Dystopian & Alternative History Fiction Books

Book SynopsisGore Vidal''s fictional recreation of the Roman Empire teetering on the crux of Christianity and ruled by an emperor who was an inveterate dabbler in arcane hocus-pocus, a prig, a bigot, and a dazzling and brilliant leader.

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Book SynopsisWalter Tevis is the acclaimed author of The Hustler, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Queen's Gambit. 'A moral tale that has elements of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Superman and Star Wars' LA TIMESTrade ReviewA moral tale that has elements of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Superman and Star Wars * LA TIMES *Science fiction's great neglected master, one of the definitive bridges between sf and literature -- Al Sarrantonio[Tevis's novels] are at once fables, parables, social satire - adventure stories of a kind. They are also simultaneously, as is much of our greatest literature, comic and tragic ... they're uniquely of their time and of all times -- James TallisA moving examination of people discovering the wonders of human thought and human love * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

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Book Synopsis1772: Althought George III reigns over a peaceful England, his colonies in the Americas are claiming independence and a tide of revolutionary fervour is gripping France.Allen Morland and his beloved wife Jemimas work unstintingly to bring Morland Palace back to its former glory. Their seven children often bring them heartache, but they are sustained by their love of each other.The Mordland adventurer, Charles, emingrates to Maryland in persuit of the heiress Eugenie, but finds himself in the midst of the American claim for indepdence. Meanwhile, Henry, the family''s bastard offshoot, pursues pleasure relentlessly but pennilessly until he finds a niche for himself in the fashionable Parisian salons, whilst outside revolution creeps closer...

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Book SynopsisDiscover history''s biggest secret . . .For millennia an unbroken line of alien mothers and daughters have secretly been shepherding human technology towards the stars.Twelve-year-old Aster is the last of this line.But the loss of her mother in early life means she knows nothing of her alien heritage - believing she is just an ordinary young girl.Not only is she about to discover how wrong she is - but she''ll also learn she''s not the only alien on Earth: others are here to stop her.Yet with revelation comes recovery.Now Aster has a purpose.Her life, the future of her speciesand that of all life on Earth is at stake.She''s history''s biggest secret.But can she save the future?''Alt-history with a difference'' GUARDIAN''There''s real cleverness at work here'' THE TIMESTrade ReviewPraise for Take Them To The Stars series * - *Sylvain Neuvel proves once again he deserves the title of the hottest new SF writer of the 21st century * Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of The Oppenheimer Alternative *Series fans and readers of speculative thrillers built around actual historical events will eagerly anticipate book three. * Booklist *...[T]he stakes of this series have risen exponentially * Tor.com *Praise for Sylvain Neuvel * - *It's fascinating to see how Neuvel weaves together fact and fiction . . . a blast. Seriously clever * SFX *An alt-history with a difference. Traces the true story of the development of rocket science but adds an alien-conspiracy-theory edge . . . Good fun * Guardian *Wry narration, wired action . . . Fans of alternate history and intelligent sci-fi will love this * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA chilling geopolitical thriller and real-world cautionary tale presenting a dark yet very possible future of war between the US and China from two former military officers and award-winning authors THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A rippingly good read' Wired______________12 March 2034.In the South China Sea, US Navy Commodore Sarah Hunt is conducting routine freedom of navigation patrol while US Marine aviator Major Chris Wedge' Mitchell tests a new stealth technology near Iranian airspace.By the end of the day, Wedge will be an Iranian prisoner, and Hunt's destroyer will lie at the bottom of the ocean.And a new, terrifying era will be at hand.So begins a disturbingly plausible novel, co-authored by an award-winning novelist and decorated Marine veteran and the former commander of NATO, a legendary admiral.Everything in 2034 is an imaginative extrapolation from present-day fTrade ReviewIf you’re looking for a compelling beach read this summer, I recommend the novel 2034 -- Thomas L. Friedman * The New York Times *This crisply written and well-paced book reads like an all-caps warning for a world shackled to the machines we carry in our pockets and place on our laps, while only vaguely understanding how the information stored in and shared by those devices can be exploited. * The Washington Post *Consider this another vaccine against disaster. Fortunately, this dose won't cause a temporary fever—and it happens to be a rippingly good read. Turns out that even cautionary tales can be exciting, when the future we’re most excited about is the one where they never come true * Wired *There is conflict and catastrophe on a large scale, and it unfolds, as major conflicts tend to, with surprising twists and turns . . . This is not a pessimistic book about America’s potential, but the picture of the world it paints before the central conflict will be a difficult one for many to accept, albeit one well supported by facts * Wall Street Journal *I could not stop reading 2034. With sharply drawn, vibrant characters caught in an all too plausible future conflict, the novel left me fascinated, moved, thrilled and, ultimately, haunted -- Phil Klay, author of MissionariesAn unnerving and fascinating tale of a future . . . The book serves as a cautionary tale to our leaders and national security officials, while also speaking to a modern truth about arrogance and our lack of strategic foresight . . . The novel is an enjoyable and swiftly paced but important read * The Hill *Utterly engrossing . . . [2034] is incredibly well-written, deeply thought-provoking, and it makes for uncomfortable and sober reading—in the best of ways...Elliot Ackerman is one of the finest writers to come out of this generation of military veterans and officers -- Joshua Huminski * Diplomatic Courier *A frightening look at how a major-power showdown might race out of control. . . . This compelling thriller should be required reading for our national leaders and translated into Mandarin * Kirkus *Those seeking a realistic look at how a future world war might play out will be rewarded * Publishers Weekly *Chilling yet compulsively readable work of speculative fiction . . . Ackerman and Stavridis have created a brilliantly executed geopolitical tale that is impossible to put down and that serves as a dire, all-too-plausible warning that recent events could have catastrophic consequences * Booklist *War with China is the most dangerous scenario facing us and the world. Absent a strategic method to manage our differences, Jim Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman’s chilling novel presents a realistic series of miscalculations leading to the worst consequences. A sobering, cautionary tale for our time -- Jim Mattis, General, U.S. Marines (Ret.) and 26th Secretary of DefenseA brilliant thriller! Masterfully plotted and elegantly written, 2034 is a literary tour-de-force. Let’s just hope none of it comes true -- Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Near DarkA real page-turner, 2034 is a novel about a conflict we hope never happens. Drawing on their deep operational and diplomatic backgrounds, Admiral Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman have conjured a nightmare we desperately need to avoid. The novel is a cautionary tale for our times, and a reminder how quickly events can spin out of control—even before 2034 -- Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense 2006-20112034 is an exciting, interesting, and informative novel about a hypothetical future war with China that is largely determined by actual decisions already made...Anyone who is concerned about where today’s military technology decisions are taking us should read this book -- Karl Marlantes, author of Matterhorn and Deep River

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAN OBAMA'S 2022 SUMMER READING PICKA BETWEEN THE COVERS NOVEMBER 2022 PICK'Will resonate with fans of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere' ELLE'Destined to be a feminist classic - kept me up at night' PANDORA SYKES'The Handmaid's Tale for the Squid Game generation' TELEGRAPHFrida Liu had fed and changed her toddler Harriet. She had a work deadline - an article to finish, a job hanging by a thread, a file she'd left in the office. She would go get it. Harriet would be fine. But then the neighbours heard her crying.Soon, the state will decide that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter. That she must be re-trained. That bad mothers everywhere will be re-educated. Will their mistakes cost them everything?The School for Good Mothers is an explosive and thrilling novel about love, perfectionism and parenthood.A riveting, thought-provoking read' DAILY MAIL'A remarkable, propulsive novel' VOGUE'A portrait of our fanatical culture of judgement against women, and mothers in particular' METROTrade ReviewA remarkable, propulsive novel * Vogue *A gripping debut * Mail on Sunday *A wry, thoughtful novel * Spectator *The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan . . . has become all too resonant given the rumblings behind Texas' anti-trans directive and it explores just how far the state could go when it comes to deciding what makes 'a good mother' * Stylist UK *A haunting tale of identity and motherhood - as devastating as it is imaginative -- Afua Hirsch

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Book SynopsisIt's never been easier to attack Attack on Titan than with these new, giant-sized 3-in-1 omnibus editions! If you've been waiting for the final anime season to check out the do-or-die shonen adventure that defined a decade, now's your chance. These new books tuck almost 600 pages of manga behind a specially-embossed cover, all in a larger size than the regular version. Includes Vol. 33-34 of Attack on Titan. Eren's titanic Rumbling claims thousands of lives beyond the walls of Paradis, and the boy who once lived in fear of the Titans becomes the world's most feared man. Determined to stop the destruction wrought by their childhood friend, Armin, Mikasa, and their surviving comrades reach the Attack Titan and decide to face him head on in an ultimate showdown. Will humanity finally be set free from the cycle of fear, oppression, and destruction, or will the Titans outlive their victims?

