وسپرها برمی‌خیزند

The 39 Clues #11

by Rick Riordan, امین حسینیون (Translator)

چهار نفر از کاهیل‌ها در چهار زمان مختلف به مقابله با دشمنی برمی‌خیزند که زیرک، خطرناک و فرصت طلب است: لرد وسپر! وسپرها از همان لحظۀ اول در کمین کاهیل بوده‌اند. حالا فرصتی دوباره برایشان ایجاد شده تا شاید در پی اشتباه دو کاهیل نوجوان کاری را که لرد وسپر نتوانست در برابر گیدئون به پایان برساند، تمام کنند.

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens

231 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2011

About the author

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.

Reviews

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I finished this yesterday and I for the most part I loved it.

FIRST STORY-GIDEON'S:
I'd have to say my favorite story was Gideon's for a few reasons. First off I just happened to like Gideon's character. He cared for his people even when Lord Vesper wouldn't, he loved his family dearly, and he created the serums that were the basis for the 39 Clues first 10 books. I felt soooo bad for him and everyone when he was killed, but I knew it would happen sooner rather than later due to the fact that he took the lethal serum and in the other books it says Gideon died before he could make a complete, working, safe serum. What/who I mostly loved about this first story was Luke! For like the whole 39 Clue's 1st 10 books all I was thinking was, "What a cruel bastard he had to be in order to have the Lucien's be the way they are!" I mostly blame Ian, Natalie, and of course Isabel for this. What I actually found out was that Luke was basically too smart for his own good and therefore rejected by most people outside his family. And then on top of that, the family he did love (even though he didn't show it well) rejected his love and help when their father was killed. So he was forced through circumstances to run off on his own and become a cruel, social climbing, manipulative nutcase (who still had some soft spots for his son). I also enjoyed learning a little bit more about the other 3 kids. (Go Ekats!/Katherine!)

SECOND STORY-MADELINE'S
Ok, so my friend Julia said this was the BEST of the stories, so naturally I was expecting something super amazing, to be able to surpass Gideon's. To tell the truth I was kinda disappointed. I mean it was good, don't get me wrong, it's just nothing really worked out at all for Maddy and I just didn't really get into it as much. Plus Luke basically sucked for most of it. And also there's this poem for Madeline, "Maddy Babbit, scared as a rabbit" that i could not get outa my head! The thing I loved most about this story, and this may sound weird, was the sayings Olivia (the mom) would always tell Maddy when she did something like her siblings: A Jot of Jane, a Cut of Katherine, a Touch of Tomas, and a Lick of Luke (my fav one). In this one Olivia finally dies, in an explosion. So Maddy's forced to run off and she goes looking for Luke which I though was kinda dumb. I mean I know I have a soft spot for Luke now after reading Gideon's story, but come on, I'm not stupid. There's a reason the Luciens are the most feared and ruthless of the groups, its b/c their leader became and stayed that way when he was forced to leave. If I were Madeline, I would have gone after Jane, much safer... Maybe Kate. I feel like Jane would be the most understanding of the 4, and I'm just all for Kate because I'm an Ekat. (BTW Kate=Katherine). Anyway Maddy tracks down Luke and long story short, he doesn't believe Maddy about her being his long lost sister, then he steals her ring, and is going to kill her. Thankfully she escapes. What a loser Luke is here! (Still love him though... and He's really good with his kid.)

THIRD STORY-GRACE'S
Ok truthfully I barely read this one. Grace never really interested me, even in the 39 Clues. From what I understand though, in this story she's like 13 and hanging out with her favorite beloved baby brother Fiske and the all of a sudden she's off to Africa and manages to land a plane safely all by herself. Ya sucky description, I know. (least fav story).

