Fiction Books

Book Synopsis''A masterclass in suspenseful, character-driven prose fiction. Simply exceptional''Frank Darabont, writer and director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile''The best twist I have ever read'' (Michael Ridpath, author of Traitor''s Gate)''Breathtaking''(Daily Mail)''Wildly entertaining . . . truly frightening''(New York Times)_____________How do you find a killer when you''re surrounded by madness?1935. As Europe prepares itself for a calamitous war, six homicidal lunatics - the so-called ''Devil''s Six'' - are confined in a remote castle asylum in rural Czechoslovakia. Each patient has their own dark story to tell and Dr Viktor Kosárek, a young psychiatrist using revolutionary techniques, is tasked with unlocking their murderous secrets. At the same time, a terrifying killer known as ''Leather Apron'Trade ReviewA splendidly Gothic story, inspired by European folklore, it asks difficult questions about how we judge evil - including whether the Devil can show himself in human form. It is breathtaking. * Daily Mail *A wildly entertaining story that grabs you on page 1 and drags you into its dark world kicking and screaming . . . a truly frightening story, one that gets under your skin slowly, then goes deep, like the tip of a butcher knife. I read the novel one snowy night by the fire, unable to sleep until I finished, then unable to sleep once I had * New York Times *A blood-pumping, nerve-shredding thriller - elegant, edgy, ingenious. Craig Russell conjures not one but two unforgettable settings: Prague between the wars, pulsing with menace, and a Gothic mental asylum, as exciting a house of horrors as I've ever visited. You'll enter both with dread. You'll dwell in them with relish -- A. J. Finn, New York Times bestselling authorSteeped in the chilling folklore of Eastern Europe and echoing the dread of a barbaric war to come, The Devil Aspect snatches the reader by the lapels for a thrilling, twisting trip through the darkest corridors of the human mind -- Daniel H. Wilson, New York Times bestselling authorA tour de force: a clever and visceral thriller with a one-two-three knockout of an ending that left me dazed. -- Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling authorDeep, dark, and twisty, The Devil Aspect will keep you up all night reading... With all the lights on Russell has created a gripping masterpiece of a thriller! -- Alex Grecian, New York Times bestselling authorDark, stylish and packed with jaw-dropping twists, The Devil Aspect stayed with me long after I'd turned the final page. Part Gothic horror, part crime thriller, it's an astonishing piece of work -- M. W. CravenA Gothic masterpiece in psychological horror and creeping dread, The Devil Aspect is as disturbing as it is compelling. Be prepared to read it in one sitting - and to sleep with the lights on for a long time to come -- Neil BroadfootWell-crafted gothic crime . . . more twists than a Chubby Checker album. A smart, atmospheric, and entertaining read * Kirkus Reviews *A superior thriller, at once stylish, absorbing and compulsive . . . a taut and chilling tale, expertly crafted against the backdrop of ethnic tensions in pre-Second World War Czechoslovakia . . . I was gripped from the very first page right up to that haunting denouement -- Laura CarlinDeliciously authentic and darkly atmospheric . . . a game-changer for the world of crime fiction -- Graham SmithSensational serial killer novel . . . in which twists are both jaw-dropping and logical . . . a mind-blowing story line that will appeal to fans of Caleb Carr and Thomas Harris * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *

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Book SynopsisSome night-time prowler is turning the (mostly) honest citizens of Ankh-Morpork into something resembling small charcoal biscuits. And that''s a real problem for Captain Vimes, who must tramp the mean streets of the naked city looking for a 70-foot-long fire-breathing dragon which, he believes, can help him with his enquiries.But there''s more - now we get to see Ankh-Morpork in all its glory; illustrations so vibrant you can practically smell and taste the denizens of this delightful city (although with Corporal Nobbs, you might rather wish you didn''t have to). All rendered in painstaking detail by Graham Higgins (who feels he now knows altogether far too much about the murky goings on inside Nobbs'' head).

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Book SynopsisThe Complete Peanuts marches into the 1980s as Snoopy's brother Spike is drafted into the Infantry and a second brother, 'Marbles', takes his bow. Also in this volume, Peppermint Patty witnesses the 'butterfly miracle', Sally gets fat, Charlie Brown's team loses its baseball field, Linus is still not Sally's 'Sweet Babboo', more Beagle Scout adventures with Snoopy, and Molly Volley and 'Crybaby' Boobie return for a rematch.Trade ReviewCharles Schulz was an American treasure - an artist, philosopher, and keen observer of human life -- BILL CLINTONIt's impossible to think of another popular art form that reaches across generations the way the daily comic strip does . . . at the pinnacle of that long tradition, there was Charles Schulz * * Seattle Times * *The world of Peanuts is a microcosm, a little human comedy for the innocent reader and for the sophisticated -- UMBERTO ECORepublishing Peanuts in one gorgeous volume after another is really the first time we can truly take a step back, appreciate Schulz's work as a whole and ultimately wrap our arms around the accomplishment of Charles Schulz. Sometimes, happiness is a warm book * * Huffington Post * *These timely re-issues illustrate not only the skill and subtle brilliance of his work but also the origins of the form beyond simple merriment * * Sunday Times * *All sorts of important writers have marvelled at the glorious simplicity of [Schulz's] draftsmanship and his unerring jokecraft, all underpinned by a quiet melancholy and stoicism . . . by some miracle, the entire Peanuts oeuvre is gradually being republished in this country, by Canongate . . . in lavishly appointed hardback . . . Unlike almost everything you read as a child, they are actually better than you remember them * * Spectator * *As essential as pop texts get * * The Onion * *

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Book Synopsis"It's a fun, frothy quintessentially British romcom about a certified chaos demon and a stern brunch daddy with a heart of gold faking a relationship."-New York Times bestselling author Talia HibbertAMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTHNamed a best book of the year by Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, The Washington Post, and more!WANTED:One (fake) boyfriendPractically perfect in every wayLuc O'Donnell is tangentially-and reluctantly-famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.Discover the LGBT romance about exact opposites falling in perfectly imperfect love that New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CHRISTINA LAUREN calls "hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning."Trade Review"Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material perfectly balances laugh-out-loud-while-reading-alone-in-an-empty-room with those-aren't-tears-in-my-eyes-just-allergies." - Kris Ripper, author of the Scientific Method Universe"FAKE DATING, REAL FEELINGS, BEST JOKES." - Olivia Waite, author of The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics"Boyfriend Material is the joyfully queer British romcom escape book I didn't know I needed. It's absurdly funny and swoonily romantic, with a sharp edge of wit and observation that keeps the story bounding along. An unbridled 'one-more-chapter-oh-no-it's-3am' delight." - KJ Charles"How? How was this book written? My vote is witchcraft. What a study in character development. It's a how-to without even trying. I'm going to treat this novel like I do my favorite cardigan and buy 5 copies for when one wears out. Everyone needs to read this. Brilliance on every single page. Hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning. I LOVE THIS BOOK." - Christina Lauren, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author"Alexis Hall is the undisputed master of romantic comedy." - Jenny Holiday, USA Today bestselling author of Mermaid Inn"This is a triumph." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review"Downright hilarious...Hall achieves a true balance between romance and comedy, delightfully succeeding at both. " - Booklist, STARRED Review"I'm in awe of Alexis Hall's talent. I don't want the book to end." - Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author"Every once in a while you read a book that you want to SCREAM FROM ROOFTOPS about. I'm screaming, people!" - Sonali Dev, award-winning author of Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors

