From Huxley's Brave New World in 1932 to The Hunger Games, our fascination with the speculative & extreme never dwindles
Dystopian & Alternative History Fiction Books
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC How High We Go in the Dark
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2022 FINALIST FOR THE BARNES & NOBLE DISCOVER PRIZE 2022 FINALIST FOR THE URSULA LE GUIN PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022 WATERSTONES AND ESQUIRE BEST BOOKS OF 2022 ‘Haunting and luminous … An astonishing debut’ – Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta 'A powerfully moving and thought provoking read. At times sublime, strange and deeply human' Adrian Tchaikovsky, bestselling author of the Children of Time series Siberia, 2031. After a virus, unearthed from melting permafrost, unleashes a deadly plague upon humanity, those left alive are forced to adapt to a new world, and do so in myriad moving and inventive ways. Among those adjusting to this new normal are an aspiring comedian, employed by a theme park designed for terminally ill children, who falls in love with a mother trying desperately to keep her son alive; a scientist who, having failed to save his own son from the plague, gets a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjects — a pig — develops human speech; and a widowed painter and her teenage granddaughter who must set off on cosmic quest to locate a new home planet. A story of unshakeable hope that seamlessly crosses literary lines, How High We Go in the Dark follows a cast of intricately linked characters spanning hundreds of years as humankind endeavours to restore the delicate balance of the world. Wonderful and disquieting, dreamlike and all too possible. [How High We Go in the Dark] reaches far beyond our stars while its heart remains rooted to Earth, and reminds us that our wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of our world - Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree Trade ReviewHaunting and luminous, How High We Go in the Dark orchestrates its multitude of memorable voices into beautiful and lucid Science Fiction that resembles a fitful future memory of our present. An astonishing debut * Alan Moore, creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta *Imaginative and fascinating … On a sentence level, the writing in this book is simply beautiful ... An immersive, hypnotic read * Roxane Gay *A powerfully moving and thought provoking read. At times sublime, strange and deeply human * Adrian Tchaikovsky, bestselling and award-winning author of the Children of Time series *As ambitious as it is intimate, How High We Go in the Dark is both a prescient warning and a promise of human resilience in the face of any odds. Sequoia Nagamatsu masterfully connects each slice of life into one epic and unforgettable tale, spanning centuries and generations. His debut envisions a future that is at once wonderful and disquieting, dreamlike and all too possible. It reaches far beyond our stars while its heart remains rooted to Earth, and reminds us that our wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of our world. -- Samantha ShannonLike a Polaroid photograph, How High We Go in the Dark takes time to show its true colours. When they finally appear, the effect is all the more dazzling ... His novel, with its emphasis on family, mutual acceptance and the often unorthodox ways in which we are all connected, will be admired as much by fans of Becky Chambers’s hugely popular Wayfarers series as by readers of Richard Powers’s Booker-shortlisted Bewilderment. It is a truly genre-transcending work in which sense of wonder and literary acumen are given boundless opportunity to shine * Guardian *Moving and thought-provoking… A welcome addition to a growing trend of what we might call the ‘speculative epic’: genre-bending novels that use a wide aperture to tackle large issues like climate change while jumping between characters, timelines and even narrative modes… Nagamatsu squarely hits both the ‘literary’ and ‘science fiction’ targets, offering psychological insights in lyrical prose while seriously exploring speculative conceits… How High We Go in the Dark is a book of sorrow for the destruction we’re bringing on ourselves. Yet the novel reminds us there’s still hope in human connections, despite our sadness * New York Times *A refractive glass exploring themes of loss, mourning and recovery through an impressive variety of characters, moods and situations …The elegiac opening story is about a man mourning his grown-up daughter as he studies a 30,000-year-old corpse … Nagamatsu’s footwork is impressive as he skips from trope to trope, and epoch to futuristic epoch * The Times *A novel that is both grimly timely while also moving past our usual notions of time to reveal a wider view— Sequoia Nagamatsu allows his story to unspool with such a great sense of scope, freedom, and clarity, creating a stunning mosaic of experience and humanness * Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake *Sequoia Nagamatsu's How High We Go in the Dark is a sprawling, epic debut that ventures from the Arctic to interstellar space, from life to what may come after it. With precision and harrowing prescience, Nagamatsu envisions the effects - both cultural and planetary - of a mysterious, devastating pandemic; but he explores, too, the astonishing commitment, resilience, and capacity for resilience that enables life - human and otherwise - to reach for survival. Sequoia Nagamatsu is a writer whose imagination is matched only by his compassion, the kind we need to light our way through the dark * Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists *How High We Go in the Dark is wondrous not just in the feats of imagination, which are so numerous that it makes me dizzy to recall them, but also in the humanity and tenderness with which Sequoia Nagamatsu helps us navigate this landscape, to find a way to survive while holding onto the things that make us human. This is a truly amazing book, one to keep close as we imagine the uncertain future * Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here *One of the best novels I've read recently ... Reimagines this world and the next to come * Alexander Chee *Wildly imaginative, pandemic prescient … Nagamatsu depicts his homeland’s reaction to a deadly virus with a droll eye … a terrifyingly original novel * Independent.co.uk, Books of the Month *A prescient warning of an all-too-plausible future and a spellbinding mosaic of characters who stand as a testament to human inventiveness in the face of catastrophe, Nagamatsu’s ambitious, haunting debut announces the arrival of an astonishing new voice in science fiction * Waterstones, Books to Read in 2022 *With How High We Go in the Dark, Sequoia Nagamatsu has done the impossible: written a book expansive enough to tackle the enormity of our climate crisis—and then gone further, to capture our even larger capacity for creation. It is clear from this book that Nagamatsu possesses one of literature’s most vibrant and generous imaginations. You will fall in love with these characters and, in so doing, remember your love for the world. How High We Go in the Dark rejects the idea of the novel as the story of an individual and bravely takes on the collective nature both of global warming and of how we can face it. * Matthew Salesses, author of The Hundred Year Flood *Gorgeous, terrifying, compassionate. With funerary skyscrapers, a generation ship painted with history, and a pyramid of souls reaching for light, How High We Go in the Dark is both powerful and original. Nagamastu elegantly dissects disaster with an eye toward empathy and curiosity. At this book’s center is a great big beautiful heart. An exceptional accomplishment that left me equal parts hope and wonder * Erika Swyler, author of Light From Other Stars and The Book of Speculation *A book of incredible scope and ambition, a polyphonic elegy for the possible, for all that might be won and lost in the many worlds we make together: the world of our families, our civilization and our planet, the planets beyond. Sequoia Nagamatsu’s debut generates fresh wonder at all we are, plus hope for all we might become, in these unforgettable futures yet to be * Matt Bell, author of Appleseed *Like an ice core carved from the frozen depths of an ancient sea, this is a novel that captures the drama across eons, containing the glittering secrets of some future history. An astonishing vision of the end of the Anthropocene * Matthew Baker, author of Why Visit America *You can try to compare Sequoia Nagamatsu to George Saunders or Charlie Kaufman or David Mitchell, but his is a singular voice and this is a book so original and wondrous and reality-shredding that it defies easy summary or categorization, like a dream that feels more vivid than life. It’s brave and prescient, completely bananas and yet absolutely moving, packed with humor and heart. I loved it * Benjamin Percy, author of Ninth Metal, Red Moon, and Thrill Me, and writer of X-Force and Wolverine for Marvel Comics *How High We Go in the Dark is not a plague novel; it is an after plague novel. Sequoia Nagamatsu nimbly bounds through time, space, and species while tackling the question, Where do we go from here? My favorite kind of speculative fiction—philosophical and hopeful; endlessly inventive, with a beating heart * Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry *Both epic and deeply intimate, Nagamatsu’s debut novel is science fiction at its finest, rendered in gorgeous, evocative prose and offering hope in the face of tragedy through human connection. * Booklist, starred review *Exactly the white-hot missive of hope, humanity, and compassion you need … Each story is a marvel of imagination… Rich in scope and vision, with each nested story masterfully rippling across others, this is a visionary novel about grief, resilience, and how the human spirit endures * Esquire *Wildly imaginative, pandemic prescient … A terrifyingly original novel * Independent.co.uk *Spanning countries and centuries, an ambitious speculative debut * Highlights of the Year, Guardian *A brave, thoughtful and sometimes moving novel * SFX *An intergenerational mosaic of loss and love … Here is imagery unforgettable and awe-inspiring … Nagamatsu has crafted a dazzling work of ambition, compassion, and imagination that grapples with all these complexities. It offers a whisper of what might matter most, and how high we might go – together – in dark * Lunate *A product of more than 10 years’ labor, this novel will ring out sharply in today’s pandemic world .… Nagamatsu blends literary and visionary verve in a narrative winning comparison to Cloud Atlas and Station Eleven * Library Journal *A book that is innately, essentially human in a way few writers manage to * Lightspeed *Expansive and breathtaking * Debutiful *Deeply hopeful and cathartic, How High We Go in the Dark challenges preconceptions about speculative and science fiction * Bad Form Review *Nagamatsu conjures a world that is at once unrecognisable and frighteningly close to our own. It’s an ambitious and timely piece of speculative fiction that is both harrowing and hopeful * Monocle *Resonant of inventive hybrid novels such as Bewilderment by Richard Powers, Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel and XX by Rian Hughes … This story ultimately demonstrates how we can each form our own destinies * Lonesomereader.com *Sequoia Nagamatsu is being hailed as one of the most exciting new writers of 2022 * Popshot Quarterly *I loved [How High We Go in the Dark] ... It exists at the intersection of bleak and beautiful, where hope lies. * Hayley Campbell *How High We Go in the Dark is an awe-inspiring, devastating, genre-busting rollercoaster of empathy, tragedy, joy and compassion. This book will break your heart - and mend it, too. I loved it * Kesia Lupo, author of We Are Bound By Stars *Desolate and sad, but also ambitious and lightly insane. Talking pigs, roller coaster euthanasia machines for children, generational trauma. I suspect this will be a book that gets a lot of attention and it should * Jenny Lawson, author of Broken *
£8.54
Pan Macmillan The Yellow Wallpaper & Herland
Book SynopsisCharlotte Perkins Gilman’s progressive views on feminism and mental health are powerfully showcased in her two most famous stories. The Yellow Wallpaper skillfully charts one woman's struggle with depression whilst Herland is an entertaining imagining of an all female utopia.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is introduced by journalist and author Lucy Mangan.Confined to her attic bedroom and isolated from her newborn baby, the nameless narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper keeps a secret diary in which she records the sprawling and shifting patterns of the room’s lurid yellow wallpaper as she slowly sinks into madness. This chilling story is based on the author’s own experience of depression. In Herland, a trio of men set out to discover an all-female community rumoured to be hidden deep in the jungle. What they find surprises them all; they’re captured by women who, for two thousand years, have lived in a peaceful and prosperous utopia without men.Trade ReviewThe Yellow Wallpaper by the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman created feminist fireworks the moment it appeared in the January 1892 edition of the New England Magazine -- Kathryn Hughes * Guardian *Gilman wrote her story about husbands, the medical profession and the patriarchy at large shaping and suppressing women’s lives and freedoms 126 years ago. It was only in 2015 that we got a name and a crime – coercive control – for most of what her heroine experiences * Stylist *
£10.44
Cornerstone Wool: Now a major TV series!