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Book SynopsisUnder a persistent rain, which seems destined to never subside, Stavros lives and moves through the streets of dark and gloomy nameless city; he has a job and a fiancée, his life is normal. Yet several, different voices talk to him - sometimes whispering, sometimes whining or yelling – whenever he hears the water running. One day, Stavros wanders the city under a heavy rain; voices become insistent, revealing his deepest, unspeakable secrets as well as his dreams and memories. He is tormented by these mysterious voices, perhaps a sign of his madness. Or perhaps of a wider, collective madness, which infects everyone around him, to the point of being transmitted to the entire universe. "I hear voices." "It's called schizophrenia." "No ... I only hear them when the water runs." "It's always called schizophrenia." A dramatic graphic novel full of black humor, spectacular and disturbing, written with visionary power and extraordinary narrative impetus by an absolute master of comics, Tiziano Sclavi, the creator of Dylan Dog. And illustrated by one of the most important Italian comics artists of the last decade, Werther Dell'Edera, co-creator of the bestselling Something Is Killing The Children. THE VOICES OF WATER is a dystopic, dark yet magnificent graphic novel. THE VOICES OF WATER is a classic metaphor: The Wandering Hero, The Inner Journey. THE VOICES OF WATER is a thought-provoking ride, as it conveys the frenzy and the feelings of our modern society.

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Book SynopsisA satirical fable, a political allegory and an ecological warning from the author of The Three-Body Problem. On an otherwise ordinary day in the late Cretaceous, the seeds of Earth's first and greatest civilization were sown in the grisly aftermath of a Tyrannosaurus' lunch. From humble tooth-picking origins, ants and dinosaurs – two species so unalike and yet so complementary – forged an alliance that culminated in an antimatter-powered Age of Wonder. But such magnificent industry came at a price – a price paid first by Earth's biosphere, and then by all those dependent on it. And yet the dinosaurs refused to heed all warning of impending ecological collapse, leaving the ants facing a single dilemma: destroy their allies... or perish alongside them? 'Made my brain itch with its creativity and klaxon alarm... Deceptively simple and brilliantly clever, I simply adored it' LoveReading 'Liu's sense of fun is contagious' LocusTrade ReviewSo, so readable, Of Ants and Dinosaurs with the lightest and brightest of touches, made my brain itch with its creativity and klaxon alarm... Deceptively simple and brilliantly clever, I simply adored it' * LoveReading4Kids *So begins a fluctuating symbiotic relationship that Liu develops through knowingly disarming narrative leaps * South China Morning Post *An allegorical tale of the civilisation that flourished on the Earth in the late cretaceous period... Written in a fun and informal style... Enjoyable for adults who are looking for a light-hearted and fast-paced read... [Cixin Liu paints] a wonderful picture of this advanced civilisation that conquered the world in the unimaginable past... We can all see where it's heading, after all, there are no dinosaurs here today driving round in building-sized cars. The ending will not come as a surprise, but it's surprisingly poignant to see the results of the ants and dinosaurs' continual disagreements come to a head' * SF Crowsnest *The narrative picks up towards the end, propelling us into the atomic age and passages of visionary goofiness * The Times *[A] rather light and playful piece... Liu's sense of fun is contagious... For younger readers, thought, it might well offer some useful insights into that era and what caused their grandparents to lose so much sleep back in the 1950s' * Locus *A comprehensive vision of civilization and its development paths. When reading this story (or maybe more accurately: a fairy tale), one has an overwhelming impression that you are reading about the current situation in the world * Paradoks *

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Book SynopsisIn the mountainous city of Nevers, there lives a professor of literature called Q. He has a dull marriage and a lacklustre career, but also a scrumptious collection of antique dolls locked away in his cupboard. And soon Q lands his crowning acquisition: a music box ballerina named Aliss who tantalizingly springs to life. Guided by his mysterious friend Owlish and inspired by an inexplicably familiar painting, Q embarks on an all-consuming love affair with Aliss, oblivious to the sinister forces encroaching on his city and the protests spreading across the university that have left his classrooms all but empty. Thrumming with secrets and shape-shifting geographies, Dorothy Tse’s extraordinary debut novel is a boldly inventive exploration of life under repressive conditions.Trade Review‘[A] surreal fantasy and the reading experience is demanding ... you might ask yourself if it's worth the effort. On reaching the end you will surely conclude that it is...a very brave book.’ — David Mills, The Times‘It’s tempting to call Owlish a fantasy, or an anti-fairytale. The book is not shy of drawing in references, including to Mephistopheles, Kant, the Brothers Grimm, Lewis Carroll, Kafka, Orwell and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. However, Tse’s acerbic, freewheeling spirit is generically flirtatious, rather than genre-bound. She steals from the western canon with chutzpah and panache to create a subversive tale about perilous desire, high-rise bureaucracy and sophisticated corruption in a defenceless city under siege… Owlish wittily captures a recent crisis moment in Hong Kong, exploring a discombobulating state caught between civilization and its discontents.’ —Kit Fan, Guardian‘In Owlish, nimbly translated by Natascha Bruce, there are several nods to Franz Kafka and Tse offers a powerful vision of government repression.... Tse combines the banal and the fantastic to terrific effect. Full of striking imagery, Owlish is a vertiginous tale of a people sleepwalking into catastrophe.’ — Lucy Popescu, Financial Times‘Beguilingly eerie, richly textured, the pages of Owlish are drenched in strange beauty and menace. Like all the best fairy tales, it reveals the dark truths that we would rather not look at directly, and does so with a surreal and singular clarity.’ — Sophie Mackintosh, author of Cursed Bread‘Dorothy Tse is a magnificent historian of unreal places. Her sage and serious characters are cast adrift in realities that are neither sage nor serious at all – and possibly impossible. Her parallel worlds and paradoxes brilliantly illuminate our own reality, with all its fictions masquerading as facts (and vice versa). Boundlessly creative, richly philosophical – I loved this book.’ — Joanna Kavenna, author of Zed‘A magical and potent tale for these tyrannical times.’ — NoViolet Bulawayo, author of Glory‘Tse joins the ranks of artists currently remaking the world, from Yoko Tawada to César Aira.’ — Joyelle McSweeney, author of Toxicon and Arachne‘Owlish is so delightfully creepy, wonderful and strange.’ — Camilla Grudova, author of Children of Paradise‘A bold, brilliantly absorbing read. This clever, mercurial portrait of an alternate Hong Kong lingers long after the last page.’ — Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch‘Owlish [is] a darkly sexual sociopolitical fable…Tse’s excellent novel becomes increasingly bizarre.’ — Hal Jensen, TLS‘Owlish is the story of a city as much as it is the story of Q. Between his correspondence with a strange figure known only as Owlish and a ballerina figurine who has come to life, the professor is immersed and distracted enough not to notice the city and his university emptying out around him as the political situation deteriorates and falls into chaos. Tse’s style in Owlish, with its magical elements, suggests a more overtly political Italo Calvino, or Salman Rushdie with a lighter touch…the story is engrossing and the prose, translated by the always satisfying Natascha Bruce, a delight.’ — Jessa Crispin, Telegraph‘Owlish … has been translated into a playful and sinuous English by Natascha Bruce… the book, with its ellipses and obstructed messages, were depicting the reality-warping effects of an uncanny, constraining force—a force like state censorship.’ — Katy Waldman, New Yorker‘[A] brilliantly unsettling fairytale.’ — Katie Goh, i-D‘In Owlish Tse makes a compelling spectacle; demonstrating the price of apathy during oppressive administrations, suggesting how we might resist the unspeakable mechanisms of regime. She crafts a wondrous hinterland in her writing, imagining the waiting worlds we might dream ourselves into – if we try.’ — Annie Hayter, BIG ISSUE‘Owlish bears witness to a dream state, to a place where language doesn’t always work quite how it should, where the boundaries of deviance, obedience, and desire blur. Caught within these shades of reality, the automata whirs. A cranking becomes faintly audible. Tse weaves a kind of visceral, bodily syntax full of openings and shrouded things; tantalising always, whether for us or for our hero.’ — Marguerite Carson, The Skinny‘In short, glimmering chapters, Owlish; nimbly translated by Natascha Bruce, reveals how the loss of freedom divides people from one another and from themselves. Tse’s novel is playful, poetic and devastating – a reminder that surrealist writing is not unreal, but the most real way of depicting the nightmare of living under tyranny.’ — Irina Dumitrescu, Times Literary Supplement

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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

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Book SynopsisAs far his men are concerned, Vivian is fully recovered from his accident and long coma. An opinion that is not fully shared by Rachel, the team's new psychologist... and Vivian's ex-girlfriend! Personal entanglements aside, the team leader does still have those disturbing apocalyptic dreams - and then there's that 'Blue Parrot' sign that seems to haunt him. A new mission to the Middle East might bring some answers at last... but will they be welcome? Ages 12+

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Book SynopsisPre-empting novels such as the Booker Prize-winning Time's Arrow' by as much as twenty years, Counter-Clock world is a story of racial tensions told against the background of the year 1998 in which time flows in reverse as people are born old only to grow younger and younger.Time runs backwards in the Counter-Clock World. Old people emerge from their graves, grow to middle age, youth, adolescence and childhood to be finally unborn in their mothers wombs. The most powerful and most feared organisation in the world is the Library, in charge of expunging the written records of events, which have no longer happened.When a powerful black leader is reborn, the Library''s one concern is to eliminate him before the renewal of racial violence tears the country apart. But in this counter-clock year of 1998 it isn''t that simpleThis eerie and unforgettable premise encapsulates Philip K Dick''s ambitious and inimitable approach to fiction writing. The attempts of his characters to cope with the bizarre reality of a world that runs backwards while their minds run forwards like ours, operate as a stunning critique of the way in which we perceive our own civilization.Trade Review'One of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction'Sunday Times 'Dick quietly produced serious fiction in a popular form and there can be no greater praise' Michael Moorcock 'No other writer of his generation had such a powerful intellectual presence. He has stamped himself not only on our memories but in our imaginations' Brian W. Aldiss 'The most consistently brilliant SF writer in the world' John Brunner

