Dystopian & Alternative History Fiction Books

Book SynopsisEver since its publication in 1948, George Orwell''s terrifying vision of a totalitarian regime where Big Brother controls its citizens like ''a boot stamping on a human face'' has become a touchstone for human freedom, and one of the most widely-read books in the world. In this new annotated edition Orwell''s biographer D. J. Taylor elucidates the full meaning of this timeless satire, explaining contemporary references in the novel, placing it in the context of Orwell''s life, elaborating on his extraordinary use of language and explaining the terms such as Newspeak, Doublethink and Room 101 that have become familiar phrases today. This is the essential edition of the essential book of modern times.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRavaged by years of war and civil conflict, Britain has changed its name to Airstrip One and become part of Oceania – one of the three totalitarian blocks dominating the world – ruled by a mysterious leader called Big Brother who keeps the population in thrall through strict surveillance and brutal police repression. In a society where the individual is suppressed and turned into an “unperson” for not conforming, and where not only personal thought, but also historical record and language itself are constantly being manipulated by the ruling regime, Ministry of Truth worker Winston Smith tries to make sense of the rebellious thoughts and passions that are stirring inside him, and finds himself impotent against the inexorable machine that surrounds him and threatens to crush him at any time. Arguably the greatest dystopian novel of all time and the most influential post-war work of fiction – which enriched the English language with words such as “Newspeak”, “doublethink” and “thoughtcrime” – Nineteen Eighty-Four is a riveting read and a groundbreaking exploration of mass surveillance, censorship and mind control, which has a deep resonance with the world we live in.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFully restored edition of Anthony Burgess' original text of A Clockwork Orange, with a glossary of the teen slang 'Nadsat', explanatory notes, pages from the original typescript, interviews, articles and reviewsEdited by Andrew Biswell With a Foreword by Martin Amis'It is a horrorshow story ...'Fifteen-year-old Alex likes lashings of ultraviolence. He and his gang of friends rob, kill and rape their way through a nightmarish future, until the State puts a stop to his riotous excesses. But what will his re-education mean?A dystopian horror, a black comedy, an exploration of choice, A Clockwork Orange is also a work of exuberant invention which created a new language for its characters. This critical edition restores the text of the novel as Anthony Burgess originally wrote it, and includes a glossary of the teen slang 'Nadsat', explanatory notes, pages from the original typescript, interviews, articles and reviews, shedding light on tTrade ReviewA terrifying and marvellous book -- Roald DahlStill delivers the shock of the new ... a red streak of gleeful evil -- Martin Amis

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A book that shifted my life... Epic, game-changing, moving and brilliant'' VIOLA DAVIS''Will rewire the mind of whoever reads it... you don''t emerge from the journey unaffected'' NNEDI OKORAFOR A PATTERNIST NOVEL: BOOK ONEIt begins when two immortals meet in an African forest.Doro is an ancient spirit who, for thousands of years, has cultivated a small village of people in search of perfection. He steals from their bodies to sustain his own life. Doro fears no one - until he meets Anyanwu.Anyanwu is like Doro and yet different. She uses her wisdom to help others, healing injuries, birthing tribes and shifting the shapes of her own body. Anyanwu feels no threat - until she meets Doro.In an epic story of love and hate, Doro and Anyanwu chase each other across continents and centuries - a power struggle that echoes through generations. Together they will change the world.Trade ReviewOne of the most significant literary artists of the twentieth century. One cannot exaggerate the impact she has had -- Junot DiazButler's prose, always pared back to the bone, delineates the painful paradoxes of metamorphosis with compelling precision * Guardian *A dark, compelling and still horribly resonant time travel story * Independent *[Her] evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human * New York Times *No novel I've read this year has felt as relevant, as gut-wrenching or as essential... If you've ever tweeted "All Lives Matter", someone needs to shove Kindred into your hand, and quickly * The Pool *Kindred is that rare magical artifact . . . the novel one returns to, again and again * Harlan Ellison *One cannot finish Kindred without feeling changed. It is a shattering work of art * Los Angeles Herald-Examiner *[A] must-read novel * BBC *Everyone should read at least one novel by the grand dame of science fiction, and Kindred is a perfect (and harrowing and disturbing and brilliant) place to start * Refinery 29 *The immediate effect of reading Octavia Butler's Kindred is to make every other time travel book in the world look as if it's wimping out... This is a brilliant book, utterly absorbing, very well written, and deeply distressing. It's very hard to read, not because it's not good but because it's so good * Tor *A searing, caustic examination of bizarre and alien practices on the third planet from the sun * Kirkus *One of the most original, thought-provoking works examining race and identity * Los Angeles Times *Impossible to turn away from once you've devoured the first few pages * Starburst *If you haven't read Butler, you don't yet understand how rich the possibilities of science fiction can be * Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction *Butler's books are exceptional * Village Voice *Few writers in our field are so good at blending page-turners with philosophical questions so seamlessly -- Cory Doctorow

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED MATERIALAfter the Internet, what came next?Enter the Metaverse - cyberspace home to avatars and software daemons, where anything and just about everything goes. Newly available on the Street - the Metaverse''s main drag - is Snow Crash. A cyberdrug that reduces avatars in the digital world to dust, but also infects users in real life, leaving them in a vegetative state.This is bad news for Hiro, a freelance hacker and the Metaverse''s best swordfighter, and mouthy skateboard courier Y. T.. Together, investigating the Infocalypse, they trace back the roots of language itself to an ancient Sumerian priesthood and find they must race to stop a shadowy virtual villain hell-bent on world domination.In this special edition of the remarkably prescient modern classic, Neal Stephenson exploreslinguistics, computer science, politics and philosophy in the form of a break-neck adventure into the fast-approaching yet eerily recognizable future.''Fast-forward free-style mall mythology for the twenty-first century'' William Gibson''Brilliantly realized'' New York Times Book Review ''Like a Pynchon novel with the brakes removed'' Washington Post''A remarkably prescient vision of today''s tech landscape'' Vanity Fair