An epic story of survival at all odds, now a major Apple TV series. NOW THE NO.1 DRAMA IN THE HISTORY OF AppleTV+ In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last. _________________ 'The next Hunger Games' SUNDAY TIMES 'Well written, tense, and immensely satisfying, Wool will be considered a classic for many years in the future.' WIRED 'Howey's Wool is an epic feat of imagination. You will live in this world.' JUSTIN CRONIN 'Wool is frightening, fascinating, and addictive. In one word, terrific.' KATHY REICHS 'Thrilling, thought-provoking and memorable...one of dystopian fiction's masterpieces alongside the likes of 1984 and Brave New World.' DAILY EXPRESS Silo, No.1 drama in the history of Apple TV as of May 2023.
£9.49
Rebellion Publishing Ltd. Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 02
Book SynopsisFar future lawman Judge Dredd has been a mainstay of the British comics scene for over thirty years and now you can follow his earliest cases in this vast collection of graphic novels.This second volume features the very first Dredd epic The Cursed Earth, written by comic legends Pat Mills (Marshal Law) and John Wagner (A History of Violence) and featuring the art of Mike McMahon (The Last American) and Brian Bolland (Batman: The Killing Joke).
£15.99
HarperCollins Publishers Phantom
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
£11.69
Pan Macmillan The Marriage Act: The unmissable speculative
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Goodreads Awards 2023.From the bestselling author of The One, now an eight-part NETFLIX series. Set in the same world as The One, The Marriage Act is a dark, high-concept thriller.‘One of the most exciting original thriller writers’ - Simon KernickWhat if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?Britain. The near future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills – the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is supervising every aspect of our personal lives, monitoring every word, every minor disagreement . . . and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honour and obey.'Black Mirror' meets thriller with a dash of Naomi Alderman’s The Power.Praise for John Marrs:'Clever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible . . . And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts!' - C. J. Tudor, author of A Sliver of Darkness'A brilliantly tricksy read' Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond'Dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best!' - Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The SanatoriumTrade ReviewClever, compelling and terrifyingly plausible. A near future nightmare that grips from the first page and never let’s go. The Marriage Act is a brilliant examination of relationships and the power we let others have over us. And talk about a page-turner. This one will leave you with paper cuts! -- C. J. Tudor, author of A Sliver of DarknessA scarily plausible alternative future with a truly twisted narrative. Tensely plotted and terrifyingly imagined - it’ll put you off marriage and modern technology for life! -- Harriet Tyce, author of Blood OrangeThe king of near-future what ifs is back with a smart and chilling page-turner. Twisty, unsettling, scarily believable and thought provoking, this is his best yet. -- Ellery Lloyd, author of The ClubOne of the most exciting original thriller writers -- Simon Kernick, author of Good Cop Bad CopJohn’s creative, high-concept thrillers never fail to keep me furiously turning the pages and The Marriage Act is no exception. Pacy and packed full of tension, the book kept me constantly guessing as the thought-provoking plot about marriage and everything that comes with it unfolded in the most sinister of ways . . . dark, immersive speculative fiction at it’s very best! -- Sarah Pearse, author of The Retreat and The SanatoriumJohn Marrs can do no wrong. Like Huxley and Orwell before him, Marrs manages to take real life sanctities and twist them into something terrifyingly plausible. All hail the master of the speculative thriller! -- Jack Jordan, author of Sunday Times bestseller Do No HarmAn absolute blinder of a book . . . another gripping page turner. -- Claire Allan on The Marriage ActI really loved it… a plot that had me guessing all the way through. A triumph. -- Justin Myers on The Marriage ActClever, original, and impossible to put down. The Marriage Act had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. John Marrs is a master of suspense. -- Jeneva Rose, international bestselling author of The Perfect MarriageMarrs is brilliant at twists . . . for the addicts of adrenaline-fuelled twisty rides -- Peter James, author of Picture You DeadA page-turning and thought-provoking read * Daily Mirror *Skilfully evokes a future Britain . . . Marrs also excells when it comes to worldbuilding . . . a socially aware novel packed with thought-provoking questions * SFX Magazine *Another savagely clever near-future thriller. Provocative, terrifying and compulsive. If you loved The One, you'll love this! -- Cara Hunter, author of Hope to DieA tense, thrilling read – I found it impossible to put down. It’s dark and twisted, and I loved it -- Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent PatientOriginal thriller with lots of surprises * My Weekly *Dark, twisted, and full of surprises -- Mark Edwards, bestselling author of Her to Stay and The RetreatFour couples navigate an increasingly claustrophobic world in this razor sharp and chillingly plausible tale from the masterful John Marrs * Woman's Own Magazine *
£9.49
Everyman Never Let Me Go
Book SynopsisAs children, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy attended an exclusive boarding-school in the English countryside. Idyllic in some ways yet vaguely sinister, 'Hailsham' was a place of intense friendships, mysterious rules, and 'guardians' who constantly reminded the students how special they were. Now thirty-one, Kathy looks back on their shared past and tells how she and her friends gradually came to understand the shocking reason for the careful nurturing they had received. An affecting meditation on friendship, love and mortality.
£15.29
Nobrow Ltd Aiden Shaw's Penis and Other Stories of
Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to be silenced, to be censored? Or perhaps, more importantly, what does it mean to break free? This beautifully illustrated anthology celebrates high quality fiction and non-fiction short story writing from authors all over the world. Bringing together 12 exciting and emerging international voices, this collection explores the censoring of the past, present, future, the self, the state, and the effects of censorship on everyday life. As a provocation, this book will provide readers with a diverse, relatable and surprising look at censorship and what it means to be silenced - or, perhaps more importantly, what it means to break free.Trade ReviewAn illustrated collection of short stories that explore the theme of censorship in all its complexity... the pieces not only represent a broad range of lived experiences and viewpoints but also offer a kaleidoscopic rather than myopic perspective on the subject of censorship. * Publishers Weekly *Aiden Shaw´s Penis & Other Stories of Censorship from Around the World is a wide opening testimony that should definitely continue. Only the power of stories about censorship, revealing how naked the king is in fact, can break the long lists of forbidden words of censorships. -- Ilana D. Weissz * wildwritinglife *
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The War of the Worlds
Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells''Death!'' I shouted. ''Death is coming! Death!''In this pioneering, shocking and nightmarish tale, naïve suburban Londoners investigate a strange cylinder from space, but are instantly incinerated by an all-destroying heat-ray. Soon, gigantic killing machines that chase and feed on human prey are threatening the whole of humanity. A pioneering work of alien invasion fiction, The War of the World''s journalistic style contrasts disturbingly with its horrifying visions of the human race under siege.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
£7.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Water Cure
Book SynopsisBRITISH VOGUE ''STAR OF THE FUTURE''INDEPENDENT BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE''A gripping, sinister fable'' Margaret Atwood''An extraordinary debut - otherworldly, luminous, precise'' Guardian''Bold, inventive, haunting . . . With shades of Margaret Atwood and Eimear McBride, you''ll be bowled over by it'' StylistA hypnotic coming-of-age story for fans of The Power, The Vegetarian, I Who Have Never Known Men and The GirlsGrace, Lia and Sky live in an abandoned hotel, on a sun-bleached island, beside a poisoned sea. Their parents raised them there to keep them safe, to make them good. The world beyond the water is contaminated and men are the contamination. But one day three strangers wash ashore - men who stare at the sisters hungrily, helplessly. Men who bring trouble.*****''A feminist fable set by the sea, a female Lord of the Flies. It felt like a book I''d been waiting to read for a long time'' Emma Jane Unsworth''Visceral, hypnotic, with one of my favourite endings I''ve read in a long while'' The Pool''An unsettling dark fantasy... [It] lingers long after the final page'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewCompulsive, eerily gorgeous, [it] will have you gripped until the end... A film adaptation feels inevitable... As far as debuts go, this is superb * Irish News *A feminist dystopian fairy tale, a sexual coming-of-age story and a survival-of-the-fittest tale. Evocative, suspenseful and bleak - in short, everything this age seems to be demanding * NPR *[An] eerie, uncanny literary debut... Beautifully written, pared down and hypnotic * Sunday Times Culture *Bewitching... [An] ambiguous utopia * Guardian *In raw, visceral prose, Mackintosh probes at ideas of the threat of male violence, the ways women are told to protect ourselves, love and sisterhood and survival. A hypnotic, stormy book, with one of my favourite endings I've read in a long while * The Pool *Stunning... A haunting story of abuse, death, and desire... Chilling and topical, a breathtaking debut * Dazed *Eerily beautiful, this strange, unsettling novel creeps up and grabs hold of you -- Paula Hawkins, author of 'The Girl on the Train'Darkly gratifying, dreamy, primal, and arresting [as] a fairy tale... The overgrown grounds, with their perimeter of rusty barbed wire and shark-infested waters, resemble Sleeping Beauty's castle * New Yorker *Searing, richly drawn, eerily compelling... As foreboding in what it holds back as in what it reveals * Stylist *Elemental... [A] utopia portrayed in spectral, organic prose... Mackintosh is a wonderful stylist; the full scope of her imagination, as well as the cohesion of her vision, is evident on every page... A seriously impressive feat * Irish Times *[A] wildly confident debut... Take the strange social ceremonies of The Lobster and the pheromone-rich claustrophobia of The Beguiled and you come close to the world Sophie Mackintosh conjures * AnOther Magazine *The Water Cure is eerily still and pure - with saline bite... Mackintosh asks if it is the traumas of our pasts that ultimately pose the greatest threat to our futures * New Statesman *Powerfully unsettling, immensely assured, calmly devastating. It conjures a world both alien and familiar, exploring the physical and psychological cruelties enacted on women, by men, in the name of their protection, and the noble and ignoble uses to which anger can be put in a perverse world. This is a gem of a novel, and I was bowled over by it -- Katherine Angel, author of 'Unmastered'Electric [and] beautifully strange... Her novel is an exercise in minimalism * Times Literary Supplement *A hypnotic read... This extraordinary debut is a feminist, quasi-dystopian read - great for fans of Hot Milk, The Girls and The Vegetarian * Elle *A work of cool, claustrophobic beauty. Sophie Mackintosh writes devastatingly well about the complexities that women face in loving men, and in loving each other -- Eli Goldstone, author of 'Strange Heart Beating'Uneasy, mythic, lawless... The atmospheric landscapes cloak trauma and violence in wisps of uncertainty, where bad feelings coalesce as both presciently felt and strangely unknowable * Frieze *Otherworldly, brutal and poetic: a feminist fable set by the sea, a utopia gone awry, a female Lord of the Flies. It transported me, savaged me, filled me with hope and fear. It felt like a book I'd been waiting to read for a long time -- Emma Jane Unsworth, author of 'Animals'[A] lyrical debut, original and very atmospheric * Good Housekeeping *Eerie, electric, beautiful. It rushes you through to the end on a tide of tension and closely held panic. I loved this book -- Daisy Johnson, author of 'Fen'Creepy and delightful, a portrayal of post-apocalyptic puberty, intermingling desire and despair. It has a pinch of Shirley Jackson, a dash of chlorine, and an essence all of its own -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of 'Harmless Like You'Powerful, mythic, seductively sinister... Her alternative world is as carefully imagined as one of Margaret Atwood's... [Sophie Mackintosh] is a writer to be reckoned with * Book Oxygen *Eerie and unsettling, the novel exerts a hypnotic grip as the tension builds * Daily Mail *A superb debut * i *The Water Cure deserves a Sofia Coppola-style big-screen treatment, although its cultish overtones and sinister denouement are as reminiscent of The Wicker Man as The Virgin Suicides * The Literary Review *
£9.49
Canongate Books Impolitic Corpses
Book SynopsisQuint Dalrymple investigates the strange disappearance of the Lord of the Isles in this gripping dystopian thriller.November, 2038. Scotland has been reunified and Edinburgh''s thirty-year experiment with supposedly benevolent totalitarianism is over. But there''s still plenty of work for ex-investigator Quint Dalrymple, who''s looking into an attempted strangling in Leith. A young man has been attacked by an assailant wearing a bizarre tree-fish costume.Before Quint can make headway, he is asked by the head of government to look into the strange disappearance of the Lord of the Isles. How could Angus Macdonald, leader of the opposition, have vanished from inside his locked bedroom while his valet was sitting outside? And why has a severed finger been hidden in the room? When a body is discovered, arranged in a disturbingly macabre pose, it becomes clear the two cases are linked. As Quint delves further, he is drawn into a complex web of deception whose threads lead far back into his past ...