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Book Synopsis''Nobody does cosy, get-away-from-it-all romance like Jenny Colgan'' Sunday Express''An evocative, sweet treat'' Jojo Moyes___________________________________ In a quaint seaside resort, a charming bakery holds the key to another world... Curl up and escape with Jenny Colgan ''An evocative, sweet treat'' Jojo Moyes''This sweet romance will lift your spirits'' Sunday Mirror''Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting'' Marian Keyes''Irresistible'' Jill Mansell''Just lovely'' Katie Fforde''Naturally funny, warm-hearted'' Lisa Jewell''A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book'' Mike Gayle''A sheer delight from start to finish'' Sophie Kinsella___________________________________When she is given the opportunity to move to a remote tidal island off the CorTrade ReviewComforting and indulgent * Best mag *

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Book SynopsisOne of the greatest gothic love stories of all time, JANE EYRE tellsof a lowly, plain governess who falls in love with the dashingMr Rochester - who hides a terrible secret. An epic romance seton the Yorkshire moors, and a book that young girls will returnto again and again.

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZEBeautifully written, ridiculously erudite, warm and open-hearted' The TimesCompelling and poignant' GuardianThis is travel writing at its best' Observer Internationally bestselling William Dalrymple takes us to the heart of an undiscovered India.A Buddhist monk takes up arms to resist the Chinese invasion of Tibet - then spends the rest of his life trying to atone for the violence by hand printing the best prayer flags in India. A Jain nun tests her powers of detachment as she watches her best friend ritually starve herself to death.Nine people, nine lives; each one taking a different religious path, each one an unforgettable story. William Dalrymple delves deep into the heart of a nation torn between the relentless onslaught of modernity and the ancient traditions that endure to this day.Trade ReviewHis most ambitious yet, taking the reader into lurid, scarcely imaginable worlds of mysticism . . . Dalrymple has an inimitable way of conjuring the Indian landscape * Financial Times *Beautifully written, ridiculously erudite, warm and open-hearted . . . A towering talent * The Times *A blend of travelogue, ethnography, oral history and reportage, Nine Lives is compelling and poignant * Guardian *The reader gets the sense that the author is driven by an unquenchable curiosity about a country he loves. Dalrymple never mocks his subjects. Indeed, his prose is often tinged with tenderness and a sense of longing. In dashes of brilliance, Dalrymple’s work reveals an India still rich in religious experience, its spiritual quest – or rather, quests – still very much part of the warp and weft of daily life. Amid all the excitement about economic growth, an older India endures -- Sadanand Dhume * Wall Street Journal *At its best travel writing beats fiction, firing the imagination with tales of foreign peoples drawn close by our common humanity . . . This is travel writing at its best. I hope it sparks a revival -- Ruaridh Nicoll * Observer *Nine Lives remains oddly gripping, and often very moving, in its first-person accounts of spiritually-minded people that Dalrymple meets on his travels across the subcontinent -- Pankaj Mishra * The National *For those who enjoyed Dalrymple’s earlier travel adventures, this latest book is written with the same verve and sense of immediacy . . . In a deft way he shows how the tensions, dilemmas and changes in the lives of these individuals illustrate the vast transformation of Indian society . . . Vibrant and engaging, Dalrymple paints a compelling portrait of this complex sprawling giant of a country at a time of momentous change -- Peter Kirkwood * The Australian *His characteristic wit and sympathy are fully evident in the interviews he has conducted . . . Beautifully illustrates the relationship between tradition and modernity in India * Spectator *A fascinating text . . . It is an index of Dalrymple’s ability as a writer and his complex immersion in Indian cultures that he deftly avoids any hint of “Orientalism” . . . Dalrymple succeeds in juxtaposing the sacred and the secular without diverting the captivating flow of his prose. This is a rich book, teeming with fascinating characters and places worth visiting; it is a travel book that takes the reader not only across the wide expanse of the Indian subcontinent but also into intriguing aspects of India’s past and present -- Tabish KhairDalrymple’s storytelling skills and eye for the bizarre make this a fascinating and entertaining window onto spiritual India -- Anthony Sattin * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *A travel writer of huge talent, even genius * Outlook *A fast-paced book, moving from the perspective of a Jain nun contemplating the slow and voluntary relinquishing of her life, to the dilemma of the Dalit theyyam who shuttles between his job as a prison warden to his life as a man in the grip of religious ecstasy. These are compelling contemporary stories, and Dalrymple seems to be channelling a modern-day avatar of Kipling * Business Standard *In Nine Lives the author is on the road again, but deliberately takes a back seat, allowing his characters to tell their own spellbinding stories. Dalrymple’s exhaustive research and deep feeling for Indian culture and ancient faiths mean he writes with clarity, erudition and engagement. With his guidance and context, each story reads like a rare insight into a multifarious and often impenetrable culture. Nine Lives is India at its most pure but also its most fragile. Dalrymple’s stories always strive for a higher purpose than simply recounting adventures in the manner of so much contemporary travel writing. In Nine Lives, that purpose is to record and conserve these unique, fantastical histories, before they disappear forever -- Kendall Hill * Sydney Morning Herald *Dalrymple is widely read and admired, and Nine Lives is both moving and radiant: an austere, piercing, and exciting book on nine astonishing religious lives -- Pradeep Sebastian * The Hindu *

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Book SynopsisAt the turn of the twentieth century, Nathan Walker comes to New York City to take the most dangerous job in the country: digging the tunnel far beneath the Hudson that will carry trains from Brooklyn to Manhattan. In the bowels of the riverbed, the workers - black, white, Irish and Italian - dig together, the darkness erasing all differences.Trade Review'It is, perhaps, the first authentic novel about homeless, about living below and beyond this rich city. He evokes so powerfully the stink of the present, the poignancy of the past' Frank McCourt 'Vivid, potent, beautifully measured, and sustained by astonishingly deft description' Maggie O'Farrell, Independent on Sunday 'A tour de-force social history of modern New York, exploring the labyrinthine netherworld of disused subway tunnels, from their creation by Irish migrant workers to their occupation by down-and-outs' Dermot Bolger, Irish Independent 'A dazzling blend of menace and heartbreak' New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisAn epic dungeon-busting adventure inspired by One Thousand and One Nights!Deep within the desert lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks. Aladdin has found Alibaba at last, but Alibaba has changed and perhaps for the worse. In the city of Balbadd, the Fog Troop, a gang of thieves, struggles against a corrupt government. The leader of the Fog Troop, Cassim, was Alibaba''s childhood friend and has pressured him into becoming the figurehead of the gang. Aladdin and Morgiana hope to rescue him with the help of King Sinbad, but powerful forces stand against them, including another Magi...