FOURTH STORY-AMY/DAN/SOMEWHAT FISKE'S
Ok to start off this review of this story, all I have to say is POOR FISKE! I mean Amy and Dan are super used to all this crazy stuff constantly, and I mean I guess Fiske is kinda used to it too, but you know he's getting up there in age... Anyway Amy and Dan's story was fine I guess, but not as great as one of the full books. Love Dan though, his comments always make me laugh soooo much! And Nellie of course. I was sad she wasn't really in it much at all. I do love though how the author managed to have them almost be killed/mortally wounded like 4 or 5 times in the span of 20 or 30 pages. Such creativity! :) I'm super excited for another couple full books with one of my fav brother-sister teams! I SOOOOOO hope the Holts come back! I LOVE THEM They were definitely my favorite team! And of course Ian and Natalie need to come back, so that either Amy or Dan or anyone for that matter (im not picky) can give Ian one seriously well aimed kick or punch where it really counts! :)

And my rambling comes to an end... Can't wait for the Medusa Plot (Book1 of Vespers)

[Mith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fast-paced, action-packed, adventure novel churned out by Rick Riordan & Co. This is more of a back story to the whole 39 clues series, with about 3/4th's of the book taking place before Amy and Dan's time.

We start off with Gideon Cahill stumbling upon a "serum" which enhances one's abilities to almost superhuman standards, but fearing his "friend" Damien Vesper wants to steal it for his own good, he divides the ingredients among his four children, Luke, Katherine, Thomas and Jane, so that none of them have the entire serum, but if put together they can shape the entire future civilization.

But Gideon dies while trying to protect his work, his pregnant wife and kids escape and go their separate ways to make their mark on the world. Before she leaves, Gideon's wife Olivia, takes his ring off his body before it falls into Vesper's hands; the ring supposedly is very dangerous and carries a terrible secret. After that, the ring is passed down from Cahill to Cahill over several generations, all the time fighting to keep it from the Vespers, until it is given to Amy and Dan.

Apparently the 39 clues series was supposed to end after the 10th book, where they had found all 39 clues, but due to popular demand, they decided to continue with the books by introducing the Vespers into the picture. The plot device is glaringly obvious with nary a mention of the Vespers until the 10th book, but it works.

The Vespers are ruthless and aren't above murdering two kids (judging by all the YA books out there,is anyone these days?) for a gold ring with a secret. The book is a roller coaster ride with never a dull moment. The authors manage a good job of continuing the story without making it look like parts of it was written by four different people. Recommended, but read the other ten first (if you haven't already) before picking this up.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

We see not only the beginning of Vespers, but also of Cahills.

I can understand Damien Vesper being a cold, distant psychopath. And somehow all (or at least most) of his descendants are like him. Not sure why his goals were so large in 15th century. After all, the world was so much bigger back then. Took months to get from one place to another. He could have maybe started with trying to rule over Ireland?

Cahills, on the other hand, seem almost weirdly dysfunctional. Sure, Gideon worked a lot and long hours by himself in his lab. But for all of his children to so easily abandon their family and set across the globe? No wonder Olivia was so heart-broken.

I am so happy to see Madeleine Cahill, the famous progenitor of the Madrigal branch. She is absolutely brilliant. It is sad she never got to live to see her and her mother's mission completed. I like to think she knew, and was watching Amy and Dan from above, with all the rest of the Madrigals over the centuries, and wept out of joy when The Hunt was completed and the new generations of each branches united.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three of the four stories were very good. The book opens with an origin story by Riordan about Gideon Cahill and his family, written with his usual panache. This story introduces the rivalry between the Cahills and Vespers and answers a lot of questions about the original four Cahill children. The short length of the tale limited the amount of historical explorations to brief cultural references, but I enjoyed the ones that were included and how they were used to illustrate the characters of the people involved.

The Lerangis story was welcome because Madeleine is one of the most mysterious characters I can remember in recent YA fiction, and I've been quite keen to learn more
about her. It was nice to get some insight I to her journey. I hope we get more than just this taste in future installments. What she faced and was able to achieve was even more astonishing than what Dan and Amy were able to do, considering that she was entirely alone and at a time when women were more vulnerable and had more restrictions. The historical angle of this story was a bit disappointing, it was cute but felt weak.