£21.84
Canelo An Honourable Thief: A must-read historical crime
Book SynopsisIntroducing Jonas Flynt. Gambler. Thief. Killer. Man of honour.Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2023'Fast, furious and with a glint of gallows humour, this is high-octane historical fiction' Daily Mail'Swashbuckling action against a vivid historical backdrop. I loved this book' Ian Rankin‘High adventure meets espionage thriller as Jonas Flynt battles the tide of history and the deadly secrets of his own past…’ D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance1715. Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters, is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands.On her deathbed, the late Queen Anne may have promised the nation to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than the new king, George I. But the will has been lost. It may decide the fate of the nation.The crown must recover it at all costs.The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.When secrets finally come to light, about the crown and about his own past, Jonas will learn that some truths, once discovered, can never be untold…An atmospheric and utterly compelling blend of crime, history and thriller, to delight fans of S. J. Parris, Andrew Taylor and C. J. Sansom.Praise for An Honourable Thief 'Reads like a genuine eighteenth century spy novel. I see a long future for Jonas Flynt' Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh'Anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery and likes an edgy, charismatic protagonist is going to love the adventures of Douglas Skelton’s new hero, Jonas Flynt’ S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker'An absolute triumph ... Five stars from me, and I look forward to reading more of Jonas's adventures' James Oswald, Sunday Times bestselling author'Historical crime fiction at its absolute best. I loved it!’ Marion Todd, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series'Pitch-perfect stuff. Like all great historical novels you'll feel you're there! This is a departure for Skelton, who seems born to write high-end historical fiction’ Denzil Meyrick, author of the DCI Daley thrillers'Uniquely combines a page-turning thriller with a perfectly evoked sense of time and place. Powerful stuff from a master of his craft' Craig Russell, author of Hyde'Skelton’s mastery of time and place inhabited with richly drawn characters is a delight. It held me to the last tantalising page’ David Gilman, author of The Englishman‘Jonas Flynt is one of those characters you’ll be rooting for from the very first chapter ... it looks like Skelton has found a new home writing first-class historical fiction’ Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief'This is a fascinating, totally engrossing historical novel. Flynt is a most attractive, three-dimensional character and the same is true of the world he moves through. A brilliant, most enjoyable read’ Paul Doherty, author of The Nightingale Gallery‘A cracking historical drama with breathless pacing and knuckle-chewing tension, all shot through with Skelton’s deft characterisation and flashes of pitch-black humour. The perfect read to lose yourself in’ Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast
£9.99
Quercus Publishing One Italian Summer
Book Synopsis WILL THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME HELP KATY FIND HER WAY HOME? 'Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms' GABRIELLE ZEVIN'An extraordinary, beautiful, magical book' JILL MANSELLWhen Katy's mother dies, she's left reeling from the loss. Carol had been her best friend, her anchor, and they'd been so close to their dream of travelling to Positano together.Feeling untethered from her own life and unable to connect with anyone, Katy makes a rash decision. In a bid to keep her mother close, she follows in a young Carol's footsteps, flying to Italy alone.Katy had imagined a holiday painted by grief but finds more comfort than she had expected. Then, in a sharp twist of fate, Carol's past and Katy's present collide, leaving Katy to wonder if she ever really knew her mother at all...'A clever, immersive novel - gorgeous!' CESCA MAJOR, author of Maybe Next Time'Really can't recommend this enough - beautiful, inspiring . . . the perfect summer read' Reader review'Breathtakingly original and heartbreakingly emotional' LAURA JANE WILLIAMS, author of Love Struck'Rebecca Serle is now officially an auto buy author for me' Reader review'Startlingly fresh and utterly compelling' HOLLY MILLER, author of What Might Have Been'Beautifully heartbreaking and reaffirming all at once' Reader reviewTrade ReviewI loved In Five Years but with One Italian Summer Rebecca has truly excelled herself. An extraordinary, beautiful, magical book. (And now I NEED to visit Positano...) * JILL MANSELL, author of SHOULD I TELL YOU? *Startlingly fresh and utterly compelling, One Italian Summer is a spellbinding story of love, loss and hope, so beautifully depicted I felt I lived and breathed every word of Katy's journey along with her. It's extraordinary storytelling - a book with magic on every page * HOLLY MILLER, author of THE SIGHT OF YOU *Breathtakingly original and heartbreakingly emotional, One Italian Summer is a tearjerker of a masterpiece that combines family, romance, and feeling lost, found and hopeful, set against the hauntingly evocative backdrop of one of the most beautiful places on earth. I was floored by it * LAURA JANE WILLIAMS, author of THE LUCKY ESCAPE *A gorgeous story that swept me away to Italy - breathtaking! * EMMA COOPER, author of IT WAS ALWAYS YOU *One Italian Summer is a feast for the senses. Serle is the queen of taking a truly original idea and breathing life and heart into every corner of it. I couldn't love her books more * LAURA PEARSON, author of I WANTED YOU TO KNOW *One Italian Summer is the perfect escapist read. Compelling, moving and masterfully told * LAURA KAY, author of THE SPLIT *Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms * GABRIELLE ZEVIN, author of YOUNG JANE YOUNG *Honestly what a book - she's so bloody clever - sparing with words but able to write with real poetry. The whole book was so vivid and gorgeous and I am SO HERE for women's fiction that surprises - which this did in spades. Loved it and would read anything she ever writes * CESCA MAJOR, author of THE LAST NIGHT *Rebecca Serle has crafted a beautiful love story which shows her character's grief slowly ebbing away and being replaced by something new * IPAPER *[One Italian Summer is] wonderful on grief and love, and every reader lucky enough to still have their mother will want to hug her tight after this * DAILY MAIL *There is more than a touch of magic in this new novel from the author of In Five Years. Beautifully and sensitively written, exploring themes of grief, loss and the power of love, this haunting, touching tale is sure to get under your skin * SUNDAY EXPRESS *This is a captivating and poignant read, exploring relationships, the importance of family bonds and how we carry on after loss * CANDIS *A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian summer sun * WOMAN'S WAY *A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian sun * HERALD *Rebecca Serle writes such clever and original stories, ones which never turn out how I expected (this is a good thing!) and are full of emotion * NB MAGAZINE *In these cynical times full of snark and memes, it's nice to surrender to magic every now and then * PRESS ASSOCIATION *Poignant and beautiful exploration of loss, grief and how we heal our hearts * CULTUREFLY *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Holy Sister Epic finale to the bestselling Book
Book SynopsisNona Grey's story reaches its shattering conclusion in the third instalment of Book of the Ancestor.THEY CAME AGAINST HER AS A CHILD. NOW THEY FACE THE WOMAN.The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor's armies are in retreat.Nona faces the final challenges that must be overcome if she is to become a full sister in the order of her choice. But it seems unlikely that Nona and her friends will have time to earn a nun's habit before war is on their doorstep.Even a warrior like Nona cannot hope to turn the tide of war.The shiphearts offer strength that she might use to protect those she loves, but it's a power that corrupts. A final battle is coming in which she will be torn between friends, unable to save them all. A battle in which her own demons will try to unmake her.A battle in which hearts will be broken, lovers lost, thrones burned.HOLY SISTER completes the Book of the ATrade Review‘An excellent writer’George R.R. Martin ‘Dark, passionate, tense, with a female hero anyone could relate to–I was utterly fascinated! This is no pretty, flowery tale, but one of vastly different people struggling to survive when a hostile government comes to power’#1 New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce ‘This is a book very distinct from everything that came before; what it has in common though is a narrative that pulls no punches, and characters that are beautifully, brokenly, repellently, cleverly human’Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews ‘I had never thought it was possible to find a greater character than the Emperor Jorg Ancrath. I had never even slightly considered that there might be a fantasy world out there toppling that of Τhe Final Empire, and most definitely, I had never thought that I could love a book more than The Night Angel. But here we are’BookNest ‘Any other author is going to have to smack the ball way, way out of the park to top this read’Parmenion Books
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Borne
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
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Mindstar Rising
Book SynopsisIn a ravaged near-future England, a private detective with psychic powers might be the last hope standing between mankind and total collapse. Mindstar Rising is the first cyberpunk thriller in Peter F. Hamilton's hugely popular Greg Mandel series. For fans of James S.A. Corey.It's the 21st century and global warming is here to stay, so forget the way your country used to look. And get used to the free market, too – the companies possess all the best hardware, and they're calling the shots now.In a world like this, a man open to any offers can do just fine. A man like Greg Mandel for instance, who's psi-boosted, wired into the latest sensory equipment and carrying state-of-the-art weaponry. He's also been part of the English Army's Mindstar Battalion.As the cartels battle for control of a revolutionary new power source, and corporate greed outstrips national security, tension is mounting to boiling point. And Greg Mandel is about to face the ultimate test.Mindstar Rising is followed by A Quantum Murder and The Nano Flower to complete the Greg Mandel trilogy.Trade ReviewA pacey traditionally styled adventure yarn in which the reader can revel . . . Hamilton doesn’t mess about . . . the story races ahead with verve and flair -- StarburstThe plotting is tight and ingenious -- InterzoneHamilton appears as a full-fledged SF technician, able to manage the demands of the genre without working up a sweat -- LocusA stunning new debut novel . . . possibly the best since Bester, incorporating future predictions of climate, social, social, business, and political behaviour, completing this with hard science, believable scenarios, excellently balanced characters, and a good well-told story. What more do you want? Not to be missed -- Critical Wave
£10.44
Pan Macmillan Domain
Book SynopsisJames Herbert's Domain imagines having to choose between nuclear radiation or horrifying, flesh-eating rats.Trade ReviewCompletes the rodent trilogy with what must be the ultimate rat novel . . . the adventure never flags. * Daily Express *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Blizzard Penguin Modern Classics