Read more less

Book SynopsisJohn Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He's been in a rock 'n' roll band, playing the double bass, travelled the USA and lived in Canada for a time. He is married with four children and lives in Eastbourne, running a small family business rejuvenating vintage furniture. His first novel, Malice, won the David Gemmell Morningstar award for best debut fantasy. Valour is his second novel.Trade ReviewThe prose is sharp, the pace works wonderfully well and when added to a whole cast of complex character that bring not only the world in which they inhabit to life but bring their own thoughts and desires to the reader with space to spare. All round, this series is building into one of favourites of the last few years and to have an author who can produce a second book of high quality in good time and schedule shows that this author has a bright future. Great stuff. * Falcata Times *Valour is hands down, the best fantasy I have read in an age. I thought Providence of Fire might have claimed it, but Valour came swooping in and stole the title . . . may be becoming one of my all time favourite fantasy series . . . I’d probably class it with early Eddings, Gemmell and Goodkind, but with more maturity, stronger characters.. And more Omph! (technical term) * Bookfrivolity *Valour manages to surpass what was already a very strong debut, somehow managing to be even better than Malice . . . John Gwynne is a writer good enough to create characters you can love, and confident enough to kill them off when the time is right . . . A great read. Real characters in a well crafted world you can really immerse yourself in to. * Dominish Reviews *The ‘Chosen-One’ offspring of George R R Martin and J K Rowling, raised on the bedtime stories of Tolkien and whipped into fighting shape by David Gemmell . . . but still 100% Gwynne . . . John Gwynne wades in with a depth of world building that’d see most newbie authors flounder. * Written With a Sword Reviews *I really enjoyed the parts of the story that were set in the Celtic-influenced areas. The settings are beautiful and vivid, and the forests and mountains and castles distinctly brought to my mind the time I’ve spent in Wales and Scotland. * Half Strung Harp Reviews *A real gem . . . the traditional good versus evil tale in with very nontraditional twists. * Power and Page Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe No.1 Sunday Times bestseller from the author of A Little Life.To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the elusive idea of utopia; driven by Hanya Yanagihara’s understanding of our desire to protect those we love – lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love as they please (or so it seems).In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father.In 2093, in a world torn apart by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him – and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance.What unites these characters, and these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human – fear, love, shame, loneliness – and the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise.'I’m not sure I’ve ever missed the world of a book as much' - Observer‘Not only rare . . . revolutionary’ - Michael Cunningham‘Prepare to weep in public and be utterly transformed’ - StylistTrade ReviewAfter the painfully affecting A Little Life, To Paradise gives us three stories far apart in space and time but each unique in their power to summon the joy and complexity of love, the pain of loss. I’m not sure I’ve ever missed the world of a book as much as I miss To Paradise now I’ve left it. * Observer *To Paradise is a transcendent, visionary novel of stunning scope and depth. A novel so layered, so rich, so relevant, so full of the joys and terrors – the pure mystery – of human life, is not only rare, it’s revolutionary. -- Michael Cunningham, author of The HoursHanya Yanagihara's To Paradise is as good as War and Peace -- Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own Story One of the most anticipated books of 2022 – if not the decade . . . Prepare to weep in public and be utterly transformed. * Stylist *To Paradise becomes unputdownable . . . Amidst the worst travails and political pressures, the primacy of human bonds is irreducible, a truth that lies at the heart of this frightening and very beautiful novel.' * Literary Review *A future classic . . . For those captivated by Yanagihara’s A Little Life, her next is equally gripping . . . Ultimately, it asks the question: is love really all we need? * Telegraph *A bravura achievement . . . Behind this impressive, significant novel stands the question: what is a life, if it is not lived in freedom? * Guardian *A very unusual sensibility and a burning subject matter have come together here . . . Highly affecting. Read it and hope not to revisit it in your dreams. * Sunday Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIf you want a better future tomorrow, you're going to have to fight for it today. Here are four urgent stories from author and activist Cory Doctorow, four social, technological and economic visions of the world today and its near – all too near – future. 'Unauthorized Bread' is a tale of immigration, toxic economic stratification and a young woman's perilously illegal quest to fix a broken toaster. In 'Model Minority' a superhero finds himself way out his depth when he confronts the corruption of the police and justice system. 'Radicalized' is the story of a desperate husband, a darknet forum and the birth of a violent uprising against the US health care system. The final story, 'The Masque of the Red Death', tracks an uber-wealthy survivalist and his followers as they hole up and attempt to ride out the collapse of society. 'Cory Doctorow is one of our most important science fiction writers' KIM STANLEY ROBINSON. Trade ReviewExcellent collection * SFX *A collection of extraordinarily clever novellas that cut right through to the anxieties that occupy Western societies as we continue to carve out a world that has an uneasy yet dependent relationship with technology * SciFiNow *A set of four superb, distinctive short stories... Doctorow's prose is punchy and direct, but he succeeds in conjuring the most vivid and plausible of situations with an impressive economy of words. While he is adept at intertwining questions of contemporary technology, culture and politics into his work, it is the calibre of his flawed but recognisable characters that ultimately brings these vivid short stories to life' * Starburst *A memorable collection of fascinating characters doing their best to survive an increasingly hostile world against the pressures of a civilisation that seems to be spiralling out of control. This is a highly recommended book from me -- Gareth Jones, at SFCrowsnestinfoExciting and very, very cinematic... "Radicalized" is the best of the bunch, and so clever... Fun, in a darkly, twisted sort of way' * Concatenation *This is no collection of preachy parables. For a start, it's often laugh-out-loud funny... Doctorow's characters have depth and nuance, and fighting the dystopian tide changes them' * New Frame *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick - Booker Gems THE NEW YORK TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2017 WINNER OF THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE ''Astonishing'' Zadie Smith ''Stunning'' Spectator ''Extraordinary'' TLS An extraordinary story of love and hope from the bestselling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist All over the world, doors are appearing. They lead to other cities, other countries, other lives. And in a city gripped by war, Nadia and Saeed are newly in love. Hardly more than strangers, desperate to survive, they open a door and step through. But the doors only go one way. Once you leave, there is no going back.*Coming soon as a major Netflix film - produced by Michelle and Barack Obama and starring Riz Ahmed* ''One of the year''s most significant literary works'' The New York Times ''A masterpiece'' Michael Chabon ''Addictively readable and brilliantly written. Fantastic'' Mail on SundayTrade ReviewAs with the very best literature, its crystalline readability fast eclipses its topicality * Mail on Sunday *[A] devastating portrait of victims of war, creating a singular parable about modernity, migration and the individual's place in the world * The Guardian *A deceptively simple conceit turns a timely novel about a couple fleeing a civil war into a profound meditation on the psychology of exile. A novel that fuses the real with the surreal - perhaps the most faithful way to convey the tremulous political fault lines of our interconnected planet * The New York Times *No conventional love story. [An] exceptionally moving and powerful novel * The Guardian *Publisher's description. In an unnamed city swollen by refugees, two young people fall in love. One day soon they will have to leave their homeland, running for their lives, searching for their place in the world. * Penguin *Powerful, vivid, poignant... Hamid is the master * Sunday Times *Writing in spare, crystalline prose, Hamid conveys the experience of living in a city under siege with sharp, stabbing immediacy * Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times *A love story as spare, haunting and spiritually powerful as a haiku. All my life I will remember Nadia and Saeed, their humanity against a surreal, broken landscape. Exit West is Hamid's finest book -- Kiran DesaiImaginative, inventive, graceful... Hamid exploits fiction's capacity to elicit empathy and imagine a better world * New York Times Book Review *A subtle and moving examination of how human relationships endure and falter under unimaginable pressures. Exit West is an instant classic * GQ *Impressive... Exit West confirms Hamid's reputation as a brilliant ventriloquist who is deeply engaged with the most pressing issues of our time -- Andrew Motion (Book of the Week) * Guardian *Astonishing -- Zadie SmithImmediately canonical * New Yorker *Part pared-down romance, part 21st-century fable, Exit West is a thought experiment that pivots on the crucial figure of this century: the migrant * Financial Times *Exit West packs such an emotional wallop you will be thinking about it for days afterwards. For Hamid is not only telling a story, he is asking what sort of a world we want to live in. * Editor's Choice, the Bookseller *It's a terrific, beautifully constructed, important novel of our time. This is what we expect fiction to do: to examine our age but also to cast an eye on the past and - very brilliantly in this case - on the future too. I love it. * Mirza Waheed *Exit West is a masterpiece. It stretches the boundaries of the real just enough to make a point about the state of immigrants and refugees in the contemporary world. But it's very much grounded in reality. It's a beautiful book. * Michael Chabon *Mohsin Hamid is one of the most talented and formally audacious writers of his generation * Telegraph *A man born to write -- Dave EggersThe voice of a changing continent. A writer at the top of his game * Metro *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe takes place in a distant future, where humans are forced to submit their wills to the requirements of the state, under the rule of the all-powerful Benefactor, and dreams are regarded as a sign of mental illness. In a city of straight lines, protected by green walls and a glass dome, a spaceship is being built in order to spearhead the conquest of new planets. Its chief engineer, a man called D-503, keeps a journal of his life and activities: to his mathematical mind everything seems to make sense and proceed as it should, until a chance encounter with a woman threatens to shatter the very foundations of the world he lives in. Written in a highly charged, direct and concise style, Zamyatin's 1921 seminal novel - here presented in Hugh Aplin's crisp translation - is not only an indictment of the Soviet Russia of his time and a precursor of the works of Orwell and the dystopian genre, but also a prefiguration of much of twentieth-century history and a harbinger of the ominous future that may still lay ahead of us.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Thriller of the MonthExpertly researched and visionary in scale, international number one bestseller Ken Follett’s Never is more than a thriller. It imagines a scenario we all hope never comes true, one which will keep you transfixed until the final page . . .'Stunning . . . one of the most compelling reads of the year' – Daily ExpressA stolen US army drone.A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert.A secret stash of deadly chemicals.Each is a threat to global stability. Each can be overcome with only the highest levels of diplomacy. But when those in charge disagree and refuse to back down, an international chain reaction kicks off with potentially catastrophic consequences: a world edging closer to war . . .Now three people must work with the utmost skill to stop that from happening:A spy working undercover with jihadis.A brilliant Chinese spymaster.A US president beleaguered by a populist rival for the next election.The only question is – in a game of brinksmanship, can the inevitable ever be stopped?'Bold in scale and meticulously researched' – Sunday Times'Probably his best yet' - Stephen King'Urgent and fiercely compelling’ – Washington PostMore than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over eighty territories and thirty-seven languages. The international no.1 bestselling phenomenon returns.Trade ReviewProbably his best yet -- Stephen King, author of 'Salem's Lot, Misery and HollyKen Follett has never been short of ambition. And it’s the global scope and vast multinational cast that chiefly impress in Never, his return to contemporary storytelling . . . Bold in scale and meticulously researched, Never makes other international spy novels appear timid, lazy and parochial -- Sunday Times Thriller of the Month November 2021I couldn't put it down . . . terrifying read . . . masterful detail . . . It's a stunning thriller and one of the most compelling reads of the year. It's not quite The Godfather, but it comes pretty close -- Daily ExpressA master storyteller, Follett has created a tale vast in scale, yet richly detailed, exploring the consequences of international power plays and the chilling imminence of global catastrophe. * The i *An ambitious and compelling narrative, exploring the consequences of international power plays and the chilling imminence of global catastrophe -- Press Association syndicated reviewUrgent and fiercely compelling . . . Never is first-rate entertainment that has something important to say. It deserves the popular success it will almost certainly achieve * Washington Post *Superstar novelist Ken Follett’s what-if political thriller . . . is so exciting – and so plausible – you won’t want to look away -- Apple Books Best Book of the MonthSettle in for a thrilling ride * CNN.com *Follett’s story captivates * Christian Science Monitor *A complex, scary thriller that feels too plausible for comfort. You’ll be so absorbed in the story threads that you’ll follow them anywhere – and you’ll suddenly realize you’ve read hundreds of pages . . . On one level, it’s great entertainment; on another, a window into a sobering possibility -- Kirkus Reviews starred reviewAbsolutely compelling . . . A smart, scary, and all-too-plausible thriller * Booklist *Terrific . . . A powerful, commanding performance from one of the top writers in the genre -- Publishers Weekly starred reviewFollett] weaves a web of intrigue . . . Shocking to the very last page * Sunday Express *Taking readers on a thrilling, rollercoaster ride through 800 pages of dazzling storytelling, Follett brings his extraordinary visionary talents to this powerful and far-reaching novel * Lancashire Evening Post *A pacey, character-driven thriller set against the backdrop of an imminent Third World War * Choice Magazine *Told in Follett's hallmark widescreen style, the blockbuster thriller is packed with memorable characters and global politics, it's a nail-biting ride! * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'One of the best science fiction short stories to be published in the 21st century so far' SFX Review ‘Saunders is funny and kind as ever, and his narrative virtuosity puts him up there with the best’ Anne Enright, Guardian ‘A triumph of storytelling’ i paper ‘A joy. 'Effortlessly stylish, funny and smart’ Daily Mail ____________ The first short story collection in ten years from the Man Booker Prize-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo MacArthur genius and Booker Prize-winner George Saunders returns with a collection of short stories that make sense of our increasingly troubled world, his first since the New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist Tenth of December The 'best short story writer in English' (Time) is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power, ethics, and justice, and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans. With his trademark prose - wickedly funny, unsentimental, and perfectly tuned - Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: here is a collection of prismatic, deeply resonant stories that encompass joy and despair, oppression and revolution, bizarre fantasy and brutal reality. 'Love Letter' is a tender missive from grandfather to grandson, in the midst of a dystopian political situation in the not-too-distant future, that reminds us of our obligations to our ideals, ourselves, and each other. 'Ghoul' is set in a Hell-themed section of an underground amusement park in Colorado, and follows the exploits of a lonely, morally complex character named Brian, who comes to question everything he takes for granted about his 'reality.' In 'Mother’s Day', two women who loved the same man come to an existential reckoning in the middle of a hailstorm. And in 'Elliott Spencer', our eighty-nine-year-old protagonist finds himself brainwashed - his memory 'scraped' - a victim of a scheme in which poor, vulnerable people are reprogrammed and deployed as political protesters. Together, these nine subversive, profound, and essential stories coalesce into a case for viewing the world with the same generosity and clear-eyed attention as Saunders does, even in the most absurd of circumstances. ____________ 'The only way to experience Saunders’s oblique, farcical, tragic world is to dive right in. It will take the top of your head off, but it’s worth it’ The Times 'The world’s best short story writer … Liberation Day is great art' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewThe world’s best short story writer … Liberation Day is great art * DAILY TELEGRAPH *This is the joy of Saunders: he encapsulates human experience, while always hitting the punchline * FINANCIAL TIMES *Saunders is funny and kind as ever, and his narrative virtuosity puts him up there with the best -- ANNE ENRIGHT * GUARDIAN *The Alan Bennett of small-town America … These stories are not only perfectly pitched; they come with enough comedy to have you grinning and enough empathy to suddenly stop you in your tracks * OBSERVER *A joy. Effortlessly stylish, funny and smart, they come spangled with sadness and a melancholic malaise as Saunders casts an eye over a country teetering towards wreckage * DAILY MAIL *A triumph of storytelling * I PAPER *The Tom Hanks of American letters … A master of the short story … His art speaks to the dreadful present; his open-handed style, his skill as an educator, offer hope by encouraging each individual voice to find courage to speak * NEW STATESMAN *A writer known as much for his formal inventiveness as the sharpness of his satirical wit * INDEPENDENT.CO.UK *A compelling satire of modern America * PROSPECT *In describing the stories, even quoting them, we lose something valuable. That in itself is a measure of great writing. The only way to experience Saunders’s oblique, farcical, tragic world is to dive right in. It will take the top of your head off, but it’s worth it * THE TIMES *George Saunders is that rare contemporary author who is as original as he is beloved … Readers can be assured that all the hallmarks of Saunders’ writing that electrified them from the beginning are present in his new collection, Liberation Day: bold original humor, the blurred view of American life, and the sweet humanity that pierces through it all * TIME *Virtuosic ... The nine stories in Liberation Day are by turn exhilarating, sad, mind-bendingly bizarre and wickedly funny … Perfect * SUNDAY TIMES *Leaves you in awe of his craft * FOYLES *The titan of the modern story returns with a collection of wickedly funny, perceptive and subversive miniatures * WATERSTONES *An exquisite work from a writer whose reach is galactic * OPRAH QUARTERLY *Masterful * I PAPER *Triumphant * BUZZ MAGAZINE *So good it makes you wonder why anyone else bothers * VOGUE *Saunders’ words smell like Hunter S. Thompson, Stephen King, Raymond Carver and David Lynch sharing a spliff in Joni Mitchell’s parking lot * THE WORD FACTORY *A morally passionate, serious writer ... He will be read long after these times have passed -- ZADIE SMITHSaunders has revealed himself to be nothing less than an American Gogol: funny, pointed, full of nuance, and always writing with a moral heart. This, his first book of short fiction in nearly a decade, only cements the validity of such a point of view. The nine pieces here are smart and funny, speculative yet at the same time written on a human scale, narratives full of love and loss and longing and the necessity of trying to connect … A tour de force collection that showcases all of Saunders’ many skills * KIRKUS *George Saunders makes you feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time -- KHALED HOSSEINIWhat warm, kindhearted and radical writing. Such delicacy, such serious wit. I love it -- MAX PORTERHe makes the all-but-impossible look effortless. We're lucky to have him -- JONATHAN FRANZENA luminous feat of generosity and humanism -- COLSON WHITEHEADSaunders is a true original - restlessly inventive, yet deeply humane -- JENNIFER EGANFunny, poignant – in flashes, deeply moving – light as a feather and consistently weird -- HARI KUNZRU