Unfortunately, Korman's story about Grace was a huge disappointment. I think he got her spirit well enough, and i liked that it felt mkee like one of the 39 Clues books where she had a mystery to figure out. But everything was too easy, it talked down to the readers as though they wouldn't realize how ridiculous it would be to land half way around the world (after a perilous journey) and instantly find the very important person you're looking for. It was too simplistic and very irritating. Maybe it was ok for the very youngest of the age range the books are appropriate for, but certainly not for the full tween to young teen audience.

But at least it ended on a high note when we finally arrived back in the present with Amy and Dan. Watson struck just the right tone again with their family dynamic and with the adventure. She reminded me in their little trip just how big the world is, a theme that this series certainly continues to teach readers of all ages. And I really liked the way it ended. I thought it wove the first 10 books and this book into a comprehensive story really well.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's almost perfect! I just wish that Rick Riordan or any of the women writers of The 39 Clues wrote the part of Madeleine Cahill. She's an interesting character but her story was so boring. Sorry Mr. Lerangis 😔

[Rachel Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD :) can't wait till the next!!

[Christian Schultheiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This being essentially the final closing title of the main 39 clues series, I can understand but not entirely appreciate the way they chose to write out this particular book. This was truly a collection of four Cahill timeline stories that, yes while they did put a bow on the series and many of its plot holes, in doing this it created four minor and far less compelling stories than what a few individual novellas could’ve accomplished. I’m always exciting for more Riordan writing, but the final story about the Cahill kids and Uncle Fisk was by far the best and most interesting of the bunch

[Ker Malkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains 4 story plots, obviously from the four different authors.

One of which is a more elaborated story of the Cahill history starting with Gideon Cahill's finding of the cure to the Black Death and Damien Vesper trying to get hold of it as the cure was actually meant to make the ordinary body develop extraordinary features. The serum wasn't exactly complete though as it resulted to some complications so he'd come up with this 4-way plan and had given each of his children (Luke, Thomas, Katherine, and Jane) a vial which apparently contains the different ingredients to the final product. Trying to get away from the wicked hands of Lord Vesper, the family started plotting out for an escape. Olivia Cahill, meanwhile, actually had something important to tell but then it was too late, for now the Cahill children had gone in their own separate ways and the fate of her husband had ended up into a misfortune.

The second plot covered Madeleine's expedition into fulfilling her promises to her mother, Olivia Cahill. And those are to protect the ring (which Olivia Cahill gained from Gideon and ostensibly has some important message with it) from the Vespers, protect the arcane prospect of the 39 clues and most of all, unite her siblings once again. Personally, I find it hard to do the latter since I haven't even had a clue on what my brothers and sisters look like but anyhow, they're Cahills, and I'm not. LOL. There's one note I'd like to make though. I wish I could've seen from Thomas, Katherine, and Jane. But I think Madeleine's already caught up with her first mission so I'm not gonna press her.

The third plot was about the 13-year old Grace Cahill who started out her venture after witnessing a Morse code which was intended for her father, James Cahill. She only had vague details about this Cahill clue hunt but decided to find out more about it. In the end, she acquired something great and started her life a bit different since then. I don't think I can give off much details about this one.

Enough about the history, we now go to the present century where our dear Amy, Dan, and Fiske Cahill, and of course, Nellie Gomez were living their lives with as much normality as they could ever get. Until their first encounter with their rival clan, the Vespers. I also don't want to give off details about this one so yeah. The predicament was quick and soon after, they realized that this obsession about the 39 clues was finally starting all over again (only the counterpart was a different clan) and now they're up for the most dangerous and greatest adventure of their lives.

I know I haven't made a real review about the book but dang, this was just so exciting! After finding out about the history and all up to the point where Amy and Dan had this very idea that I couldn't just even think about, I just don't know what to say. I know I'm somewhat late to read the 39 Clues franchise but I just can't wait to read the books in the sequel series! Enough said, I really liked the first series. Let's see how it goes in the next one.

Go Cahills! I'm a Lucian, BTW.

[Gabriellarrivee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is my book review for 39 clues vespers rising. I think this is a book for everyone who read the original 10 if you did not DO NOT READ. This is amazing prequel to the first 10 book this explains about the vesper a new family slightly introduced at the end of the 10 book. Here are three reasons why I think this a great book.

