Dystopian & Alternative History Fiction Books

Book SynopsisARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD FINALIST 2022Drink down the brew and dream of a better Earth.Skyward Inn, within the high walls of the Western Protectorate, is a place of safety, where people come together to tell stories of the time before the war with Qita.But safety from what? Qita surrendered without complaint when Earth invaded; Innkeepers Jem and Isley, veterans from either side, have regrets but few scars.Their peace is disturbed when a visitor known to Isley comes to the Inn asking for help, bringing reminders of an unnerving past and triggering an uncertain future.Did humanity really win the war?This is Jamaica Inn by way of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula Le Guin, Angela Carter and Michel Faber, a beautiful story of belonging, identity and regret.Trade Review“Skyward Inn is an experience. Whiteley is a strong voice in speculative fiction and readers will be delighted and unsettled by her novels for years to come.” -- The Nerd Daily -- Kibby Robinson * The Nerd Daily *"Whiteley takes the reader on a cryptic journey of trust, identity and knowing your place in the world." -- Starburst Magazine -- Fred McNamara * Starburst Magazine *"There are some books that are simply beautiful. And Skyward Inn by Aliya Whiteley is one of those." -- Libri Draconis * Libri Draconis *"Whiteley's trademark subtle surrealism shines." -- Publishers Weekly * Publishers Weekly *"A melancholy and compellingly weird tale of identity in crisis." -- SFX -- Will Salmon * SFX *“Skyward Inn feels like an instant classic of the genre.” -- The Guardian -- Lisa Tuttle * The Guardian *"Rarely has a writer who is not Philip K. Dick had so much fun building a world only to take it apart." -- LA Times -- Noah Berlatsky * LA Times *"When it comes to misdirection, Aliya Whiteley is the very devil." --The Times -- Simon Ings * The Times *The Times SF Book of the Month * The Times *"Whiteley explores questions of identification, attachment and belonging, tying everything together in a wonderfully surreal and weirdly uplifting denouement." -- The FT -- James Lovegrove * The FT *"Skyward Inn is a quietly disarming and beautiful book that masterfully blends literary conventions with science fiction." -- Dark Matter Magazine -- Alexander Pyles * Dark Matter Magazine *

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Book SynopsisTHE AUTHORATITIVE TEXT "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. "Mr Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, is a lazy drunk. The animals decide to overthrow him in a revolution that will allow them to run the farm, liberating themselves and creating a new life of equality and freedom. But they have underestimated the pigs. Napoleon and Snowball form an elite and take control for themselves, and the tyranny of the farmer is replaced with another kind of control leaving the animals again subject to a ruthless and cruel authority. Imagined only as Orwell could, this powerful fable is instilled with humour and an underlying urgency that makes this one of the most prescient warnings ever written. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

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Book Synopsis'Very highly recommended.’ Louise DouglasAD 61Brittania is in the hands of the Romans but when the conquering army betray the dead King Prasutagus by defiling his daughters, his Queen, Boudicca, is determined to regain her land.Iceni slave Brea remembers little of the time before the Romans, and has grown used to their louche and indulgent customs. She diligently goes about her duties looking after the artless Aurelia, wife-to-be of the handsome war hero Marcellus, but her longing for freedom and her desire to find her lost father, are never far from her mind.Present DayWhen Hanna returns to Norfolk from years working abroad, the strange dreams of her adolescence return: indistinct figures in tunics, mighty soldiers in armour, gladiators, temples, an Iceni warrior woman leading her people. Gradually Hanna’s dreams begin to slip into the present as visions in the famous mists rolling across the fens, and as shocks of recognition when a new face moves to her childhood home.As Hanna realises that she has a connection with a tragedy that occurred many years before, so Brea has to understand that her fate is bound up with her Roman master. And as the drumbeat of rebellion gets ever closer Brea must make the fatal choice between love and loyalty while Hanna has to find a way to make peace with the past.USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this heart-breaking and unforgettable timeslip novel, perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.Praise for Elena Collins:'Very highly recommended.’ Louise Douglas'The Lady of The Loch held me spellbound from the first page to the last. With two storylines beautifully woven together to create a seamless tale of love, loss, betrayal and, above all, hope, it’s a must-read. Collins’s detailed knowledge of the period trickles through the tale wrapping the reader in a vivid shifting world as it moves between the 14th century and present day. Cleverly researched and exquisitely written, The Lady of The Loch is a timeless story of hope, family and love. I loved it.' Alexandra WalshWhat readers are saying about Elena Collins:'Loved this book, didn't want it to end well worth 5 stars. I will definitely read more books by this author.I love the duel story line and this author writes a lot like my other favorite author Barbara Erskine.''I really enjoyed The Witches Tree also written by Elena Collins ... and The Lady of the Loch was just simply amazing! The characters will stay with me for a long time..and that's a sign of a great book!''This was fabulous, I couldn’t put it down, read in two days and was so sorry that I’d finished it! Loved her first book but this was something else, I was totally gripped, beautiful story and I actually felt like I was back in 1307, best book I’ve read in a long time, hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next one.''This was such an evocative and atmospheric story, it was truly engrossing to the point that on a very sleepless night I ended up reading until 4am to finish the book, because I was thinking about it so much! I loved being whisked away to Scotland in 1307, and enjoyed the way the story came full circle in the present day.'

