Dystopian & Alternative History Fiction Books

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 SynopsisDirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is a much-loved cult classic, that has spawned radio dramas, television, theatre and comic book adaptations across the globe.What do a dead cat, a computer whiz-kid, an Electric Monk who believes the world is pink, quantum mechanics, a Chronologist over two hundred years old, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet), and pizza have in common?Apparently not much; until Dirk Gently, self-styled private investigator, sets out to prove the fundamental interconnectedness of all things by solving a mysterious murder, assisting a mysterious professor, unravelling a mysterious mystery, and eating a lot of pizza – not to mention saving the entire human race from extinction along the way (at no extra charge). To find out more, read this book (better still, buy it then read it) – or contact Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. 'A thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romantic-musical-comedy-epic' - Douglas Adams.Continue this surreal series with The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul and the unfinished The Salmon of Doubt.Trade ReviewAn astonishing comic writer -- Neil GaimanRich and endlessly entertaining -- Stephen ManganA pleasure to read * New York Times *Few recent writers have had such an infectious prose style as Adams. With his fondness for paradox, his galactic perspective on things and his wonderful way with meaningful nonsense his are the books which have launched a trillion quips -- Robert McFarlane

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Book SynopsisA tale set in a bleak future society torn by class divisions follows the experiences of secret revolutionary Darrow, who after witnessing his wife''s execution by an oppressive government joins a revolutionary cell and attempts to infiltrate an elite military academy.

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Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ? Red Rising thrilled readers and announced the presence of a talented new author. Golden Son changed the game and took the story of Darrow to the next level. Now comes the exhilarating next chapter in the Red Rising Saga: Morning Star.ITW THRILLER AWARD FINALIST ??[Brown?s] achievement is in creating an uncomfortably familiar world of flaw, fear, and promise.??Entertainment WeeklyDarrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society?s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within. Finally, the time has come. But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied?and too glorious to surrender.Praise for Morning Star?There is no one writing today who does shameless, Michael Bay?style action set pieces the way Brown does. The battle scenes are kinetic, bloody, breathless, crazy. Everything is on fire all the time.??NPR ?Morning Star is this trilogy?s Return of the Jedi. . . . The impactful battles that make up most of Morning Star are damn near operatic. . . . It absolutely satisfies.??Tordotcom ?Excellent . . . Brown?s vivid, first-person prose puts the reader right at the forefront of impassioned speeches, broken families, and engaging battle scenes . . . as this interstellar civil war comes to a most satisfying conclusion.??Publishers Weekly (starred review) ?A page-turning epic filled with twists and turns . . . The conclusion to Brown?s saga is simply stellar.??Booklist (starred review)Don?t miss any of Pierce Brown?s Red Rising Saga:RED RISING ?GOLDEN SON ?MORNING STAR ?IRON GOLD ?DARK AGE ? LIGHT BRINGER