Read more less

Book SynopsisQuentin Tarantino''s long-awaited first work of fiction - at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal - is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.RICK DALTON - Once he had his own TV series, but now Rick''s a washed-up villain-of-the week drowning his sorrows in whiskey sours. Will a phone call from Rome save his fate or seal it?CLIFF BOOTH - Rick''s stunt double, and the most infamous man on any movie set because he''s the only one there who might have gotten away with murder . . . SHARON TATE - She left Texas to chase a movie-star dream, and found it. Sharon''s salad days are now spent on Cielo Drive, high in the Hollywood Hills.CHARLES MANSON - The ex-con''s got a bunch of zonked-out hippies thinking he''s their spiritual leader, but he''d trade it all to be a rock ''n'' roll star.HOLLYWOOD 1969 - YOU SHOULDA BEEN THERETrade ReviewOutrageous and addictively readable... The book is a reminder that Tarantino is, in fact, a really good writer, and it should not be so surprising that his brilliance as a screenwriter should be transferable into fiction. * Guardian *The book is a distinct experience - rangier, sexier, bloodier ... Classic, sparks-flying Tarantino ... The start of a new direction for this relentlessly inventive director. * Washington Post *The rollicking debut novel by Quentin Tarantino is a seamless, seamy blend of fact and fiction * The Times *The rat-a-tat pace of a screenplay ... Tarantino's concern here is world-building, luxuriating in an era and a genre that he is clearly fascinated by ... with undeniable flair * Evening Standard *This book boasts some tremendous scenes, with magical dialogue, that I wouldn't have missed for the world * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs performed by Maxine Peake (''visionary''): the radical dystopian classic, lost for forty years: in a nightmarish Britain, THEY are coming closer''A creepily prescient tale ... Insidiously horrifying!'' Margaret Atwood''A masterpiece of creeping dread.'' Emily St. John MandelThis is Britain: but not as we know it. THEY begin with a dead dog, shadowy footsteps, confiscated books. Soon the National Gallery is purged; eerie towers survey the coast; mobs stalk the countryside destroying artworks - and those who resist.THEY capture dissidents writers, painters, musicians, even the unmarried and childless in military sweeps, curing' these subversives of individual identity.Survivors gather together as cultural refugees, preserving their crafts, creating, loving and remembering. But THEY make it easier to forget ...Lost for half a century, newly introduced by Carmen Maria Machado, Kay Dick''s They (1977) is a re

Read more less

Book SynopsisTales of the dark, fantastical and delightfully strange from the best voices in Nordic fiction.Storytelling has been a major force in the Nordic countries for thousands of years, from the epic Icelandic Sagas to best-selling crime with a noir flair. This anthology collects stories by the best names in Nordic speculative fiction, many of which are appearing in English for the first time.Across dark dystopian sci-fi, mythical fantasy, and terrifying horror, from the rational to the eccentric, these stories combine a deep sense of place with social criticism, themes of loneliness and identity, and the concern for humanity’s impact on the wilderness.Stories by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Maria Haskins, Karin Tidbeck, Kaspar Colling Nielsen, Jakob Drud, Lene Kaaberbøl, Rakel Helmsdal, Johann Thorsson, Tone Almhjell, Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson, Tor Åge Bringsværd, Thore Hansen, Margrét Helgadóttir, Johanna Sinisalo, Hannu Rajaniemi and Emmi Itäranta.Trade Review“Reading it gave me one of the experiences I hope for when reading an anthology: the sense of a strong voice I haven’t encountered before.” -- Locus Magazine“Highly recommended for fans of exploring what the wider genre world has in it.” –- Run Along the Shelves

Read more less

Book SynopsisGives us a horrifying glimpse of an alternative world - one where the Allies have lost the Second World War.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Labyrinth is a unique vision of a dystopian future from one of the most sought-after visual storytellers in the world and internationally acclaimed author of The Electric State.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA beautiful, moving story about a small Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time, to find an answer to the question: what would you do if you could go back? For fans of The Guest Cat and If Cats Disappeared from the World.

Read more less

Book Synopsis2024's most unforgettable romance that will give you ALL the feels! From the queen of the ''what if'' love storyIt''s the sort of story which makes you want to say, I love you, to everyone you care about the most in your life,' Reader review ?????Dan is Emma's person. She's known it since the first time she saw him dressed in lederhosen on the tube.On their fifteen year dateversary', Emma texts a list of everything she should have told Dan that morning.Tell the kids to remember their homeworkAnd their gloves.Can you defrost some sausages?Emma just forgets to write the most important words of all I love you and by the end of the day everything changes.Or does it? Emma is given the chance to rewrite their future if she can just figure out their pastEscape with the most uplifting and emotional love story of the year. Perfect for fans of The Man Who Didn't Call and Jojo Moyes!Readers LOVE Maybe Next Time!WOW! WOW! WOW! Powerful and life affirming, So much more than five stars. If there Trade Review‘Astonishing – the love story you’ve been waiting for’ Clare Mackintosh, The Last Party ‘Addictive, heart-breaking and achingly romantic … an absolute triumph. This forced me to think very seriously about how I want to live my life’ Rosie Walsh, The Man Who Didn’t Call ‘Haunting, moody, clever and affecting’ Gillian McAllister, Wrong Place, Wrong Time ‘Warm, funny and life-affirming – a reminder of just how precious every day can be’ Lucy Diamond, Anything Could Happen ‘Heart-warming and life-affirming – a gorgeous read’Louise O’Neill, Idol ‘Deeply moving, extremely funny, brilliantly knowing and fabulously observed … heartbreaking but simultaneously life-affirming. A total triumph’ Daisy Buchanan, Careering ‘Full of love, wisdom and heartache … nudging us to reflect on what is truly important in life. It's a Wonderful Life meets Groundhog Day. I challenge you not to cry’ Sophie Cousens, This Time Next Year ‘Wonderfully intriguing and thought-provoking … I loved it’ Kate Eberlen, Miss You ‘Ingenious, intriguing and so emotional’ Jill Mansell, Should I Tell You? ‘All the compulsion of a thriller but swooningly romantic as well. Forensically plotted and beautifully worked out. A belter and a tear-jerker’ Beth Morrey, Em & Me ‘Thought-provoking, tear-jerking and page-turning …amazing, will really make you think about your life’ Katie Fforde, A Wedding in Provence ‘Superbly plotted, shockingly breathtaking – heartbreaking, poignant and beautifully written … a love story like no other’ Cathy Bramley, Merrily Ever After ‘WOW. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming … I loved every page’ Sarah Morgan, Beach House Summer ‘Hilarious and poignant and heartwarming all at once’ Sophie Irwin, A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting

Read more less

Book SynopsisBook Two of 1Q84 ended with Aomame standing on the Metropolitan Expressway with a gun between her lips. She knows she is being hunted, and that she has put herself in terrible danger in order to save the man she loves. But things are moving forward, and Aomame does not yet know that she and Tengo are more closely bound than ever.Tengo is searching for Aomame, and he must find her before this world''s rules loosen up too much. He must find her before someone else does.Trade ReviewMurakami's magnum opus * Japan Times *1Q84 has a range and sophistication that surpasses anything else in his oeuvre. It is his most achieved novel; an epic in which form and content are neatly aligned... So like Murakami himself, I'll borrow from Orwell: 1Q84 is quite simply doubleplusgood * Independent on Sunday *1Q84 reads like a cross between Stieg Larsson and Roberto Bolaño... In its bones, this novel is a thriller * Daily Telegraph *It is a work of maddening brilliance and gripping originality, deceptively casual in style, but vibrating with wit, intellect and ambition -- Richard Lloyd Parry * The Times *Which other author can remind you simultaneously of Fyodor Dostoyevsky and JK Rowling, not merely within the same chapter but on the same page? Viewed through the "post-modern" lens, his exemplary blend of a light touch and weighty themes, of high literature and popular entertainment, ticks every box. Posh and pop, sublimity and superficiality, history and fantasy, trash and transcendence: they switch positions and then fuse -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *

Read more less

Book Synopsis**WINNER OF THE WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023****WATERSTONES WELSH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022**'Truly beautiful and haunting, and an incredible feat of storytelling' DONAL RYAN'A tender, unusual and gorgeously wrought love story' RACHEL JOYCE'In times of war, Lewis finds resilience, redemption and hope...DRIFT feels perfectly judged' OBSERVER THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBUT FROM THREE-TIME WINNER OF WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR CARYL LEWIS: A STORY OF LOVE, MAGIC AND THE IRRESISTIBLE LURE OF THE SEA.Nefyn has always been an enigma, even to her brother Joseph with whom she lives in a small cottage above a blustery cove.Hamza is a Syrian mapmaker, incarcerated in a military base a few miles up the coast.A violent storm will bring these two lost souls together - but other forces will soon try to tear them apart...Moving between the wild Welsh coast and war-torn Syria, Drift is a love story with a difference, a hypnotic tale of lost identity, the quest for home and the wondrous resilience of the human spirit.'A truly magical and transformative novel. I loved it.' KIRSTY CAPES, author of CARELESS Trade ReviewA truly beautiful and haunting novel, and an incredible feat of storytelling * DONAL RYAN *A tender, unusual and gorgeously wrought love story that weaves the magic of folk lore, the wonder of the sea, and the depths of human cruelty. It moves between the worlds it inhabits like the finest piece of driftwood. * RACHEL JOYCE *In times of war, Lewis finds resilience, redemption and hope...DRIFT feels perfectly judged * OBSERVER *Captivating from the off * Huw Stephens, BBC Front Row *A truly magical and transformative novel. I loved it. * Kirsty Capes *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER LONGLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTION 2009 WINNER OF THE ORANGE YOUTH PANEL AWARD 2009 FINALIST FOR THE HURSTON WRIGHT LEGACY AWARD 2010 ''A phenomenal book. It is so ingenious and so novel. Think The Handmaid''s Tale meets Noughts and Crosses with a bit of Jonathan Swift and Lewis Carroll thrown in. This should be thought of as a feminist classic.'' Women''s Prize for Fiction Podcast Welcome to a world turned upside down. One minute, Doris, from England, is playing hide-and-seek with her sisters in the fields behind their cottage. The next, someone puts a bag over her head and she ends up in the hold of a slave-ship sailing to the New World . . . In this fantastically imaginative inversion of the transatlantic slave trade - in which ''whytes'' are enslaved by black people - Bernardine Evaristo has created a thought-provoking satire that is as accessible and readable as it is intelligent and insightful. Blonde Roots brings the shackles and cries of long-ago barbarity uncomfortably close and raises timely questions about the society of today.''A bold and brilliant game of counterfactual history. Evaristo keep[s] her wit and anger at a spicy simmer throughout'' Daily Telegraph ''So human and real. Re-imagines past and present with refreshing humour and intelligence'' Guardian ''A brilliant satire whose flashes of comedy make the underlying tragedy all the more poignant'' Scotland on SundayTrade ReviewA hugely imaginative tale that invites important debates, challenging fundamental perceptions of race, culture and history * Independent on Sunday *This brilliant novel will fulfil [Evaristo's] purpose of making readers view the transatlantic slave trade with fresh eyes * The Times *A phenomenal book. It is so ingenious and so novel. Think The Handmaid's Tale meets Noughts and Crosses with a bit of Jonathan Swift and Lewis Carroll thrown in. This should be thought of as a feminist classic. * Women's Prize for Fiction Podcast *Reimagines past and present with refreshing humour and intelligence . . . human and real * Guardian *[Blonde Roots] is a powerful gesture of fearless thematic ownership by one of the UK's most unusual and challenging writers * Independent *As with a Swiftean satire, Evaristo's novel is powerful not for its fantastical elements but for its ability to bring home the horror of historical events * Financial Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Astonishing' Herald, Books of the Year'Sublime' Irish Times, Book of the Year'Wonderful' Guardian, Books of the YearDuring a sweltering South American summer, a family convenes for dinner at a restaurant. Midway through the meal, Carlos disappears. An experienced, semi-retired inspector takes the case, but what should be a routine investigation becomes something strange, intangible, even sinister. The corporation for which Carlos worked seems to serve no purpose; the staff talk of their missing colleague's alarming, shifting physical symptoms; a forensic scientist uncovers evidence of curious abnormalities in the thriving microorganisms that shared Carlos's body. As the inspector relives and retraces the missing man's footsteps, the trail leads him away from the city sprawl and deep into the country's rainforest interior, where he encounters both horror and wonder.Trade ReviewStunning - a totally original, surreal mystery shot through with hints of the best of César Aira, Vladimir Nabokov, Angela Carter, and Julio Cortázar. Smart, clever, and honest. I doubt you've read anything quite like it. -- Jeff VanderMeer, author of The Southern Reach trilogyWeird, wonderful, totally indefinable * Guardian, Books of the Year *Sublime * Irish Times, Books of the Year *Astonishing * Herald, Books of the Year *An electrifying piece of work: strange, terrifying, riveting, and written with scintillating intelligence. In its thinking about the porosity between the human and the non-human, it stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ballard, Lem, VanderMeer, Tom McCarthy -- Neel Mukherjee, author of The Lives of OthersThis is the work of a most singular and inventive mind, matched by writing with real flair and clarity. It is a book alive with ideas and cock-eyed intelligence, brimming with passages of genuine brilliance. Infinite Ground does that magical thing that only the very best novels do: it makes you see the world afresh. Dazzling stuff -- Graeme Macrae Burnet, author of His Bloody ProjectStrange, haunting, dislocating -- Ian Rankin, author of the Rebus seriesBrimming with strong, startling ideas... A curious and often remarkable book * Literary Review *A novel of intelligence, grace, cunning and warped imagination, one that melds and sometimes clashes styles and influences to create something original and unsettling. It is a bravura performance, and one that announces Martin MacInnes as one of our most exciting new voices -- Stuart Evers, author of Your Father Sends his LoveLabyrinthine, beautifully written and teeming with ideas about fiction and reality that linger long in the mind... A frighteningly good debut novel -- Lee Rourke, author of Vulgar Things

Read more less

Book SynopsisAmongst the scholars, secrets and soporifics of Victorian Oxford, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow…Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life.The mystery soon attracts the attention of Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan, a young Welsh polymath and one of the young women newly admitted to university lectures. But when neither the college principal nor the powerful ladies behind Oxford’s new female halls will allow her to become involved, Non’s fierce intelligence and determination to prove herself drive her on.Both misfits at the university, Non and Basil form an unlikely partnership, and it soon falls to them to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Parker’s death. But between corporate malfeasance and snake-oil salesmen, they soon find the dreaming spires of Oxford are not quite what they seem…An intriguing first installment of The Oxford Mysteries series by master crime writer, Alis Hawkins. Perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, S.G. MacLean and Kaite Welsh.Praise for A Bitter Remedy ‘An excellent historical mystery dripping with atmosphere that exposes the chauvinism, misogyny and bigotry of late Victorian England’ The Times‘Her inventiveness is prodigal’ Financial Times‘Fearlessly tackles taboo attitudes of the era, taking aim at misogyny, homophobia, and sexual politics. An excellent addition to the historical mystery canon. Marvellous!’ Vaseem Khan, author of Midnight at Malabar House‘A Bitter Remedy is a perfect tonic for our times.’ S. G. MacLean author of The Seeker‘Absolutely brilliant! Thoughtful, complex and engrossing’ Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead‘A superb atmospheric mystery to the last page’ Rachel Lynch, author of Dark Game‘I can’t wait for Non and Basil’s next case!’ Katherine Stansfield author of Falling Creatures

Read more less

Book SynopsisVoyager Classics timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.A beautiful clothbound edition of I, Robot, the classic collection of robot stories from the master of the genre.In these stories Isaac Asimov creates the Three Laws of Robotics and ushers in the Robot Age.Earth is ruled by master-machines but the Three Laws of Robotics have been designed to ensure humans maintain the upper hand:1) A robot may not injure a human being or allow a human being to come to harm2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.But what happens when a rogue robot's idea of what is good for society contravenes the Three Laws?Trade Review‘An exciting science thriller…’New York Times ‘Isaac Asimov was one of the great explainers of the age…It will never be known how many practicing scientists today, in how many countries, owe their initial inspiration to a book, article, or short story by Isaac Asimov’Carl Sagan ‘Asimov displayed one of the most dynamic imaginations in science fiction’Daily Telegraph ‘Asimov’s career was one of the most formidable in science fiction’The Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe One State is the perfect society, ruled over by the enlightened Benefactor. It is a city made almost entirely of glass, where surveillance is universal and life runs according to algorithmic rules to ensure perfect happiness. And D-503, the Builder, is the ideal citizen, at least until he meets I-330, who opens his eyes to new ideas of love, sex and freedom.A foundational work of dystopian fiction, inspiration for both Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's Brave New World, WE is a book of radical imaginings - of control and rebellion, surveillance and power, machine intelligence and human inventiveness, sexuality and desire. In this brilliant new translation, it is both a warning and a hope for a better world.Trade ReviewThe best single work of science fiction yet written -- URSULA K. LE GUINTwo of the most iconic novels in the English language - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell - owe an enormous debt to Zamyatin. We is the ur-text of science-fiction dystopias . . . the product of a powerful imagination * * Wall Street Journal * *The prototype . . . Zamyatin is a major artist * * New York Times * *This new edition, which contains Orwell's review as well as an introduction by Margaret Atwood, an afterword by Ursula Le Guin and an absorbing comment by the translator Bela Shayevich, who grew up in the former Soviet Union, will be the definitive version in English for the foreseeable future * * New Statesman * *[A] fine new translation . . . In a market of competing editions . . . Shayevich's stands out, and for very good reason . . . truly excellent . . . Shayevich's [translation] retains the novel's bold, jagged, elemental energy [and] remains true to the spirit of the work in a way that the author himself would have applauded * * Times Literary Supplement * *A seminal dystopian classic . . . This timely and thoughtful edition is a fitting tribute to book of lasting influence * * Irish Times * *It is in effect a study of the Machine, the genie that man has thoughtlessly let out of its bottle and cannot put back again -- GEORGE ORWELL