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Book Synopsis'A remarkable evocation of hidden aspects of the medieval world... Kiner blends unfamiliar history with a compelling account of women struggling in a society determined to shackle them' - Sunday Times, Historical Fiction Book of the MonthIt's 1310 and Paris is alive with talk of the trial of the Templars. Religious repression is on the rise, and the smoke of execution pyres blackens the sky above the city. But sheltered behind the walls of Paris's great beguinage, a community of women are still free to work, study and live their lives away from the domination of men.When a wild, red-haired child clothed in rags arrives at the beguinage gate one morning, with a sinister Franciscan monk on her tail, she sets in motion a chain of events that will shatter the peace of this little world-plunging it into grave danger...

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Book SynopsisOne of BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World.A tour de force of contemporary Scottish literature, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark is a compelling portrait of a woman’s dark quest for immortality.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 features an afterword by publisher Anna South.Miss Jean Brodie is a rare breed of teacher – passionate, independent-minded and romantically inspired, with not the slightest care for convention. She soon garners a devoted following of six young girls, who will become known as ‘the Brodie set’, and begins to shape them in her own image. But Miss Brodie is more than just an individual with an intense desire to control and mould her girls. Beneath the facade of this self-possessed woman lie some sinister truths, and a keen interest in fascism . . .Trade ReviewShe has established herself in the course of one sparkling lustrum. Miss Spark is indeed an author to be grateful for in our plutonian age * Joan Davenport, The Observer *Each of her sentences fulfils perfectly its own purpose, and there is never an extraneous joke. Miss Brodie makes excellent reading * Karl Miller, New Statesmen *No other woman writer of this generation has simultaneously attracted so much notice from the critics and achieved so much success with the public at large * Francis King, Time and Tide *Deliciously witty and eminently a ‘must’ * John O’ London’s *Every word goes home like a well-aimed arrow. I doubt if there is a more original or morally aware novelist writing in English to-day * Peter Green, The Daily Telegraph *It’s such a perfect gem of a story, morally complex, harrowing, funny, and featuring the most charismatic anti-hero in Scottish literature. Plus you can read it in a day. -- Ian Rankin * The Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'Darkness isn't the opposite of light, it is simply its absence . . . what was radiating from the book was the light that lies on the far side of darkness, the light fantastic.'The Discworld is in danger, heading towards a seemingly inevitable collision with a malevolent red star, its magic fading. It needs a hero, and fast.What it doesn't need is Rincewind, an inept and cowardly wizard who is still recovering from the trauma of falling off the edge of the world. Or Twoflower, the well-meaning tourist whose luggage has a mind (and legs) of its own.Which is a shame, because that's all there is . . .'His spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on Sunday 'Incredibly funny, compulsively readable' The TimesThe Light Fantastic is the second book in the Wizards series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.Trade ReviewClever, engaging and laugh-out-loud funny * The Times *Pure fantastic delight * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisBeautiful, twisted and brilliant - discover Yoko Ogawa.A lonely teenage girl falls in love with her foster-brother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool - sparking an unspoken infatuation that draws out darker possibilities. A young woman records the daily moods of her pregnant sister in a diary, but rather than a story of growth the diary reveals a more sinister tale of greed and repulsion.Driven by nostalgia, a woman visits her old college dormitory on the outskirts of Tokyo. There she finds an isolated world shadowed by decay, haunted by absent students and the disturbing figure of the crippled caretaker.Trade ReviewWritten in haunting, spare, shimmering prose...punctuated by acts of casual violence and vindictive spite. Profoundly unsettling, magnificently written and instantly memorable, these stories vindicate [Ogawa's] status as one of Japan's greatest living writers * Guardian *Yoko Ogawa's British debut is inexcusably belated....Ogawa is a conspicuously gifted writer... Not a word is wasted, yet each resonates with a blend of poetry and tension... mesmerising... To read Ogawa is to enter a dreamlike state tinged with a nightmare, and her stories continue to haunt. She possesses an effortless, glassy, eerie brilliance. She should be discovered in Britain, and this book must surely begin the process * Guardian *The three Japanese novellas in The Diving Pool are both creepy and disturbingly lovely...spine-tingling uncertainty surfaces throughout the haunting prose * Dazed & Confused *A fine collection of three queasily unsettling novellas... She invests the most seemingly banal domestic situations with a chilling and malevolent sense of perversity, marking her out as a master of subtle psychological horror * Daily Telegraph *An intriguing trilogy of exquisitely sketched stories... Elegant, intelligent, quietly disturbing * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the YearFrom the bestselling, award-winning Swedish author Håkan Nesser, The Living and the Dead in Winsford is a gripping and deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set on Exmoor.There is nobody in the world who knows that we are here . . .A woman arrives in the village of Winsford on Exmoor. She has travelled a long way and chosen her secluded cottage carefully. Maria's sole intention is to outlive her beloved dog Castor. And to survive the torrent of memories that threaten to overwhelm her. Weeks before, Maria and her husband Martin fled Stockholm under a cloud. The couple were bound for Morocco, where Martin planned to write an explosive novel; one that would reveal the truth behind dark events within his commune of writers decades before. But the couple never made it to their destination.As Maria settles into her lonely new life, walking the wild, desolaTrade ReviewOne of the pleasures of The Living and the Dead in Winsford is the drip feed of vital information that hurtles you through its 471 pages as it probes deeper into its heroine's demons.Nesser lives in Gotland but spends part of each year in the UK and he obviously knows his Winsford - and better still his Exmoor. The claustrophobia and comfort of village life, the terror of darkness on an exposed and desolate landscape; proximity with a natural world as beautiful as it is harsh: every detail seems etched into Nesser's viscerally descriptive writing.. . . A ripping yarn * The Times *The smooth, silky prose holds the reader's attention from start to finish, and it's no surprise to discover that this book won the Palle Rosencrantz Prize for best thriller of the year * Literary Review *A tense, psychological exploration of betrayal and revenge, deservedly winning the Rosenkrantz Award for Best Thriller of the Year in 2013.' * Sydney Morning Herald *The book is part thriller but also reads like literary fiction. This is no surprise as Nesser is an excellent writer . . . A great read * Crimepieces.com *A haunting, masterly unravelling of a dreadful crime, in The Living and the Dead in Winsford, Hakan Nesser, the bestselling, award-winning author of the Van Veeteren series, tightens the tension like a noose . . . * fantasticfiction.co.uk *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIvanov ; The Seagull ; Uncle Vanya ; Three Sisters ; The Cherry Orchard