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Book SynopsisThis Snow Crash thing--is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?Juanita shrugs. What''s the difference?The only relief from the sea of logos is within the well-guarded borders of the Burbclaves. Is it any wonder that most sane folks have forsaken the real world and chosen to live in the computer-generated universe of virtual reality?In a major city, the size of a dozen Manhattans, is a domain of pleasures limited only by the imagination. But now a strange new computer virus called Snow Crash is striking down hackers everywhere, leaving an unlikely young pizza delivery man as humankind''s last best hope.The perfect cyberpunk sci-fi read, Snow Crash is an equally worthy successor to William Gibson''s Neuromancer and predecessor to Ernest Cline''s Ready Player One.***What readers are saying about Snow Crash:''It''s hard to believe Neal wrote his books when the published date claims. He''s always so right about the future, and I keep on hoping he''s so wrong'' Goodreads Reader Review''Snow Crash is to Books as The Matrix is to movies (with only the absolute BEST parts of Tron and Da Vinci Code thrown in)'' Goodreads Reader Review''Loved it! Can''t recommend it highly enough. Everyone should read this book. Go do it. Do it now. It''s just awesome. You won''t regret it'' Goodreads Reader Review''It''s hilarious and mind-blowing. From the first page to the last, I was amazed at just how much influence this book has had on TV, movies, etc.'' Goodreads Reader ReviewTrade ReviewStephenson excels in marrying geekspeak with riotous action * Guardian *A cross between Neuromancer and Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. This is no mere hyperbole * San Francisco Bay Guardian *Brilliantly realized. Stephenson [is] an engaging guide to an onrushing tomorrow * The New York Times *A fantastic, slam-bang-overdrive, supersurrealistic, comic-spooky whirl through a tomorrow that is already happening. Stephenson is intelligent, perceptive, hip * Timothy Leary *Like a Pynchon novel with the brakes removed * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR FILMIF YOU'VE SEEN WHAT'S OUT THERE IT'S ALREADY TOO LATEMalorie raises the children the only way she can: indoors, with the doors locked, the curtains closed, and mattresses nailed over the windows.The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall, but soon she will have to wake them and blindfold them.Today they will risk everything. Today they will leave the house.Josh Malerman's New York Times bestselling Bird Box is a terrifying psychological thriller that will haunt you long after reading.Trade Review‘BIRD BOX turns the old Hollywood cliché of facing down the demon inside out – then tears it into little pieces’Daily Mail ‘A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one's fingers'Hugh Howey ‘A lean, spellbinding thriller that Stephen King fans will relish.’Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW) ‘You wonder whether that brush against your shoulder was some unspeakable horror or merely a falling leaf’SFX ‘This completely compelling novel contains a thousand subtle touches but no mere flourishes – it is so well, so efficiently, so directly written I read it with real admiration’Peter Straub ‘Nailbiting … will keep you gripped till the last chapter’SciFiNow 'Unflagging suspense and ever-present dread’Adam Nevill 'Uniquely disturbing, exceptionally compelling and beautifully written, I defy anyone not to read it in one sitting'Sarah Pinborough ‘An unsettling thriller, earns comparisons to Hitchcock's The Birds, as well as the finer efforts of Stephen King and cult sci-fi fantasist Jonathan Carroll.’– Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW)

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Book SynopsisNaomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.Former Aerial Corps captain Will Laurence and his faithful dragon, Temeraire, have been put out to pasture in Australia and it seems their part in the war has ended just when they are needed most.The French have invaded Spain, forged an alliance with Africa's powerful Tswana empire, and brought revolution to Brazil. With Britain's last desperate hope of defeating Napoleon in peril, the government that sidelined Laurence swiftly offers to reinstate him, convinced that he's the best man to enter the fray and negotiate peace. So the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that forces them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire.With the success of the mission balanced on a razor's edge, an oldTrade Review‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.’Peter Jackson ‘Novik won me over with her first novel… the combination of military history, sympathetic characters, and engaging style makes this series great, intelligent fun.’The Times ‘Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention. In short a treat.’The Telegraph ‘Novik has stirred the passions with a genre-busting historical fantasy of the first order.'Sunday Sport 'In the best tradition of fantasy, historical fiction and nautical novels.'Guardian

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Book SynopsisUnder the watchful eye of The Company, three characters Grayson, Morse and Chen shapeshifters, amorphous, part human, part extensions of the landscape, make their way through forces that would consume them. A blue fox, a giant fish and language stretched to the limit.A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman haunted by a demon who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. A giant leviathan of a fish, centuries old, who hides a secret, remembering a past that may not be its own. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war for the fate of the world against an all-powerful corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, haunted by his own creation: an invisible monster whose name he has forgotten and whose purpose remains hidden.Jeff VanderMeer''s Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifTrade ReviewPraise for Dead Astronauts: ‘A genuinely innovative artwork requires time to fulfil its effect. Jeff VanderMeer’s Dead Astronauts is one such work – bewildering, perplexing, original – and I would recommend that readers allow it the concentration it demands’ Guardian ‘There's beauty as well as horror here; moments of weaponised whimsy, plus his usual clear-eyed ecological themes. This is wild science fiction, but it's also an angry book that's very much about the present day… you'll find some of the author's strongest writing and a genuinely original tale of environmental apocalypse’ SFX Magazine ‘An immersive, fantastical adventure, but also a compelling allegory for the role of individual resistance in the face of seemingly intractable planet-sized problems like climate change’ New York Times Praise for Borne: ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel’ Colson Whitehead ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s deeply strange and brilliant new novel extends the meditation on the central question of non-human sentience in his earlier work … No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography’ Neel Mukherjee, Guardian ‘From being a very successful SF writer, VanderMeer will become mainstream – and Borne is full of signs that he is already thinking ahead of that easy transition, and perhaps subverting it’ Toby Litt, New Statesman Praise for The Southern Reach Trilogy: ‘ Creepy and fascinating’ Stephen King ‘Hauntingly weird and brilliantly new … These are contemporary masterpieces and career-defining novels’ Adam Robert, Books of the Year, Guardian