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Book SynopsisThe bold and boundlessly original debut novel from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche, New York.Riotously funny' New York TimesJust as loopy and clever as his movies' Washington PostB. Rosenberger Rosenberg, neurotic and underappreciated film critic (failed academic, filmmaker, paramour, shoe salesman who sleeps in a sock drawer), stumbles upon a hitherto unseen film by an enigmatic outsider a three-month-long stop-motion masterpiece that took its reclusive auteur ninety years to complete. Convinced that the film will change his career trajectory and rock the world of cinema to its core, that it might possibly be the greatest movie ever made, B. knows that it is his mission to show it to the rest of humanity. The only problem: the film is destroyed, leaving him the sole witness to its inadvertently ephemeral genius.All that's left is a single frame from which B. must somehow attempt to recall the work of art thTrade Review‘Magnificent … crammed with insanely creative gags’ Guardian ‘Outstanding. Combining his films’ most urgent themes and recurring concerns in a format that supports the digressions and logic-loops he’s so famous for, Charlie Kaufman may have out-Kaufmaned himself’ The i ‘A very strong debut novel, a long, anguished spill of a book, full of buried furies and nervy philosophical expeditions, constantly tossing off sparks of humour and imagination … at once surreal and highly readable’ LA Times ‘Marked by a feverish genius. Antkind is Kaufman pushing himself to every formal and social limit, no holds barred, bleak and devastating, yet marvellous’ LA Times Review of Books ‘Magnificent, genius, enraging, mysterious, joyous, terrifying and, above all, hilarious! Antkind might contain the universe’ Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less ‘A full-throttled absurdist revolt against the constraints of the audience-tested mass entertainment, Antkind is unbridled Kaufman energy and wit coming up against the limits of the imagination itself: discursive, subversive, and genuinely funny’ Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End ‘To paraphrase Charlie Kaufman, it’s like a brain factory in there! This is a whopper of a book, bursting with the driest of humour, the strangest of scenarios, and the most brilliant of observations. It is wholly original, maddening, and marvellous’ Susan Orlean, author of The Library Book ‘Each page is so stuffed with invention, audacity and hilarity, it feels like an act of defiance. Antkind is a fever dream you don’t want to be shaken awake from, a thrill ride that veers down stranger and stranger alleys until you find yourself in a reality so kaleidoscopic you will question your own sanity. Or: the novel only Charlie Kaufman could pull off’ Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette

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Book SynopsisUnfortunately people and tribes degenerate. They lose their teeth, forget their language, until finally they're bending meekly on the fields and cutting straw with a scythe.Leemut, a young boy growing up in the forest, is content living with his hunter-gatherer family. But when incomprehensible outsiders arrive aboard ships and settle nearby, with an intriguing new religion, the forest begins to empty - people are moving to the village and breaking their backs tilling fields to make bread. Meanwhile, Leemut and the last forest-dwelling humans refuse to adapt: with bare-bottomed primates and their love of ancient traditions, promiscuous bears, and a single giant louse, they live in shacks, keep wolves, and speak to snakes.Told with moving and satirical prose, The Man Who Spoke Snakish is a fiercely imaginative allegory about a boy, and a nation, standing on the brink of dramatic change.Trade ReviewThe Man who Spoke Snakish is a wild comic swoop through the histories of Estonia, magic, human-powered flight and man-bear relations. At once fantastic and emotionally engaged, underneath the narrative high-jinks lurks a deeply serious novel about how Europe became the way it is. -- Lawrence Norfolk, author of JOHN SATURNALL'S FEASTHow to describe the book? Imagine it is the end of the world, and Tolkien, Beckett, Mark Twain, and Miyazaki (with Icelandic sagas and Asterix comic books stuffed under their arms) have got together in a cabin to drink and tell stories around the last bonfire the world will ever see. * Le Magazine Littéraire *The sense of humour and the imagery resembles a graphic novel or animated film... Probably one of the best contemporary novels about what it means to be alone... Marvelous in all senses of the word. * Le Monde *Kivirahk provides a compelling and creaturely backdrop for the warring facets of Leemut's coming-of-age... This is an epic fantasy... I felt compelled to continue reading in the certain knowledge that I'd soon stumble upon a scene of great power and beauty or an elegantly aphoristic turn of phrase. -- Dustin Illingworth, Words Without BordersAn incredible novel, a mystifying treasure of a book. * Psychologies Magazine *This fantastical Bildungsroman has the feel of a classic... The novel shines... * New York Journal of Books *It is good, it is beautiful, you will read it in one sitting, it radiates intelligence... It is a true literary miracle. * L'Ivre de Lire *Somewhere near the realms of fantasy and science fiction there exists a much more thrilling and allegorical form of writing, bending the rules of the genre to suit itself... The Man Who Spoke Snakish is an allegory about fading eras and vanishing worlds, and laced with a good dose of black humor to boot. -- Jürgen Rooste, Estonian cultural critic[A] tumultuous Tolkien-like epic set in early medieval Estonia, where forces of modernity and tradition clash in a primeval struggle for the Baltic nation's soul - and it's future... At its essence, this book is a Bildungsroman, a coming of age saga about a young man reconciling with a world experiencing seismic change... A strange, wondrous book. * Robert Collison, Toronto Star *This translated Estonian treasure follows the adventures of a boy who is the last remaining speaker of Snakish, an ancient language by which he can command any animal. * Entertainment Weekly *Epic, fantastical... Most astonishing is the inventive imagery... Kivirähk's well-plotted story of language, loss, and fanaticism speaks powerfully to our world's ever present conflicts. * Kirkus *Lots of fun here...but Kivirähk is also concerned with the dangers of war, colonization...and idealizing the past. A big bestseller in Europe. * Library Journal *Fable-like, timeless... The Man Who Spoke Snakish is a great novel, one of those important books that speaks to your soul in its own language and which marks a milestone on your personal reading history and in the development of your opinions. * Blog des Bouquins *This novel is totally unusual; it has the same strangeness as La Locura de Dios by Juan Miguel Aguilera or Cold Skin by Albert Sanchez Piñol. The author talks about Estonia (his country) in the 13th century, when 'iron men' invaded the country on a crusade. It jumps between philosophical fable, political pamphlet, Nordic saga, and includes some epic outbursts of violence. * Decitre.fr *This allegorical story spins an element of wistful longing for anyone who has struggled between the old and the new, its lessons as relevant today as ever. * Booklist *This novel slithers along like the snakes it so admires, agile and often unexpectedly compelling... Its irreverence for convention flows charmingly from its conversational prose... Readable and engaging, it's easy to see how this novel could become the delight of a nation. -- Emma Schneider, Full StopThe Man Who Spoke Snakish has the feeling of a folktale... This isn't to say that it's a work of light fantasy, however - like Margo Lanagan's 2008 Tender Morsels, there's an undercurrent of violence that keeps the more mirthful aspects at a distance. * Tobias Carroll, Literary Hub *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Welcome to Utopia.When Mr. Barnstaple, an Earthling, is accidentally transported to Utopia with a group of others, he begins an adventure that will change how he views the world forever.Utopia has no government. Utopia has no religion. People are governed only by their own conscience and desires, and Barnstaple is drawn into what he sees as a perfect society. But when a disease brought by the Earthlings threatens the existence of the Utopians, Barnstaple must make a choice: take over Utopia, or betray his own people to save a world he has grown to admire

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Book SynopsisA best fiction book of 2021 for The TimesHilarious Fiery phrases spit and crackle. Disgust expands and bursts into belly laughs a very funny book' Sunday TimesThought-provoking, timely, and extremely funny' MetroShriver said that her favourite novels are those that pack both an intellectual and emotional punch. With Should We Stay or Should We Go, she's added triumphantly to their number' The TimesWitty and thought-provoking' Woman's WeeklyI think Shriver's novels are wonderful fun, smart and, perhaps because of their author's unconventional political views, unlike anything else you'll read' Financial TimesEntertaining and poignant' Daily MailVery moving Shriver has the magic ability to make the reader invested in the fate fates, I should say of her characters'Daily TelegraphWickedly witty' SpectatorDecidedly timely' ScotsmanThis sharp-elbowed satire is also a brusquely tender portrait of enduring love' Washington Post-Determined to die with dignity, Kay and her husband Cyril both hTrade Review‘An acerbically funny thought experiment… A contrarian on the page as well as in real life, Shriver is on fine form here, messing with her character’s lives while asking the big questions about mortality with a rigorous lack of sentimentality’ The Times books of the year ‘There’s something bracing about reading a novelist so admirably heartless, watching her pull the legs off her characters again and again… I think Shriver’s novels are wonderful… fun, smart and, perhaps because of their author’s unconventional political views, unlike anything else you’ll read’ Financial Times ‘A work of undeniable moral seriousness, yet one that’s never just a series of (admittedly juicy) discussion points. Even the most fantastical outcomes are envisaged with exhilarating thoroughness — while Cyril and Kay remain the same richly conceived characters throughout. Despite the grimness of the premise, the book also offers the stirring sight of a writer clearly enjoying herself’ The Times ‘It’s hideous — but also hilarious. Through the potent spell of Shriver’s language, horror gets alchemised into amusement. Fiery phrases spit and crackle. Disgust expands and bursts into belly laughs… a very funny book’ Sunday Times ‘After a (pun intended) deathly start, Shriver’s typically provocative novel manages to be both entertaining and poignant, with the novelist even poking fun at herself as she questions what makes a good innings. It might (almost) be a beach read’ Daily Mail ‘Shriver uses a ‘parallel universe’ structure to explore various outcomes – and somehow makes conversations about death feel far from taboo’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Some books become so popular that the lucky author can thereafter churn out any old cobblers, confident in the knowledge that it will be published and find an audience. Lionel Shriver never took that easy route’ Irish Independent