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Book SynopsisIn three short narratives, Kadare evokes a defining moment in European history28 June 1389, the Field of the Blackbirds. A Christian army made up of Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians and Romanians confront an Ottoman army. In ten hours the battle is over, and the Muslims possess the field; an outcome that has haunted the vanquished ever since.28 June 1989, the Serb Leader Slobodan Milosevic launches his campaign for a fresh massacre of the Albanians, the majority population of Kosovo.In three short narratives Kadare shows how legends of betrayal and defeat simmered in European civilisation for six hundred years, culminating in the agony of one tiny population at the end of the twentieth century.An utterly captivating yarn: strange, vivid, ominous, macabre and wise' New York TimesTrade ReviewThe main goal of these three fables ... is to transmit a message about freedom, in the sense that to write truthfully is to set something free. In this book Kadare has set Kosovo, the battle, the myth, free from the chains of untruth * London Review of Books *The bridge is a foreboding, an omen, a threat. It is a bridge over which Asia will invade Europe and the future will invade the past. Kadare, an Albanian, has used the materials at hand to become one of Europe's great writers * Los Angeles Times *An utterly captivating yarn: strange, vivid, ominous, macabre and wise * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisThe sleepy town of Heartsdale, Georgia, is jolted into panic when Sara Linton, paediatrician and medical examiner, finds Sibyl Adams dead in the local diner. As well as being viciously raped, Sibyl has been cut: two deep knife wounds form a lethal cross over her stomach.Trade ReviewDon't read this alone. Don't read this after dark. But do read it * Daily Mirror *This gripping debut novel, filled with unremittingly graphic forensic details, is likely to have Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs glancing nervously in their rearview mirrors because rookie Karin Slaughter is off the starting grid as quickly as Michael Schumacher and is closing on them fast * Irish Independent *Chilling but thrilling * OK! *Slaughter ... brings the story to a shattering climax * Sunday Telegraph *Wildly readable... [Slaughter] has been compared to Thomas Harris and Patricia Cornwell, and for once the hype is justified ... deftly craf ted, damnably suspenseful and, in the end, deadly serious ... Slaughter 's plotting is brilliant, her suspense relentless * Washington Post *

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Book Synopsis“The great plague novel.” —The New YorkerSet in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters—the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister Unnamed—in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power, and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin ClassiTrade ReviewA gift to humanity -- Giuseppe Verdi

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Book SynopsisIn the court of Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is favoured above all the noblemen of England. It is rumoured that the Queen may chose him for her husband, but Leicester has secretly married the beautiful Amy Robsart. Fearing ruin if this were known, he keeps his lovely young wife a virtual prisoner in an old country house. Meanwhile Leicester''s manservant Varney has sinister designs on Amy, and enlists an alchemist to help him further his evil ambitions. Brilliantly recreating the splendour and pageantry of Elizabethan England, with Shakespeare, Walter Ralegh and Elizabeth herself among its characters, Kenilworth (1821) is a compelling depiction of intrigue, power struggles and superstition in a bygone age.

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Book SynopsisIn A Hero of Our Time, the first great Russian novel, a young officer, passionate and world-weary, is posted to the Caucasus and becomes involved in a series of adventures. A dazzlingly original work of fiction, the novel is newly translated together with Pushkin's travel narrative, A Journey to Arzrum, with introduction and notes.

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Book SynopsisA sumptuous historical novel set in the court of Elizabeth I, from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl.Now I can be the queen that my mother intended me to be . . . the queen I was born to be.1558. After years of waiting, Princess Elizabeth accedes to the throne of England.But the country is divided, the restoration of the Protestant faith ignites opposition from the church and beyond, and court remains a treacherous place.Many believe that Elizabeth must marry if she is to survive. For Robert Dudley, Elizabeth's ascension is a glorious new dawn, and he quickly positions himself as the young queen's favourite. Dudley is a man of powerful lineage; his father had been a kingmaker at the court of Henry VIII. But Dudley has many enemies, amongst them William Cecil, the queen's most trusted advisor.As powerful families vie for stakes in the emerging kingdom, Elizabeth must secure her own future.Trade ReviewPraise for The Virgin’s Lover: ‘A book to lose yourself in…a simmering mixture of intrigue, lust and betrayal at the court of Elizabeth I, it breathes new life into the suspected love affair between the young queen and Robert Dudley’ Daily Mail ‘Convincing and entertaining’ Daily Telegraph ‘An enjoyable read, and Gregory’s energetic writing carries one along’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Gregory’s success lies in restoring humanity to her historical figures’ Daily Mail ‘Gregory is one of the best chroniclers of the ups and downs of the turbulent Tudors…This superbly plotted drama unfolds like an exquisitely embroidered Tudor ruff’ Sainsbury’s Magazine

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Book SynopsisFrom the double Man Booker prize-winning author of Wolf Hall' and Bring Up the Bodies', this is an epic yet subtle family saga about broken trusts and buried secrets.Ralph and Anna Eldred live in the big Red House in Norfolk, raising their four children and devoting their lives to charity. The constant flood of good souls and sad cases', children plucked from the squalor of the East London streets for a breath of fresh countryside air, hides the growing crises in their own family, the disillusionment of their children, the fissures in their marriage.Memories of their time as missionaries in South Africa and Botswana, of the terrible African tragedies that have shaped the rest of their lives, refuse to be put to rest and threaten to destroy the fragile peace they have built for themselves and their children.This is a breathtakingly intelligent novel that asks the most difficult questions. Is there anything one can never forgive? Is tragedy ever deserved? Can you ever escape your own pasTrade Review‘A beautifully crafted novel’ Guardian ‘There are very few novels that not only bristle with ideas but leave you asking questions about those ideas, again and again, your world turned upside down. Mantel has managed to do this.’ Sunday Times ‘The best book she’s written … She writes about punishing subjects so freshly it is as if they had never been written about before.’ Observer ‘It has the tension of a first-rate thriller and the breadth of a family saga … Its compassion and its intellectual energy mark her as the novelist of her generation who will achieve a lasting greatness.’ Literary Review ‘A complex and highly intelligent portrayal of injustice, bereavement and the loss of faith … Hilary Mantel has created that rare thing, a page-turner with a profound moral dimension.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A work of exquisite craftsmanship that asks enormous questions.’ Independent

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Book SynopsisThe Penguin English Library Edition of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton''He seemed a part of the mute melancholy landscape, an incarnation of its frozen woe, with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface''Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious and hypochondriac wife, Zeena. But when Zeena''s vivacious cousin enters their household as a ''hired girl'', Ethan finds himself obsessed with her and with the possibilities for happiness she comes to represent. In one of American fiction''s finest and most intense narratives, Edith Wharton moves this ill-starred trio towards their tragic destinies.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.

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Book SynopsisThe writing of Fernando Pessoa reveals a mind shaken by intense inner suffering. In these poems he adopted four separate personae: Alberto Caeiro, Alvaro de Campos, Ricardo Reis and himself, using them to express ''great swarms of thought and feeling''. While each personae has its own poetic identity, together they convey a sense of ambivalence and consolidate a striving for completeness. Dramatic, lyrical, Christian, pagan, old and modern, Pessoa''s poets and poetry contribute to the ''mysterious importance of existence''.