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Book SynopsisCormac McCarthy was the author of many acclaimed novels, including Blood Meridian, Child of God and The Passenger. Among his honours are the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His works adapted to film include All the Pretty Horses, The Road and No Country for Old Men the latter film receiving four Academy Awards, including the award for Best Picture. McCarthy died in 2023 in Santa Fe, NM at the age of 89.Trade ReviewA powerful and talented writer, able to elicit compassion for his protagonist however terrible his action. * Sunday Times *A reading experience so impressive, so "new", so clearly well made that it seems almost to defy the easy aesthetic categories . . . Accomplished in rare, spare, precise yet poetic prose. * New Republic *McCarthy charts the terrible decline of Lester Ballard with passion, tenderness, eloquence, and a humour which, at its best, is attuned perfectly to the bitter wryness of the South. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisA FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARThe dark, dangerous, funny and uplifting new novel from the author of Annihilation, the inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Alex Garland.Neither of us had control of our monsters anymore'In a ruined city of the future, Rachel scavenges a strange creature from the fur of a despotic bear.She names him Borne.He reminds her of her homeland lost to rising seas, but her lover Wick is intent on rendering him down as raw material for the special drugs he sells. Nothing is quite what it seems, and if Wick is hiding secrets, so too is Rachel and Borne most of all.Trade Review‘Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel’ Colson Whitehead ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s deeply strange and brilliant new novel extends the meditation on the central question of non-human sentience in his earlier work … No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography’ Neel Mukherjee, Guardian ‘From being a very successful SF writer, VanderMeer will become mainstream – and Borne is full of signs that he is already thinking ahead of that easy transition, and perhaps subverting it’ Toby Litt, New Statesman ‘No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography, at once a wasteland and yet seething with the weirdest kind of flora, fauna and biotech’ Neel Mukherjee, Observer ‘As Borne grows and evolves, so develops a weird family dynamic in a novel that is as much of a fascinating hybrid as its title character, both an enthralling fantasy adventure and a bleak eco-dystopic admonition’ James Lovegrove, Financial Times ‘Borne is a fantastic read, a vivid vision of an apocalyptic future that defies expectations and challenges any preconceptions as to how events are going to unfold. It can be disturbing at times – there are some chilling moments that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror novel – but it’s a book that ultimately transcends genre, offering its reader a range of emotions and a finale that provides more than one twist, all of which should be applauded. Rachel’s story is one that will stay in the memory for a long time; VanderMeer shares her hopes and dreams with us, as well as her failures and concerns, making Borne an intimate portrayal that appeals on a multitude of levels’ Starburst

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Book SynopsisWhen London is lost beneath the rising tides, unconscious desires rush to the surface in this apocalyptic tale from the author of Crash' and Empire of the Sun', reissued here with an introduction from Martin Amis.All the way down the creek, perched in the windows of the office blocks and department stores, the iguanas watched them go past.London, 2145. The climate crisis has transformed the city into a primeval jungle, with rising tides and oppressive heat putting human life at risk. The streets are now swamps; lush tropical vegetation grows up the walls of the Ritz and reptiles are seen swimming through the newly-formed lagoons. Some flee the wasteland capital; others remain to pursue reckless schemes in the name of science and profit. As the world comes face to face with its future, how will humanity reckon with its ancient past?Trade Review‘The most important British writer of the latter half of the 20th century’ Will Self ‘Powerful and beautifully clear … Ballard’s potent symbols of beauty and dismay inundate the reader’s mind’ Brian Aldiss ‘One of the brightest stars in post-war fiction. This tale of strange and terrible adventure in a world of steaming jungles has an oppressive power reminiscent of Conrad’ Kingsley Amis ‘Extraordinarily prescient … Ballard is a prophet’ Philip Pullman, Guardian ‘The terrifying thing about Ballard is his logic; is this science fiction or history written ahead of its time?’ Len Deighton