Book SynopsisA darkly comic dystopian odyssey, from one of Russia''s leading contemporary novelistsGarin, a country doctor, is desperately trying to reach the village of Dolgoye, where a mysterious epidemic is transforming the villagers into zombies. He has with him a vaccine which will prevent the spread of this epidemic, but a terrible blizzard turns his journey into the stuff of nightmare. A trip that should take hours turns into a metaphysical odyssey, in which he encounters strange beasts, apparitions, hallucinations and dangerous fellow men. Trapped in this existential storm, Sorokin''s characters fight their way through a landscape that owes as much to Chekhov''s 19th-century Russia as it does to near-future, post-apocalyptic literature. Fantastical, comic and richly drawn, The Blizzard at once answers to the canon of Russian writers and makes a fierce statement about life in contemporary Russia.Trade ReviewVladimir Sorokin [is] Russia's most inventive contemporary author -- Masha Gessen * New York Times Book Review *
£9.49
Atlantic Books Dark Eden
Book SynopsisYou live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of Angela and Tommy. You shelter beneath the Forest's lantern trees. Beyond the forest lie mountains so forbidding that no one has ever crossed them. The Oldest recount legends of a time when men and women made boats that could travel between worlds. One day, they will come back for you. You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of two marooned explorers. You huddle, slowly starving, in the warmth of geothermal trees, confined to one barely habitable valley of an alien, sunless world.You are John Redlantern. You will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. You will be the first to kill another, the first to venture into the Dark and the first to discover the truth about Eden.Trade ReviewA classic theme, beautifully told * Sunday Telegraph *This is a world I'm desperate to return to -- Alison Flood * Guardian *There's no justice if Dark Eden, with its beautiful, terrifying planet, slowly revealed, fails to bring Beckett awards * Sunday Times *A captivating and haunting book * Daily Mail *A dazzlingly inventive science-fiction writer -- A. N WilsonDark Eden is stunningly written * SciFiNow *Dark Eden is an incredible novel * SFBooks *Beckett should be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form -- Alastair Reynolds
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Glass-Blowers
Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA'She wrote exciting plots . . . a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN'This French Revolution epic is an overlooked classic' MELISSA KATSOULIS, THE TIMES 'No other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification . . . ' MARGARET FORSTER'Perhaps we shall not see each other again. I will write to you, though, and tell you, as best I can, the story of your family. A glass-blower, remember, breathes life into a vessel, giving it shape and form and sometimes beauty; but he can with that same breath, shatter and destroy it.'Faithful to her word, Sophie Duval reveals to her long-lost nephew the tragic story of a family of master craftsmen in eighteenth-century France. The world of the glass-blowers has its own traditions, it's own language and its own rules. 'If you marry into glass' Pierre Labbe warns his daughter, 'you will say goodbye to everything familiar, and enter a closed world'. But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution against which, the family struggles to survive. The Glass-Blowers is a remarkable achievement - an imaginative and exciting reworking of du Maurier's own family history.Trade ReviewNo other popular writer has so triumphantly defied classification ... She satisfied all the questionable criteria of popular fiction and yet satisfied the exacting requirements of "real literature", something very few novelists ever doShe wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *The Glass-Blowers by Daphne du Maurier - this French Revolution epic is an overlooked classic -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd SSGB
Book Synopsis''The new crime and espionage series from Penguin Classics makes for a mouth-watering prospect'' Daily TelegraphThe Second World War is over. Germany have won the battle. But the fight goes on...It is November 1941, nine months after the Nazis successfully invaded Britain. Churchill has been executed and the King imprisoned in the Tower of London. At Scotland Yard, renowned Detective Inspector Archer just tries to keep his head down. But when what seems a routine murder in a Mayfair flat leads him to something far deadlier, Archer becomes caught between his brutal superiors and the British resistance, and drawn into a plot that could change the future of the world.Trade ReviewLen Deighton is the Flaubert of the contemporary thriller writers. -- Michael Howard * Times Literary Supplement *Deighton's best book ... an absorbingly exciting spy story that is also a fascinating exercise in might-have-been speculation. -- Julian Symons * New York Times Book Review *Horrifyingly plausible. * The Independent *They don't, as they say, write them like this anymore. You will be entertained, informed, thrilled and dazzled. Long may he, and his creations, live on. * The Guardian *
£9.49
Watkins Media Limited Twenty Five to Life
Book SynopsisLife goes on for the billions left behind after the humanity-saving colony mission to Proxima Centauri leaves Earth orbit ... but what's the point?Julie Riley is two years too young to get out from under her mother's thumb, and what does it matter? She's over-educated, under-employed, and kept mostly numb by her pharma emplant. Her best friend, who she's mostly been interacting with via virtual reality for the past decade, is part of the colony mission to Proxima Centauri. Plus, the world is coming to an end. So, there's that.When Julie's mother decides it's time to let go of the family home in a failing suburb and move to the city to be closer to work and her new beau, Julie decides to take matters into her own hands. She runs, illegally, hoping to find and hide with the Volksgeist, a loose-knit culture of tramps, hoboes, senior citizens, artists, and never-do-wells who have elected to ride out the end of the world in their campers and converted vans, constantlyTrade Review"Not to be missed.""Greene nails it!""Engaging and memorable.""Sure to connect with anyone who has searched for their purpose in life and a place to belong.""Twenty-Five to Life is a story of found friendship between the unlikeliest of characters and the rediscovery of humanity in the face of doom.""This book hooked me. Greene’s not-too-distant dystopian future really hits home."
£9.49
Canongate Books We
Book SynopsisThe One State is the perfect society, ruled over by the enlightened Benefactor. It is a city made almost entirely of glass, where surveillance is universal and life runs according to algorithmic rules to ensure perfect happiness. And D-503, the Builder, is the ideal citizen, at least until he meets I-330, who opens his eyes to new ideas of love, sex and freedom.A foundational work of dystopian fiction, inspiration for both Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Huxley's Brave New World, WE is a book of radical imaginings - of control and rebellion, surveillance and power, machine intelligence and human inventiveness, sexuality and desire. It is both a warning and a hope for a better world.This new edition also includes Ursula K. Le Guin's essay 'The Stalin in the Soul' on the enduring influence of Zamyatin's masterpiece, and George Orwell's 1946 review of WE.Trade ReviewThe best single work of science fiction yet written -- URSULA K. LE GUINTwo of the most iconic novels in the English language - Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell - owe an enormous debt to Zamyatin. We is the ur-text of science-fiction dystopias . . . the product of a powerful imagination * * Wall Street Journal * *The prototype . . . Zamyatin is a major artist * * New York Times * *This new edition, which contains Orwell's review as well as an introduction by Margaret Atwood, an afterword by Ursula Le Guin and an absorbing comment by the translator Bela Shayevich, who grew up in the former Soviet Union, will be the definitive version in English for the foreseeable future * * New Statesman * *[A] fine new translation . . . In a market of competing editions . . . Shayevich's stands out, and for very good reason . . . truly excellent . . . Shayevich's [translation] retains the novel's bold, jagged, elemental energy [and] remains true to the spirit of the work in a way that the author himself would have applauded * * Times Literary Supplement * *A seminal dystopian classic . . . This timely and thoughtful edition is a fitting tribute to book of lasting influence * * Irish Times * *It is in effect a study of the Machine, the genie that man has thoughtlessly let out of its bottle and cannot put back again -- GEORGE ORWELL
£13.49
Pan Macmillan The Invisible Library
Book SynopsisOne spy. One dangerous book. One deadly mission. Discover the first book in this gripping fantasy mystery series – The Invisible Library is the astounding debut from bestselling author Genevieve Cogman.Perfect for fans of Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair or Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London.'I absolutely loved this' – N.K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth SeasonIrene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, whose staff are sent to different realities to harvest dangerous and mystical fiction.Irene has been posted to an alternative steampunk London along with her enigmatic new assistant, Kai. Their mission: to retrieve a dangerous edition of Grimms' Fairy Tales. But it has already been stolen.In London's underground, the laws of nature have been bent – supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic Trade ReviewI absolutely loved this ... flavored with truly unique mythology and a dash of the eldritch. Such clever, creepy, elaborate worldbuilding and snarky, sexy-smart characters * N.K. Jemisin, author of the Broken Earth series, including The Fifth Season *A dazzling bibliophilic debut -- Charles Stross, author of the Laundry Files, including The Atrocity ArchivesIt's a breath of fresh air ... with a companionable heroine in Irene, and a satisfyingly complex plot, The Invisible Library - the first of a series - is a book in which to wallow * Guardian *Written in a similar vein to Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy ... Contemporary meets fairy-take in this novel * Big Issue *Cogman writes with a vivacity and wittiness that breathes new life into the genre . . . Reminiscent of the works of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman, Cogman's novel is a true treat to read * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Surrender to the sheer volume of fun that appears on every page...thoroughly entertaining * Starburst Magazine *Fantasy doesn't get much better ... If you're looking for a swift, clever and witty read, look no further * Fantasy-Faction.com *This witty and spirited adventure sets up a potential gold mine of lore for the writer to plunder in future sequels ... a fun and original page-turner * SciFiNow.co.uk *Highly entertaining ... It reminded me a lot of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series * TheBookPlank blog *The Invisible Library is everything I could ever want out of a book . . . a stunning work of art that has me absolutely begging for more * FantasyBookReview.co.uk *Hits the spot straight from the opening page ... one of the most pleasurable debuts of the year * Upcoming4.me *An adventure story to delight the heart . . . The characters of Irene, her companion and those they encounter are vividly drawn, and the story moves along at breakneck speed to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion * ScifiBulletin.com *A book that was a sheer joy to spend time with ... solid prose alongside great pace * FalcataTimes blog *Cogman's dialogue is clever and funny, and her characters delightfully flawed. With this book she has crafted an exciting, fast-paced introduction to a world you will yearn to revisit ... Books such as The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games series are paving the way for stories like this * Geekchocolate.co.uk *A mix of Doctor Who, Fringe and The Librarians . . . Genevieve Cogman has crafted a well-paced, smart and fun novel that will certainly be a quick read for most people * TheFictionalHangout blog *The Invisible Library is currently at the top of my list of favourite books read this year . . . so much fun * Fantasybookcafe.com *Cogman's debut is a tremendously fun, rip-roaring adventure with protagonists that are easy to love and a setting that couldn't have suited my tastes better ... I can't wait for the second instalment * AFantasticalLibrarian.com *I've seen it compared to Doctor Who, I'm sure it'll be compared to Harry Potter, and it'll probably get compared to every Anglophile novel full of vim and fun that's ever been written. These comparisons will all be well-earned * BastianBalthasarbooks.co.uk *