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Book SynopsisFrom the internationally bestselling author of the Sword of Truth series, comes a new Richard and Kahlan novel, sequel to The Omen Machine.The bloodthirsty Jit is dead, and against all odds Richard and Kahlan have survived. But a new menace has attacked them in the Dark Lands. Infected with the essence of death itself, robbed of his power as a war wizard, Richard must race against time to uncover and stop the infernal conspiracy assembling itself behind the wall far to the north. His friends and allies are already captives of this fell combination, and Kahlan, also touched by death''s power, will die completely ifRichard fails.Bereft of magic, Richard has only his sword, his wits, his capacity for insight and an extraordinary companion, the young Samantha, a healer just coming into her powers.Compelling, fast-moving, and intense, The Third Kingdom is a powerful tale that welcomes new readers to Terry Goodkind''s world, while opening up new vistas of worldbuilding for longtime readers Trade Review‘Few writers have Goodkind’s power of creation’Publishing News ‘Goodkind’s greatest triumph: the ability to introduce instantly identifiable characters. His heroes, like us, are not perfect. Instead, each is flawed in ways that strengthen rather than weaken their impact.’SFX ‘A real born storyteller'Anne McCaffrey 'Everything one could ask for in an epic fantasy'Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisPersuasion narrates the emotional journey of its protagonist Anne Elliot, who chances upon Captain Wentworth, a suitor she was persuaded to reject seven years earlier, and whose reappearance causes her to reflect on her past decisions and contemplate her marital future.Vividly depicting the society holiday towns of Lyme Regis and Bath and infused with its author's trademark wit, Austen's last completed novel, set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, is an entertaining and enduring account of the dilemmas facing young women in the early nineteenth century.Trade Review"As a creative realist, giving to her characters the very body and pressure of actual life, no writer, living or dead, has surpassed her." - John Cowper Powys

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.''we call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.''When his beloved owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty leaves his life as a young, care-free colt behind him and embarks on a working life of misery. Cruelly treated by his new masters, Anna Sewell rails against animal mistreatment in this poignant tale of a horse whose spirit can not be broken.

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Book Synopsis'She wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense' GUARDIAN 'Daphne du Maurier is an excellent storyteller' KIRKUS REVIEWS'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH As a tour guide, Armino Fabbio leads a pleasant, if uneventful life - until he becomes circumstantially involved in the death of a peasant in Rome. The woman, he gradually learns, was his family's beloved servant many years ago before, in his native town of Ruffano. Fabbio returns to his birthplace, and finds it is haunted by the phantom of his brother, Aldo, who was shot down in flames during the war.Over five hundred years before, the sinister Duke Claudio, known as The Falcon, lived his twisted, brutal life, preying on the people of Ruffano. The town seems to have forgotten its violent history, but have things really changed? The parallels between the past and present become ever more evident.Trade ReviewShe wrote exciting plots, she was highly skilled at arousing suspense, and she was, too, a writer of fearless originality * Guardian *One of the last century's most original literary talents * Daily Telegraph *Daphne du Maurier is an excellent storyteller and can set in motion the most wornout mechanisms of melodrama in a way that doesn't irritate * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book Synopsis''I recommend Hamilton at every opportunity, because he was such a wonderful writer and yet is rather under-read today. All his novels are terrific'' Sarah Waters''If you were looking to fly from Dickens to Martin Amis with just one overnight stop, then Hamilton is your man'' Nick HornbyPatrick Hamilton''s novels were the inspiration for Matthew Bourne''s new dance theatre production, The Midnight Bell.The Midnight Bell, a pub on the Euston Road, is the pulse of this brilliant and compassionate trilogy. It is here where the barman, Bob, falls in love with Jenny, a West End prostitute who comes in off the streets for a gin and pep. Around his obsessions, and Ella the barmaid''s secret love for him, swirls the sleazy life of London in the 1930s. This is a world where people emerge from cheap lodgings in Pimlico to pour out their passions, hopes and despair in pubs and bars - a world of twenty thousand streets full of cruelty and kind

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Book SynopsisTHE ACCLAIMED FULLY REVISED EDITION OF THE SCOTT MONCRIEFF AND KILMARTIN TRANSLATIONTime Regained begins in the bleak and uncertain years of World War I. Years later, after the war''s end, Proust''s narrator returns to Paris and reflects on time, reality, jealousy, artistic creation, and the raw material of literature - his past life. This edition includes the indispensable A Guide to Proust, compiled by Terence Kilmartin and revised by Joanna Kilmartin.Trade ReviewAs close to being a definitive version of the great novel as we are likely to get * Scotsman *Sublime... In Proust's interweaving of romantic delusions, the glory of the descriptions, as the narrator strives to recapture the past, redeems everyone -- John UpdikeThe way he replicates the workings of the mind changed the art of novel-writing forever...his style is extraordinary, enveloping, captivating * Guardian *Proust isn't just the most profound of novelists, but the most entertaining, too. No reader ever forgets his most killingly funny scenes... Proust sinks deepest in readers because the book is so exhaustively analytical, so ceaselessly truthful. Not the least of it is the book's heavenly length, so that it inevitably takes over your life for a long stretch... the experience of reading it becomes, in itself, an unforgettable thing * Independent *Surely the greatest novelist of the 20th century * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD***THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES'Terry's place is at the head of the fantasy world' Philip PullmanFive years have passed since the cataclysmic events of Running With the Demon. John Ross, Knight of the Word, sworn to fight the eternal battle against mankind's demons, has moved on. Ross's years spent in the fight against the Void have taken their toll. He has lost his spirit, his belief and now it seems he has lost his magic. Working in a hostel for homeless children, his life is now spent fighting a battle in which he feels he might actually make a difference.But Nest Freemark, whose involvement in those events five years ago shattered her childhood, is about to be drawn once more into the mythic world of the Void and the Word. For she has learnt that John Ross is in great danger from a demon like no other. If she can not warn him in time - and persuade him to take up his staff of magic once more - the battle may be lost forever. . .Praise for Terry Brooks:'A master of the craft . . . required reading' Brent Weeks'I can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and re-read) over the years' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind'I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara' Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man'If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy' Christopher Paolini, author of EragonThe Word and the Void:RUNNING WITH THE DEMONA KNIGHT OF THE WORDANGEL FIRE EASTTrade ReviewI can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and re-read) over the years -- Patrick Rothfuss, author of THE NAME OF THE WINDTerry's place is at the head of the fantasy world -- Philip PullmanI would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara -- Peter V. Brett, author of THE PAINTED MANIf you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy -- Christopher Paolini, author of ERAGONHis fans should embrace it as eagerly as they have THE SWORD OF SHANNARA * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *By far the best of Terry Brook s' many wonderful novels . . . I couldn't put it down * John Saul *[an] enjoyable, dark fantasy. * STARBURST *John Ross, the tortured, conflicted Knight of the Word from Terry Brooks * Running with the Demon, finally gets a good night's sleep in the sequel. He buys this moment's peace at the cost of his sacred oath to be a champion of the Word, renouncing that pledge after failing to prevent the slaughter of a group of schoolchildren. D *