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Book SynopsisFrom one of Britain's best-loved literary novelists comes a magical, lyrical tale of the young orphan Silver, taken in by the ancient lighthousekeeper Mr. Pew, who reveals to her a world of myth and mystery through the art of storytelling.Motherless and anchorless, Silver is taken in by the timeless Mr. Pew, keeper of the Cape Wrath lighthouse. Pew tells Silver ancient tales of longing and rootlessness, of the slippages that occur throughout every life. One life, Babel Dark's, a nineteenth-century clergyman, opens like a map that Silver must follow, and the intertwining of myth and reality, of storytelling and experience, lead her through her own particular darkness.A story of mutability, talking birds and stolen books, of Darwin and Stevenson and of the Jekyll and Hyde in all of us, Lighthousekeeping is a way into the most secret recesses of our own hearts and minds. Jeanette Winterson is one of the most extraordinary and original writers of her generation, and this shows her at her lyrical best.Trade Review‘The importance of stories, the urge to create ourselves through stories, is one of Winterson’s abiding themes, along with the supremacy, the redemptive power of love.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A marvelously skilful juggling act of ideas and emotion … Winterson’s prodigious talent brings the book alive.’ Evening Standard ‘The power of Lighthousekeeping is in … the pared-down precision of its language, each word smoothed into a finely polished pebble.’ Observer

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Book SynopsisA morbid assassination – or something even darker? A Quantum Murder is the thrilling second book featuring Greg Mandel, the cyberpunk detective with psychic powers, from Peter F. Hamilton. Dr Edward Kitchener was a brilliant researcher into quantum cosmology. When he is found dead, lungs spread on either side of his open chest, his employers, Event Horizon, want to know what happened – and fast. Many were anxious to stop Kitchener's work, and could have paid an assassin’s fee. And only a mercenary could’ve breached Launde Abbey’s premier-grade security system. Yet why would a professional waste time ritually slaughtering the target?Greg Mandel, the psi-boosted ex-private eye, is enticed out of retirement to track the killer. He launches himself on a convoluted trail which will mean confronting the past. But – according to Kitchener's theories – this past might never have happened . . .A Quantum Murder is followed by The Nano Flower to complete the Greg Mandel trilogy.Trade ReviewThoroughly engrossing . . . immensely satisfying. An excellent book. One that engages the intellect as well as the emotions. A tale that drags the reader on a corkscrew rollercoaster ride of dazzling imagination and electrifying excitement -- StarburstA genuine unalloyed pleasure: I really cannot recommend this too highly, apart from dragging you out into the bookshops and sticking it under your nose -- Ian McDonald, author of New MoonA genuinely fresh talent -- Stan Nicholls, author of OrcsPeter Hamilton manages a very neat trick, combining deft scientific and social speculation with the page-turning appeal of the best thrillers -- Tad Williams, author of The Dragonbone ChairHard SF at its best . . . Get this and read it -- Critical Wave

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Book SynopsisThe gripping thriller from the bestselling author of VOX and QA compelling, fast paced read.' GuardianThe queen of dystopia' Nina Pottell, PrimaExplosive' Heat''Provocative, sinister, and fascinating'' Stephanie Wrobel, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Recovery of Rose GoldClever and chilling and all too plausible' Carole Johnstone, author of Mirrorland* * * * * * * * * * *Miranda Reynolds has lost her home, her job and her husband all thanks to an economic collapse that has brought America to its knees.The shops are empty; the streets no longer safe. Miranda and her daughter Emma have nowhere left to turn.There is one final hope, a self-sufficient haven for women who want to live a life free from men. Femlandia.For Miranda, the secluded Femlandia is a last resort. Life outside the gates is fraught with danger, but there's something just as sinister going on within.Welcome to Femlandia It's no place like home.* * * * * * * * * * *What readers are saying about FEMLANDIA''I felt Trade Review‘Dalcher is adept at writing genuinely scary high-concept fiction’ SFX ‘The queen of dystopia.’ Nina Pottell, PRIMA ‘[Dalcher] knows how to hit the emotional buttons…this is a compelling, fast paced read.’ GUARDIAN ‘ I read it with my breath held, unable to stop until I'd reached the explosive ending. You will definitely want to discuss this one with your book club.’ STEPHANIE WROBEL, author of THE RECOVERY OF ROSE GOLD ‘Equally as chilling and gripping as her debut, VOX’ RED ‘Clever and chilling – and all too plausible – Femlandia is a timely story about survival and the corruptive nature of power. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!’ CAROLE JOHNSTONE, author of MIRRORLAND 'Shocking, provocative, subversive, FEMLANDIA is a fantasy of female empowerment that curdles into a nightmare.' KIA ABDULLAH, author of NEXT OF KIN ‘A real page-turner’ BELLA 'Another superb novel from the author of VOX and Q’ BELFAST TELEGRAPH 'Both gripping and terrifyingly disturbing in equal measures.' LISA HALL, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS ‘A no-holds-barred thriller and thought-provoking read for fans of Margaret Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, NaomiAlderman’s THE POWER, and Kim Liggett’s THE GRACE YEAR.’ Library Journal ‘Engrossing. Dalcher’s novel is imaginative, urgent, and compulsively readable, not mention incredibly cool.’ AMANDA MONTELL, author of CULTISH ‘This wildly provocative glimpse into the future is sure to spark lively discussions…Dalcher remains a writer to watch’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

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Book SynopsisBrilliant, a definite page turner. They combine real historical events with fascinating fictional characters.The twenty-three volumes of the Morland Dynasty series has been completely repackaged in the most elegant style, using contemporaneous artwork for each period. This wonderful series opens with the back drop of the Wars of the Roses with the marriage between Eleanor Morland and a scion of the influential house of Beaufort. It is a union which establishes the powerful Morland dynasty and in the succeeding volumes of this rich tapestry of English life, we follow their fortunes through war and peace, political upheaval and social revolution, times of pestilence and periods of plenty, and through the vicissitudes which afflict every family - love and passion, envy and betrayal, birth and death, great fortune and miserable penury...The Morland Dynasty is entertainment of the most addictive kind.

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Book SynopsisThis epic masterpiece is a radical landmark in modern literature, reissued with a foreword by poet Ishion Hutchinson to mark Wilson Harris' centenary.'An exhilarating experience ...

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Book SynopsisThe second in a two volume collection of short stories by the acclaimed author of Empire of the Sun', Crash' and Super-Cannes'. The new edition is introduced by Adam Thirwell.With eighteen novels over four decades from The Drowned World' in 1962 to his final novel Kingdom Come' in 2006 J.G. Ballard is known as one of Britain's most celebrated and original novelists.However, during his long career he was also a prolific writer of short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as New Worlds, Amazing Stories and Interzone, and in several separate collections, including The Terminal Beach', The Venus Hunters', Vermilion Sands', Low-Flying Aircraft' and Myths of the Near Future'.Set out in the original order of publication and frequently the point of conception for ideas he further developed in his novels, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the imaginatioTrade Review‘A marvel … there is something a little shaming in reading Ballard: you have to face the fact that there exist writers with such fresh imaginations they can’t write five pages without stumbling on an alternate world’ Zadie Smith ‘Each of Ballard’s 98 short stories is like a dream more perfectly realized than any of your own … Simply a master story writer – the maker of unforgettable artefacts in words, each as absolute and perplexing as sculptures unviewable from a single perspective’ Jonathan Lethem ‘One of the most haunting, cogent and individual imaginations in contemporary literature’ William Boyd

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Book SynopsisA terrifying vision of the future from one of the twentieth century's most renowned writers J. G. Ballard, author of Empire of the Sun' and Crash'.Following the energy crisis of the late twentieth-century America has been abandoned. Now, a century later, an expedition from Europe returns to the deserted continent. But America is unrecognisable the Bering Strait has been dammed and the whole continent has become a desert, populated by isolated natives and the bizarre remnants of a disintegrated culture.The expedition sets off from Manhattan on a cross-continent journey, through Holiday Inns and abandoned theme parks. They will uncover a shocking new power in the heart of Las Vegas in this unique vision of our world transformed.This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard's works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Ned Beauman, Ali Smith, Neil Gaiman and Martin Amis) and brand-new cover designs.Trade Review‘Mordant and inventive, Ballard at his best’ New Statesman ‘It is futile to have expectations of Ballard: he will inevitably subvert them. All we know for certain is that the novels he will write could not be written, could not even be guessed at, by anyone else’ Martin Amis, Observer ‘Enter Mr Ballard’s worlds and you become entranced in a séance difficult to break out of, so powerful is his method’ The Times ‘This is a very clever fiction, and – yes – another amazing improvisation on Ballard's basic theme’ Guardian

