Whether your passion is The Ancient Greeks, The Wars of The Roses or The Russian Revolution, you'll find stories of life during these eras and every other, often using factual accounts to build a fictional narrative.
Historical Fiction Books
Author In Me The Captains of Legend: 2022
Book SynopsisOn the brink of adulthood, Meena dreams of living life to the fullest. But she is a princess and the sole heir to her father''s kingdom.Holasiyan, Meena''s oldest friend, has grown up with her in the Saffron Palace, India; only now, their friendship is blossoming into something far deeper. But Holasiyan, already an exceptional warrior, is destined to take his place amongst the King''s fighting elite as generations of his family have done before him. When dark forces emerge, threatening Meena''s life, Holasiyan will do anything to protect his beloved. As events unfold, his selfless actions result in the forging of new friendships, the reforming of past alliances, and the re-emergence of old, bitter grievances that will lead to the uncovering of a dark secret and an oath sworn under duress.Can Meena and Holasiyan''s love survive?Taking you on a scintillating journey through time and place, The Captains of Legend is an action-packed story of friendship, love and loyalty.
£15.19
WriteSideLeft Manette
Book SynopsisThis is an epic story about two men in love. And food. Set in China in 1924, Hong Kong in 1945, London in 1947, France in 1948 and Rome in the early 1950s. Food, love and Victorian poetry. And indissoluble friendships. About seeing life as a newsreel and dissecting it in a doctoral thesis. A multi-sensory experience that includes eating leftover rice with warm milk and sugar for breakfast, the music of Ray Ventura, Italian Nuovo Realismo cinema, Baroque gardens, an evening at a gay pub in London's Soho, facing up to AIDS, Cucina Povera in Rome, the songs of Noel Coward, one hour in the Antico Caffè Greco, two hours in a prisoner of-war camp in Hong Kong, a scene from Virgil's Aeneid, and the poetry of Catullus. Who can be both male and female, a steadfast coward, a knight with no quest, a doubting evangelist, a cook who doesn't want to eat and a poet who doesn't write a line? Meet Manette not for answers but for what it means to be all these things and alive.
£14.42
Brabinger Publishing Death on the Pier: This delightfully theatrical
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£9.49
Bullaun Press I Am Lewy
Book SynopsisLoodeen Winders - Lewy, six years of age - is growing up sharp. It's the turbulent early 1920s in a market town in the west of Ireland. Free State soldiers patrol in front of the Workhouse. Lewy's worried about his father's car being commandeered again. The nuns loom over Lewy and his classmates, amongst them the orphans - those shadowy figures, 'slobbery and weak and raggy'. Encounters with Violet and 'Brazenface' Rosaleen McInally in the woods play on Lewy's mind, even while he's trying to fathom the death of his beloved Grandfather. For a treat he goes behind the screen at the Pictures where his father creates the sound effects with his 'Jazzdrums' for the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Lewy's mother works magic on the sewing machine and picks up the pieces when things get out of hand - like the time he breaks his arm walking the wire in their backyard circus. On the fortieth anniversary of Eoghan O Tuairisc's death, this is the first appearance in English of the frank, funny voice of Lewy, a vital witness of his place and time.Trade Review‘Eoghan Ó Tuairisc is an Irish writer of the highest importance in 20th century Irish literature, and this excellent and fascinating translation of An Lomnochtán … is a timely and important contribution to the maintenance of his reputation.’ Michael Harding; ‘In language that manages to be flamboyant and yet completely controlled, Ó Tuairisc has taken us right into the mind of a child. Reminiscent of the early chapters of Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist, this sharply observed, funny and moving story is one of Ireland’s great overlooked classics.’ Christine Dwyer Hickey, author of Tatty, Dublin One City One Book 2020; ‘Particularly in times of confusion, like today, writers of quality, like Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, can disappear through the cracks. He is such a good writer that his neglect makes you wonder about the way we evaluate art in our time.’ Thomas Kilroy; ‘An Lomnochtán is one of those experimental but extremely readable novels of childhood but without the usual angst of growing up characteristic of the clichéd novel. It captures the wonder and puzzlement of a young child cast into the world but not quite knowing what it is about. It is humorous, quirky and all too understanding about a period in life which we have all experienced. One feels that Eoghan Ó Tuairisc had fun when writing it, and it must be that Mícheál Ó hAodha had too when working on this translation as it is entirely in the spirit of the original and brings across to us in playful and simple language the wonder of this world.’ Alan Titley, translator (The Dirty Dust; The Dregs of the Day by Máirtín Ó Cadhain); ‘An Lomnochtán is probably the most unusual – and perhaps the most interesting – of Eoghan Ó Tuairisc’s novels. Mícheál Ó hAodha’s translation captures perfectly Ó Tuairisc’s unique take on the voice of the young boy as he negotiates the world around him.’ Áine Ní Ghlinn, Laureate na nÓg; ‘An Lomnochtán is rarely read today in the original Irish and its stylistic revolt against the accepted idiomatic use of native (or near-native) Irish idiom was a Modernistic step too far for most readers at the time. Ó hAodha’s translation will serve to introduce new readers to Ó Tuairisc and hopefully inspire translations of the rest of his remarkable oeuvre.’ Gabriel Rosenstock, poet; ‘A unique portrayal of Irish provincial life as elucidated in one child’s hopes and fears in an Ireland on the cusp of new beginnings. Powerful, dreamlike – Ó Tuairisc’s An Lomnochtán is a fascinating exploration of one boy’s sexual and metaphysical awakening, the complexities of history and its legacy, and the tribal secrets frequently left unspoken.’ Adrian Duncan, novelist
£9.50
Marotte Books The Photographer
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£7.99
Allen & Unwin After the Fall
Book SynopsisIn the quiet of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all, he's prone to sleepwalking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara, knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Tragedy isn't what the McNamara family expected when they moved to New Zealand. For Martha, it was an escape. For her artist husband Kit, it was a dream. For their small twin boys, it was an adventure. For sixteen-year-old Sacha, it was the start of a nightmare.They end up on the isolated east coast of the North Island, seemingly in the middle of a New Zealand tourism campaign. But their peaceful idyll is soon shattered as the choices Sacha makes lead the family down a path which threatens to destroy them all.Martha finds herself facing a series of impossible decisions, each with devastating consequences for her family.Trade ReviewOriginal, wonderfully written and utterly gripping, this is a corker of a tale. * The Sun *After The Fall is a gripping tale that would appeal to fans of Jodi Picoult and Joanna Trollope... A page turning book to while away a winter's evening. * Red Online *Jodi Picoult had better look over her shoulder - she's got a new contender by the name of Charity Norman. * Sydney Morning Herald *A gripping story, which touches on the fragility of trust, the strength of love and, of course, second chances. This is Norman's second novel. Her style is emerging as reminiscent of bestselling author Jodi Picoult. * Sunday Canberra Times *Will appeal to devotees of Joanna Trollope and Jodi Picoult... [Norman] is hot on their heels. * Daily Mail on Freeing Grace *Easy to read, hard to put down, it'll move you to tears. * Easy Living on Freeing Grace *
£9.49
Allen & Unwin To Capture What We Cannot Keep
Book SynopsisIn February 1887, Caitriona Wallace and Émile Nouguier meet in a hot air balloon, floating high above Paris - a moment of pure possibility. But back on firm ground, their vastly different social strata become clear. Cait is a widow who because of her precarious financial situation is forced to chaperone two wealthy Scottish charges. Émile is expected to take on the bourgeois stability of his family's business and choose a suitable wife. As the Eiffel Tower rises, a marvel of steel and air and light, the subject of extreme controversy and a symbol of the future, Cait and Émile must decide what their love is worth.Seamlessly weaving historical detail and vivid invention, Beatrice Colin evokes the revolutionary time in which Cait and Émile live - one of corsets and secret trysts, duels and Bohemian independence, strict tradition and Impressionist experimentation. To Capture What We Cannot Keep, stylish, provocative and shimmering, raises probing questions about a woman's place in that world, the overarching reach of class distinctions and the sacrifices love requires of us all.Trade ReviewWinter in 19th-century Paris is wonderfully evoked and Beatrice Colin's prose is suitably mesmerising for this rather beautiful love story. * The Times *A hugely satisfying, romantic and evocative read. * Woman & Home *Colin is a talented literary engineer. * Washington Post *To be in Paris to witness the construction of the Eiffel Tower is a magnificent occasion...This exquisitely written, shadowy historical novel will appeal to a wide variety of readers, including fans of the Belle Époque. * Library Journal (starred review) *Colin has a sure hand with the atmospheres of both cities and with the mores and dress of the period, and she manages to continually raise the stakes for her characters without ever resorting to melodrama. A novel of soaring ambitions, public and private. * Kirkus Reviews *A must-read for every fan of Paris, for every fan of the fight for love against the odds, and for every fan of great and deeply satisfying storytelling. * David Gillham, bestselling author of CITY OF WOMEN *To Capture What We Cannot Keep is reminiscent of the Paris it so beautifully, hauntingly brings to life: it's romantic, moving and memorable. * Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of MIDWIVES *A compelling story of love constricted by the demands of separate social classes. Told against the splendidly absorbing background of the building of the Eiffel Tower, it emerges as fresh and different. A captivating read. * Kate Alcott, bestselling author of THE DRESSMAKER *