One of the great things about this book is that it's well organized, making one chapter for all the important character chapter 1 Gideon Cahill chapter, chapter 2 Madeleine Cahill chapter 3 grace Cahill Cahill chapter 4 Amy and Dan Cahill. The book is arranged like a timeline of the Cahill history. My favorite chapter must be the first one because its answer a lot of questions left unanswered in the previous book like how the family were created. And on the opposite the final chapter is my least liked chapter in this book. Its not that its bad but I was not as trilled then whit the other tree.

There's also the fact that this book is not too long this book is 4 chapters of 30 pages each so if you're a good reader you can read it in a night. This also helps remembering past book events or previous e events in this book this is fun because if you have to write a book review it's easier to remember details. Also, it makes it easy to carry it's a small book which can easily be stored.

Finally, this book is great if you like a bit of fantasy with action and historical facts, it's a mix of so many topic it could fit for anyone at any age. Here are a couple of examples of some great parts of the book. In one part of the book Gideon consumes a potion which he form from being an alchemy lab this helps I'm creating a plan to the attacks of a vesper. They're also cool parts like the part where Gideon blows up is housed to destroy the potion so it does not go in the wrong hand. It's also connected to real life history in the chapter named Grace Cahill you can read that Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Shakespeare are part of parts of the Cahill family.

This is great book for people all ages because it combines fantasy action history and sometimes more and that its not to long and well organized. This book promises a new serie of book name vesper vs cahill witch bring joy to the fans of the serie like me.

[Lady Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Tempted me read next series, Cahills vs Vespers, but they need to wait some time. Also learned about secrets of Cahill family from 1500s. Also got chance to know Madeleina Cahill, from whom Madrigal branch descended, and loved her.)

[Esperanzha · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow..
i'm speechless...
:salute: to all the authors of 39 clues and the vesper's rising.!!
yahoooo...........

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Quickie Review

A great setup to the sequel series! I just wish I had some of the Cahills Vs. Vespers books already on hand, so I could get started on it!

Score: 4/5

[Heidi Lil' Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much!! I can't wait to re-read Cahills vs Vespers!😁

[Auzin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A welcomed addition to the series to give some extra lore and backstory! Overall I really liked the series even though it’s means for a much younger audience. Some of the characters and plot lines were boring but at times things got really deep and intricate. My younger self would be happy I finished this!

[Narvan]

بیست‌وپنج صفحه در آخر کتاب تکراریه!

[سرش را بر عطف نازکِ کتاب می‌کوبد.]

[Sophie [Merry Christmas!!] Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace as a kid is such a baddie.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok wait why were these low-key fire?? 😂 (specifically the gordon korman and the jude watson were so good??) I'm so excited to revisit the actual series now!

[Ellie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the series overall my favorite book might have been the one before this, the 10, lots of action in the whole series and I recommend reading this series

[BBogiA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felvezeti a kövi könyvsorozatot, de én már belefáradtam a világba

[Anastasia Antonova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ну вот, наконец-то я хоть немного побывала в голове у Грейс Кехил. Не подкачала меня барышня, ничего не скажешь.
До прочтения я была клятвенно уверенна что книгу авторы писали всем скопом. А они решили просто взять себе по персонажу, и описать промежуток времени их жизней. Я узнала причину по которой Кехилы поссорились, читая раздел от лица Гидеона, заварившего всю кашу. Немного приоткрыла завесу с тайны жизни первого Мадригала; как писала ранее, заглянула в мысли Грейс; и вновь встретилась с Дэном и Эми. Отличное времяпровождение.
Эта часть приоткрывает завесу перед побочной серией "Кехилы против Весперов". Риордан рассказывает о зарождении войны, причинах по которым эти две "семьи" начинают конфликтовать. Почти все крутится вокруг таинственного кольца. Даже ключи отошли на второй план. Так что думаю, это кольцо создат хлопоты всем кому только можно.
В целом, я довольна серией. Убивает время, и читать интересно. Много событий, путешествий, экшна. То что доктор прописал от осенней хандры. Надеюсь, сиквел будет так же хорош. Ухожу его читать, а вам советую выделить время на поиск 39-ти ключей.