£8.09
Vintage Publishing Welcome to the Monkey House
Book SynopsisA MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF TWENTY-FIVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE INIMITABLE AUTHOR OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, KURT VONNEGUT 'Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer...a zany but moral mad scientist' Time A diabolical government asserts control by eliminating orgasms. A scientist discovers the secret to unlocking instant happiness, with unexpected consequences. In an America where everyone is equal every which way, a tennage boy plans to overthrow the system. Welcome to the Monkey House gathers together twenty-five of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the 1950s and 1960s. Shot through with Vonnegut's singular humour, wit and bewilderment at humanity, this is a collection that celebrates a true master of short-form fiction.Trade ReviewA joyous ragbag of a collection * Observer *After Vonnegut, everything else seems a bit tame * Spectator *One of the master alchemists of modern American fiction * Sunday Times *A cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny * Financial Times *A brilliant wacky ideas-monger * Guardian *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co The Possibility of an Island
Book SynopsisThe controversial, gripping novel from the bestselling, highly acclaimed author of ATOMISED and SEROTONIN.''Essential reading for anyone concerned with the state of the contemporary world'' DAILY MAILWho, among you, deserves eternal life?Daniel is a highly successful stand-up comedian who has made a career out of playing outrageously on the prejudices of his public. But at the beginning of the twenty-first century, he has begun to detest laughter in particular and mankind in general. Despite this, Daniel is unable to stop himself believing in the possibility of love.A thousand years on, war, drought and earthquakes have decimated the earth and Daniel24 lives alone in a secure compound - his only companion, a cloned dog named Fox. Outside, the remnants of the human race roam in packs, while Daniel24 attempts to decipher his predecessor''s history. In a nightmarish vision of the implosion of the modern world, he, like his predecessor attempts to fathTrade ReviewTakes you by the throat and shakes you. A bracing mix of visionary Aldous Huxley, Evelyn Waugh at his cruellest, and ranting John Osborne, THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND is a charging bull in the china shop of modern fiction * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND is above all an aesthetic achievement. For this, Houellebecq should win the Prix Goncourt that polemics and personalities have made so elusive * SCOTSMAN *His deftly constructed novel is a bleak comment on contemporary society, at times funny, brutal and revolting * THE ECONOMIST *An exhilarating writer....in a class of his own * LITERARY REVIEW *There is no doubt that he is a writer who deserves the serious attention that he is now receiving * THE TIMES *Provocative and satisfying fiction * HERALD *The novel is essential reading for anyone concerned with the state of either contemporary fiction or the contemporary world * DAILY MAIL *There are passages of irresistible black humour, savage condemnation and genuine (and surprising) sentiment * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *If you liked ATOMISED and PLATFORM, you'll love THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND ... the most talented of current French writers * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *It will sicken you, reduce you to laughter and stun you with its savage directness, but it will always leave you thinking * SPAIN MAGAZINE *The first 300 pages of this novel prove that Houellebecq is one of the best novelists writing today * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *The book shows his main strength: caustic wit with a moral force that cuts through complacent assumptions * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Houellebecq keeps us listening, even when we know we should leave * INDEPENDENT *Reading Houellebecq is like being caught up in a tropical storm: you are blown away by the ferocity of his imagination * OBSERVER *Europe's most inflammatory writer * INDEPENDENT *Houellebecq keeps us listening, even when we know we should leave. * THE INDEPENDENT *the book shows his main strength: caustic with with a moral force that cuts throug complacent assumptions. -- Katie Owen * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Memory Librarian
Book SynopsisIn The Memory Librarian music, fashion, film and futurist icon Janelle Monáe returns to the Afrofuturistic world of her critically acclaimed album, Dirty Computer, to explore how different threads of liberation queerness, race, gender plurality, love become tangled in a totalitarian landscape and to discover costs of unravelling them.Whoever controls our memories controls the future.Janelle Monáe and an incredible array of talented collaborating creators have written a collection of tales comprising the bold vision and powerful themes that have made Monáe such a compelling and celebrated storyteller.Dirty Computer introduced a world in which thoughts as a means of self-conception could be controlled or erased by a select few. And whether human, A.I., or other, your life and sentience was dictated by those who'd convinced themselves they had the right to decide your fate.That was until Jane 57821 decided to remember and break free.Expanding from that mythos, these stories fully explTrade Review‘Each story in this collection is a searing but ultimately hopeful glimpse into how marginalized groups can hope and create in a world set against them’BUZZFEED ‘A reminder for those who’ve ever been told they don’t fit in that there’s a world beyond this harsh one’WASHINGTON POST “A poignant commentary on the power of technology, the preservation of queer identity, and the commodification of time’USA TODAY ‘THE MEMORY LIBRARIAN might not be the answer to the social and political upsets of our time, but it is an answer, and a fiercely inspiring one: a deepening of Afrofuturism’s potential to weaponize our dreams for a freer, more joyous world.”WIRED ‘Blistering, hopeful, and richly written. . . All readers will finish the book craving more’BOOKLIST (starred review) ‘A moving, triumphant collection…This is a knockout’PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review) ‘Highly recommended for readers of conspiracy and thought-control sf or of Afrofuturist works by the likes of Octavia Butler, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, and Nnedi Okorafor’LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review) ‘A celebration of queer and Afrofuturist science fiction saluting creativity in difference’KIRKUS ‘This one is sure to leave an impression’BUST MAGAZINE ‘A glorious representation and celebration of a spectrum of sexuality and gender, each written with pure empathy’TOR.COM ‘A vivid, visceral text with as much of a hook as the album the stories were inspired by’LOCUS ‘It confirms Monáe’s incredible power of imagination and creativity whatever medium she’s working in, and the ability and talent of her co-writers in bringing her vision alive on the page’FANTASY HIVE
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Man in the High Castle
Book SynopsisAn official tie-in edition of Philip K. Dick''s dazzling speculative novel to accompany the new TV series, executive produced by Ridley Scott. Philip K. Dick''s acclaimed cult novel gives us a horrifying glimpse of an alternative world - one where the Allies have lost the Second World War. In this nightmare dystopia the Nazis have taken over New York, the Japanese control California and the African continent is virtually wiped out. In a neutral buffer zone in America that divides the world''s new rival superpowers, lives the author of an underground bestseller. His book offers a new vision of reality - an alternative theory of world history in which the Axis powers were defeated - giving hope to the disenchanted. Does ''reality'' lie with him, or is his world just one among many others?''The most brilliant science fiction mind on any planet''Rolling Stone''Dick''s finest book, and one of the very best science fiction novels ever published''<Trade ReviewThe most brilliant sci-fi mind on any planet * Rolling Stone *California's own William Blake. Visionary and prophet * Daily Telegraph *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Apple in the Dark
Book SynopsisDescribed by Clarice Lispector as ''the best one'', this intoxicating portrayal of a man searching for his destiny is her mystical, enigmatic masterpiece''All I''ve got is hunger. And that instable way of grasping an apple in the dark-without letting it fall''Martim, believing that he has committed a murder, flees the city and escapes into the night. Wandering through the vastness of nature he arrives, in a state of fear and wonder, at a remote ranch run by two women. There Martim finds work and, as he labours in the blistering heat of the Brazilian summer, becomes transfigured; remade into something else entirely.Translated by Benjamin Moser ''The most important Brazilian woman writer of the twentieth century... The richness of The Apple in the Dark defies the explanatory power of any single interpretation'' TLSTrade ReviewLispector is the premier Latin American woman prose writer of this century * The New York Times Book Review *Clarice Lispector left behind an astounding body of work that has no real corollary inside literature or outside it -- Rachel Kushner * Bookforum *Brilliant and unclassifiable: glamorous, cultured, moody, Lispector is an emblematic twentieth-century artist who belongs in the same pantheon as Kafka and Joyce -- Edmund WhiteOne of the true originals of Latin American literature -- Terrence Rafferty * The New York Times Book Review *A genius on the level of Nabokov -- Jeff VanderMeer * Slate *Sphinx, sorceress, sacred monster. The revival of the hypnotic Clarice Lispector has been one of the true literary events of the twenty-first century -- Parul Seghal * The New York Times *
£11.69
Hachette Australia Terra Nullius
Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE STELLA PRIZE 2018Highly Commended in the Victorian Premier''s Literary Awards 2017Shortlisted for the ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writers 2018Shortlisted for the Aurealis Award for a Science Fiction Novel 2017Longlisted for the Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction 2018Nominated for Ditmar Award Best New Talent 2018''Artfully combining elements of literary, historical, and speculative fiction, this allegorical novel is surprising and unforgettable'' - starred review, Publishers Weekly''The truth that lies at the heart of this novel is impossible to ignore.'' - Books+Publishing''a skilfully constructed pastiche of colonisation, resistance and apocalyptic chaos with parallels that sit unsettlingly close to home'' - The Big IssueJacky was running. There was no thought in his head, only an intense drive to run. There was no sense he was gettinTrade ReviewNoongar writer Claire Coleman's debut novel, Terra Nullius, envisions a continent disturbingly familiar and worryingly futuristic. Disturbing because it opens with a scenario of settler dispossession; worrying because Coleman's stories serve as a critique of recent history and prophesy a "second wave invasion and a post-colonial future". * Sydney Morning Herald *Noongar writer Claire Coleman's debut novel, Terra Nullius, envisions a continent disturbingly familiar and worryingly futuristic. Disturbing because it opens with a scenario of settler dispossession; worrying because Coleman's stories serve as a critique of recent history and prophesy a "second wave invasion and a post-colonial future". * Sydney Morning Herald *Coleman makes a significant contribution to the emerging body of Aboriginal writers such as Ellen van Neerven and Alexis Wright who write spectral and speculative fiction to critique the vicious fiction of the colonial archive. * Canberra