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

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Book SynopsisDISCOVER PUCKOON, SPIKE MILLIGAN''S CLASSIC SLAPSTICK NOVEL''Pops with the erratic brilliance of a careless match in a box of fireworks'' Daily MailIn 1924 the Boundary Commission is tasked with creating the new official division between Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State. Through incompetence, dereliction of duty and sheer perversity, the border ends up running through the middle of the small town of Puckoon.Houses are divided from outhouses, husbands separated from wives, bars are cut off from their patrons, churches sundered from graveyards. And in the middle of it all is poor Dan Milligan, our feckless protagonist, who is taunted and manipulated by everyone (including the sadistic author) to try and make some sense of this mess . . .''Bursts at the seams with superb comic characters involved in unbelievably likely troubles on the Irish border'' Observer''Our first comic philosopher'' EddiTrade ReviewBursts at the seams with superb comic characters involved in unbelievably likely troubles on the Irish border * Observer *Pops with the erratic brilliance of a careless match in a box of fireworks * Daily Mail *Our first comic philosopher -- Eddie IzzardMilligan is the Great God to all of us -- John Cleese

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Darrow returns as Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling Red Rising series continues in the thrilling sequel to Dark Age.The Reaper is a legend, more myth than man: the savior of worlds, the leader of the Rising, the breaker of chains. But the Reaper is also Darrow, born of the red soil of Mars: a husband, a father, a friend. Marooned far from home after a devastating defeat on the battlefields of Mercury, Darrow longs to return to his wife and sovereign, Virginia, to defend Mars from its bloodthirsty would-be conqueror Lysander. Lysander longs to destroy the Rising and restore the supremacy of Gold, and will raze the worlds to realize his ambitions. The worlds once needed the Reaper. But now they need Darrow, and Darrow needs the people he loves—Virginia, Cassius, Sevro—in order to defend the Republic. So begins Darrow’s long voyage home, an interplan

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Thriller of the Month'Stunning . . . one of the most compelling reads of the year' – Daily ExpressExpertly researched and visionary in scale, international number one bestseller Ken Follett’s Never is more than a thriller. It imagines a scenario we all hope never comes true, one which will keep you transfixed until the final page . . .A stolen US army drone.A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert.A secret stash of deadly chemicals.Each is a threat to global stability. Each can be overcome with only the highest levels of diplomacy. But when those in charge disagree and refuse to back down, an international chain reaction kicks off with potentially catastrophic consequences: a world edging closer to war . . .Now three people must work with the utmost skill to stop that from happening:A spy working undercover with jihadis.A brilliant Chinese spymaster.A US president beleaguered by a populist rival for the next election.The only question is – in a game of brinksmanship, can the inevitable ever be stopped?'Bold in scale and meticulously researched' – Sunday Times'His best yet' - Stephen KingUrgent and fiercely compelling’ – The Washington PostMore than 175 million copies sold worldwide. Published in over 80 territories and 37 languages. The international no.1 bestselling phenomenon returns.Trade ReviewKen Follett has never been short of ambition. And it’s the global scope and vast multinational cast that chiefly impress in Never, his return to contemporary storytelling . . . Bold in scale and meticulously researched, Never makes other international spy novels appear timid, lazy and parochial -- Sunday Times Thriller of the Month November 2021I couldn't put it down . . . terrifying read . . . masterful detail . . . It's a stunning thriller and one of the most compelling reads of the year. It's not quite The Godfather, but it comes pretty close -- Daily ExpressA master storyteller, Follett has created a tale vast in scale, yet richly detailed, exploring the consequences of international power plays and the chilling imminence of global catastrophe. * The i *An ambitious and compelling narrative, exploring the consequences of international power plays and the chilling imminence of global catastrophe -- Press Association syndicated reviewUrgent and fiercely compelling . . . Never is first-rate entertainment that has something important to say. It deserves the popular success it will almost certainly achieve -- Washington PostSuperstar novelist Ken Follett’s what-if political thriller . . . is so exciting – and so plausible – you won’t want to look away -- Apple Books Best Book of the MonthSettle in for a thrilling ride -- CNN.comFollett’s story captivates -- Christian Science MonitorA complex, scary thriller that feels too plausible for comfort. You’ll be so absorbed in the story threads that you’ll follow them anywhere – and you’ll suddenly realize you’ve read hundreds of pages . . . On one level, it’s great entertainment; on another, a window into a sobering possibility -- Kirkus Reviews starred reviewAbsolutely compelling . . . A smart, scary, and all-too-plausible thriller -- BooklistTerrific . . . A powerful, commanding performance from one of the top writers in the genre -- Publishers Weekly starred review[Follett] weaves a web of intrigue . . . Shocking to the very last page * Sunday Express *Taking readers on a thrilling, rollercoaster ride through 800 pages of dazzling storytelling, Follett brings his extraordinary visionary talents to this powerful and far-reaching novel. * Lancashire Evening Post *A pacey, character-driven thriller set against the backdrop of an imminent Third World War * Choice Magazine *Told in Follett's hallmark widescreen style, the blockbuster thriller is packed with memorable characters and global politics, it's a nail-biting ride! * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *

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

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Book SynopsisThe fourth in The Faithful and the Fallen series, Wrath by John Gwynne is the breathtaking, pulse-pounding conclusion to an epic series.It’s time to brave the final battle . . .Events are coming to a climax in the Banished Lands, as the war reaches new heights. King Nathair has seized the fortress at Drassil, and now possesses three of the Seven Treasures. And with Calidus and Queen Rhin, Nathair will do anything to obtain the rest. They will allow him to open a portal to the Otherworld - so Asroth and his demon-horde can break into the Banished Lands and finally become flesh.Meanwhile Corban has been captured by the Jotun, warrior giants who ride enormous bears into battle. His warband scattered, Corban must make new allies to survive. But can he bond with competing factions of warlike giants? Somehow he must, to counter the threat Nathair represents. His life hangs in the balance - and with it, the fate of the Banished LanTrade ReviewA breathtakingly perfect finale to a series that has grown from strength to wonderful strength. Poignant, pulse-pounding and phenomenally paced, Wrath is a satisfying – and heart-breaking – climax that Tolkien himself would be proud to have penned * Fantasy Faction *A masterpiece in modern fantasy and a breathtaking finale to what is my all-time favourite fantasy series * The Tattooed Book Geek *Unpredictable, exhilarating * Fantasy Book Review *Engrossing . . . excellent writing * Sunday Sport *Masterpiece . . . damn near perfection * Booknest *

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Book SynopsisConfronting The Past - Controlling The Future. With an execution order on her head, Yelena has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of her birth. With only a year to master her magic – or face death – Yelena must begin her apprenticeship and travels to the Four Towers of the Magician’s Keep. But nothing in Sitia is familiar. Not the family to whom she is a stranger. Not the unsettling new facets of her magic. Not the brother who resents her return. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her rare powers, a rogue magician emerges – and Yelena catches his eye. Suddenly she is embroiled in battle against good and evil. And once again it will be her magical abilities that will either save her life…or be her downfall.

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Book SynopsisThe fifth instalment of the New York Times bestselling series, Temeraire. Laurence waits to be hanged as a traitor to the Crown, and Temeraire is confined to the breeding grounds as Napoleon invades Britain, and takes London.Laurence and Temeraire have betrayed the British. They have foiled their attempts to inflict death upon the French dragons by sharing the cure they found in Africa with their enemy.But following their conscience has a price. Laurence feels he must return to face the consequences, and as soon as they land they are taken into custody. Laurence is condemned to the gallows and Temeraire faces a life of captivity in the breeding grounds. None of their friends or allies can come to their aid, for every hand is needed elsewhere.Britain is completely unprepared for Bonaparte invasion and the advanced tactics of his own celestial dragon Temeraire''s mortal enemy Lien.Trade Review‘These are beautifully written novels, not only fresh, original and fast-paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart.’Peter Jackson ‘Novik won me over with her first novel… the combination of military history, sympathetic characters, and engaging style makes this series great, intelligent fun.’The Times ‘Plenty of intrigue, swordplay, exotic locations, plausible invention. In short a treat.’The Telegraph ‘In the best tradition of fantasy, historical fiction and nautical novels.’Guardian