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Extraordinary . . . Folk is a dazzling talent' Karen Joy Fowler'Wonderfully weird' Daily MailA woman uses dating apps to find a partner, despite the threat posed by 'blots', artificial men more interested in stealing data than dating. A sculptor, trapped in a skyscraper restaurant when a violent coup erupts below, creates a perfect model of the town as it is destroyed. A curtain of void obliterates the world at a steady pace, leaving one woman to decide with whom she wants to spend eternity.Haunting and darkly inventive, the stories in Out There deftly combine science fiction and horror to uncover an unforgettable vision of the absurdity of life in the digital age.'The literary love child of Kafka and Camus and Bradbury penning episodes of Black Mirror' Chang-Rae Lee, author of Native SpeakerTrade ReviewOut There is for readers who consider body horror to be a love language. True romantics will swoon either despite or because of the gore that accompanies these sharp, affable stories . . . Folk's stories have been compared to Shirley Jackson's, and this is most apparent in the way Folk balances her horror with humour. * New York Times Book Review *Kate Folk's short stories are wonderfully weird; playfully pushing the possibilities of plotlines towards the uncanny, creepy and off-kilter, they have a seam of dark humour that illuminates the grotesquery with an unnerving beauty * Daily Mail *A wonderful absurdist collection that explores the vagaries of human connections * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Tightly constructed and spectacularly mind-bending stories that ingeniously pair everyday challenges and outlandish predicaments, ranging from hilarious to terrifying. Folk writes with unnerving matter-of-factness as she veers into Poe- and Shirley Jackson-like horror or turns to the poignantly fantastic in the mode of George Saunders or Kelly Link. * Booklist (starred review) *Kate Folk will be compared to Carmen Maria Machado and Julia Armfield - there are wonderful similarities in the sheer force of her creations, but she's very much her own writer. These stories are funny, scalding and, sometimes, breathtakingly beautiful. -- Sarah Davis-Goff, author of Last Ones Left AliveFifteen extraordinary, through-the-looking-glass tales, containing locked rooms, demanding houses, embodied Russian bots, revolution, and relationships -- all delivered with a side of menace. Wonderfully weird and weirdly wonderful, Folk is a dazzling talent -- Karen Joy Fowler, bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside OurselvesWondrously perverse, often creepy and hilarious, and always sneakily heart-breaking, from the moment you read these tales you'll know you're in the presence of a singularly brilliant vision, one that burns off the scrim of our normal-seeming human customs and operations to reveal the utter bizarreness of this existence. Out There, it turns out, lies very much within. -- Chang-Rae Lee, award-winning author of The SurrenderedDisturbing, alluring, dazzling and creepy, Out There is a riveting collection that keeps you enthralled with every page. -- Claire North, bestselling author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry AugustKate Folk's stories inhabit otherworldly realms where exquisite language and beguiling characters excavate the very nature of love and existence. -- Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master’s SonKate Folk is a formidable writer, a literary swordsmith of feline dexterity, very dark and very funny, equally at home in the magisterial dark and the relentless glare of truth. -- Lisa Locascio, author of Open MeThe stories in this stunning debut are funny, fearless, and moving portraits of life shaped by the ever-widening shadow of technological progress. Folk's imagination is uncanny and arresting. Out There expertly captures the all-too-human experience of longing for lives we may never inhabit, and the final story is a chilling and tender portrait of love that will stick with you long after you finish the book. -- Isle McElroy, author of The AtmospheriansThe lucid, unsettling landscapes in Out There bring our own world into chilly focus through an exquisitely distorted lens. Each one of these amazing stories is a masterclass in eeriness and perception. Kate Folk's imagination is on fire. -- Aysegül Savas, author of White on WhiteAn assortment of stories so sharp and ingenious you may cut yourself on them while reading, like a drawer full of the most beautiful knives. Kate Folk's Out There goes onto my shelf of favorite collections. -- Kelly Link, author of Get In TroubleWry, riveting, and ambitious, Out There is one of those rare collections that manages to be both brilliantly inventive and emotionally resonant. Folk's tilted worlds are hilarious and unsettling-they sit squarely in the spaces where anxiety and exhilaration collide. Full of unforgettable voices and gleeful, exacting prose, this is a sharp and stylish debut from a wildly gifted writer -- Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first ever graphic novel adaptation of George Orwell''s timeless dystopiaWinston Smith, an outwardly obedient citizen of Airstrip One, dreams secretly of truth and freedom - but his rebellion will come at a terrible cost. George Orwell''s dark masterpiece has enthralled readers for over seventy years. Now the dystopian world of Big Brother, telescreens, the Thought Police and Room 101 is vividly brought to new life in this first ever graphic novel adaptation, illustrated by acclaimed artist Fido Nesti.Trade ReviewFido Nesti has done a grand job of depicting Orwell's dystopian nightmare ... The writer himself, you like to think, would have been most proud of this new graphic interpretation * Buzz Magazine *Hand this to readers who are new to 1984 or hesitant to take up a classic * Booklist *

Read more less

Book SynopsisHunt, trek, and feast among Neanderthals in this stunning novel by the radical Nobel Laureate and author of Lord of the Flies, introduced by Ben Okri.This was a different voice; not the voice of the people. It was the voice of other.When spring comes, the people leave their winter cave, foraging for honey, grubs, and the hot richness of a deer''s brain. They awaken the fire to heat their naked bodies, lay down their thorn bushes, and share pictures in their minds. But strange things are happening: inexplicable scents and sounds. Imaginable beasts are half-glimpsed in the forest; upright creatures of bone-faces and deerskins. What the people do not know is that their day is already over ...''Extraordinary ... Genius ... Remarkable in the literature of the twentieth century.'' Ben Okri''A stun gun to read ... Truly a masterpiece.'' Monique Roffey''An earthquake in the petrified forests o

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom Andrew Caldecott, the bestselling author of ROTHERWEIRD, comes the jaw-dropping conclusion of the MOMENTICON duology - an epic adventure like no other!'Remember Simul' - the last words of a dying man, and the key to mankind's survival. Words which take Morag, Fogg and their friends on a wild ride through caverns and over mountains, into old paintings, to a university unlike any other and up the lethal Tower of No Return. A ride where mythical beasts, legendary monster-hunters and a corrupt establishment lie in wait . . . while the weather-watchers look on and bide their time. It's a race against extinction too . . . for nature herself is bent on vengeance.-------------------------'Unpredictable, dramatic and always utterly enthralling' - Reader review'Intelligent and also fun' - Reader review'Caldecott once again delivers in spades' - Reader review'Special and dangerous properties . . . opens a series of trap-doors in the readers' imagination' - Hilary Mantel, Booker prize winning author, on RotherweirdTrade ReviewSpecial and dangerous properties . . . opens a series of trap-doors in the readers' imagination * Hilary Mantel, Booker prize winning author, on Rotherweird *Whimsical science fiction at its finest. A satisfying jigsaw where the bigger picture doesn't become visible until the final piece is slotted into place * Geek Dad on Momenticon *It feels non-stop: constantly splitting the protagonists up and bringing them together again, delivering a series of growing climaxes and then leaving readers hanging for a concluding second volume * Pile by the Bed on Momenticon *One of the most unique books I've read . . . a compelling and enrapturing story that captures the reader from the first page to the last * Grimdark Magazine on Momenticon *Has the arbitrary and rather hallucinogenic atmosphere of the Alice in Wonderland books * British Science Fiction Association on Momenticon *A book that is unlike anything else you have read * SF Book Reviews on Momenticon *Caldecott successfully creates an equally engaging and original a world as Rotherweird. Highly recommended. * Goodreads reviewer on Momenticon *Momenticon is a perplexing and brilliant story full of literary and artistic rabbit holes and quirky characters. It ends on a cliffhanger and I want to continue this journey for sure. * Goodreads reviewer on Momenticon *I'm not sure there are enough words that can accurately describe this weird, brilliant, funny and adventurous read. * Goodreads reviewer on Momenticon *A rip-roaring adventure through a brilliantly weird and wonderful dystopian landscape. I can't imagine what'll happen in the next book but I can't wait to find out! * Goodreads reviewer on Momenticon *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend' THE TIMES'Le Guin is a writer of phenomenal power' OBSERVERGeorge Orr is a mild and unremarkable man who finds the world a less than pleasant place to live: seven billion people jostle for living space and food. But George dreams dreams which do in fact change reality - and he has no means of controlling this extraordinary power.Psychiatrist Dr William Haber offers to help. At first sceptical of George's powers, he comes to astonished belief. When he allows ambition to get the better of ethics, George finds himself caught up in a situation of alarming peril.Trade ReviewLe Guin is a writer of phenomenal power * OBSERVER *Ursula Le Guin was able to reimagine many concepts we take to be natural, shared, and unalterable - gender, utopia, creation, war, family, the city, the country - and reveal the all-too-human constructions at their center ... Literature will miss her. There's no one like her -- Zadie SmithShe is unparalleled in creating fantasy peopled by finely drawn and complex characters * GUARDIAN *Le Guin is one of the singular speculative voices of our future, thanks to her knack for anticipating issues of seminal importance to society * TLS *Her worlds have a magic sheen . . . She moulds them into dimensions we can only just sense. She is unique. She is legend * THE TIMES *I'd love to sit at my desk one day and discover that I could think and write like Ursula Le Guin -- Roddy DoyleA rare and powerful synthesis of poetry and science, reason and emotion * NEW YORK TIMES *[Le Guin had] the heart of a poet who knew all too well the difference between miracle and eureka, revelation and revolution * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Le Guin's storytelling is sharp, magisterial, funny, thought-provoking and exciting, exhibiting all that science fiction can be * EMPIRE *Ursula Le Guin is a chemist of the heart -- David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLASWhen I read The Lathe of Heaven as a young man, my mind was boggled; now when I read it, more than twenty-five years later, it breaks my heart. Only a great work of literature can bridge - so thrillingly - that impossible span -- Michael ChabonLe Guin writes tellingly of different kinds of society . . . and of the individual's response to them * DAILY TELEGRAPH *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE SCIENCE FICTION CLASSIC, NOW A MAJOR BBC DRAMAFor a time I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive. When an alien capsule lands on Horsell Common, Woking, crowds of astonished onlookers gather. But wonder soon turns to terror when the Martians emerge. Armed with deadly heat rays, the aliens begin their conquest of earth. Confronted by powers beyond our control, a technology far in advance of our own, and a race of alien invaders which regard us as no more than ants, humankind faces extinction. While the world crumbles under the shadow of the Martian menace, one man sets out alone across the desolate wasteland to find his wife. . . ''Groundbreaking. A true classic'' Guardian''The classic tale of alien invasion, and still the best'' The TimesTrade ReviewA true classic that has pointed the way not just for science-fiction writers, but for how we as a civilisation might think of ourselves * Guardian *The War of the Worlds remains the barometer by which all extra-terrestrial invasions are measured, from V to Independence Day to Arrival * Irish Times *The classic tale of alien invasion, and still the best * The Times *Wells occupies an honoured place in science fiction -- Kingsley AmisA born story-teller -- J.B. PriestlyWells is the Shakespeare of science fiction * Brian Aldiss *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928, but lived most of his life in California, briefly attending the University of California at Berkeley in 1947. Among the most prolific and eccentric of science fiction writers, Dick's many novels and stories all blend a sharp and quirky imagination with a strong sense of the surreal. By the time of his death in 1982 he had written 36 science fiction novels and 112 short stories. Notable titles amongst the novels include The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968, later used as the basis for the film Blade Runner), Ubik (1969) and A Scanner Darkly (1977). The Man in the High Castle, perhaps his most painstakingly constructed and chilling novel, won a Hugo Award in 1963.Trade ReviewThe most brilliant sci-fi mind on any planet * Rolling Stone *California's own William Blake. Visionary and prophet. Novelist of ideas * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of the most famous and influential novels of the 20th century. This terrifying dystopia, which he created in a time of great social and political unrest, remains acutely relevant and influential to this day. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful hardbacks make perfect gifts for book lovers, or wonderful additions to your own collection. This edition features an introduction by writer, journalist and Orwell scholar Dorian Lynskey.The year is 1984. The country is impoverished and permanently at war, people are watched day and night by Big Brother and their every action and thought is controlled by the Thought Police. Winston Smith works in the department of propaganda, where his job is to rewrite the past. Spurred by his longing to escape, Winston rebels. He breaks the law by falling in love with Julia and, as part of the clandestine organization the Brotherhood, they attempt the unimaginable – to bring down the Party.Trade ReviewProbably the definitive novel of the 20th century, a story that remains eternally fresh and contemporary . . . Nineteen Eighty-Four has been translated into more than 65 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide, giving George Orwell a unique place in world literature. -- Robert McCrum * Guardian *It’s almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984 . . . It is both a profound political essay and a shocking, heartbreaking work of art. -- Atlantic * George Packer *[1984] does what every novel in the genre should do – combining the illumination of an intriguing idea and the telling of a cracking story . . . The book succeeds because it is no manifesto, but an absorbing, deeply affecting story. * Independent *I read it and found myself absolutely astonished at what I read. -- Isaac AsimovNineteen Eighty-Four is a work of pure horror, and its horror is crushingly immediate. * New York Times (original review) *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA mindbending new collection of short stories from the unique, internationally acclaimed author of Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThe eight masterly stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator. From nostalgic memories of youth, meditations on music and an ardent love of baseball to dreamlike scenarios, an encounter with a talking monkey and invented jazz albums, together these stories challenge the boundaries between our minds and the exterior world. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Murakami himself is present. Is it memoir or fiction? The reader decides.Philosophical and mysterious, the stories in First Person Singular all touch beautifully on love and solitude, childhood and memory. . . all with a signature Murakami twist.A GUARDIAN AND SUNDAY TIMES 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICKTrade ReviewFirst Person Singular is a patch of intense variety and colour... Murakami's protagonists tend to be introspective, ordinary men who find themselves confronted by women and unusual situations. It is as much their reactions to events as the events themselves that make his books so brilliant -- Arjun Neil Alim * Evening Standard *Mind-bending...touches beautifully on love, solitude, childhood memories, dreamlike scenarios, invented jazz albums and meditations on music. In true Murakami tale-telling perfection, it's devourable * Irish Daily Mail *I never tire of re-entering Murakami's world, finding his Proustian ability to covey the texture of memory exhilarating, and his fatalistic heroes and their deadpan response to the melodramatic and the outré soothing -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Telegraph *These stories are unmistakably Murakami's for the way they traffic in his signature themes of time and memory, nostalgia and young love... each one [story] has insights that remain with you long after they are done -- Alexander Nurnberh * Sunday Times *The hallmarks of Haruki Murakami's longer fiction are all here; an enigmatic eeriness which hints at the supernatural in everyday situations, a love of jazz and baseball, and the nourishing nostalgia of pop music * Daily Mail *