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Book Synopsis''We defy you to pick up The Last and put it back down'' Stylist ''Extraordinary'' Emily St John Mandel, Station ElevenTWENTY SURVIVORS. ONE HOTEL. ONE KILLER.------ The world as we know it has ended. You and nineteen other survivors hole up in an isolated Swiss hotel. You wait, you survive. Then you find the body. One of your number has blood on their hands. The race is on to find the killer. Before the killer finds you.... Finished Station Eleven and Contagion and looking for your next pulse-pounding, speculative read? Look no further than The Last. This Waterstones Thriller of the month will sweep you into a world of fascinating characters and compulsive mystery.------ ''One of those books you can''t stop reading, but don''t want to end'' TM Logan, The Holiday''Dark, compelling, original'' CJTrade ReviewThe Last is a brilliantly executed novel, and the questions Jameson poses-who will be with you at the end of the world, and what kind of person will you be?-are as haunting as the plot itself. This is a chilling and extraordinary book -- Emily St John Mandel, author of 'Station Eleven'Dark, original, compelling -- CJ Tudor, author of The Chalk ManIt is Jameson's portrayal both imaginative and plausible, of how her characters adapt to their new life that makes her novel such compulsive reading * Daily Telegraph *A clever, original, scarily plausible white-knuckle read -- Erin Kelly, bestselling author of 'He Said, She Said'A brilliantly imagined tale of suspicion, betrayal and survival in a world on the brink of extinction. One of those books that you can't stop reading - but don't want to end -- TM Logan, bestselling author of 'Lies'Stephen King meets Agatha Christie, in this fantastic and highly original novel that I'll be recommending to readers for a long time to come. I loved every second of it! This is *the* book of 2019 -- Luca Veste, author of 'The Bone Keeper'Chillingly nightmarish - a gripping read -- Sophia Tobin, author of 'The Silversmith's Wife'Gripping, and thoroughly and frighteningly believable. I could not put this book down -- Jennie Melamed, author of 'Gather the Daughters'Jameson does an excellent job of exploring what nuclear war would mean for us . . . exploring what it would mean to live in a place where consequences no longer existed. * Observer *We defy you to pick up The Last and put it back down * Stylist *

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Book Synopsis1558: Elizabeth I is on the throne, though still challenged by Mary, and her Protestant faith threatens the Catholic Morland family.The reign of Elizabeth I means that the Morlands must seek new spheres of influence to restore their fortunes. John, heir to Morland Place, rides north to wed the daughter of Black Will Percy, the Borders cattle lord, and learns that the way to win her heart is through blood and battle. His gentle sister, Lettice, has also travelled north to marry the ruthless Scottish baron, Lord Robert Hamilton, and in the treacherous court of Mary, Queen of Scots, she has to learn the bleak and bitter lessons of survival...

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Book Synopsis1630: after long years of peace the reign of Charles I brings brutal civil war to England.The clash between King and Parliament is echoed at Morland Place when Richard brings home a Puritan bride while his brother, Kit, joins Prince Rupert and the Royalist cavalry, leaving their father Edmund desperately trying to steer a middle course between the fighting factions.As the war grinds on, bitterness and disillusion replace the early fervour, and the schisms between husband and wife, father and son, grow deeper. Edmund struggles grimly through it all in an attempt to keep the Morland fortune intact, but he is thwarted by the estrangement between his sons and then alienated from his beloved wife, Mary.

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Book SynopsisThe Number One Sunday Times Bestseller and one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022.From Hanya Yanagihara, author of the modern classic A Little Life, To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.'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 . . . It’s rare that you get the opportunity to review a masterpiece, but To Paradise, definitively, is one.' – The Observer'Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down.' – Daily TelegraphIn an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. 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. And in 2093, in a world riven 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 disappearances.These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.To Paradise is a fin-de-siecle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The power of this novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love – partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens – and the pain that ensues when we cannot.'This magisterial follow-up to A Little Life offers three books in one . . . Yanagihara weighs up damage and privilege - social, emotional, political, colonial in a gripping, immersive ride through alternative Americas.' – The Guardian 'Best Reads For Summer'Trade 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 *

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Book Synopsis'Magical and disturbing' Adam ThirlwellAn astonishing, mind-bending novel about a woman discovering a community of swan-people from one of Iceland's greatest writers.*SHORTLISTED FOR THE ICELANDIC WOMEN'S LITERATURE PRIZE*In the not-too-distant future, a young spy named Elísabet Eva is about to discover something that will upend her life.Elísabet likes to take long solitary walks near the lake. One day, she sees two creatures emerging from the water, half-human, half-swan. She follows them through tangles of thickets into a strange new reality.Pulled into the monomaniacal, and often violent, quest of the swanfolk, Elísabet finds her own mind increasingly untrustworthy. Soon, she is forced to reckon with the consequences of her involvement with these unusual beings, and a past life she has been trying to evade.'Ómarsdottir's skills as a poet and playwright are evident' Helen Oyeyemi, New York Review of BooksTrade Review'Magical and disturbing' Adam Thirlwell -- Adam ThirlwellA wild adventure... Ómarsdóttir's novel is kaleidoscopic; the more you look at it, the more you see. * Lucy Writers *One of the most original authors in contemporary Icelandic literature...known for subverting traditional binaries like fantasy and realism, feminine and masculine, good and evil, and the animal and the human. * Orð um bækur *One of [this country's] most respected authors. -- Egill Helgason * Kiljan *A master of the unexpected. -- Steingerður Steinsdóttir * Vikan *

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Book Synopsis*DON'T MISS RACHELLE ATALLA'S NEW THRILLING BOOK THIRSTY ANIMALS - OUT NOW****SHORTLISTED FOR THE SCOTTISH FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR***'Rachelle Atalla nails the claustrophobic atmosphere and brings this world to life convincingly in her impressive debut' THE SUNDAY TIMES, PAPERBACK OF THE WEEK'This horrendously claustrophobic, utterly absorbing debut. The fiercely controlled narrative beautifully translates the horrendous grip of dismal routines and tiny, stolen pleasures' DAILY MAIL'There are shades of George Orwell in this stunning writing debut, but Rachelle Atalla's voice is highly original. And wholly her own' THE HERALD'A compulsive, claustrophobic but wonderfully compassionate read, beautifully written and set within a brilliantly realised world. Rachelle Atalla is a major talent and I can't wait to see where her mind goes next' KIRSTIN INNES, AUTHOR OF SCABBY QUEEN'Atalla's speculative literary thriller debut draws you in with its mounting sense of tension, disquiet and desperation' CULTUREFLYTHE BUNKER IS DESIGNED TO KEEP THEM ALL SAFE.In the end, very few people made it to the bunker. Now they wait there for the outside world to heal. Wolfe is one of the lucky ones. She's safe and employed as the bunker's pharmacist, doling out medicine under the watchful eye of their increasingly erratic and paranoid leader.BUT IS IT THE PLACE OF GREATEST DANGER?But when the leader starts to ask things of Wolfe, favours she can hardly say no to, it seems her luck is running out. Forming an unlikely alliance with the young Doctor Stirling, her troubled assistant Levitt, and Canavan - a tattooed giant of a man who's purpose in the bunker is a mystery - Wolfe must navigate the powder keg of life underground where one misstep will light the fuse. The walls that keep her safe also have her trapped.How much more is Wolfe willing to give to stay alive?Beautifully written and utterly gripping, The Pharmacist will be a guaranteed conversation starter when it is published.'An unflinching portrayal of what we might all be capable of, Atalla's stunning debut is essential reading for our times' HELEN SEDGWICK'Though set in a speculative future, The Pharmacist is very much a book for our own broken times. Its story grips and never lets go, unflinching in its portrayal of abused power, moral confusion and betrayal, but also fully alive to the redemptive possibilities of compassion, resistance and love. This is a powerful and memorable debut from an exciting new voice' WAYNE PRICE'A triumph of a book. Character-led but taut and purposeful with action' LIAM MURRAY BELLTrade ReviewA compulsive, claustrophobic but wonderfully compassionate read, beautifully written and set within a brilliantly realised world. Rachelle Atalla is a major talent and I can't wait to see where her mind goes next * Kirstin Innes, author of Scabby Queen *An unflinching portrayal of what we might all be capable of, Atalla's stunning debut is essential reading for our times * Helen Sedgwick, author of Where the Missing Gather *Atalla's speculative literary thriller debut draws you in with its mounting sense of tension, disquiet and desperation * CultureFly *There are shades of George Orwell in this stunning writing debut, but Rachelle Atalla's voice is highly original. And wholly her own * The Herald *This horrendously claustrophobic, utterly absorbing debut. The fiercely controlled narrative beautifully translates the horrendous grip of dismal routines and tiny, stolen pleasures * Daily Mail *Sitting somewhere on the spectrum between Paul Auster's heart-rending In the Country of Last Things and Bong Joon-ho's pulse-thumping film Snowpiercer, The Pharmacist is a slow-burn nightmare about how ordinary human decency gets eroded - and also how it perseveres * The Times *Rachelle Atalla is obviously a talented and gifted writer * On Magazine *Reminiscent of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, this unsettling story is a nightmare for our times of end-of-the-world prepping, increased nuclear insecurity and political inequality * Guardian *A breathtaking, tense debut. ***** * The Sun *It's really remarkable how she makes this bland, bleak, limited world so vivid and engrossing * SFX *Rachelle Atalla's debut is a thought-provoking addition to the post-apocalyptic genre * Press Association *The twists and turns in this brilliantly written, post-apocalyptic tale make for compulsive reading * Woman's Weekly *Atalla nails the atmosphere of claustrophobia and brings this world to life convincingly, as well as fostering sympathy for her protagonist, despite her flaws. This debut author is one to watch * The Sunday Times *Dystopian fiction, yes, but so much more. This book forces its readers to consider what it means to be good or evil, what motivates us to act as we do, and what matters to us in the end. A wonderful mix of tense drama and provocative ideas, I loved it * Elissa Soave, author of Ginger and Me *The Pharmacist is the perfect dystopian novel. Post-apocalyptic fiction masterfully handled. Addictive, claustrophobic, tense. I'm obsessed with this novel. Easily in my top reads this year * Chloe Timms, author of The Seawomen *The Pharmacist is a confident debut, in which Rachelle Atalla fully lives up to the promise of her New Writers Award . . . This literary thriller is highly original, asking difficult questions about morality and motherhood. And its claustrophobic atmosphere perfectly reflects the setting. * The List *Rachelle Atalla's elegant debut novel is a compelling account of a society whose rigid inhumanity is pierced with glimmers of hope * Daily Mail *Rachelle Atalla nails the claustrophobic atmosphere and brings this world to life convincingly in her impressive debut * The Sunday Times, PAPERBACK OF THE WEEk *Highly original * The Herald, Best Scottish Books of 2022 *This elegant debut novel is a compelling account of a society whose rigid inhumanity is pierced with glimmers of hope * Sunday Mail *