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Book Synopsis'Queer: A Graphic History Could Totally Change the Way You Think About Sex and Gender' ViceActivist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Jules Scheele illuminate the histories of queer thought and LGBTQ+ action in this groundbreaking non-fiction graphic novel.From identity politics and gender roles to privilege and exclusion, Queer explores how we came to view sex, gender and sexuality in the ways that we do; how these ideas get tangled up with our culture and our understanding of biology, psychology and sexology; and how these views have been disputed and challenged.Along the way we look at key landmarks which shift our perspective of what's 'normal' - Alfred Kinsey's view of sexuality as a spectrum, Judith Butler's view of gendered behaviour as a performance, the play Wicked, or moments in Casino Royale when we're invited to view James Bond with the kind of desiring gaze usually directed at female bodies in mainstream media.Presented in a brilliantly engaging and witty style, this is a unique portrait of the universe of queer thinking.Trade ReviewCould totally change the way you think about sex and gender ... an utterly un-dusty tome that questions everything from the way we categorise our sexual desire to the foundations of happiness. -- VICEThis hopeful and welcoming attitude should encourage readers to queer their own lives in whatever ways feel right. -- Publishers WeeklyYanks the jargon of Foucault, Butler and a who's who of philosophers down from the clouds and into simple, clear messages -- Sydney Morning HeraldA concise, precise and beautifully illustrated introduction. -- Kieron GillenA playful, graphic analysis of the paradox that is queer theory - opens our hearts as much as it engages our minds. -- Kate BornsteinWith their inspired synthesis of words and imagery, MJ Barker and Jules Scheele take us beyond binaries to show us the richness of queer as a critique, as a verb and as an approach to life itself. -- Jane Czyzselska, DIVAExceptionally informative ... an invaluable and illuminating resource -- The BeatSucceeds in opening its rarefied subject matter to non-academic audiences and disrupting assumptions and preconceptions about gender and sexuality, not to mention race, class, and the idea of "normal." -- Library JournalUnexpected, extraordinary wit and erudition ... Aha moments come one right after another. One small step for queer theory, this project will leap the layman far down the path of tolerance and understanding. -- Foreword ReviewOne of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is the charm of Jules Scheele's understated, accessible illustrations ... The book holds a great amount of respect for this pantheon of theorists, even when problematizing some of their views, and the art communicates that respect effectively. -- Rain TaxiFresh interpretations and clever illustrations help bring new life to academic constructs and an understanding of the intersection of biology, psychology, and modern culture. -- Washington BladeStudents everywhere rejoice! For we have an explanation of queer theory that is simple, comprehensive, critical and inclusive ... as well as having popular culture references to make the ideas stick. -- Katherine Hubbard, University of Surrey

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2017 Griffin PrizeWinner of the 2016 Costa Poetry AwardShortlisted for the 2016 T. S. Eliot AwardShortlisted for the 2016 Forward PrizeA Daily Telegraph / Guardian / Herald / New Statesman / Sunday Times / Times Literary Supplement Book of the YearAlice Oswald’s poems are always vivid and distinct, alert and deeply, physically, engaged in the natural world. Mutability – a sense that all matter is unstable in the face of mortality – is at the heart of this new collection and each poem is involved in that drama: the held tension that is embodied life, and life’s losing struggle with the gravity of nature.Working as before with an ear to the oral tradition, these poems attend to the organic shapes and sounds and momentum of the language as it’s spoken as well as how it’s thought: fresh, fluid and propulsive, but also fragmentary, repetitive. These are poems that are written to be read aloud.Orpheus and Tithonus appear at the beginning and end of this book, alive in an English landscape, stuck in the clockwork of their own speech, and the Hours – goddesses of the seasons and the natural apportioning of Time – are the presiding figures. The persistent conditions are flux and falling, and the lines are in constant motion: approaching, from daring new angles, our experience of being human, and coalescing into poems of simple, stunning beauty.Trade ReviewShe says that poetry is what happens when language becomes impossible. If you’ve never read her – get this collection now. -- Jeanette Winterson * Guardian, Book of the Year *[A] modern classic. -- Jeremy Noel-Tod * Sunday Times, Book of the Year *A miraculous collection. -- Kate Kellaway * Observer, Book of the Year *A liminal text… Unmistakably original. -- Craig Raine * Times Literary Supplement, Book of the Year *A sublime poet of the natural world. -- Rupert Thomson * Herald, Book of the Year *An astonishing book of beauty, intensity and poise – a revelation…The collection’s title is spot on. I cannot think of any poet who is more watchful or with a greater sense of gravity. -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *Stunning. Is she now our greatest living poet[?]… Her work is commanding… She is less twinkly-eyed than Simon Armitage, more committed to experimentation than Duffy and just as playful…as Don Paterson. For sheer, sustained invention and intellectual rigour, her work is perhaps closest to Kei Miller… If there’s any justice in the poetry world, the title [Poet Laureate] should be offered to this gardener-classicist who is bringing the British landscape to life in poetry again. -- Charlotte Runcie * Daily Telegraph *The pieces included here are held together by Oswald’s luminous, almost alien powers of observation. -- Yasmine Seale * Literary Review *Magic, the music of nature, the resurrection of the dead: all these feel real when you read Alice Oswald. Her stunning new collection deserves the Forward Prize. * Sunday Telegraph *[It] confirms her as one of the most gifted English poets of the past 20 years. -- Jeremy Noel-Todd * Sunday Times *She is a classicist and a gardener, an expert in the epic tradition and a riverside wanderer… Falling Awake provides the notation for an immersive aural experience; its current existence as a printed collection is not the incarnation for which it will be most celebrated, should Oswald choose to record it as a performance… It is certainly a strong contender in this year’s Forward Prizes, and a highly compelling meditation upon transience. -- Phil Brown * Huffington Post *She not only makes some startlingly original imaginative leaps, but also manages to find the word to describe the scene when she lands. -- Roger Cox * Scotland on Sunday *It does not disappoint… Fierce in the quality of her attention, often metaphorically dazzling, Oswald earns our trust through her authority. -- Fiona Sampson * Guardian *Falling Awake continues to mine a fresh, inventive seam of observational poetry, tuned in to revelation and a feeling for those moments when the world seems to become strangely, truly itself. Oswald’s best poems bear comparison with D. H. Lawrence’s late work. -- John McAuliffe * Irish Times *[It is] Terrific. -- Mark Ford * Times Literary Supplement, Book of the Year *

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Book SynopsisYou can''t keep a good wizard down - even when he wants to stay that way.For years, Harry Dresden has been Chicago''s only professional wizard, but a bargain made in desperation with the Queen of Air and Darkness has forced him into a new job: professional killer.Mab, the mother of wicked faeries, has restored the mostly-dead wizard to health, and dispatches him upon his first mission - to bring death to an immortal. Even as he grapples with the impossible task, Dresden learns of a looming danger to Demonreach, the living island hidden upon Lake Michigan, a place whose true purpose and dark potential have the potential to destroy billions and to land Dresden in the deepest trouble he has ever known - even deeper than being dead. How messed up is that?Beset by his new enemies and hounded by the old, Dresden has only twenty four hours to reconnect with his old allies, prevent a cataclysm and do the impossible - all while the power he bargained to get - but never meant to keep - lays siege to his very soul.Magic. It can get a guy killed.