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Book SynopsisTHE BRILLIANT NEW NOVEL FROM THE ORANGE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN.Distinctly chilling' IndependentUnsettling as it is entertaining' Financial TimesIt''s scaring the hell out of me' Tracy ChevalierIn this eerily prophetic novel from the Orange Prize-winning author ofWe Need to Talk About Kevin, a once-wealthy family faces the prospect of ruin. This apocalypse is financial the dollar is in meltdown, America's national debt far beyond repayment.It is 2029.The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their 97-year-old patriarch dies, but now their inheritance is turned to ash. Each family member must contend with disappointment, but also as the effects of the downturn start to hit the challenge of sheer survival.Recently affluent Avery is petulant that she can't buy olive oil, while her sister Florence is forced to absorb strays into her increasingly cramped household. As their father Carter fumes at having to care for his demented stepmother now that a nursing home is too expensive, his sister Nollie, an expat author, returns from abroad at 73 to a country that's unrecognizable.Perhaps only Florence's oddball teenage son Willing, an economics autodidact, can save this formerly august American family from the streetsTrade ReviewPraise for THE MANDIBLES: A Family, 2029–2047 ‘As ever, Shriver cuts close to the bone! . . . Distinctly chilling’ Independent ‘A tale that fizzes with ideas and jokes . . . the comedy is pitch black’ The Times ‘All too chillingly plausible…profoundly frightening’ Observer ‘Shriver is fast becoming the go-to novelist for some of the big issues . . . breezy, mordantly comic . . . if the test of a futuristic novel is its eerie proximity to the present, this passes with flying colours’ Daily Mail ‘A gleeful nightmare, it made me snort with laughter even as I was shuddering’ SARAH WATERS, Best Books of the Summer, Guardian ‘Brilliant satire… frankly terrifying’ SARAH CHURCHWELL, Best Books of the Summer, Guardian ‘Searing… establishes her firmly as the Cassandra of American letters… I don’t remember the last time a novel held me so enduringly in its grip’ The New York Times ‘A powerful work investigating the fragility of the financial world. Prescient, imaginative and funny, it also asks deep questions’ The Economist ‘Impressively sweeping… Shriver’s intelligence, mordant humour and vicious leaps of imagination all combine to make this a novel that is as unsettling as it is entertaining’ Financial Times ‘A sharp social eye and a blistering comic streak … great, disconcerting fun’ The New Yorker ‘Hilarious and brilliant … scary in the best possible way’ Elle ‘A provocative and very funny page-turner’ Wall Street Journal ‘Shriver really makes you think about the nature of money . . . By the end, The Mandibles had got under my skin’ Evening Standard ‘It's scaring the hell out of me’ TRACY CHEVALIER ‘A scary, depressing and convincing horror story’ Spectator ‘Insightful and darkly funny’ Good Housekeeping

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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 SynopsisONE OF THE BBC''S ''100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''The year is 2021. No child has been born for twenty-five years. The human race faces extinction.Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is, until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters. Suddenly his life is changed irrevocably as he faces agonising choices which could affect the future of mankind.