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Book SynopsisAn eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.‘A wonderful novel. Big ideas wrapped in a plot that moves like a freight train’ Stuart Turton'Compelling and complex, but still emotionally charged and devastating' Helen Fields'A Clockwork Orange for the modern cohort. A terrifying near future imagined perfectly' Imran MahmoodThe future of law enforcement has arrived, courtesy of private health contractor Janus Justice. Their ground-breaking ‘Offender Treatment Programme’ has been hailed as the most effective way of tackling crime yet.As offenders move through the four-tiered system, their needs are dealt with, each tier more drastic in its methods:Tier One: Low-risk crimes. Physical therapy encouragedTier Two: Trauma and addiction. Emotional and psychological reasons for offending are examinedTier Three: Aversion therapy & moral punishmentTier Four: Siberia, where all hope is lostBut Grace Gunnarsson, one of Janus’ most highly regarded rehabilitation psychiatrists, has uncovered a terrible flaw in the system, one that is allowing people to get away with murder...‘A high-octane, spine-shivering thriller, in which neuropsychology, crime, ethics and justice are melded in a mind-stretching concoction’ Philippa EastPraise for The Treatment 'My favourite kind of thriller: intriguing, intelligent and with a complex moral question at its core' Simon Lelic'Tense and thought-provoking, The Treatment has a bold narrative that's startlingly relevant' Sarah Ward'In The Treatment, Sarah Moorhead takes a stunningly original and frighteningly plausible premise of a twisted criminal justice system, and creates a page-turning thriller with characters readers will love and hate. Brilliantly done!' Guy Morpuss‘Thoughtful and chilling, The Treatment offers a terrifying glimpse into a wholly believable dystopian future of crime and the justice system' Brian McGilloway'A great plot, very nasty villains but more importantly tackles moral and societal issues you rarely see in crime fiction' Trevor Wood'Intelligent futuristic thriller writing at its very best. The central idea is mind-blowing and the characters beautifully realised' Victoria Dowd'Intense and unsettling, this Orwellian tale had me gripped to the very last page' Marion Todd

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Book SynopsisLondon, 1716. Revenge is a dish best served ice-cold…’An immersive, action-packed thriller with intrigue in the air and threats around every corner’ The Herald’Great fun ... the language is colourful and the action never stops’ Laura Shepherd-RobinsonThe city is caught in the vice-like grip of a savage winter. Even the Thames has frozen over. But for Jonas Flynt – thief, gambler, killer – the chilling elements are the least of his worries…Justice Geoffrey Dumont has been found dead at the base of St Paul’s cathedral, and a young male sex-worker, Sam Yates, has been taken into custody for the murder. Yates denies all charges, claiming he had received a message to meet the judge at the exact time of death.The young man is a friend of courtesan Belle St Clair, and she asks Flynt to investigate. As Sam endures the horrors of Newgate prison, they must do everything in their power to uncover the truth and save an innocent life, before the bodies begin to pile up.But time is running out. And the gallows are beckoning...A totally enrapturing portrayal of eighteenth-century London, and a rapier-like crime thriller, perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Antonia Hodgson and Ambrose Parry.

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Book Synopsis‘She belongs to me – property rights would prevail.’ Evie is a near-perfect bioengineered human. In a broken-down future England where her kind has been outlawed, her ‘husband’ Matthew keeps her safe but hidden. When her existence is revealed, she must take her chances on the dark and hostile streets where more than one predator is on the hunt.Trade ReviewWritten with flair and humanity... mesmerising. * The Times *‘Not since Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep have I felt so strongly about where artificial intelligence might lead us. Highly recommended.’‘Consistently engaging, fast-moving and surprising, The Actuality gives familiar science fiction themes a fresh and compassionate look, and makes of them something new.’The Actuality is smart, literary science fiction. * Infinite Speculation *The Actuality offers a rich contemplation of ethical and philosophical questions about artificial life and intelligence. * BBC Culture *

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Book SynopsisTwo years into a devastating flu pandemic, food shortages are critical. The streets are full of angry protestors objecting to the government’s proposed rationing. Policing demonstrations is firmly outside the Health Enforcement Team’s remit, but that doesn’t stop their boss sending them in. As the threat escalates, the team find themselves being drawn into a government cover up, investigating a terrorist cell, and tugging at the threads of a global conspiracy. As tensions rise throughout the city and the nation, the stakes have never been higher. Dead Man Driving by Lesley Kelly is the latest book in the Health of Strangers series.

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Book SynopsisThe children of the Grace Field House orphanage must escape a macabre fate before it’s too late. Life at Grace Field House has been good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But when they discover the horrifying truth about why they are being kept at the orphanage, their lives change forever… The complete Promised Neverland saga in one stunning box set! In addition to all 20 volumes of the suspense hit, the box set contains an exclusive booklet and a double-sided full-colour poster.

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Book SynopsisIn an alternate St. Petersburg, librarian-spy Irene faces unimaginable dangers – as her arch-nemesis returns. The Burning Page is the third instalment in the Invisible Library series from bestselling author Genevieve Cogman.Librarian-spy Irene is on probation – and absconding from a mission doesn't look good. But when her escape route home goes up in flames, what's a spy to do?It turns out, Irene's home, the trans-dimensional library, is under siege. Across dozens of worlds, its once-reliable Gates back to the library are malfunctioning. Irene's nemesis, Alberich, is responsible – with plans to annihilate the library itself.To face the threat, Irene and assistant Kai are posted to St Petersburg. Here, Irene stumbles upon an incredibly dangerous – yet alluring – opportunity. It's a chance to save the library. Saving herself would be a bonus . . .Brace yourself for an action-filled ride witTrade ReviewBrilliant and so much fun. Skulduggery, Librarians, and Dragons – Cogman keeps upping the ante on this delightful series! -- Charles Stross, author of the Laundry Files, including The Atrocity ArchivesThe Burning Page does not disappoint. It’s a fun, adventure-filled romp . . .If you haven’t picked up this series and you like magic, adventure, Sherlock Holmes, a dash of steampunk, lots of mystery, and books, then definitely pick up The Invisible Library! If you’ve read the first two and liked them, you’ll certainly enjoy The Burning Page * SFF World *It’s fun. It’s packed with chaotic and dramatic adventures and is witty to boot * Speculative Herald *The author writes with a speed and verve that keeps you on the edge of your seat through a rollicking good adventure . . . The Burning Page is not only hard to put down, it’s hard to walk away from * Fantasy Book Review *The Burning Page is action packed from start to finish, so that even Irene and you the reader hardly get the chance to catch your breath * The Book Plank *This excellent series has traces of the satire of Terry Pratchett, the breadth of imagination of Jasper Fforde, and the wonderful ability of Neil Gaiman to mix reality and fantasy in one satisfying whole, but make no mistake: it feels in all senses original and engrossing * The Book Bag *A gripping addition to the mythos Cogman has already built * RT Book Reviews *The Invisible Library series is tailor-made for bibliophiles . . . It’s immensely entertaining, and I continue to love Irene and her third person narrative voice: she’s practical, analytical, and competent, and she handles the absurd situations in which she constantly finds herself with aplomb * Fantasy Book Cafe *Cogman’s writing is fresh, with a rich tonality ranging from the whimsical and witty to the suspenseful . . . the story is buoyed by the fast action scenes, and readers will be fascinated by the ever-growing complexities of Cogman’s world * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe Future Is Oppression.Scions, sonko, landlords: whatever you call them, they're the super rich, the princes of capitalism, living off the labour – and the deaths – of the swarming masses and all too happy to see the world burn to preserve their luxurious lives.In three critically-acclaimed novellas, the "British master of science fiction" (Tor.com) takes you down into the mud and horror of a future battlefield, into the dust and burning heat of a scorched equator, into the grinding poverty of a newly-feudal village, with the folk who give their lives every day in the service of undeserving masters... and sows the seed of revolution.Collecting Tchaikovsky's critically acclaimed novellas Ironclads (2017), Firewalkers (2020) and Ogres (2022) for the first time, Terrible Worlds: Revolutions gives you three glimpses of hope for a better future.

