the third novel
The third novel is as yet unnamed (I'll think of one eventually, I promise), but it follows A Sane Woman and U-town, which are described here.
Some of it may be a bit difficult to follow if you have not already read the two novels which precede it. I will eventually set it up so that people who have read the first two novels will get a somewhat different version of this one (mostly with additional scenes, and even some alterations to existing scenes), but this is not done yet. Unusually for me, the story itself is chronological, though the dream is recurring.
Each of the first four chapters is fairly self-contained and does not depend very much on the others. The U-town Murder Case is especially well-suited to being read all by itself. If you like that story, there are more mystery stories, which you can find here.
With the Visit to Perry chapter, the real plot kicks in, which is a sequel to U-town and picks up on a lot of the characters and plot threads from the end of that novel (though it ties up some things and brings back some characters from A Sane Woman as well).
Oh, and you can read The Ten Pillars of Modern Literature (some of which appear in U-town and some in the new novel, but this pulls them all together in one place).
Here is the table of contents:
- The Nuclear Family (some glimpses of the Wasserman family)
- Always Crashing in the Same Car (events leading up to, and on, election night in the small New England town of Ross)
- The U-town Murder Case (Jan Sleet and Marshall solve a mystery)
- Jan Sleet's Dream (pretty much what it says – includes more of the series, "The Ten Pillars of Modern Literature")
- A Visit to Perry (in which we meet the famous novelist, and his unwanted houseguest, again)
- Return to U-town (in which we return to U-town)
- On the Medical Team (in which Perry, SarahBeth and Katherine go over the bridge)
- Quartet (in which the medical team goes out again, followed by a pleasant dinner)
- Distance and Time (in which the medical team makes a short trip, various personal needs are taken care of, and everybody goes to a meeting)
- In the Hotel Bar (in which there is conversation and beer)
- Undertown (in which various matters of biology are discussed, the team makes a vital discovery, and Pete surprises everyone, even himself)
- Tammy Everett (in which SarahBeth gets fed up with Ray, two characters reappear, a meeting nearly gets out of control, and Katherine takes Daphne for a walk)
- Absolute Beginners (in which there is a wedding)
- Marshall (in which Marshall has a long talk with his sister-in-law, and preparations are made for a departure)
- A Journey in the Dark (in which our intrepid crew starts on a journey. in the dark)
- A Different Choice (in which our intrepid crew reaches their destination, where things are not as they expected)
- (At This Moment of) The World (in which some things are resolved)
These sections are pretty much done (I still have to draw the floor plans for "The U-Town Murder Case," and at some point there will be a family tree). Unlike the first two novels, the whole thing is being done in PHP, though with the more linear chapters, there is very little PHP being used (so far). Also unlike the first novel, this is all a draft. Once it is complete, I will go back and clean some things up, and probably expand some as well (in addition to adding the graphics I mentioned, and I also want to create the U-town logo, otherwise known as the "upstart symbol").
If you'd prefer the later chapters all in one file (rather than in parts), you can get them here (this would be useful if you're printing them out, for example): A Visit to Perry, Return to U-town, On the Medical Team, Quartet, Distance and Time, In the Hotel Bar, Undertown, Tammy Everett, Absolute Beginners, Marshall, A Journey in the Dark, A Different Choice, and (At This Moment of (The World). There is also a longer version of A Visit to Perry, for those who have read the novel U-town, and a longer version of In the Hotel Bar for people who have read both of the earlier novels.
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