£7.59
Allen & Unwin The Illumination of Ursula Flight
Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2019 Historical Writers' Association's HWA Debut Crown awardOne of Stylist's must-read books of 2018'Original and charming, joyous and funny.' Tessa Hadley '...[this] debut novel sweeps us away to the world of Ursula Flight, wannabe actress and playwright in 17th-century Britain. Ursula is a spirited and funny protagonist.' Sarah Shaffi, Stylist'ON THE 15TH DAY OF DECEMBER IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1664, A GREAT LIGHT BLOOMED IN THE DARK SKY...'Born on the night of a bad-luck comet, Ursula Flight has a difficult destiny written in the stars. Growing up with her family in the country, she is educated by a forward-thinking father who enables her to discover a love of reading, writing and astrology. Ursula dreams of becoming a famous playwright, but is devastated to learn she must instead fulfil her family's expectations and marry. Trapped and lost, Ursula plots her escape - but her freedom will come at a price. As Ursula's dangerous desires play out, both on and off the stage, she's flung into a giddy world of actors, aristocrats and artistic endeavours which will change her life irrevocably.A gutsy coming-of-age story about a spirited young woman struggling to lead a creative life, this uplifting tale vividly evokes the glittering world of Restoration-era theatre. For anyone who has ever tried to succeed against the odds, The Illumination of Ursula Flight is an inspiring journey of love and loss, heartbreak and all-consuming passion. This is a debut pulsating with life for readers of Jessie Burton, Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.Trade Review...abounds with ribald wit. Crowhurst has an affinity for table-turning Restoration theatre and a talent for deliciously pert dialogue. A thoroughly original work of imagination. * The Times *...offers a joyous romp through Restoration England, with a heroine who lingers long in the imagination after the final page. * Guardian *Told in Ursula's voice, interspersed with extracts from the unstaged plays into which she turns her everydaylife, Crowhurst's novel is good, tongue-in-cheek fun. * Sunday Times *[a] riotous coming-of-age debut * Psychologies *The period of Charles II's Restoration really comes alive in this wonderfully drawn story and Ursula...is a heroine it's impossible not to love. * Red *[A] hugely enjoyable, riotous coming-of-age debut * Sunday Express *I find this funny, eccentric, touching novel fairly irresistible. Ursula's story is told in an inventive mix of modes, through fragments and lists and plays and letters; it's a spirited funny romp and yet it feels much more than that too - touching and urgent and vivid. It's fluent, accomplished, polished, funny and charming. -- Tessa HadleyThis 17th century coming-of-age tale is at once subversive, moving and utterly fresh and original. -- Nathan FilerThis is, without doubt, a rollicking summer read - and Ursula Flight a 17th-century feminist hero for our post-#MeToo times. * The Pool *This sprightly, romping novel revels in its period: the Restoration world of Ursula Flight is presented with irresistible relish. Crowhurst's enthusiasm for her subject is contagious, and her playful handling of form shows great control and confidence. Bravo! -- Imogen Hermes Gower, author of THE MERMAID AND MRS HANCOCKWitty, engaging and very clever, The Illumination of Ursula Flight is absolutely my kind of novel. -- Elizabeth FremantleA glorious book, cleverly done and lushly written with a witty, vivid heroine. -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave...[this] debut novel sweeps us away to the world of Ursula Flight, wannabe actress and playwright in 17th-century Britain. Ursula is a spirited and funny protagonist. -- Sarah Shaffi * Stylist *
£8.54
Ultimo Press Cold Coast
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£8.54
Ultimo Press God Forgets About the Poor