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Book SynopsisFrom internationally bestselling author Terry Goodkind, comes this outstanding epic adventure set in the captivating world of his classic Sword of Truth novels.As her husband, Richard, desperately searches for his beloved, who only he remembers, he knows that if she doesn't soon discover who she really is, she will unwittingly become the instrument that will unleash annihilation. But Kahlan learns that if she ever were to unlock the truth of her lost identify, the evil itself would finally possess her, body and soul.If she is to survive in a murky world of deception and betrayal, where life is not cheap but fleeting, Kahlan must find out why she is such a central figure in the war-torn world swirling around her. What she uncovers are secrets darker than she could ever have imagined.Trade ReviewPraise for Terry Goodkind: ‘A real born storyteller'Anne McCaffrey 'Everything one could ask for in an epic fantasy'Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisFrom internationally bestselling author Terry Goodkind, comes this outstanding epic adventure set in the captivating world of his classic Sword of Truth novels.The Sword of Truth is Terry Goodkind''s wonderfully creative, seamless, and stirring epic fantasy set in a fascinating world rich in detail, history and incredible violence.Reluctant hero turned magical warrior Richard Rahl has long since learned the wizard''s first rule (People are stupid and will believe almost anything) and accepted his fate. With his beloved Kahlan Amnell, the last Mother Confessor, he has battled unearthly adversaries, military foes, the Underworld, the malign and wild magic of the Old World, even the elements themselves.Now Terry Goodkind, acclaimed and superlatively gifted storyteller, delivers another thrilling novel, with all the complexity and taut characterization we''ve come to expect from this master of fantasy.Trade ReviewPraise for Terry Goodkind: ‘A real born storyteller'Anne McCaffrey 'Everything one could ask for in an epic fantasy'Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisPre-order Andrew Hunter Murray's brilliantly entertaining new thriller A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering coming May 2024!Half the world is in darkness. Only she can save the light . . . the post-apocalyptic bestselling read.'A brilliant near-future thriller and a really cracking read' Richard Osman'Will keep you gripped to the very last page' C.J. Tudor'Wonderful ... the best future-shock thriller for years.' Lee Child'A stunningly original thriller' Harlan Coben'A beautifully realised and thought-provoking thriller' The Times'Intriguing and unusual' Sunday Times____________________2059. The world has stopped turning. One half suffers an endless frozen night; the other, nothing but burning sun.Only in a slim twilit region between them can life survive.In an isolationist Britain clinging on in the twilight zone, scientist Ellen Hopper receives a letter from a dying man. It contains a powerful and dangerous secret.One that those in power will kill to conceal . . .____________________'Reminiscent of Robert Harris's high-concept conspiracy thrillers' Financial Times'I read this hungrily ... A fabulous achievement.' Stephen Fry'Inventive, richly detailed world-building' Telegraph'A tantalizing, suspenseful odyssey of frustration, deceit, treachery, torture, hope, despair and ingenious sleuthing' Washington Post'A taut, thrilling runaround' Guardian'A brilliant debut ... Fans of Robert Harris will love it' Daily Express'To say it's gripping is an understatement' Sara Pascoe'Murray has crafted something original ... an interesting new twist on a post-apocalyptic tale.' Kirkus'Downright impossible to stop reading.' Booklist'Dark, believable and brilliantly written' Jenny Colgan'I couldn't put this book down!' Christina DalcherTrade ReviewI read this hungrily ... Its intelligence and bravura characterization will have you turning page after page. A fabulous achievement. * STEPHEN FRY *A brilliantly clever thriller from a brilliantly clever writer. -- Richard OsmanMurray should be commended for going into the nitty-gritty of how his post-disaster society functions[…] What really distinguishes the book, though, is the creative energy of its world-building: it demonstrates the virtue of using the future as a playground for the imagination rather than trying to second-guess it. * Telegraph: the best thrillers and crime fiction of 2020 *A taut, thrilling runaround... The Last Day is an impressive dystopian techno-thriller. Murray paints a grim picture of a draconian isolationist Britain, with some vivid descriptions of a much-changed London, and the novel’s climax has a neat twist. * Guardian Books of the Month *A brilliant debutwhich blends apocalyptic drama with a tale of espionage, keeping readers on tenterhooks […] Fans of Robert Harris will love it. * Daily Express *