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Book SynopsisA GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR''Spellbinding'' Elly Griffiths''The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much.'' Marian Keyes''A brave and timely novel which will fuel the debate on women''s rights to walk safely through our streets. I raced through the pages, anxious for resolution, yet at the same time not wanting this beautiful writing to finish.'' Clare MackintoshThis is not just another novel about a dead girl.When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city''s latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim.Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway around the world only to find herself lonelier than ever. Until she finds Alice Lee''s body by the Hudson River.Trade ReviewAn exquisitely written, absolutely devastating novel, which gives a voice to all the women who never made it home. * Red *The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much. -- Marian KeyesA brave and timely novel which will fuel the debate on women's rights to walk safely through our streets. I raced through the pages, anxious for resolution, yet at the same time not wanting this beautiful writing to finish. -- Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You GoA really remarkable book - so fresh and original. I've never read anything quite like this. -- Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of UsAll the suspense and tension we expect from crime fiction - but with complex characters and themes that linger for longer. * Guardian *I fell head over heels in love with this heartbreaking, beautiful and hugely important novel. Jacqueline Bublitz's prose is luminous and the up-all-night, just-one-more-page plot is brilliantly clever and original. Everyone should read this book. -- Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn’t CallStood out among the many thrillers because it focuses on the victim and her life rather than her killer, with echoes of The Lovely Bones * Good Housekeeping *I was mesmerised by this exquisitely written, heartbreaking, lyrical story of friendship from beyond the grave. -- Jane Corry, author of My Husband's WifeAn extraordinary and hypnotic read that has stayed with me months after reading. -- Nina Potell, PrimaFiercely topical and full of compassion, Before You Knew My Name starts where many thrillers and news stories do: the murder of a young woman. But instead of a hunt for the killer, this novel explores the personhood of the victim-who she was, what she loved, all the years that were stolen from her. It's a story about female agency and value in the face of male violence, and also about resilience, about memory, about how love adapts and survives. -- Julie Cohen, author of TogetherA brilliantly powerful read, Before You Knew My Name is an astonishing debut. -- Lucy Mangan, journalistDevastating but beautiful... gives a voice to all the women who never made it home. The writing is exquisite and rarely has a story seemed so prescient of the here and now. -- Sarra Manning, journalistExquisitely composed, with a muscular feminist sensibility, Before You Knew My Name is both elegiac and rhapsodic in its examination of the deaths - and lives - of women. -- Jessica Moor, author of KeeperAn unputdownable debut - striking, moving, gripping throughout and so sharp on the things that unite us. -- Elizabeth Kay, author of Seven LiesI absolutely relished this clever, original and moving novel. Jacqueline Bublitz is a fantastically adept writer, creating a wonderful cast of characters and a hugely engaging portrait of city life. -- Nell Frizzell, author of The Panic YearsJacqueline Bublitz snatches back the power, giving voice to those whose stories deserve to be told. It is powerful, beautiful. I loved it. -- Kate Sawyer, author of The StrandingFeminist, fierce, beautiful and urgent with a story that NEEDS to be told. I read parts with my heart breaking and parts that could have been ripped from my own soul. It made me feel seen. -- Bethany Clift, author of Last One At The PartyAn astounding debut novel that every woman will feel in their bones. At last, a whodunnit, where the victim is the front and centre of the story. Beautifully written, real, feminist and properly haunting, it deserves all the awards. -- Lizzy Dent, author of The Summer JobFull of raw poignancy, explored through the author's expressive mastery of language. * Woman’s Weekly *Heart-breaking yet rewarding . . . fans of The Lovely Bones will enjoy this story. * Woman *

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Book SynopsisA tour de force - New York Times Book ReviewAmbitious, finely detailed and compulsively readable - LocusIt is a book that feels fundamentally true; it is a book to live in - Washington PostFor Kivrin Engle, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity''s history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing a bullet-proof backstory. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history''s darkest hours.Winner of both the 1993 Hugo and Nebula Best Novel awards, this is a science fiction classic.ReTrade ReviewA tour de force * New York Times Book Review *Ambitious, finely detailed and compulsively readable * Locus *It is a book that feels fundamentally true; it is a book to live in * Washington Post *

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Book Synopsis‘Frightening and timely, Bradley’s The Sisterhood is the book everyone should read this year. If you thought it ended with Orwell, think again . . .' CHRISTINA DALCHERVox meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this feminist reimagining of 1984   In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you and trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if it is discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free.   When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might fin

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Book SynopsisMother of Eden has been shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association Novel of the Year Award, 2015.'We speak of a mother's love, but we forget her power. Power over life. Power to give and to withhold.' Generations after the breakup of the human family of Eden, the Johnfolk emphasise knowledge and innovation, the Davidfolk tradition and cohesion. But both have built hierarchical societies sustained by violence and dominated by men - and both claim to be the favoured children of a long-dead woman from Earth that all Eden knows as Gela, the mother of them all. When Starlight Brooking meets a handsome and powerful man from across Worldpool, she believes he will offer an outlet for her ambition and energy. But she has no idea that she will be a stand-in for Gela herself, and wear Gela's ring on her own finger. And she has no idea of the enemies she will make, no inkling that a time will come when she, like John Redlantern, will choose to kill...Trade ReviewEvery bit as compelling as Dark Eden was... Eden is building into one of most vivid and fascinating places in modern SF -- Eddie Robson * SFX *Mother of Eden is a masterpiece * Guardian *A classic theme, beautifully told * Sunday Telegraph on DARK EDEN *This is a world I'm desperate to return to * Guardian on DARK EDEN *There's no justice if Dark Eden, with its beautiful, terrifying planet, slowly revealed, fails to bring Beckett awards * The Sunday Times on DARK EDEN *A captivating and haunting book * Daily Mail on DARK EDEN *

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Book SynopsisThe first book in a brand new series by the master of epic fantasy, Raymond E. Feist. Ten years after the cataclysmic events of Wrath of a Mad God took place, Midkemia now faces a new danger thought buried in myth and antiquity.A lost race of elves, the taredhel or people of the stars', have found a way across the universe to reach Midkemia. On their current home world, these elves are hard pressed by a ravaging demon horde, and what was once a huge empire has been reduced to a handful of survivors. The cornerstone of taredhel lore is the tale of their lost origins in the world they call simply Home', a place lost in the mists of time. Now they are convinced that Midkemia is that place, and they are coming to reclaim it.Ruthless and arrogant, the taredhel intend to let nothing stand in their way; but before long, Pug and the Conclave realise that it''s not necessarily the elves, but the demon horde pursuing them where the true danger lies. And hanging over Pug always is the prophecy thTrade ReviewPraise for Raymond E. Feist: ‘File under guilty pleasure’Guardian ‘Get in at the start of a master’s new series’Daily Sport ‘Well-written and distinctly above average… intelligent… intriguing.’Publishers Weekly ‘ Epic scope…vivid imagination…a significant contribution to the growth of the field of fantasy.’Washington Post

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Book SynopsisBeautifully written and compelling, About Grace is the brilliant debut novel from Anthony Doerr.Growing up in Alaska, young David Winkler is crippled by his dreams. At nine, he dreams a man is decapitated by a passing truck on the path outside his family's home. The next day, unable to prevent it, he witnesses an exact replay of his dream in real life. The premonitions keep coming, unstoppably. He sleepwalks during them, bringing catastrophe into his reach.Then, as unstoppable as a vision, he falls in love, at the supermarket (exactly as he already dreamed) with Sandy. They flee south, landing in Ohio, where their daughter Grace is born. And then the visions of Grace's death begin for Winkler, as their waterside home is inundated. Plagued by the same horrific images of Grace drowning, when the floods come, he cannot face his destiny and flees.He beaches on a remote Caribbean island, where he works as a handyman, chipping away at his doubts and hopes, never knowing whether Grace survived the flood or met the doom he foretold. After two decades, he musters the strength to find outTrade Review‘'I loved this wonderful book – its strangeness, its obsessiveness, its beautiful sentences.' Monica Ali ’Doerr's sublime renditions of Winkler's attunement to the world around him turn his story into a prolonged epiphany, a blissful parable about grace. This is a formidable literary achievement that, link Winkler's snow crystals, integrates facets and dimensions into near-perfect whole.' Independent ‘Doerr's gifts as a stylist are powerfully in evidence: his writing is crystalline, his attention to detail intense and evocative. That Doerr is a writer of exceptional gifts is not in question,and there is much to admire in this novel.' Daily Telegraph 'Doerr writes wonderfully, lyrically, of the natural world, and his observations of water, snowflakes and clouds illuminate this impressive debut.' Guardian ‘Exceptional first novel. I hesitate to say this book will take your breath away because it's such a cliché; but, really, I promise you, it will… I can't remember when a novel so entranced me. The only criticism I can really muster – and it is rather a limp one – is that About Grace is almost inhumanely faultless; almost, but, even then, not quite.' Evening Standard ’In careful, measured prose conjures a sense of awe both humbling and salutary. It has the bleak, lucid beauty of a day of midwinter light. At its best when describing the minute, disregarded miracles of the natural world, it lingers in the mind like one of the protagonist's eerie dreams.' Daily Mail ‘About Grace is an intriguing exploration of fate and chance’ The Times

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Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in paperback, this is the pre-eminent critical study, and exploration, of how myth and legend played such a significant role in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.The Song of Middle-earth takes a fresh look at The Lord of the Rings, digging deep into the foundations of Tolkien's world to reveal the complex tapestry of history and mythology that lies behind his stories.The charge that Tolkien''s work was merely derivative that he extracted elements from other mythologies and incorporated them into his own fiction is dismissed in favour of a fascinating examination of the rich historical background to Middle-earth.From the mythic tradition of the Tales told in The Book of Lost Tales: I to the significance of oral storytelling throughout the history of Middle-earth, this book examines the common themes of mythology found within Tolkien's work.In doing so, The Song of Middle-earth demonstrates how Tolkien's desire to create a new mythology for England is not only apTrade Review.

