a hit-man in a failed attempt to kill his second wife for insurance money.

title: Chilthorne Domer


text:
Cornu (horn)

A cornu or 'a'cornum (, "horn", sometimes translated misleadingly as "cornet"; : cornua'') was an ancient Roman brass instrument about 3 m long in the shape of a letter 'G'. The instrument was braced by a crossbar that stiffened the structure and provided a means of supporting its weight on the player's shoulder. Some specimens survive in the archaeological record, two from the ruins of Pompeii. The cornu may be difficult to distinguish from the buccina. It was used by the Roman army for communicating orders to troops in battle. In Roman art, the cornu appears among the instruments that accompany games (ludi) or gladiator combat in the arena, as on the Zliten mosaic.

History and usage
It was invented by the Etruscans for use in their funeral processions and military. Roman artistic representations of the cornu are typically realistic. While Etruscan art usually depict the cornu in use alongside the lituus. It was likely a status symbol in Etruscan society. The cornu was used in Roman religious rituals such as the worship of Dionysus or Cybele. It was also used in sacrifices, funerals, circus plays, gladiatorial games, and bacchanals. The cornu was an ancient Roman musical instrument used in the ancient Roman military as a signaling instrument. It was used to give signals to the entire unit.

The military writer Vegetius described the use of horns to give signals:"The music of the legion consists of trumpets, cornets and buccinae. The trumpet sounds the charge and the retreat. The cornets are used only to regulate the motions of the colors; the trumpets serve when the soldiers are ordered out to any work without the colors; but in time of action, the trumpets and cornets sound together. The classicum, which is a particular sound of the buccina or horn, is appropriated to the commander-in-chief and is used in the presence of the general, or at the execution of a soldier, as a mark of its being done by his authority. The ordinary guards and outposts are always mounted and relieved by the sound of trumpet, which also directs the motions of the soldiers on working parties and on field days. The cornets sound whenever the colors are to be struck or planted. These rules must be punctually observed in all exercises and reviews so that the soldiers may be ready to obey them in action without hesitation according to the general's orders either to charge or halt, to pursue the enemy or to retire. For reason will convince us that what is necessary to be performed in the heat of action should constantly be practiced in the leisure of peace."

Construction and shape
The cornu was originally made from an animal horn and later made from bronze. It was carried around the wearer's neck using a cord. The instrument was curved into spiral shape. 0.5 millimeter thick metal sheets which were likely made from bronze were used to make the spiral shape. The metal would have overlapped each other at the longest sides and were fixed through soldering. Sharp tools or stones would have been used to remove the excesses of the soldering alloys. The spiral was broken up into sectors connected by brass rings which were soldered onto the tubes. Iron curved cores would be used to work wooden pieces around 40 centimeters long to create the curved parts of each tubes. It had a copper and tin bell at the end and it was sometimes made with a cross-brace. These ends were connected by a transverse rod that may have been made of wood and was held in place by iron nails. Holes would have been placed at the ends of these rods and would have been used to secure the nails to the bars. The bell was made from a flat sheet of folded metal.

The cornu would be used by a musician known as a cornicen. This musician would play the it by holding it vertically and pointing it forward. The tubing would pass around the player's left shoulder. It would be played by holding the cornu with the player's left hand while the right hand pressed the mouthpiece against the lips, the breath and force of the player determining the sound of the instrument.

Tuba curva
The cornu was revived as the "tuba curva" during the French Revolution, along with the buccina. Both were first used in music that François Joseph Gossec composed for the translation of the remains of Voltaire to the Pantheon, on 11 July 1791.

title: Cornu (horn)