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Book SynopsisIt is 3 a.m. in The City, and in a dark corner of The Bar, two lovers collide in the beginnings of a passionate and violent affair. Boy: nineteen, beautiful, ready for anyone to take him home, and 'O': the Older Man, cynical, unpredictable, and at the mercy of his personal demons. Their romance is orchestrated and observed by the owner of The Bar, Madame, who looks after her boys and ensures that their haven remains inviolate. At once a joyful celebration of homosexual love and culture, and a devastating evocation of the homophobic climate which stemmed from the 80s AIDS crisis, Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall offers a decisively contemporary recasting of the traditional love story. First published in 1990 and immediately acclaimed as the work of a bold new voice in English fiction, Neil Bartlett's powerful debut continues to shine with an ageless wisdom and wit.Trade ReviewBrilliant,beautiful, mischievous; few men can match Bartlett for the breadth of his exploration of gay sensibility * Independent *Exquisite ... a moving and erotic love story * Observer *Stands head-and-shoulders above any British or American gay novel to have appeared in several years * Gay Times *A triumph both in its execution and in its intent * Sunday Times *A writer who can really change the way people think * Literary Review *Profoundly moving and enriching. Bartlett has achieved what is almost impossible: he has written a novel about successful, happy love * The Glasgow Herald *Sexual, elegiac, imaginative and powerfully written * Time Out *Tender, brutal, explicit, erotic and moving... a fictional debut of staggering assurance and ability * Gay Times *As good a novel as you are likely to read this year * Literary Review *An exuberant individualist... his style is a disconcerting mix of the plush and the confrontational, underpinned by indignation at society's treatment of homosexuals * The Times *Neil Bartlett has grabbed history by the collar and made bitter love to it... At the very moment gay existence is threatened by disease and a renewed puritanism, Bartlett has embraced what was alien and criminal or merely clinical and loved it into poignant life -- Edmund WhiteAn extraordinary book... reveals what it is like to be gay in a city that, for the most part, pretends you don't exist * i-D *

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Book SynopsisNew Selected Poems 1988-2013 provides an unrivalled account of a period of work that was crowned by the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. Together with its earlier, sibling volume, it completes the arc of a remarkable career.Shortly before his death in 2013, Seamus Heaney discussed with his publisher the prospect of a companion volume to his landmark New Selected Poems 1966-1987 aimed at presenting the second half of his career, ''from Seeing Things onwards'', as he foresaw it. Although he was unable to complete a edition/selection, he left behind selections that have been followed here. New Selected Poems 1988-2013 reprints the author''s chosen poems from his later years, beginning with his ground-breaking volume Seeing Things (1991), his two Whitbread Books of the Year, The Spirit Level (1996) and Beowulf (1999), and his multi-nominated, prize-winning volumes, Electric Light (2001), District and Circle (2006) and Human Chain (2010). The edition concludes with two post

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Book SynopsisThis book introduces readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards' selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans

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Book SynopsisTHE EPIC FIRST INSTALMENT IN THE THRILLING WAR OF THE ROSES SERIES, PERFECT FOR FANS OF GAME OF THRONES, BERNARD CORNWELL & WOLF HALLKing Henry V - the great Lion of England - is dead.It''s up to his son to take the throne, but frail in body and mind, he is dependent on his supporters to run his kingdom.Richard, Duke of York, believes that without a strong king England will fall.And as the threat from France grows, and rebellion on home soil spreads, his fears seem justified.Who can save the throne?Who will defend the kingdom?Praise for Conn Iggulden:''This is energetic, competent stuff; Iggulden knows his material and his audience'' Independent ''Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction'' Daily Mirror ''An absolutely cracking story'' The TimesConn Iggulden,Trade ReviewPacey and juicy, and packed with action Sunday Times Energetic, competent stuff; Iggulden knows his material and his audience Independent A novel that seamlessly combines narrative, historical credence and great knowledge of the period Daily Express Iggulden is in a class of his own when it comes to epic, historical fiction Daily Mirror Superbly plotted and paced The Times Conn breathes new life into the darkest and most dramatic of times, with a flair for both the huge scale and human interest of it all Star Exceptionally well-written and gripping Stylist Compelling reading Woman & Home A benchmark for historical fiction, showcasing Conn Iggulden at his finest Parmenion Books blog Full of period detail, the narrative weaves a glittering thread through the complex, political chaos of the time. It's been said that Game of Thrones is the Wars of the Roses written as fantasy: this is the real thing, more glorious, more passionate, far, far more gritty -- Manda Scott, author and head of HWA

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Book SynopsisA novel about General Maximus, one of the inspirations behind Ridley Scott's massively successful film GLADIATOR.'Behind me I left my youth, my middle age, my wife and my happiness. I was a general now and I had only defeat or victory to look forward to. There was no middle way any longer, and I did not care.'In the year AD 406 Rome was on the defensive everywhere, and a single Roman legion stood desperate guard on the Empire's Rhine frontier. Maximus, the legion's commander, is urged to proclaim himself emperor, but he stands by his concept of duty and holds the frontier for longer than seems possible. Then chance plays a cruel trick.

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Book SynopsisThe House of the Dead recounts the story of Alexander Goryanchikov, a gentleman who is sent to a prison colony in Siberia for killing his wife. Largely ignored at first by his fellow inmates due to his noble blood, he gradually settles in and becomes an avid observer of the new world around him – watching his fellow prisoners being brutally and cruelly punished by the guards, listening to their past stories of blood and murder, assimilating the institution’s social codes and learning that even convicts are capable of acts of pure generosity. Based on Dostoevsky’s own autobiographical experiences of penal servitude in Siberia, this genre-defying novel is not only an unflinching exposé of the conditions faced by prisoners during the Tsarist period, but also a call to see the human side in criminals and rediscover the values of forgiveness and compassion. Based on Dostoevsky's own autobiographical experiences during a four-year internment in a prison colony in Siberia, this genre-defying novel is not only an unflinching expose of the conditions of Russian prisoners during the Tsarist period, but also a call to see the human side in criminals and rediscover the values of forgiveness and brotherly love.Trade Review[An example] of the highest art in literature, flowing from love of God and man. -- Leo Tolstoy

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2013 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2014SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2013From Subhash's earliest memories, at every point, his brother was there. In the suburban streets of Calcutta where they wandered before dusk and in the hyacinth-strewn ponds where they played for hours on end, Udayan was always in his older brother's sight. So close in age, they were inseparable in childhood and yet, as the years pass as U.S tanks roll into Vietnam and riots sweep across India their brotherly bond can do nothing to forestall the tragedy that will upend their lives. Udayan charismatic and impulsive finds himself drawn to the Naxalite movement, a rebellion waged to eradicate inequity and poverty. He will give everything, risk all, for what he believes, and in doing so will transform the futures of those dearest to him.Trade ReviewSweeping, ambitious ... Confirms Lahiri as a writer of formidable powers and great depth of feeling, who makes the business of conjuring a story from the chaos of human lives seem quite effortless * Observer *This tale of family ties, the bond of brothers and the breaking of traditions is moving, surprising and utterly compelling ... It’s as beautiful as anything you will ever read – it touches your soul * Stylist *Devastating * Independent *A compelling novel that lingers long in the mind -- Books of the Year * Financial Times *A sad, haunting story, which resonates long after the last page has been turned * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisCSI meets Harry Potter in this graphic novel from Ben Aaronovitch, writer of the bestselling Rivers of London supernatural police procedural crime novel series, and Andrew Cartmel author of The Vinyl Detective.Ben Aaronovitch’s ‘Rivers of London’ Set For Adaptation By See-Saw, Pure Fiction TelevisionA stunning box set edition of three of the bestselling graphic novels in the Rivers of London sequence, starring Ben Aaronovitch''s laconic trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant.The perfect gift for the Rivers of London novel fan who hasn''t discovered these amazing graphic novels yet! Includes Art Cards featuring the cover art from the individual graphic novels.