Read more less

Book SynopsisCULT AUTHOR NEAL STEPHENSON''S UNSTOPPABLE SCI-FI CLASSICThe future is small. The future is nano . . .And who could be smaller or more insignificant than poor Little Nell - an orphan girl alone and adrift in a world of Confucian Law, Neo-Victorian values and warring nanotechnology?Well, not quite alone. Because Nell has a friend, of sorts. A guide, a teacher, an armed and unarmed combat instructor, a book and a computer: the Young Lady''s Illustrated Primer is all these and much much more. It is illicit, magical, dangerous.And it isn''t Nell''s. It was stolen. And now some very powerful people want to get their hands on this highly desirable object. Nell is about to discover that the world can feel very small indeed . . .''6.0 stars. Among the best books I have ever read'' GoodReads Review''If Snow Crash was so good that cyberpunk went in to a coma, The Diamond Age effectively pulled the plug'' GoodReads Review''This is Great Expectations with nanotechnology'' GoodReads ReviewTrade ReviewA brilliant, tricky, twenty-first-century version of Pygmalion * Guardian *A wealth of hip, social and technological riffs, stories-within-stories and not a few good jokes. Invest * Time Out *The Quentin Tarantino of postcyberpunk science fiction. Stephenson has upped the form's ante with rambunctious glee * Village Voice *A new era in science fiction. People will walk around slack-jawed for days and reemerge with a radically redefined sense of reality -- Bruce SterlingEstablishes Stephenson as a powerful voice for the cyber age. At once whimsical, satirical, and cautionary * USA Today *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Deighton''s best book ... an absorbingly exciting spy story that is also a fascinating exercise in might-have-been speculation'' The New York Times Book ReviewIt is 1941 and Germany has won the war. Britain is occupied, Churchill executed and the King imprisoned in the Tower of London. At Scotland Yard, Detective Inspector Archer tries to do his job and keep his head down. But when a body is found in a Mayfair flat, what at first appears to be a routine murder investigation sends him into a world of espionage, deceit and betrayal.''Len Deighton is the Flaubert of contemporary thriller writers ... this is much the way things would have turned out if the Germans had won'' The Times Literary SupplementTrade ReviewLen Deighton is the Flaubert of the contemporary thriller writers. -- Michael Howard * Times Literary Supplement *Deighton's best book ... an absorbingly exciting spy story that is also a fascinating exercise in might-have-been speculation. -- Julian Symons * New York Times Book Review *Horrifyingly plausible. * The Independent *They don't, as they say, write them like this anymore. You will be entertained, informed, thrilled and dazzled. Long may he, and his creations, live on. * The Guardian *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''It''s impossible not to be moved'' Stephen King''Stunning...this novel will break your heart and fire up your courage'' Mail on SundayThe New York Times bestseller, a deeply heart-wrenching novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child and a TIMES BEST PAPERBACK OF APRIL 2023Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn''t know what happened to her-only that her books have been banned-and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It''s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.Trade ReviewA stunning story of injustice and resistance...Lyrical, intricate, unsparing: this novel will break your heart and fire up your courage * Mail on Sunday *A lyrical and touching testimony to maternal love, it's also a salutary reminder of how easily freedoms can be lost and of the power of words to change lives * Daily Mail *One of the biggest books of the year...deeply moving * Stylist *Beautifully stirring and heart-wrenching, this powerful novel from the author of Little Fires Everywhere is a homage to love and will tug at your heartstrings * Heat, Book of the Month *A beautiful, thoughtful book...Brilliant and moving * Hello magazine *Ng's compelling writing paints a picture of a world so real you can almost touch it. Despite the darkness of the story, the love of a family stands out. * Independent *[A] feat of meaty storytelling...Ng effortlessly combines a character-led family story with a detective tale, a tribute to books and storytelling and a confrontation with history...a story that is exceptionally powerful and scaldingly relevant * Observer *Remarkable and deeply moving... as moving as it is gripping. [Ng] is an astute writer...her writing feels gorgeously supple * The i *Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching...I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story! * Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club October ’22 Pick) *On another level, Our Missing Hearts is a meditation on the sometimes accidental power of words... I won't give away the splendid conclusion of Ng's book; suffice it to say the climax deals with the power of words, the power of stories and the persistence of memory. It's impossible not to be moved by Margaret Miu's courage, or to applaud her craftiness * Stephen King, New York Times *Powerful and brilliant * Vogue *Thought-provoking... My heart broke and was remade several times over by this book * Good Housekeeping *Ng, whose previous novels subtly probed tensions surrounding race,class, and gender, boldly tacklesanti-Asian racism head-on * Time magazine, 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 *Shot through with vivid color and rising hope, an unflinching yet life-affirming drama about the power of art and love to push back in dangerous times...Ng's brilliance lies in leaving the reader with an unshakable belief that against all odds, people will find the courage to resist, revolt, and defend . . . remarkable * Oprah Daily *[Ng] has really hit her authorial stride in her eagerly anticipated third novel, Our Missing Hearts... It's her masterful weaving huge themes of race, class, privilege and identity with the simplicity of everyday lives that has made her a deserved international phenomenon * Daily Mirror *Ng's third novel is eagerly awaited and does not disappoint...Our Missing Hearts deftly weaves together a coming-of-age story with a threatening vision of a heavily censored future * Daily Express *Little Fires Everywhere became a global phenomenon and now author Celeste Ng is back with another gripping tale * Irish Mail on Sunday *Tense, poignant and chilling * Grazia *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Astrid overhears a threatening phone call, he dives headfirst into a world of government secrets and digital intrigue. Can he purge the system of lies in time to save his mother? Resurgence is a high-stakes thriller of courage, friendship, and a race against time.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction' THE TIMES'Extraordinary' WILLIAM BOYD'Profoundly moving . . . a wonderful and life-affirming love story' JAMES HOLLAND'His greatest novel yet' ANTONY BEEVOR'Original and enthralling' PETER JAMES‘A beautifully written novel. On the one hand you have love, kindness, responsibility; on the other monstrous arrogance and indifference to consequences’ SCOTSMANA CHILD WILL BE BORN WHO WILL CHANGE EVERYTHINGWhen a young American academic Talissa Adam offers to carry another woman's child, she has no idea of the life-changing consequences.Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, which they hope to keep secret, they propose an experiment that will upend the human race as we know it.Seth, the baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention.The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should? Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power.Trade ReviewThis is a genuinely thought-provoking piece of fiction. You could devour it in a day and be wholly transported into the near future, then set it back down, dazed but enlightened, in the present day where you will see the world anew in all its wonders and frailties * The Times *A stunning novel: profoundly moving, deeply unsettling, thought-provoking and prescient but also a wonderful and life-affirming love story too -- James HollandOnce I had started I literally could not stop. It really is his greatest novel yet, and of course beautifully written in that wonderful, understated style -- Antony BeevorFaulks is one of the most original and compelling writers in the world. This enthralling novel is right up there among his very finest work -- Peter JamesA completely fascinating and extraordinary novel. A profound and moving examination of our complex human nature -- William BoydA beautifully written novel. On the one hand you have love, kindness, responsibility; on the other monstrous arrogance and indifference to consequences * The Scotsman *Brilliant, original and unputdownable. An absolute cracker -- Peter FrankopanBrilliant -- Matthew ParkerThis elegant near-future novel about a daring scientific experiment explores the evolution of consciousness… Faulks is an enviably graceful and economical writer. The early chapters of the book rip along with clarity and elegance. He conjures up the various worlds, brings the central characters vividly to life and keeps the story moving intriguingly forward * Guardian *A high-concept page-turner… Pitched somewhere between Michael Crichton and Ian McEwan, it’s a timely meditation on the whims of rich tycoon * Mail on Sunday *Engaging and thought-provoking … The Seventh Son straddles two worlds, encompassing the distant past as well as the future. In so doing, Faulks asks difficult questions about who and what we are, and whether we could ever justifiably alter our genes to remove the worst of our defects * Herald *Thought-provoking and chilling * I Paper *Fabulously compelling… a provocative, poignant and disturbing examination of what it is to be human… Who says a novel of ideas can’t be as thrilling as a holiday beach read? The Birdsong author’s novels invariably examine big, bold ideas yet are beautifully told with a gossamer light touch. The Seventh Son is no exception * Express *A resonant hint of Frankenstein’s wretched monster about Seth who, functional, capable and literate as he is, stands at the book’s emotional centre, desperate for a companionship he can never find * Daily Mail *Cutting-edge science and big, meaty ideas aside, it’s the minute details of everyday life and the bursting-from-the-page characters that make this thought-provoking novel come alive -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * The Times *Sebastian Faulks has long been a novelist much occupied with ideas, especially scientific and medical ones, while contriving to marry this to a strong plot and credible characters . . . gripping, horribly persuasive and sad -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD The baker's dozen stories gathered here turn readers into travellers to the past and the future, and explorers of the weirder points of the present. The journey is the thing as Pinsker weaves music, memory, technology, history, mystery, love, loss, and even multiple selves on generation ships and cruise ships, on highways and high seas, in murder houses and treehouses. They feature runaways, fiddle-playing astronauts and retired time travellers. Weird, wired, hopeful, haunting, and often beautiful, Sarah Pinsker's stories cast a searching light on human nature. But what the heart wants is not always right, or easy. Praise for Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea: 'Simply wonderful... Each story is generous and original' KAREN JOY FOWLER 'An auspicious start to what promises to be one wild ride of a literary career' KIRKUS 'Stories that are as delightful and surprising to pore through as they are introspective and elegiac' PUBLISHERS WEEKLYTrade ReviewThis collection of stories is simply wonderful. Each story is generous and original; as a collection, the tales are varied, but with recurring themes of memory and music through-out. Pinsker has emerged as one of our most exciting voices. I love this book completely -- Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside OurselvesIn her debut collection, widely lauded author/musician Pinsker zips through road trips, space ships, speculative futures, and parallel presents with stories that are equal parts hard-wired sci-fi theory and hard-traveling rock-and-roll attitude... In the speculative tradition of Ursula K. Le Guin or Kelly Link but with her own indomitable voice front and center. An auspicious start to what promises to be one wild ride of a literary career' * Kirkus Reviews *This beautiful, complex debut collection assembles some of Nebula winner Pinsker's best stories into a twisting journey that is by turns wild, melancholic, and unsettling... The stories are enhanced by a diverse cast of LGBTQ and nonwhite characters. Pinsker's captivating compendium reveals stories that are as delightful and surprising to pore through as they are introspective and elegiac' * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNaomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.Captain Will Laurence has been at sea since he was just twelve years old; finding a warmer berth in Nelson''s navy than any he enjoyed as the youngest, least important son of Lord Allendale. Rising on merit to captain his own vessel, Laurence has earned himself a beautiful fiancée, society''s esteem and a golden future. But the war is not going well. It seems Britain can only wait as Napoleon plans to overrun her shores.After a skirmish with a French ship, Laurence finds himself in charge of a rare cargo: a dragon egg bound for the Emperor himself. Dragons are much prized: properly trained, they can mount a fearsome attack from the skies. One of Laurence''s men must take the beast in hand and join the aviators'' cause, thus relinquishing all hope of a normal life.But when the newly-hatched dragon ignores the young midshipman Laurence chose as its keeper and decides to imprint itself on the horrified captain instead, Laurence''s world falls apart. Gone is his golden future: gone his social standing, and soon his beautiful fiancée, as he is consigned to be the constant companion and trainer of the fighting dragon TemeraireTrade Review‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart’Peter Jackson 'Novik won me over with her first novel. the combination of history, sympathetic characters, and an engaging style makes this series great, intelligent fun.’The Times ‘Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention. In short a treat’The Telegraph ‘Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy of the first order’Sunday Sport