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

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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 SynopsisThe classic dystopian manga returns in three 3-in-1 omnibus editions! An elite student named Shion lives a seemingly perfect life in the city of No. 6, where life is carefully controlled down to the last detail. However, everything changes one fateful night when Shion offers an injured young man shelter from a storm. Known only as Rat, this boy is a VCfugitive living outside the computerized tapestry of city controlhelping him throws Shion's life into chaos and starts him down a path to discovering the appalling secrets behind the superficial perfection of No. 6. Includes volumes 1-3.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best NovelJurassic Park meets Parks & Recreation in The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set on an alternate Earth – perfect for fans of Adrian Tchaikovsky and Michel Crichton.‘John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today’ – Joe Hill, author of The FiremanA Financial Times Book of the YearThey're big, they're bad and they're about to become extinct . . .Jamie’s dream was to hit the big time at a New York tech start-up. Jamie’s reality was a humiliating lay-off, then a low-wage job as a takeaway delivery driver. During a pandemic too. Things look beyond grim, until a chance delivery to an old acquaintance. Tom has an urgent vacancy on his team: the pay is great and Jamie has debts – it’s a no-brainer choice. Yet, once again, reality fails to match expectations. Only this time it could be fatal.It seems Tom’s ‘animal rights organization’ is way more than it appears. The animals aren’t even on Earth – or not our Earth, anyway. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures roam a tropical, human-free world. And although Kaiju are their universe’s largest and most dangerous animal, they need support to survive.Tom’s ‘Kaiju Preservation Society’ wants to help. However, others want to profit. Unless they’re stopped, the walls between our worlds could fall – and the consequences would be devastating.Trade ReviewA more ethical Jurassic Park meets the camaraderie of Parks and Recreation in this wonderfully witty and refreshingly earnest adventure yarn . . . Sure to delight -- Publishers WeeklyBubbles with . . . banter and snarky humour -- Kirkus ReviewsAn escapist delight -- The TimesSheer geeky pleasure from start to finish -- Financial TimesHugely enjoyable, intelligent and good-humoured fun -- GuardianHis most entertaining [novel] . . . a huge success -- SFXJohn Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today -- Joe Hill on Old Man's WarScalzi is one of the slickest writers that SF has ever produced -- Wall Street Journal on Old Man's WarRousing storytelling and satisfying intrigue . . . an engaging, well-crafted sci-fi drama -- SFX on The Collapsing EmpireScalzi is not producing didactic fiction; he’s telling a great story -- Huffington Post on Lock InClever dialogue, fast-paced story and strong characters -- The Times on the Old Man's War seriesAn incredible imagination -- LA Times on The Consuming Fire

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

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Book SynopsisShion accidentally learns that his childhood friend Safu is under arrest all because of him! Not wanting to get Rat involved, Shion sets out alone to save her. But how can he possibly infiltrate No. 6's secure correctional facility and escape with a high-priority prisoner all on his own? Includes volumes 4-6.

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

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Book SynopsisItalo Calvino (Author) Italo Calvino was born in Cuba in 1923 and grew up in Italy. He was an essayist and journalist and a member of the editorial staff of Einaudi in Turin. One of the most respected writers of the twentieth century, his best-known works of fiction include Invisible Cities, If on a Winter's Night a Traveller, Marcovaldo and Mr Palomar. In 1973 he won the prestigious Premio Feltrinelli. He died in 1985. A collection of Calvino's posthumous personal writings, The Hermit in Paris, was published in 2003.William Weaver (Translator) William Weaver has translated Umberto Eco, Italo Svevo, Primo Levi, Italo Calvino and Roberto Calasso, among others. He is a professor at Bard College.Trade ReviewHere, Calvino, probably Italy's leading novelist before he died, focuses a probing eye on one man's attempt to name the parts of his universe, almost as though Mr Palomar were trying to define and explain his own existence. Where the Palomar telescope points out into space, Mr Palomar points in: walking the beach, visiting the zoo, strolling in his garden. Each brief chapter reads like an exploded haiku, with Mr Palomar reading an universe into the proverbial grain of sand * Time Out *Beautifully nimble, solitary feats of imaginationCalvino represents a high point of literary evolution; his skill is immense but retains a simian agility. As ever, his gaze is crystal clear and his writing has the easy beauty of clarity. * New Statesman *

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Book Synopsis The hauntingly prophetic classic novel set in a not-too-distant future where books are burned by a special task force of firemen. Over 1 million copies sold in the UK. Trade Review‘Another indispensible classic’ The Times ‘Fahrenheit 451 is the most skilfully drawn of all science fiction’s conformist hells’Kingsley Amis ‘Bradbury’s is a very great and unusual talent’Christopher Isherwood ‘Ray Bradbury has a powerful and mysterious imagination which would undoubtedly earn the respect of Edgar Allen Poe’ Guardian 'It is impossible not to admire the vigour of his prose, similes and metaphors constantly cascading from his imagination' Spectator 'As a science fiction writer, Ray Bradbury has long been streets ahead of anyone else' Daily Telegraph ‘No other writer uses language with greater originality and zest. he seems to be a American Dylan Thomas – with dsicipline’ Sunday Telegraph

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

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Book SynopsisThe million-copy bestselling series about a small Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time.Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s moving Before the Coffee Gets Cold, translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, explores the age-old question: what would you do if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the cafe’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by Alzheimer's, see their sister one last time, and meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .Continue the beautiful storytelling with Tales from the Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades, and Before We Say Goodbye.

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

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Book Synopsis

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