Итог: 9 из 10

[Maheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING. Partly because Rick Riordan wrote it and he has experience in writing the best books. Partly because the plot is "chefs kiss". The characters have intricate details about their personality and it makes everything feel real and like you are in the book. The world setting and just the places they are and go to are well written. It makes you go into the book and experience what the characters are experiencing.
I recommend this to people who like reading about:
Cool fight scenes
Cool settings
Really cool people/families
Different areas around the world
people who are smart at a young age
people who are intimidating at a young age
people who travel around the world
fantasy


this book is also like a prequel or backstory explaining why 39 clues is a thing but it's fine if you would like to read the first book anyways.

[Elizabeth Seals · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely wasn't expecting to get four stories in one with this book. It was a different feel than the others, but I managed to get through the slower parts.

Gideon's story: Could've done without. I already knew about how he died and how his children hated each other. The introduction of the Vespers was nice, though.

Madeline's story: I appreciated hearing more about her since I haven't heard much. It kept my attention. She was giving eldest sister energy.

Grace's Story: I could've done without it. I've honestly never been super interested in Grace's adventures. Still interesting to hear about her origin story, though.

Amy and Dan's Story: My favorite of the four. I will read anything involving Amy and Dan. No questions asked. I'm here for them.

[Nora Suntken · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genuinely do not understand why this was made. Actually, I know exactly what it was made and it was just to be the most half-assed set up to far too many more bad 39 Clues books. The Vespers are the most basic villains ever who have no real motive other than just vaguely being asshole-ish. The prequel aspects of this also sucked. Even Grace, who I had been looking forward to learning more about, was immediately transformed into the most plucky (derogatory) protagonist ever who had someone die just for the sake of having someone die. Not a good read, and honestly this might be the reason I quit the series for good (but don’t hold me to that—I am a bit of a literature masochist).

[Matilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Végre a végére értem A 39. kulcs sorozatnak.

Igazából ennek a résznek nem sok köze volt a sorozathoz, arra volt jó, hogy bevezessék a Vespereket, és a spin-off sorozatokat (, amikből jó sok van, ahogy néztem). Mindenesetre engem annyira nem érdekel a történet, hogy azokat is elolvassam.

Ebben a kötetben négy darab történet van, amik más embereket más időpontokban mutat meg. Jó volt látni például az egész Cahill mizéria kiindulását, és több koron át követhettük, hogyan alakultak a sorsok, illetve hol kerültek képbe a Vesperek.

Igazából tetszett, jó volt kicsit más szereplők szemszögéből is látni a dolgokat.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobrze się bawiłam, chociaż na początku miałam problem, żeby się wgryźć, bo dla mnie poprzedni tom stanowił idealne zakończenie i nie bardzo wiedziałam, po co powstał ten. Z czasem się to wyklarowało, bo fajnie otwiera furtkę dla spin-offów i nabrałam ochoty, żeby dowiedzieć się, z kim jeszcze się spotkam!

[Sai Muralidhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, each chapter has a different author, has different characters, and sometimes a different setting and different time periods. So it's kinda complicated. But each chapter has the same problem, the Vespers. The Vespers are a ruthless family who are after the 39 clues,and Gideon Cahills ring. The Cahills have the ring, but they are also after the clues.

The story begins with the narrator telling the story of what happened to Damien Vesper and Gideon Cahill. They both have brilliant minds and power but wanted to use them in different ways. Gideon wanted to help people, Damien wanted to rule over people. This huge difference destroyed the once good friendship between them and started a rivalry which later kills Gideon which causes his family to fight and go their seperate ways. Leaving Olivia (who is Gideon's wife) all alone with Gideon's ring and their unborn child.