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe first volume in legendary master and New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist's epic heroic fantasy series, The Firemane Saga an electrifying tale of two young men whose choices will determine a world's destiny.The world of Garn once boasted five great kingdoms, until the King of Ithrace was defeated and every member of his family executed by Lodavico, the ruthless King of Sandura, a man with ambitions to rule the world.Ithrace''s ruling family were the legendary Firemanes, and represented a great danger to the other kings. Now four great kingdoms remain, on the brink of war. But rumour has it that the newborn son of the last king of Ithrace survived, carried off during battle and sequestered by the Quelli Nacosti, a secret society whose members are trained to infiltrate and spy upon the rich and powerful throughout Garn. Terrified that this may be true, and that the child will grow to maturity with bloody revenge in his heart, the four kings have placed a huge bounty onTrade Review‘This is a knockout.’Publisher’s Weekly (praise for Queen of Storms) PRAISE FOR KING OF ASHES ‘File under guilty pleasure’Guardian ‘Get in at the start of a master’s new series’Daily Sport ‘Epic scope…vivid imagination…a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy’Washington Post

Read more less

Book Synopsis ‘I liked The Unit very much... I know you will be riveted, as I was.’ Margaret Atwood ‘Echoing work by Marge Piercy and Margaret Atwood, The Unit is as thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable.’ Jessica Crispin, NPR.org Ninni Holmqvist’s eerie dystopian novel envisions a society in the not-so-distant future where men and women deemed economically worthless are sent to a retirement community called the Unit. With lavish apartments set amongst beautiful gardens and state-of-the-art facilities, elaborate gourmet meals, and wonderful music and art, they are free of financial worries and want for nothing. It’s an idyllic place, but there’s a catch: the residents – known as dispensables – must donate their organs, one by one, until the final donation. When Dorrit Weger arrives at the Unit, she resigns herself to this fate, seeking only peace in her final days. But she soon falls in love, and this unexpected, improbable happiness throws the future into doubt. Clinical and haunting, The Unit is a modern-day classic and a spine-chilling cautionary tale about the value of human life.Trade Review‘A haunting, deadpan tale set vaguely in the Scandinavian future… Holmqvist’s spare prose interweaves the Unit’s pleasures and cruelties with exquisite matter-of-factness... Readers actually begin to wonder…is life better as a pampered lab bunny or as a lonely indigent? But then [Holmqvist] turns the screw, presenting a set of events so miraculous and abominable that they literally made me gasp.’ * Washington Post *‘I liked The Unit very much... I know you will be riveted, as I was.’ * Margaret Atwood *‘The message is bold if not on the nose: If you don’t fall into a classic nuclear family, then your value as a human are the spare parts you can give those who do contribute to traditional family structures. The book’s main character, a writer named Dorrit, is forced to think about the meaning of her life. She’d had a lover, but he wouldn’t leave his wife; she’d birthed art, but never a child. Holmqvist’s writing is clear and precise…the clinical tone contributes to the The Unit’s eeriness. The Unit itself is a place of luxury – amenities include a library, a cafe, immaculately manicured gardens – but it feels as much like home to Dorrit as the promotional photos of an upscale condo. Holmqvist’s is a book of quiet cruelty, and perhaps the most harrowing twist of all is that the world outside the walls of the Unit – one with married couples, one with children – seems even worse. In that way, The Unit’s strength is uncovering beauty in bleakness.’ * GQ *‘This haunting first novel imagines a nation in which men and women who haven’t had children by a certain age are taken to a “reserve bank unit for biological material” and subjected to various physical and psychological experiments, while waiting to have their organs harvested for “needed” citizens in the outside world... Holmqvist evocatively details the experiences of a woman who falls in love with another resident, and at least momentarily attempts to escape her fate.’ * The New Yorker *‘Clinical and haunting, The Unit is a modern-day classic and a spine-chilling cautionary tale about the value of human life.’ * Waterstones *‘Holmqvist paces her revelations superbly and the reader is gripped by the atmosphere of slowly mounting claustrophobia.’ * New Internationalist *‘Holmqvist handles her dystopia with muted, subtle care… Neither satirical nor polemical, The Unit manages to express a fair degree of moral outrage without ever moralizing…it has enough spooks to make it a feminist, philosophical page-turner.’ * Time Out Chicago *‘This dystopian world is described with such exquisite balance between its luxuries and cruelties that the reader is emotionally drawn in and made to face up to often uncomfortable and challenging ethical dilemmas. I cannot recommend this novel, nor signal Holmqvist’s evident talent as an author strongly enough; it is an excellent book.’ * What's On UK? *‘Ninni Holmqvist’s The Unit offers a shrewd, timely exploration of gender… The novel has been compared to The Handmaid’s Tale, but where Margaret Atwood’s classic focuses on procreation, Holmqvist’s novel feels broader, holding both capitalism and traditional gender roles under a harsh light. Dorrit is honest about her life, and she wonders whether the freedom she had in her youth was worth the price she pays now. Any woman – young or old – will relate to her plight.’ * Washington Post *‘[A] chilling, stunning debut novel… Holmqvist’s fluid, mesmerizing novel offers unnerving commentary on the way society devalues artistic creation while elevating procreation, and speculation on what it would be like if that was taken to an extreme. For Orwell and Huxley fans.’ * Booklist *‘Orwellian horrors in a Xanadu on Xanax – creepily profound and most provocative.’ * Kirkus *‘An exploration of female desire, human need, and the purpose of life.’ * Publishers Weekly *‘I found this one riveting from start to finish. It could happily find a place on school reading lists alongside Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Chilling, humorous, poignant, thought-provoking, and immensely readable, this is perfect reading-group material which cannot fail to provoke discussion.’ * New Books *‘Beautifully haunting… This is one of the best books I’ve read over the past two years… Thought-provoking and emotionally-moving, The Unit is a book you’ll be discussing with others long after you’re done reading it.’ * Orlando Sentinel *‘Savagely dystopian…remarkably deft.’ * Barnes and Noble Review *‘Ninni Holmqvist’s book The Unit, newly reissued, imagines a world in which people who haven’t procreated are forced to make a different – ultimate – contribution to society... The Unit feels like an inversion of Margaret Atwood’s Gilead, where fertile women are forcibly impregnated under biblical sanction. Here, the justification for horror – the extraction of human tissue from the childfree – is secular, a capitalist democracy demanding its toll... The Unit contains elements that echo a number of different speculative and dystopian works. The domed environment and omnipresent cameras seem to predict Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy; the prospect of forcible organ donation brings to mind Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go... Holmqvist’s intention isn’t realism – it’s to unravel and critique assumptions about the meaning of life. Is it criminal, she wonders, to live a quiet life dedicated only to self-actualization? Do artists who never achieve greatness have value? Does every citizen have a responsibility to contribute to their society? In exploring such questions, Holmqvist takes liberal assumptions about Scandinavian paternalism versus American individualism and flips them upside down... Holmqvist’s writing is spare in style, elegantly succinct, but the layers of the world she’s created are manifold. Other dystopian stories like The Handmaid’s Tale might seem particularly chilling in a moment when democracy feels like it’s under threat, but The Unit is haunting in its assertion that democracy itself isn’t enough. The tyranny of popular sentiment can be just as dangerous, Holmqvist argues, presenting scene after scene of intelligent, compassionate citizens indoctrinated into doubting their own worth.’ * TheAtlantic.com *‘Echoing work by Marge Piercy and Margaret Atwood, The Unit is as thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable.’ * NPR *‘A remarkably thought-provoking novel.’ * Reading Matters *‘This Swedish novel imagines a dystopian future for the childless in which literally offering pieces of yourself is a legitimate contribution to society… Not only is it an intimate portrait of creative, single individuals coming to terms with a graphic and imminent death, but their apparent willingness to accept it for the good of others... This begs the question: what does it mean to be a good citizen? To whom are we ultimately responsible? How do we, as well as our society, measure worth? What is the value of one life or the cost of another?’ * Buzz Magazines *‘The Unit raises issues of love, gender, freedom, and social mores through the perspective of how we assess an individual’s contribution to society… Holmqvist’s ability to invest the reader in both the story and the characters is exceptional. It is a book you hesitate to put down… The Unit deserves a wide readership.’ * Blogcritics.org *‘For a debut novel I thought it was stunning.’ * Bookbag *Margaret Atwood has a line on the cover, and no surprise – this dystopian tale of childless men and women relocated in middle age to “a reserve bank unit for biological material” rivals The Handmaid’s Tale for a weirdly believable future in which the childless support families with children giving up parts of their bodies until, at last, they make their “final donation” and disappear altogether. The reasonableness of this system feels very Scandinavian, certainly very Canadian... Holmqvist has written the sci-fi novel of our narcissistic era, when many people choose to focus on themselves and their art (Dorrit, the heroine of this novel, is a literary fiction writer) or their career over marriage and family. Not being needed by others is a boon when one is young but a death sentence for the middle aged.’ * Hudson Review *‘Like Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, this novel imagines a chilling dystopia: single, childless, midlife women are considered dispensable. At 50 the narrator, Dorrit, is taken to a facility where non-vital organs will be harvested one by one for people more valued by society; she knows that eventually she’ll have to sacrifice something essential like her heart. Dorrit accepts her fate – until she falls in love and finds herself breaking the rules.’ * More Magazine *‘The Unit rattled me in a way few dystopian novels have… It’s a story that will stick with me.’ * shelflove.wordpress.com *‘Holmqvist gives us a lesson in human nature and social engineering through a story that is spare, compelling, and all too human.’ * Psychiatric Services *‘The power of The Unit is its subtlety. Highly recommended.’ * Readmorebooks.wordpress.com *‘Compelling, chilling in spots, and at times heartbreaking.’ * Flashlight Worthy *