Times *Coleman makes a significant contribution to the emerging body of Aboriginal writers such as Ellen van Neerven and Alexis Wright who write spectral and speculative fiction to critique the vicious fiction of the colonial archive. * Canberra Times *Coleman, a south coast Noongar woman from Western Australia, goes to the heart of Australia's challenge as a nation - how to universalise the experience of Indigenous people, so that it is something all Australians can understand. This is the essence of good fiction: it takes us away from our present reality and into another. * Zoe Pollock, Brisbane Writers Festival *Coleman, a south coast Noongar woman from Western Australia, goes to the heart of Australia's challenge as a nation - how to universalise the experience of Indigenous people, so that it is something all Australians can understand. This is the essence of good fiction: it takes us away from our present reality and into another. * Zoe Pollock, Brisbane Writers Festival *Set in an Australia that is simultaneously recognisable and bleakly foreign, Coleman's work of speculative fiction tells a story of colonisation and displacement that is both devastating and all too familiar. In our politically tumultuous time, the novel's themes of racism, inherent humanity and freedom are particularly poignant. * Books + Publishing *Set in an Australia that is simultaneously recognisable and bleakly foreign, Coleman's work of speculative fiction tells a story of colonisation and displacement that is both devastating and all too familiar. In our politically tumultuous time, the novel's themes of racism, inherent humanity and freedom are particularly poignant. * Books + Publishing *Coleman is unflinching. * Sydney Review of Books *Coleman is unflinching. * Sydney Review of Books *Terra Nullius is witty, weird, moving and original. * Weekend Australian *Terra Nullius is witty, weird, moving and original. * Weekend Australian *Claire G. Coleman's timely debut is testimony to the power of an old story seen afresh through new eyes. Terra Nullius tells a very familiar tale - with a twist. * Adelaide Review *Claire G. Coleman's timely debut is testimony to the power of an old story seen afresh through new eyes. Terra Nullius tells a very familiar tale - with a twist. * Adelaide Review *Terra Nullius takes reader expectations and confounds them, this is not the story you think it is... but at the same time it's all too familiar. * AU Review *Terra Nullius takes reader expectations and confounds them, this is not the story you think it is... but at the same time it's all too familiar. * AU Review *A speculative sci-fi struggle meaningfully grounded in Coleman's own Indigenous culture, Term Nullius offers something new - a skilfully constructed pastiche of colonisation, resistance and apocalyptic chaos with parallels that sit unsettlingly close to home. * The Big Issue *A speculative sci-fi struggle meaningfully grounded in Coleman's own Indigenous culture, Term Nullius offers something new - a skilfully constructed pastiche of colonisation, resistance and apocalyptic chaos with parallels that sit unsettlingly close to home. * The Big Issue *An incredible debut from striking new voice Claire G Coleman * The Saturday Age *An incredible debut from striking new voice Claire G Coleman * The Saturday Age *
£9.99
Vintage Publishing Animal Farm
Book SynopsisAll animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.George Orwell's fable of revolutionary farm animals - the steadfast horses Boxer and Clover, the opportunistic pigs Snowball and Napoleon, and the deafening choir of sheep - who overthrow their elitist human master only to find themselves subject to a new authority, is one of the most famous warnings ever written. Rejected by such eminent publishing figures as Victor Gollancz, Jonathan Cape and T.S. Eliot due to its daringly open criticism of Stalin, Animal Farm was published to great acclaim by Martin Secker and Warburg on 17 August 1945. One reviewer wrote 'In a hundred years' time perhaps Animal Farm ... may simply be a fairy story: today it is a fairy story with a good deal of point.' Seventy-five years since its first publication, Orwell's immortal satire remains an unparalleled masterpiece and more relevant than ever.The Authoritative Text. With an introduction by Christopher Hitchens.*The jacket of this stunning hardback edition features period artwork by Elizabeth Friedlander, one of Europe's pre-eminent 20th-century graphic designers. Look out for complementary editions of Orwell's essential works Nineteen Eighty-Four and Down and Out in Paris and London.*
£10.99
Vintage Publishing Light Over Liskeard: From the Sunday Times
Book SynopsisSometimes we must look to the past to survive the future.Q wants a simpler and safer life. His work as a quantum cryptographer for the government has led him to believe a crisis is imminent for civilisation and he's looking for somewhere to ride out what's ahead.He buys a ruined farmhouse in Cornwall and begins to build his own self-sufficient haven. Over the course of this quest he meets the eccentric characters who already live on the moors nearby - including the park ranger in charge of the reintroduced lynxes and aurochs that roam the area; a holy man waiting for the second coming on top of a nearby hill; an Arthurian knight on horseback and the amorous ghost of an Edwardian woman who haunts the farmhouse.As life in the cities gets more complicated, and our systems of electronic control begin to fall apart, Q flourishes in the wild Cornish countryside. His new way of life brings him back in tune with his teenage children, his ex-wife, and his own sense of who he is. He also grows close to Eva, energetic and enchanting, who is committed to her own quest for love and meaning.In this entertaining and heart-warming novel Louis de Bernières makes us reconsider what is really precious in our short and precarious lives.‘Marked by de Bernieres’ customary light touch and wry humour...This quirky novel is timely... a feelgood story about friendship and love – vintage de Bernieres.’ Daily MirrorTrade ReviewBeguiling...Set in a jollier dystopia than the norm, it tells the tale of “Q”, a cryptographer who takes refuge from the madding crowd in Cornwall * Observer *Marked by de Bernieres’ customary light touch and wry humour...This quirky novel is timely... a feelgood story about friendship and love – vintage de Bernieres. * Daily Mirror *A knockabout satire with twists aplenty * Mail on Sunday *A wonder worthy of Wyndham...wry, wise * Daily Mail *Heaps of old-fashioned adventure * The Times *
£17.00
Little, Brown Book Group Rule Britannia
Book SynopsisFROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF REBECCA'Daphne du Maurier told of Britain leaving the EU fifty years ago' LUCY SCHOLES, THE TIMES'The spirit of Britannia embodied' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'She wrote exciting plots ... a writer of fearless originality' GUARDIAN 'It is rather awful, Emma thought as she walked across the fields down to the farm, how this business is leading us all into subterfuge and deception, and we can't really tell who is friend and who is enemy ... 'Emma wakes up one morning to an apocalyptic world. The cosy existence she shares with her grandmother, a famous retired actress has been shattered: there's no telephone, no radio and an American warship sits in the harbour. England has withdrawn from the European Common Market and, on the brink of bankruptcy has decided that salvation lies in a union - political, military and economic - with the United States. Theoretically it is to be an equal partnership, but it soon begins to look like a takeover bid.As the two women piece together clues about the 'friendly' military occupation on their doorstep; family, friends and neighbours come together to resist the interlopers.Trade ReviewShe wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *Consistently entertaining * Sunday Times *Daphne du Maurier told of Britain leaving the EU fifty years ago -- Lucy Scholes * The Times *The spirit of Britannia embodied * Sunday Telegraph *One of the last century's most original literary talents * Daily Telegraph *A diverse and engrossing cast of characters ... provocative, diverting * Chicago Tribune *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Hummingbird Salamander
Book Synopsis'Frankly superb. This pummelling eco-thriller camouflages the true understory' of societal collapse, and glows in the dark with original thinking' David Mitchell, author of Utopia AvenueA speculative thriller about the end of all things, set in the Pacific Northwest. A harrowing descent into a secret world.''Jane Smith'' receives an unexplained envelope containing the key to a storage unit. And inside that storage unit is a taxidermy hummingbird and directions to a taxidermy salamander. Somehow, this bizarre treasure hunt, that Jane never expected or asked for, sets in motion a series of events that quickly put her and her family in danger.As she desperately seeks answers, she discovers time is running out for her and possibly for the world.This is climate fiction at its most urgent and gripping' The New York TimesVisionary, dark, beautiful, and strange, that rare novel that coaxes you into imagining the unimaginable' Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want This: Cat Person andTrade Review Praise for Hummingbird Salamander: ‘Every now and again a writer reimagines noir fiction for their generation. Now it’s the turn of Jeff VanderMeer… He proves more than up to the task … a gripping kick-the-door-down investigation of wildlife smuggling that expands maniacally to include all that our planet has lost as the sixth extinction gathers pace … This is natural history as police procedural; and life on Earth as the scene of a crime’ The Times ‘An enigmatic eco-thriller that delivers on the subject of worlds – inner worlds such as the biosphere – that are coming apart’ Observer ‘VanderMeer is utterly confident and convincing in his storytelling… The action is delivered in short, punchy prose that builds up its own irresistible rhythm as the book progresses to a climax that deals with the possible end of the world, yet does so with nuance and thought-provoking speculation … A terrific piece of work’ Big Issue ‘A violent, darkly witty adventure, haunted by the threat of looming environmental apocalypse … while there's an urgency and a justified anger here, there's also a necessary glimmer of hope, a suggestion that perhaps we're not all completely doomed. Well, not yet, anyway.’ Will Salmon, SFX Magazine ‘An existential mindfuck cleverly disguised as a thriller … Visionary, dark, beautiful, and strange, that rare novel that coaxes you into imagining the unimaginable’ Kristen Roupenian, author of You Know You Want This: Cat Person and Other Stories ‘Quirky, compelling … The engine that drives it is speculation about the future not only of civilisation, but of all life on this planet.’ Guardian ‘Harrowing, gripping, and profound. It's both a thriller and a requiem for a disappearing world. I expect this novel will haunt me for a long time’ Emily St. John Mandel, author of The Glass Hotel
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Boneland From the author of the 2022 Booker
Book SynopsisThe crowning achievement of an astonishing career, Boneland' concludes the story that began over fifty years ago in The Weirdstone of Brisingamen'.If the sleeper wakes, the dream diesProfessor Colin Whisterfield spends his days at Jodrell Bank, using the radio telescope to look for his lost sister in the Pleiades. At the same time, and in another time, the Watcher cuts the rock and dances, to keep the sky above the earth and the stars flying.Colin can't remember; and he remembers too much. Before the age of twelve years and nine months is a blank. After that he recalls everything: where he was, what he was doing, in every minute of every hour of every day.But Colin will have to remember what happened when he was twelve, if he wants to find his sister. And the Watcher will have to find the Woman. Otherwise the skies will fall, and there will be only winter, wanderers and moonTrade Review‘From Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, adults have been enthusiastically been reading children’s books over recent years. Garner predates the cross over phenomenon by decades, but he has never been just a children’s writer: he’s far richer, odder and deeper than that’ Guardian ‘He deploys short, accurate words better than anyone else writing in English today, and he makes it look simple. Boneland is the strangest, but also the strongest of Garner’s books. It feels like a capstone to a career that has taken him, as a writer, to remarkable places, and returned him to the same place he started, to the landscape of Alderley Edge and to the sleepers under the hill’ The Times ‘Boneland hooks into the mind, haunting, provoking…This novel functions like a dream, containing hints at insights that, once we wake, we yearn to grasp again’ Telegraph ‘There is much left unexplained. However, this is a novel for all the children who loved ‘The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen’ but who have now grown up.’ Four out of Five stars. Sarah Kingsford, Express