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Book SynopsisThe cyber-martial arts saga that has spanned a solar system and over two decades in print returns, with creator Yukito Kishiro's new sequel that reveals the true story of Alita's childhood on Mars, and the mind-bending adventures that still await her. For centuries, war has raged on the dusty, red surface of Mars. This apocalyptic crucible will produce the solar system's most fearsome warrior, Alita. But for now that warrior is just a little girl named Yoko. The future and past of the battle angel fan out across the reaches of space in the final chapter of one of the greatest sci-fi epics of all time!

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Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WEEKEND''Savage: think Atwood in the outback''Paula Hawkins''An unforgettable reading experience''Liane Moriarty''Ferocious... recalls the early Elena Ferrante''NPR''A masterpiece''Guardian''Devastating'' EconomistShe hears her own thick voice deep inside her ears when she says, ''I need to know where I am.''The man stands there, tall and narrow, hand still on the doorknob, surprised.He says, almost in sympathy, ''Oh, sweetie. You need to know what you are.''Two women awaken from a drugged sleep to find themselves imprisoned in a brokendownproperty in the middle of a desert.Strangers to each other, they have no idea where they are or how they came to be therewith eight other girls, their heads shaved, guarded by Trade ReviewExposing the threads of misogyny, cowardice and abuses of power embedded in contemporary society, this is a confronting, sometimes deeply painful novel to read. With an unflinching eye and audacious imagination, Charlotte Wood carries us from a nightmare of helplessness and despair to a fantasy of revenge and reckoning. * Guardian *One of those unforgettable reading experiences. -- Liane Moriarity, author of Big Little Lies * The New York Times *Beautiful and savage - think Atwood in the outback. -- Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train * Guardian *A haunting parable of contemporary misogyny, The Natural Way of Things . . . is The Handmaid's Tale for our age . . . Ms Wood's writing is direct and spare, yet capable of bursting with unexpected beauty. * The Economist *A prescient feminist horror novel you need to read: The girls of Wood's novel are in no dystopia. Instead, they are imprisoned by present policing of their bodies, the corrosive discrimination of political and economic systems that turns women's bodies against them, rebuilding them as flesh and blood prisons. -- Stassa Edwards * Jezebel.com *You can't shake off this novel; it gets under your skin, fills your lungs, breaks your heart. As allegory, as a novel, as vision and as art it is stunning. -- Christos TsiolkasThe Natural Way of Things is a brave, brilliant book. I would defy anyone to read it and not come out a changed person. -- Malcolm Knox, author of The Wonder Lover and The LifeA fully imagined dystopian parable, vivid, insightful, the voices of young women echoing through the gum trees . . . -- Joan London, author of The Golden AgeThis is a stunning exploration of ambiguities - of power, of morality, of judgement . . . It will not leave you easily; it took my breath away. -- Ashley Hay, author of The Railwayman’s WifeFew other novels have captured the stain of misogyny quite like Charlotte Wood's The Natural Way of Things . . . Terrifying, remarkable and utterly unforgettable. -- Clementine FordThe Natural Way of Things is both harrowing and gorgeous. It feels, at times, like a nightmare; but one in which women make serious pacts, take serious pleasures, and reimagine what it might mean to live in the world. I feel as if I've been witness to the most terrible injustice, but also the most astonishing beauty. -- Fiona McFarlane, author of The Night Guest and The High PlacesAt once brutal and beautiful . . . Surreal yet intensely vivid, the novel is disturbing and enthralling . . . An absorbing plot, lyrical prose, and discomfiting imagery makes Wood's novel decidedly gripping. * Kirkus Reviews *A confronting and blazing read . . . A novel to provoke thought, conversation, disgust, anger and concern, a work that will haunt the reader with its poetry and the stark truths buried within Wood's brilliant exploration of a toxic culture in extremis. * Weekend Australian *A virtuoso performance, plotted deftly through a minefield of potential traps, weighted with allegory yet swift and sure in its narrative advance. -- Rosemary Sorensen * Sydney Review of Books *Wood's prose is beautiful, but it doesn't coddle. The Natural Way of Things is an unapologetic confrontation of misogyny and rape culture. It's a tough and necessary read. -- Jakob Vala, Tin House * The Portland Mercury *A dystopian fable, both gripping and lyrical. * Saturday Age *This is an extraordinary novel: inspired, powerful, at once coherent and dreamlike. -- Kerryn Goldsworthy * Sydney Morning Herald *A moving, mesmerising and brilliantly topical interrogation of misogyny that demands to be read at a sitting. * Adelaide Advertiser *Bold, provocative, startling and insightful. The Natural Way of Things is what fiction should be. * Newton Review of Books *The latest from Australian novelist Wood is allegory at its best, a phantasmagoric portrait of modern culture's sexual politics textured by psychological realism and sparing lyricism. * Publisher's Weekly *A ferocious new novel by the Australian Charlotte Wood whose writing recalls the early Elena Ferrante - it's tough, direct, and makes no attempt to be ingratiating . . . what keeps all this from seeming doctrinaire is the book's sheer imaginative intensity. Wood's writing crackles with vivid precision . . . Yolanda and Verla strip away the historical veneer of female subservience. They recreate themselves based on a deeper, more complicated vision of the natural order, one that grasps the bond between all living beings. I'd like to tell you that this is a happy ending, but Wood is too honest to offer anything so reassuringly easy. Even as her heroines begin a radical new way of living, Wood knows that the natural way of things is as risky and wild as it is free. -- John Powers * NPR Fresh Air *Vicious and prescient and astonishingly visceral. The Natural Way Of Things resonates with you long after you've read the final pages. A Handmaid's Tale for end times, this is an important book about contemporary femininity. * The Believer *What sets Wood's The Natural Way of Things apart, what makes it a truly urgent read is that it is not an allegory and it is not a dystopian novel: it is a reality. As such, The Natural Way of Things, a work that takes the reality of misogyny and toxic cultural notions about women's sexuality and very bluntly bulldozes those ideas, is exactly what we should be reading right now. * Full Stop *With echoes of Kafka and The Lord of the Flies . . . Wood's raw and complex story delves into themes of friendship as two of the imprisoned form a strong yet unconventional bond through their survival efforts. It also depicts the tyranny of misogyny with the same coarse grit and degradation that scours women around the globe, while simultaneously spotlighting their courage and fortitude. Uncomfortably bold, The Natural Way of Things is an everywoman's hero tale. * Shelf Awareness *It's like digesting a living creature, one with claws still intact . . . if Wood is concerned with investigating and condemning masculine violence, both in its overt manifestations and those encoded in the structure of contemporary culture, she is too much of an artist to reduce her critique to a simple binary . . . the final effect is stunning. * The Saturday Paper *

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Book Synopsis'Compelling' GUARDIAN'Incredibly well written . . . I really enjoyed it' MARIAN KEYES'One of the most sophisticated works of science fiction I've read recently' NEW YORK TIMES The promise at Nepenthe is simple: they will erase the memories you cannot live with.After the procedure, psychologist Noor will assess you for two things: your mental wellbeing, and the successful erasure of the memory. But there is no assessment if you choose to delete the memory of the Nepenthe procedure itself. If you do that, you're on your own.And what if one day, out of the blue, your memory is offered back to you - would you want to remember what you've chosen to forget?'Extraordinary' EMMA STONEX 'Riveting' KAREN THOMPSON WALKER 'Utterly captivating' LUCY CLARKE Thought-provoking. I loved it' MARCEL THEROUX Trade ReviewHarkin's characters are drawn with wit and economy, and watching their stories dovetail is pure pleasure * The Times *Incredibly nicely written . . . [Jo Harkin] writes really well about human beings. I really enjoyed it -- Marian KeyesThis compelling cautionary tale is set in an alternative present where it's possible to have painful memories removed . . . Interconnecting narratives by multiple character . . . weave into an ensemble piece that raises fascinating questions about how we use memory both to create and dismantle ourselves, and the ultimate mystery of who, or possibly what, "myself" actually is * Guardian *A narrative that is as page-turning as a thriller, and as thought-provoking as an inquiry into the human mind should be * i Paper *An extraordinary novel-- intelligent and searching, with deep questions about humanity, history and self. Expansive in its scope and themes, but never losing touch with its characters' hearts and minds, Tell Me an Ending is gripping, inventive, and a memory I'll never forget -- Emma Stonex

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