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Book SynopsisMEGA-CITY ONE IS UNDER SIEGE!Mega-City One’s a powderkeg waiting to blow on its best day. There isn’t a moment when tensions aren’t running high and the city isn’t ready to crack. But there’s something new going on: block war. It’s Block Mania, and no one is immune, not even the Judges.But this is all prelude to invasion. The East-Meg One Sovs have infected Mega-City One with Block Mania to throw the city into massive, bloody turf wars. There are troops on the ground, bombs are dropping and the Big Meg is on fire. And the Judges are drawing the line.Apocalypse War Dossier tells the on-the-ground stories of the Judges of Mega-City One during the events of the epic Block Mania and Apocalyse War story arcs.

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Book SynopsisBarry James is detained in a quarantine facility in the blistering heat of the Great Karoo. Here he exists in two worlds: the unforgiving reality of his incarceration and the lyrical landscapes of his dreams.He has cut all ties with his previous life, his health is failing, and he has given up all hope. All he has to cling to are the meanderings of his restless mind, the daily round of pills and the journals he reluctantly keeps as testimony to a life once lived.And then there's an opportunity to escape.LONGLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN''S NOT THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019''The most credible dystopian novel I have ever read'' Sunday Times''A searing vision of an all-too-possible world... a profound and wholly original voice'' Henrietta Rose-Innes''A forceful and engaging tale that brilliantly blends the real and imagined world and is full of sparkling inventions. This page-turner is bound to be the talk of book circles'' Niq Mhlongo''Thought-provoking, alluring and sensitively written... a new thrilling talent'' Cape TimesShortlisted for the 9Mobile Prize for Literature

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Book SynopsisDo you ever feel like you're living in a simulation? Like nothing is real and it doesn't matter? What if you found out you were right? Dog Villain, burdened by this ultimate knowledge, has built a machine. A machine with a single purpose: To destroy the simulation and free Dog Villain from where he feels trapped inside the never ending farce. But there's something Dog Villain doesn't know. At the end of the simulation there will be no freedom. Will Dog Villain be able to give up control long enough to find the truth and learn the things that really matter? Based on the mythology created by Dance Gavin Dance The Tale of The Robot is a mind bending story for both fans and new comers

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Notable Book ?This book is, simply put, a modern classic. If you read it, you''ll never forget it. Prophetic, terrifying, uplifting.? ?Stephen King From the bestselling author of Ohio, a masterful American epic charting a near future approaching collapse and a nascent but strengthening solidarity.In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics. In California in 2013, Tony Pietrus, a scientist studying deposits of undersea methane, receives a death threat. His fate will become bound to a stunning cast of characters?a broken drug addict, a star advertising strategist, a neurodivergent mathematician, a cunning eco-terrorist, an actor turned religious zealot, and a brazen young activist named Kate Morris, who, in the mountains of Wyoming, begins a project that will alter the course of the decades to come. From the Gulf Coast to Los Angeles, the Midwest to Washington, DC, their intertwined odysseys unfold against a stark backdrop of accelerating chaos as they summon courage, galvanize a nation, fall to their own fear, and find wild hope in the face of staggering odds. As their stories hurtle toward a spectacular climax, each faces a reckoning: what will they sacrifice to salvage humanity?s last chance at a future? A singular achievement, The Deluge is a once-in-a-generation novel that meets the moment as few works of art ever have.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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