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd The Peripheral
Book SynopsisFlynne Fisher lives in rural near-future America where jobs are scarce and veterans from the wars are finding it hard to recover. She scrapes a living doing some freelance online game-playing, participating in some pretty weird stuff. Wilf Netherton lives in London, seventy-some years later, on the far side of decades of slow-motion apocalypse.Trade ReviewSuperb . . . frantic with imagination and frantic with the appetite to see what happens next -- Ned Beauman, ObserverWhat a glorious ride! Like the woman said: brain 'splode -- Sam Leith * Guardian *
£9.49
Cornerstone Gnomon
Book SynopsisA GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR'Gnomon is an extraordinary novel, and one I can’t stop thinking about some weeks after I read it. It is deeply troubling, magnificently strange, and an exhilarating read.' Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven'Nick Harkaway’s most ambitious novel yet. [A] story of near-future mass surveillance, artificial intelligence and human identity ... An amazing and quite unforgettable piece of fiction.' Guardian'Harkaway dazzles.' Daily Mail'Wonderfully good.' Sunday TimesNear-future Britain is a state in which citizens are constantly observed and democracy has reached a pinnacle of 'transparency.' Every action is seen, every word is recorded and the System has access to thoughts and memories.When suspected dissident Diana Hunter dies in custody, it marks the first time a citizen has been killed during an interrogation. Mielikki Neith, a trusted state inspector, is assigned to find out what went wrong. Immersing herself in neural recordings of the interrogation, what she finds isn't Hunter but rather a panorama of characters within Hunter's psyche.Embedded in the memories of these impossible lives lies a code which Neith must decipher to find out what Hunter is hiding. The staggering consequences of what she finds will reverberate throughout the world.Trade ReviewGnomon is an extraordinary novel, and one I can’t stop thinking about some weeks after I read it. It is deeply troubling, magnificently strange, and an exhilarating read. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of 'Station Eleven'Nick Harkaway’s most ambitious novel yet. This story of near-future mass surveillance, artificial intelligence and human identity reads as if 11 novels have been crowded into a matter-transporter pod, emerging on the other side weirdly melded. An enormous, shaggy, infuriating, amazing and quite unforgettable piece of fiction, it’s the kind of thing only science fiction can do. * Guardian, Science-Fiction Books of the Year *One of the most remarkable things about the remarkable Nick Harkaway is the irrelevance of his literary heritage. The son of John le Carré, he is very much his own author ... There’s a lot of explanation in this book, but then there’s a lot of everything going on in it. Densely texted pages of ideas, references and similes fizz and sparkle and burst into life in a fireworks display that keeps going ... The writing, too, is rarely anything other than impressive ... Gnomon does reward perseverance. Ludicrously complicated it may be, but it’s also wonderfully good. * Sunday Times *[A] prowling deep-sea monster of a novel … A sci-fi detective procedural, violent thriller and multi-layered mystery combine brilliantly to pull us through a profound exploration of power and paranoia, technology and myth … Harkaway dazzles, baffles and teases before guiding us through bloody darkness into understanding. * Daily Mail *This huge sci-fi detective novel of ideas is so eccentric, so audaciously plotted and so completely labyrinthine and bizarre that I had to put it aside more than once to emit Keanu-like “Whoahs” of appreciation ... It’s a technological shaggy-dog tale that threatens to out-Gibson William Gibson ... It is huge fun. And it will melt your brain … 700 odd pages power relentlessly by, only to touch down with the delicacy of a SpaceX rocket on – ah yes – the only possible ending. Whoah indeed. I wanted to give it a round of applause. * Spectator *
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd A Clockwork Orange Penguin Essentials
Book SynopsisThe daring dystopian satire that inspired one of the most notorious films ever made, beautifully reimagined as part of the Penguin Essentials series''Every generation should discover this book'' Time Out ________________In this nightmare vision of youth in revolt, fifteen-year-old Alex and his friends set out on a diabolical orgy of robbery, rape, torture and murder. Alex is jailed for his teenage delinquency and the State tries to reform him - but at what cost? Experiment of language? Social prophecy? Black comedy? A Clockwork Orange is all of these. Dazzling and transgressive, this frightening fable about good and evil asks the meaning of human freedom.________________''A gruesomely witty cautionary tale'' Time ''Not only about man''s violent nature and his capacity to choose between good and evil. It is about the excitements and intoxicating effects of Trade ReviewA gruesomely witty cautionary tale * Time *Every generation should discover this book * Time Out *Not only about man's violent nature and his capacity to choose between good and evil. It is about the excitements and intoxicating effects of language * Daily Telegraph *I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language...a very funny book -- William S. BurroughsOne of the cleverest and most original writers of his generation * The Times *
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Dead Astronauts
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
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Victory of Eagles
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
£10.44
Pan Macmillan The End We Start From: Now a Major Motion Picture
Book SynopsisNow a Major Film Starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)As flood waters close over London, a woman gives birth to a child. Heartfelt and urgently original, The End We Start From is the compulsive debut novel from Megan Hunter.'Engrossing, compelling and hopeful' – Naomi Alderman, author of The Power'Stunning' – Benedict CumberbatchDays after giving birth, mother and child are forced to leave home in search of safety. The journey north with be dangerous – but new life and fresh hope push them on . . .A startlingly beautiful story of a family's survival, The End We Start From is a haunting but hopeful dystopian vision of a familiar world made dangerous and unstable.'Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . tremendous' – Independent'I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once' - Tracy Chevalier'Beautifully spare and haunting' - Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenTrade ReviewThe End We Start From is strange and powerful, and very apt for these uncertain times. I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once. It takes skill to manage that, and Hunter has a poet’s understanding of how to make each word count. -- Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl EarringThe End We Start From is a beautifully spare, haunting meditation on the persistence of life after catastrophe. I loved it. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenA shot of distilled story . . . engrossing, compelling and finally hopeful -- Naomi Alderman, author of The Power, winner of the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for FictionI can’t remember ever having read a novel quite as sparing or as daring as Megan Hunter’s The End We Start From, or one that delivers so mighty an impact from such delicate materials. It is a moving, wistful and compelling debut. -- Jim Crace, author of HarvestAn exceptional, alarming and beautiful book, which still echoes months after I finished reading it. Megan Hunter is a writer of unnerving power. -- Evie Wyld, author of All the Birds, SingingI'll be recommending this book for years to come. Utterly brilliant, hugely important. Here's the thing: it's perfect. -- Nathan Filer, author of Costa Prize-winning The Shock of the FallExtraordinary. Megan Hunter's prose is exquisite, her depiction of a world descending into chaos is frighteningly real, and yet, it is her portrayal of motherhood - that tender-terrifying experience of bringing a child into a world - that has remained with me. The End We Start From is an incredible, original exploration of all that beauty, boredom and bewilderment. I read it in one sitting, and was deeply moved. -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites and The Good PeopleThe End We Start From is relentlessly, achingly personal. Hunter reminds us that disasters are rarely experienced in panorama. Instead, we live bone-deep inside our narrator. This book is fierce, sorrowful, and spiked with moments of bright joy. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like YouThe End We Start From is so good and clever: a beautiful, timely book about survival (both domestic and global) shot through with hope and humanity -- Lisa Owens, author of Not WorkingBeautiful . . . Water isn't the thing here, love is. And how we survive as the level of love rises -- Cynan Jones, author of The Dig and The CoveExceptional, stunning. I devoured it -- Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is WatchingA dystopia that feels utterly convincing as our narrator gives birth to her son in a London under threat of advancing flood waters. She lives in the gulp zone so must head off into a familiar territory that has become terrifying in search of shelter and safety. This slender take on new motherhood has stayed with me – not least in making me think about the UK as a place to flee from rather than to, and to imagine Londoners turned refugees. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Stylist *Spellbinding . . . a debut [that] packs a punch that belies its brevity, with the author's background in poetry shining through . . . The End We Start From is a slender novel, but more profoundly moving than novels six times as long. It is perfectly balanced between fear and wonder. The world around them may be falling apart in the most extraordinary way, but ordinary life goes on and, as Hunter makes us understand, what a beautiful life it is. * The Bookseller *Powerful . . . an uplifting celebration of the reality of motherhood in the face of terrifying global disaster * Daily Mail *I held my breath reading this beautiful and timely novel. With precise yet lyrical language Megan Hunter gets to the centre of who we are, where we are, and why it matters. The End We Start From is a work of art -- Christie Watson, author of Tiny Sunbirds Far AwayThis debut is a story of a new mother and her baby who are turned into refugees after a mysterious environmental crisis. The End We Start From is a relevant story of our times which shrewdly ponders the meaning of survival and humanity in desperate times * Wales Arts Review *Startling . . . beautiful and insightful. Everyone who reads this will come away feeling renewed * Elle Magazine *Megan Hunter's slender, startling debut shimmers with light, even as the novel heads into dark territory . . . tender and profound -- Psychologies Book of the MonthExtraordinary . . . The End We Start From is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, in that it shares the same narrative detachment, and the same precise poetry. It is of course told from the perspective of a mother, rather than a father, and is set in a world that is only beginning to fall into chaos. And in the midst of it all, each parent cradles their child, enchanted by their breathing. “Sometimes he sleeps so quietly it seems that he has gone.” Megan Hunter’s remarkable debut novel feels like the other half of the story * Financial Times *In a future London, a mysterious environmental crisis is causing flooding. On the day a woman gives birth to her first child, Z, her home and the city is submerged, and she and her husband R are forced to leave in search of safety. In a scant 127 pages, Megan Hunter creates a powerful and painful story of love and endurance, and of the experiences of being a mother and a refugee * Stylist *A haunting dystopian tale unlike any you’ve read before. In the aftermath of an environmental disaster, London is submerged by floodwater and the narrator, who remains unnamed, is forced to flee with her newborn baby. Despite the world as they know it crumbling around them, mother and son grow and thrive in this dangerous new Britain, where they’ve been recast as refugees. Poetic, precise, and surprisingly full of warmth, this is a beautiful story about the first months of motherhood and the places where hope springs, even in the darkest of times * AnOther *Brilliant . . . Hunter traces - with expert precision and such lyricism - who we are when life is minimised . . . an echo of Jenny Offill's Dept of Speculation . . . a visceral, poetic confession -- Sinéad Gleeson * Irish Times *Fans of Station Eleven will love this. * Red magazine *The End We Start From is an effective, unusual and ambitious debut, which keeps the reader pinned to the page * Guardian *Set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, Megan Hunter's debut is lyrical, uplifting and unmissable * Stylist *A stunning tale of motherhood. Megan has crafted a striking and frighteningly real story of a family fighting for survival that will make everyone stop and think about what kind of planet we are leaving behind for our children -- Benedict CumberbatchStrange and haunting . . . This isn’t a novel in which exposition is a problem; it’s more Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . Good news then that film rights have already been snapped up, by Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SunnyMarch and Hera Pictures. Let’s just hope they do it justice; the dystopian elements are the easy sell, the beating heart of this tender and tremendous story is without doubt Hunter’s portrait of early motherhood, an all-encompassing world of its own * Independent *Megan Hunter uses words sparingly. In her startlingly poetic debut, The End We Start From, she even rations her letters. She calls her characters R and Z and each paragraph is only a sentence or two long. Hunter tangles the delight and disorientation of new motherhood with scenes of societal collapse. As everything seems to be ending, as London floods, a new life begins, hot and pink and hungry. Hunter writes with delicacy and precision; her imagery is pearlescent in places. It’s a sliver of a novel, but it shimmers. * Observer *Natural disasters and climate-related catastrophes might make for a compelling setting, but to really catch a reader's interest, you need to have the personal touch. And this is a novel that takes that principle down to its sparsest, simplest best, focusing on one woman and her child through a year of turmoil . . . best read in one sitting to fully absorb the haunting, brutal yet loving atmosphere of the narrator's journey . . . does a great job of capturing the intensity of early parenthood . . . a tale of survival in extreme conditions * SFX *Hunter's spare, drumskin-tight prose zings off the page, and ingenious descriptions abound . . . It may only consist of 127 pages of impressionistic, staccato sentences, but this is a book of wide horizons and big ideas, and it's no surprise that Benedict Cumberbatch's company have just acquired movie rights. For Hunter the future looks very bright indeed. * Scotland on Sunday *A story of sheer catastrophe, peppered with endearing experiences and milestones of new motherhood. The element which defines this short piece of dystopian fiction is the unique, elegant writing style . . . The End We Start From is beautiful, thought-provoking and most of all, hauntingly believable. It is a tale of hope at a time when the country truly needs it. A stunning debut. * Manchester Evening News *
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Knaves Over Queens Wild Cards
Book SynopsisThe return of the famous shared-world superhero books created and edited by George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire.For decades, George R.R. Martin bestselling author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series has collaborated with an ever-shifting ensemble of science fiction and fantasy icons to create the amazing Wild Cards universe.In the aftermath of World War II, the Earth's population was devastated by a terrifying alien virus. Those who survived were changed for ever. Some, known as Jokers, were cursed with bizarre mental and physical deformities; others, granted superhuman abilities, are known as Aces. Now the virus has reached BritainQueen Margaret rules over a country in which such legendary figures as Herne the Hunter, Spring-heeled Jack and Babh, the goddess of war, roam at will. Her Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill gifted with extraordinary longevity together with the Enigma ace Alan Turing set up a special organization named the Order of the Silver HeliTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE WILD CARDS SERIES: “Deep and complex”Starburst “Perhaps the most original and provocative of the shared worlds books.”Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn "Martin has assembled an impressive array of writers. . . . Progressing through the decades, Wild Cards keeps its momentum to the end."Locus "The shared-world series known as Wild Cards has had a long and illustrious history of contributors and achievements." SciFi.com
£8.54
Kodansha America, Inc Attack on Titan Omnibus 7 (Vol. 19-21)
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. 19-21 of Attack on Titan. The Survey Corps is engaged in a desperate, final battle to retake Wall Maria and defeat the Titans once and for all. Eren must use his new powers to seal the holes created five years ago in the Shiganshina District gates, not to mention to finally reach the basement of his old home and find what secrets lie hidden there. But the most difficult part of the operation will be surviving whatever clever traps the Colossus Titan, Armored Titan, and Beast Titan have prepared for them! Now that Erwin is gambling with every last human life, who will triumph?
£15.99
Vintage Publishing Brave New World: A Graphic Novel
Book SynopsisThe graphic novel adaptation of the classic dystopian masterpiece. From Fred Fordham, graphic novelist behind the sensational TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD graphic novel.Originally published in 1932, Brave New World is one of the most revered and profound works of twentieth century literature. Touching on themes of control, humanity, technology, and influence, Aldous Huxley's enduring classic is a reflection and a warning of the age in which it was written, yet remains frighteningly relevant today.With its surreal imagery and otherworldly backdrop, Brave New World adapts beautifully to the graphic novel form. Fred Fordham's singular artistic flair and attention to detail and color captures this thought-provoking novel as never before, and introduces it to a new generation, and countless modern readers, in a fresh and compelling way.Trade Review[A] highly engaging adaptation of the famous novel... Fordham utilises the graphic novel format to the full, with exciting, near-cinematic renderings of the action...that bring the narrative to life, giving Huxley's seminal work a sense of urgency and visual appeal that makes it more readily accessible for a whole new audience, while for the most part staying faithful to the original text * TeachWire *
£17.00
HarperCollins Publishers VOX One of the most talked about dystopian
Book Synopsis**CHRISTINA DALCHER'S GRIPPING NEW THRILLER THE SENTENCE IS AVAILABLE NOW!**Intelligent, suspenseful, provocative, and intensely disturbing everything a great novel should be' LEE CHILDExtraordinary' LOUISE O'NEILLA truly compulsive novel' STYLISTThe book of the moment!' MARIE CLAIREThis book will blow your mind' PRIMAA petrifying reimagining of The Handmaid's Tale' ELLEA fast-paced, twisting thriller that left me speechless.' DAILY MAIL Terrifying' REDA novel ripe for the #MeToo era' VANITY FAIRA dazzling debut.' GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGThought-provoking and thrilling. I was left speechless!' WOMAN & HOMESilence can be deafening.Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins.Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you're a woman.Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose theirTrade Review‘A petrifying re-imagining of The Handmaid's Tale’ ELLE ‘This book will blow your mind. PRIMA ‘Intelligent, suspenseful, provocative, and intensely disturbing – everything a great novel should be.’ LEE CHILD ‘A novel ripe for the era of #MeToo’ VANITY FAIR ‘The book of the moment!’ MARIE CLAIRE ‘Razor sharp and terrifyingly plausible. Extraordinary.’ LOUISE O’NEILL ‘A fast-paced, twisting thriller that left me speechless’ DAILY MAIL ‘Electrifying’ O, The Oprah Magazine ‘Truly compulsive’ STYLIST ‘Thrilling. I was left speechless!’ WOMAN & HOME ‘A dazzling debut’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘The Handmaid’s Tale 2.0.’ EVENING STANDARD ‘Set to dominate dinner party chats.’ COSMOPOLITAN ‘If you liked Atwood’s novel and Naomi Alderman’s The Power, I guarantee you will love this.’ THE POOL ‘A bold, brilliant and unforgettable debut.’ ALICE FEENEY ‘Gripping’ BELLA ‘Frighteningly relatable’ WOMAN ‘Be scared. Be very scared’ FABULOUS ‘Chillingly imagined’ SUNDAY MIRROR ‘Terrifying in its relevance’ GRAZIA ‘Thought-provoking’ PSYCHOLOGIES ‘Tense and engrossing’ THE IRISH TIMES ‘VOX has the sort of premise that immediately sets it apart.’ IRISH INDEPENDENT ‘The aftershocks of #MeToo have crept into publishing’ SUNDAY TIMES STYLE
£9.49
Faber & Faber Hackenfellers Ape Faber Editions
Book SynopsisAn eccentric professor saves a London Zoo ape from a rocket experiment in this dazzling classic by a trailblazing animal rights activist, introduced by Sarah Hall.''Pitch-perfect.'' Ali Smith''So original.'' Hilary Mantel''Stunning.'' Isabel Waidner''There is nobody quite like her.'' A.S. Byatt''Her beastly, risky best.'' Eley WilliamsWhen my species has destroyed itself, we may need yours to start it all again. In London Zoo, Professor Darrylhyde is singing to the apes again. Outside their cage, he watches the two animals, longing to observe the mating ritual of this rare species. But Percy, inhibited by confinement and melancholy, is repulsing Edwina''s desirous advances. Soon, the Professor''s connection increases as he talks, croons, befriends - so when a scientist arrives on a secret governmental mission to launch Percy into space, he vows to secure his freedom. But when met by sTrade Review'So refreshing and interesting: the opulence, playful excess, brittle wit.' - Hilary Mantel (on The Snow Ball)'I read it in one sitting ... Wonderful!' - Claire-Louise Bennett (on The Snow Ball)
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Generation One
Book SynopsisTHE FIRST BOOK IN AN ELECTRIFYING NEW SERIES set in the world of the number one New York Timesbestselling I AM NUMBER FOUR______________The Loric didn''t make us monsters and they didn''t make us heroes. We choose what happens next.Taylor Cook thought of the invasion as just a bad dream. It had ended over a year ago, and none of the fighting happened anywhere near her small town. She''d heard about teens who were suddenly developing incredible abilities, but she had never really believed it. Not until the day she discovered she was one of them - a human with Legacies.Now Taylor is being sent off to the Human Garde Academy. A place where teens from across the globe can learn to control their new powers and discover what they are truly capable of. There they will be trained by the Loric - the very same people who helped win the war and who are also responsible for unleashing the Legacies on the planet. As part of this
£9.49
Austin Macauley Publishers Pandemonium
Book Synopsis
£9.49