Read more less

Book SynopsisBY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ROMANTIC COMEDY, AMERICAN WIFE and PREP''This addictive novel is the SLIDING DOORS of American politics. Gripping'' Stylist''Startlingly good. One of my favourite writers'' KATE ATKINSON----------------------''Awfully opinionated for a girl'' is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb.Smart, diligent, and a bit plain, that''s the general consensus. Then Hillary goes to college, and her star rises. At Yale Law School, she continues to be a leader - and catches the eye of driven, handsome and charismatic Bill. But when he asks her to marry him, Hillary gives him a firm No.How might things have turned out for them, for America, for the world itself, if Hillary Rodham had really turned down Bill Clinton?With her sharp but always compassionate eye, Sittenfeld explores the loneliness, moral ambivalence and iron determTrade ReviewThis addictive novel is the SLIDING DOORS of American politics. Gripping * STYLIST *A lot of fun. A wonderful, sad dream of what might have happened * GUARDIAN *An explosive new book * GRAZIA *Sittenfeld's RODHAM offers the catharsis of uncomplicated regret * THE NEW YORKER *While telling a compelling story, RODHAM provides an insightful analysis of the function of sexim in our political discourse. Sittenfeld is at her wittiest when recreating the men who dominate American politics * WASHINGTON POST *A nauseating, moving, morally suggestive, technically brilliant book that made me think more than any in recent memory about the aims and limits of fiction * NPR *Hugely enjoyable * WALL STREET JOURNAL *This isn't just fiction as fantasy, this is fiction as therapy. A serious work of literary fiction designed to rally the spirits of liberal readers * SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE *‘An ingenious yet plausible glimpse of an alternative reality, and so involving that it occasionally comes as a shock to realise that there is a different reality, and we are living in it’ * THE SPECTATOR *‘By tilting history on its side, Sittenfeld makes Hillary seem a fresh character and remarkably sympathetic’ * EVENING STANDARD *‘RODHAM explores the mysterious territory between the inner and outer lives of a person who has long been a source of fascination, adulation and loathing’ * FINANCIAL TIMES *‘Getting inside a living person’s head sounds like a colossally bad idea, but Sittenfeld makes it convincing here, just as she did with a character based on First Lady Laura Bush in her 2008 novel, AMERICAN WIFE’ * BBC CULTURE *Deviously clever . . . Sittenfeld’s Hillary is both a player in the Game of Thrones and a romance novel heroine. She’s a brilliant badass who has found her voice and knows how to use it. She’s whoever she wants to be * THE OPRAH MAGAZINE *As Hillary finds her groove, so the momentum and entertainment builds, as does your admiration for how ingeniously and plausibly Sittenfeld has re-written the script * DAILY MAIL *A counterfactual novel ... throbs with energy * TLS *A fascinating glimpse into an alternative future * DAILY MIRROR *Pacy... plenty of sex and gossip - and a cameo from a certain yellow-haired, orange-faced president-to-be... ripe for TV adaptation * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *A brilliantly smart re-imagining * WOMAN AND HOME *Sittenfeld's writing is so fine, her characters so vivid, her empathy so profound that she manages to absorb the reader on a level that transcends partisanship. In 2020, that was a remarkable achievement and an enormous gift to her readers * THE NEW YORKER *It ends up being a love letter to a type: the female intellectual, who is given none of the licence of her less talented male peers. At the end, i found myself saying Oh My God * OBSERVER *A triumphant feminist reinvention. Sittenfeld is the bard of presidential female adjacents * VOGUE *RODHAM is wide- ranging political anthropology, concerned not so much with what makes Hillary tick as it is with the culture around her and how she might have shaped events, and been shaped by them, if the pieces of reality's jigsaw were rearranged just so. It's stippled with clever mischief * NEW YORK TIMES *A smartly structured character study and a stay- up- all- night plot . . . A captivating and durable story containing rooms within rooms. RODHAM turns into a high- speed bildungsroman about a woman of formidable intellect and self- insight. * THE LOS ANGELES TIMES *It's the genius of Sittenfeld's prose that we come to understand this ambivalence,as well as the deep conflicts in this complicated character. In the longing and loneliness, the anger as well as ambition, this Hillary makes RODHAM a compelling portrait of a future that might have been. * THE BOSTON GLOBE *Tantalizing . . . part thought experiment, part wish- fulfillment fantasy . . . delectably discussable, a book tailor- made for book clubs. * USA TODAY *Wildly compelling . . . What RODHAM is interested in is examining what feminine ambition looks like when it is untethered from a man. . . . Sittenfeld is free to invent, and the reality she builds is deliciously dishy. * VOX *Thought-provoking and compelling * SUNDAY EXPRESS *A moving feat of feminist and novelistic imagination * THE TABLET *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHE AUTHORATITIVE TEXT "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."The year is 1984. War and revolution have left the world unrecognisable. Great Britain, now known as Airstrip One, is ruled by the Party, led by Big Brother. Mass surveillance is everything and The Thought Police ensure no individual thinking is allowed. Winston Smith works at The Ministry of Truth, carefully rewriting history. But Winston dreams of freedom, and of rebellion. It is here that he falls in love with Julia, and starts a secret, forbidden affair with her - but in this world nothing can be kept secret, and they are forced to face consequences more terrifying than either of them could have ever imagined.A dystopian masterpiece, this is the powerful and prophetic novel that defined the twentieth century. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT HARRIS

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review“…alarmingly prescient and relevant…This accessible adaptation is poised to introduce Butler’s dystopian tale to a new generation of readers.” * Publishers Weekly *“…the graphic novel is faithful to Butler, yet still fresh in its world building.” * USA Today *“…Jennings’ work in the book is beyond stunning…” * The Beat *“The Parable of the Sower graphic novel… is as faithful an adaptation as you can get. Not only does it hit all the plot points, it perfectly portrays Butler’s balancing act in regard to how far society has fallen apart.” * Kirkus *“Duffy and Jennings have done justice to Butler’s work, losing none of the story’s richness and adding an exciting visual element that makes the reading experience even more visceral and engrossing.” * Foreword Reviews, STARRED review *“John Jennings’s work succeeds as sequential storytelling and approaches the level of iconography regularly.” * The Believer *“Jennings and Duffy are some of the most skilled and hardest working comics creators doing the work to radically transform and diversify the comics scene.” * Comicosity *“Jennings has captured [Butler’s] words with visual imagery in such an afrofuturistic, horror-esque way that the images jump off the page with every turn.” * Flickering Myth *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThey thought we were safe. They were wrong.Lee and Mal went looking for monsters on Bodmin Moor four years ago, and only Lee came back. She thought she’d lost Mal forever, now miraculously returned. But what happened that day on the moors? And where has Mal been all this time? Mal's reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by MI5 either, and their officers have questions.Julian Sabreur is investigating an attack on top physicist Kay Amal Khan. This leads Julian to clash with agents of an unknown power – and they may or may not be human. His only clue is grainy footage, showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.Dr Khan’s research was theoretical. Then she found cracks between our world and parallel Earths. Now these cracks are widening, revealing extraordinary creatures. And as the doors come crashing open, anything could come through . . .Adrian Tchaikovsky brought us far-future adventure with Children of Time. Now The Doors of Eden takes us from Bodmin Moor to London and alternate versions of earth. This is an extraordinary feat of the imagination and a page-turning adventure.'Inventive, funny and engrossing, this book lingers long after you close it' - Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author of RosewaterTrade ReviewFull of sparking, speculative invention . . . The Doors of Eden is a terrific timeslip / lost world romp in the grand tradition of Turtledove, Hoyle, even Conan Doyle. If you liked Primeval, read this book -- Stephen Baxter, author of The Thousand EarthsThe Doors of Eden shows a combination of tight, evocative prose combined with erudition. In a story whose scope is the broad canvas of the history of all life in the universe, Tchaikovsky manages to zoom in on human moments without breaking a sweat. Inventive, funny and engrossing, this book lingers long after you close it -- Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater and Far From the Light of HeavenWhat a ride . . . talks like big-brained science fiction and runs like a fleet-footed political thriller -- John Scalzi, author of Starter VillainWith The Doors of Eden, Tchaikovsky has created a fantastic and highly imaginative new genre: evolution SF -- Peter F. Hamilton, author of Salvation and The Reality DysfunctionUnlike anything I've read in a very long time, and all the better for it . . . Tchaikovsky is clearly at the top of his game right now -- James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean novelsAs all right thinking people know, Adrian is the best . . . But this, my friends, is the best of the best -- Ian McDonald, author of LunaTchaikovsky’s world-building is some of the best in modern sci-fi and now he has made an enchanting multiverse of parallel Earths -- New ScientistYou know you’re in for a ride. . . This book thoroughly engaged me. Children of Ruin is a humdinger of a book I enjoyed immensely -- Neal Asher, author of War Bodies, on Children of RuinIf you only ever take one book recommendation from me, take this one. It is an astounding book. The breadth of Adrian's imagination is ASTONISHING. I literally cannot stop telling people about it -- RJ Barker, author of the Tide Child trilogy, on Children of RuinBreathtaking scope and vision. Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of our finest writers -- Gareth Powell, author of the Embers of War series, on Children of RuinBrilliant science fiction and far-out world-building -- James McAvoy on Children of TimeChildren of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human -- Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go and A Monster Calls, on Children of TimeAddictively brilliant! -- John Gwynne, author of The Shadow of the Gods, on The Tiger and the Wolf

Read more less