Praise the Sun! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kingsley Amis

Ian Fleming passed away in August of 1964. His publisher, Glidrose Productions, issued, posthumously, the novel "The Man With the Golden Gun" (1965) and two short stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights" (1966). Unable to copyright the name "James Bond" they commissioned Amis to write a sequel.

In the novel, M is violently kidnapped and Bond, who was visiting M at the time, barely manages to escape. Determined to rescue M, his hunt takes him to the Aegean Islands where he uncovers a plot by the Chinese People's Liberation Army to sabotage a Middle Eastern détente and lay the blame at the feet of the British government.

This question was initially recorded using invisible ink by Phoenix Rising secret agent pollucci19.

Answer: Terry Pratchett

"The Dark Side of the Sun" was first published in 1976 and represents Pratchett's second published novel. It tells the story of Dominickdaniel "Dom" Sabalos IV, heir to an enormous fortune. A poem is found, telling Dom that the home of a race called the 'Jokers' "lies at the dark side of the sun". He sets out to find these Jokers, who are progenitors of a series of unusual artefacts in the world in which Dom lives.

This question was unearthed by Phoenix Rising member Vegemite Kid.

Answer: Khaled Hosseini

Set, initially, in late twentieth century Kabul, it tells the story of Mariam, an illegitimate child pushed into an arranged marriage with a much older man named Rasheed. When she miscarries several times and fails to deliver to Rasheed a much wanted son he begins a programme of abuse toward her. Later, Rasheed hears that Laila, a young girl recently orphaned, is with child and tricks her into marrying him. When Laila produces a daughter she too is subjected to abuse. The latter half of the story works through the relationship that develops between Mariam and Laila.

This question was penned by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: It won the Pulitzer Prize

Hemingway is noted for writing novels about his real life experiences. With a background as a European correspondent for the "Toronto Star" and an ambulance driver in WWI, he and his wife and young son were living in Paris in the early 1920s where they attended the running of the bulls in Pamploma, Spain three year in a row. This, then, became the setting for his first full length novel, "The Sun Also Rises". (Note: He had published a novella, short stories and poems previously.) The novel demonstrated his sparse style of writing with a notable lack of description, which he called the "Iceberg Theory". While it did not win the Pulitzer (he won it for "The Old Man and the Sea" in 1952) it is regarded as Hemingway's best work.

Phoenix Rising member 1nn1 rose with the roosters to pen this question.

Answer: The Australian outback

Published in 1952 and inspired by stories he'd heard from his father, Cleary's book tells the tale of a year in the life of the Carmody family and the colourful characters they meet on their journey. Paddy (Carmody) is an Irish immigrant who drifts between outback towns seeking work as a drover or shearer. While he hates the work, he loves the drifter's life and the pay is good. With him are his wife Ida and son, Sean. Conflict arises when Ida decides she wishes to settle down.

This question wandered in from the pen of Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Plantagenet Saga

In this book, the fourteenth of the Plantagenet series, Plaidy recounts the story of King Edward IV, who married Elizabeth Woodville. His reign was distinguished by his strong leadership, but also by his numerous affairs. Historically significant during his reign was the occurrence of the Wars of the Roses. His daughter, Elizabeth of York, married Henry Tudor (Henry VII), uniting the houses of York and Lancaster.

The sun was allowed to shine on this question by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

Answer: Vampires

In the story, "Sunshine" is the nickname of the heroine, a pastry chef by the name of Rae Seddon. She is caught in the middle of a vampire war when she is kidnapped by one of the vampire gangs and used as bait to kill the leader of another gang. Rae's lineage bears a strong magic that draws its power from sunlight and she uses this to extricate herself from the situation.

This question was bitten in the neck by Phoenix Rising member pollucci19.

Answer: Murder in a Japanese corporation in Los Angeles

Michael Crichton's "Rising Sun" was the seventh novel written under his own name when it was released in 1992. He had released ten novels previously under the pseudonyms John Lange and Michael Douglas. "Rising Sun" is a typical Crichton novel, a techno-thriller, set in contemporary Los Angeles. Ostensibly about a murder in a Japanese corporate office, the novel expands into a "political and economic war between America and Japan". The book received mixed reviews, with Christopher Lehmann-Haupt stating in the New York Times, "The trouble with "Rising Sun" is obviously that as a serious discourse on why we should begin waging economic war against Japan, the book is far too entertaining. And as an entertainment, it is far too didactic".

A movie starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes with the same title and based on the novel was also released in 1993.

Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 rose to the occasion in creating this question.

Answer: Under the Tuscan Sun

Mayes made a name for herself, initially, as a poet, publishing a number of collections, including "Sunday in Another Country" (1977) and "The Arts of Fire" (1982). However, it was her memoir, "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy" which tells of her finding and buying an abandoned villa in the rural village of Cortona in the Tuscany region of Italy that shot her to the top of best seller lists around the globe. The book went to number one on the New York Times' Best Seller list in 1996 and remained on the list for two years. She followed up the success of this with further tales in "Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy" (1999) and "In Tuscany" (2000).

The 2003 Audrey Wells film, "Under the Tuscan Sun", was loosely adapted on the memoir and it stars Diane Lane.

The question was the whim of Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

Answer: Evil Under the Sun

Hercule has found himself a nice, secluded, little hotel. The perfect place for a bit of relaxation. He also finds Arlene, who is there with her husband and her step-daughter who doesn't like her. She (Arlene) flirts with Patrick, who is not her husband and Christine, who is Patrick's wife, is not impressed. It comes as no surprise, then, that Hercule finds Arlene on the rocks by the beach, very much dead. All is not well in this secluded little hotel in Devon and Hercule is going to need to use all his little grey cells to get to the bottom of this mess.

The book was adapted into a film in 1982, starring Peter Ustinov as the Belgian detective and had a cast that included Diana Rigg, Denis Quilley, Roddy McDowall, James Mason, and Sylvia Miles.

This question has been hatched by Phoenix Rising investigator pollucci19.