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Book Synopsis'A stunner from the first page - an end-of-the-world, coming-of-age tale of quiet majesty. I loved this novel ' Justin Cronin, author of The PassageWHAT IF our 24-hour day grew longer, first in minutes, then in hours until day becomes night and night becomes day? What effect would this slowing have on the world? On the birds in the sky, the whales in the sea, the astronauts in space, and on an eleven-year-old girl, grappling with emotional changes in her own life...? One morning, Julia and her parents wake up in their suburban home in California to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth is noticeably slowing. The enormity of this is almost beyond comprehension. And yet, even if the world is, in fact, coming to an end, as some assert, day-to-day life must go on. Julia, facing the loneliness and despair of an awkward adolescence, witnesses the impact of this phenomenon on the world, on the commu

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Book SynopsisFleabag meets I Am Legend in this extraordinary novel of one woman's survival in the face of the end of the world . . . December 2023. The human race has fought a deadly virus and lost. The only things left from the world before are burning cities and rotting corpses.But in London, one woman is still alive.Although she may be completely unprepared for her new existence, as someone who has spent her life trying to fit in, being alone is surprisingly liberating.Determined to discover if she really is the last survivor on earth, she sets off on an extraordinary adventure, with only an abandoned golden retriever named Lucky for company.Maybe she'll find a better life or maybe she'll die along the way. But whatever happens, the end of everything will be her new beginning.***'A riotous, black-humoured tonic' Independent'A masterpiece of modern fiction' Sophie Cousens'Fresh, frank, funny' Elizabeth Kay'Brilliant. Creepy, witty, laugh-out-loud and shudder-inducing' Harriet Walker'Harrowing, unflinching and uplifting' Jennifer Saint'Original, brutal, funny and hugely addictive!' Emma Cooper***A 5 star read!'I LOVED this book. I scurried through it in one sitting, couldn't stop reading it for the life of me. Then at the end I cried because it was over' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'It reads like a dream . . . with every single word perfectly plotted to create a story like no other. Sometimes I laughed, sometimes I cried, but I always related and I never wanted it to end' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'From the very first page of this book I knew it was going to be a winner . . . This is a story of strength, determination and self discovery' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'If I could have made a list of all the things that I'd want an apocalypse novel to include, this book would check off every single box' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Terrifying, appalling, gory, explicit, laugh out loud funny and practically every other known emotion. This book has it all' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Trade ReviewI adored this book . . . It's about who you are with nobody to witness you, what it means to be human, and how to live (the answer is getting plastered in Harrod's, something we can all relate to) * Gillian McAllister *Brilliant. Creepy, witty, laugh-out-loud and shudder-inducing -- Harriet Walker, author of The New GirlA fresh, frank, funny and surprisingly uplifting book about the end of the world * Elizabeth Kay, author of Seven Lies *Finished this last night and haven't stopped thinking about it since! Possibly my fave read of 2020 - sharp, funny, emotional and a refreshingly different take on a post-apocalyptic world * Lisa Hall *Really fun . . . like a dystopian Bridget Jones' Diary with echoes of Shaun of the Dead * Kate Sawyer *Scary, emotional - and truly a novel for our times! * The Sun *I haven't been so consumed by a book for a long time. This is a masterpiece of modern fiction, which I have raced through it in a few days. It has consumed my thoughts and will stay with me for a long time * Sophie Cousens *This post-apocalyptic rollercoaster ride is full of belly-aching humour and the touching tale of a woman faced with the end of the world * Magic FM Book Club *This dystopian novel is very funny, super-gory but a testament to the human spirit, which is also oddly life-affirming * Red Magazine *I inhaled it in two sittings * Stylist *Fast-paced, tragic, wholesome and laugh-out-loud funny, Clift's debut has left me grateful for the little things, excited for what else she has to offer - and making plans for my apocalypse bunker * On Magazine *Thoroughly enjoyable and warmly recommended. Think of it as a literary version of 28 Days Later: terrifying, convincingly constructed, heart-pounding at times, often blackly funny * Irish Independent Review *Amazing. Unsettling and dark and SO clever. One of the most unnerving books I've ever read * Cressida McLaughlin *If you want something super original and mad and at times, both moving and VERY FUNNY, this is it * Cesca Major *Last One At The Party is brilliant and creepy, yet surprisingly funny and feminist * Press Association *A compelling, engaging, enthralling novel that keeps the reader turning the pages * Lancashire Times *Funny but harrowing, unflinching and uplifting and so cinematic. I really loved it * Jennifer Saint *You need to read this one. Darkly witty, but also deeply moving, this is a brilliant debut * Best Magazine *A phenomenal book!!!! I've just finished it and am blown away . . . original, brutal, funny and hugely addictive! I just know I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about it for a long time * Emma Cooper *Bethany Clift's Last One at the Party stands out as a bold and humorous take on the [pandemic-based fiction] genre. -- Bea Carvalho * Belfast Telegraph *Tense * Grazia *Funny and profanity-laden, you could call this "Bridget Jones Does the Apocalypse" * Financial Times *A true pandemic page-turner, with a satisfactorily chilling end . . . * The Irish Times *Plenty of style, originality and verve * Irish Sunday Independent *Clift's novel is a riotous, black-humoured tonic to get you through this latest national lockdown * Independent *There are no holds barred in this cracking, remorselessly funny debut * Daily Mail *Clift has written a story that feels uniquely personal to its female protagonist. For all her lows, there are genuine highs, and for all her fears, there are wonders to counterbalance the desolation of her situation. * Culture Fly *Very relatable - an incredibly up-to-date feel * SFX Magazine *I obsessively read Last One at the Party - a novel about a horrifying pandemic which ends up being about female resourcefulness and the power of love * Julie Cohen *Reading it will either help your mental health or provide extra nightmare fuel. Maybe both. * The New Zealand Listener *The novel expertly walks the line between profane and thoughtful, and is as much about the why of surviving as it is about the how * FT.com *A true pandemic page-turner, with a satisfactorily chilling end * TheGloss.ie *A joyful, gutwrenching car crash of remorse, pluck, gross indulgence and shopping * Daily Mail *So dark. So funny. So mad . . . A truly epic, apoca-f*cking-lyptic read * Beth Morrey *Unforgettable and original and so many other things. Touching and poignant, crude and strangely voyeuristic, timely and deeply relatable. It had the power to make me reflect about so many things. Loved it. Five stars for sheer originality * Allie Reynolds *Intense and fun and gruelling, I just couldn't put this novel down * Jenny Colgan *Clift's gripping dystopia is terrifying but edged with anarchic humour * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis''They didn''t seem to take much interest in my private parts which to tell the truth were nothing to write home about, I didn''t take much interest in them myself.''From the master of the absurd, these two stories of an unnamed vagrant contending with decay and death combine bleakness with the blackest of humour. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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