Then the story continues with Gideon's daughter, Madeleine, who promises her mother that she would keep her fathers ring safe and try to reunite the rest of the Cahill family, but she failed and the ring was stolen by the Vespers. But it was later stolen back during world war two by Grace Cahill, who kept it safe in a bank in Switzerland. Then Grace gave the ring to her grandaughter Amy. Amy has no idea why the ring is so important, but she belives she has to keep it safe when a couple of Vespers try killing her to get the ring.

Throughtout the series, each character realizes that you don't need money or the serum that can make you the most powerful person on the face of the planet to be happy. The only thing you need is love. And they all found that out the hard way when each of their closest family members was in danger. Fiske Cahill quotes something his sister Grace did for him. "I knew Grace wanted me to help her. I knew she needed me to watch her back. But she did a generous thing. She told me to go and never come back. She told me to get lost." This quote is an example of why I really liked the book, because even though each character is consumed in danger, hardships, and ECT, they always care about one another in their own ways. I would recommend this book to any one who likes action and adventure.

[Alvaroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 39 clues Vesper Rising
The 39 clues Vesper Rising was the last book of the series of the 39 clues. There is going to be a second part, but not for a while.
This book was one of the best books in the series. Four authors wrote the book dividing the book up into four sections (chapters). The first part was written by Rick Riordan. This part was about the scientist Gideon Cahill. He was the founder of the Cahill serum and the one who started the fighting between brothers.
The second part was written by Peter Lerangis. I really don’t like how he writes but I had to read it. What I understood from this part was that he was writing about Gideon’s fifth secret child and how her life was as a hideout girl.
The third part was written by Gordon Korman. In this part I liked how the author showed emotion. It was about Grace Cahill the one who started it all. It tells you how grace started hunting for clues just at thirteen and how she managed to solve the puzzle that her father had gotten. I really did admire her focus and determination. I would never have the guts to fly with a stranger into a war zone.
The last part was about Dan and Amy Cahill. This part is written by Jude Watson. It tells you how the Vespers are close and how they are after the ring. And If you were woundering who the Vespers are, They are a secret organization trying to rule the world. But if you want to find out who gets the ring read Vesper Rising.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite series for kids and young adults. Originally the series was set to end with book ten Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I was very pleased when I learned that the series would continue, if in a slightly different direction. This series is an excellent way to introduce younger readers to figures from history. Last spring I used one of the original 10 books with a lesson comparing/contrasting historical fiction with historical fact.

What I liked about this book: In this book the reader learns more of the backstory about the 39 Clues. We learn how it all started. We also get to learn a little more about Grace Cahill. In fact, I would like to read a lot more about her.

What I didn't like about the book: I liked it all.

This is an all around great read. It's a good series for readers who like mysteries and fiction. The books are just the right length to hold a reluctant reader's attention and to keep a bookworm wanting more.

Recommended for 3rd grade and up.

Mrs. Archer's rating: 5 of 5

[Janaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book, because the other 10 books in the series were amazing! This is about, the history of the Cahills, and who created the master serum... Gideon Cahill. When Gideon was creating the serum he had befriended Damien Vesper, an intelligent, ambitious and greedy man. Damien wanted the master serum for himself, so he can be the most powerful man in the world. But Gideon had predicted this and he took it for himself, but the serum had not been perfected, and he knew he would die in the next 24hrs. So, he divided another copy of the serum into 4 parts, and gave them to his kids. But Damien knew what he was up to and cornered Gideon in his own laboratory. Gideon, set fire into his laboratory, and destroyed his work so no one can get it. Damien survived, but not Gideon. Now Damien has set his eyes on something else, Gideon's ring. He believes it holds the secret to the serum. But it has been passed down for many years. Now Dan and Amy are after it.

[Lady Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially avoided reading this one as I felt that the series ended nicely with Book 10, but after reading The Medusa Plot I new I was missing something... so I went back and read Book 11. I'm really glad I did.

I loved gaining some historical perspective for the Cahill clan, and seeing the origins with Gideon in Ireland, Madeline and Luke in England, and Grace's adventures in Casablanca before jumping back to the present with Amy and Dan. I loved how all four stories centered on this mysterious ring... definitely looking forward to seeing where the fantastic writers involved take this one!