Book Synopsis‘A stand out amongst contemporary Australian literary fiction for its stylistic and structural ambition, God Forgets About the Poor is the novel Polites has been climbing to. It is moving, poetic, powerful - at once a folktale and a modern day lament. Christos Tsiolkas meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez.’ - Maxine Beneba Clarke, bestselling and award winning author of Foreign Soil and The Hate Race ‘In God Forgets About the Poor, Polites has produced a masterpiece.’ - ArtsHub ‘a triumphant reclamation, written in prose clean as polished stones’ - The Saturday Paper ‘God Forgets About the Poor feels like a culmination; it’s the author’s most striking work yet.’ - The Guardian ‘an important literary achievement’ - The Conversation ‘God Forgets About the Poor is a reminder that everyone has a story worth telling and hearing, but not everyone gets the chance to share it. This is one told well.’ - Books + PublishingI will tell you why you should draft my story. Because migrant stories are broken. Some parts in a village where we washed our clothing with soot. Some parts in big cities working in factories. How we starved for food in Greece and starved for Greece in Australia.You don’t know the first thing about me. A son can never see his mother as a woman. You will only see me in relation to you. I have had a thousand lives before you were even a thought. Hospitalised as a child for an entire year. Living as an adult without family in Athens when the colonels took control.Start when I was born. Describe the village and how beautiful it was. On the side of a mountain but in the middle of a forest. If we walked to a certain point on the edge, we could look over the valley and see rain clouds coming. Sometimes we would see a cat on a roof, we read that as a warning of a storm. When we looked down, we saw the dirt, which was just as rich as the sky. My island, your island, our island.Sometimes I think God forgot about us because we were poor.A stunning new novel from the author of Down the Hume and The Pillars, God Forgets About the Poor is a love story to a migrant mother, whose story is as important as any ever told. PRAISE FOR GOD FORGETS ABOUT THE POOR: ‘Polites brings to light his mother’s story, a migrant woman who has lived a number of lives, surely a common story in the Greek community, and while the title suggests god may forget about the poor, Polites wants to make sure the world does not.’ - Neos Kosmos ‘It is an exquisite mode for the diaspora story, a genre that is increasingly losing its meaningfulness in a time of its commodification. In God Forgets About the Poor, the old country is dead, yet it continues to live vividly in migrants' memories even as they evolve amongst future generations.’ - ABC Arts - The Bookshelf ‘Peter Polites is also sensitive to the ways in which migrant stories can be reduced, stereotyped and consumed in mainstream publishing, and is at pains to give voice to the complexity and richness of his subject's experience.’ - The Sydney Morning Herald ‘a nuanced portrait in which a mother—in her full and challenging complexity—is truly honoured.’ - MeanjinTrade Review‘Polites’ book is a triumphant reclamation, written in prose clean as polished stones but consciously bearing something of the occasional awkwardness and inadvertent poetry of his mother’s bilingualism. God may forget about the poor, but Polites evidently does not. He has rescued his mother’s modest story and made it into a contemporary epic of homecoming.’ * The Saturday Paper *‘It’s a tender, funny, full-bodied portrait – and utterly transporting.’ * The Guardian *
£15.29
Ultimo Press Song of the Sun God
Book SynopsisSong of the Sun God is about the wisdom, mistakes and sacrifices of our past that enable us to live more freely in the future. Nala and Rajan, a young couple, begin their married life in 1946, on the eve of Ceylon’s independence from Britain. Arranged in marriage, they learn to love each other and protect their growing family, against the backdrop of increasing ethnic tension. As the country descends into a bloody civil war, Nala and Rajan must decide which path is best for their family; and live with the consequences of their mistakes. Over time, Nala and Rajan teach their family why some parts of their history and heritage are worth holding onto; and why some parts and people have to be left behind. Song of the Sun God spans three continents and three generations of a family that remains dedicated to its homeland, whilst learning to embrace its new home. Funny, warm and tender, we see Nala and Rajan’s family navigate war, migration, old loyalties and new beginnings, relying on the philosophy of their religion, their ancestors and each other.
£16.19
Ultimo Press Exquisite Corpse
Book SynopsisSet in Stockholm in 1930 and based on true events, Exquisite Corpse is a story about the madness and horror of a romance that knows no bounds.Romance is dead… Beautiful but impoverished Lina Dahlstrom is dying of tuberculosis and it seems that no one can save her. All hope is lost until an eccentric doctor, Carl Dance, becomes enthralled with Lina’s charms and vows to do everything in his power to cure her. But when the illness inevitably claims Lina’s life, Dance’s obsession with her only grows and so begins a mad and criminal scheme to bring her back from beyond the grave and claim her as his own forever.
£15.29
Penguin Random House Australia Black Sheep
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£10.79
Penguin Random House Australia The War Nurses
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£10.44
Penguin Random House Australia Mary Christmas
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£15.29
Cormorant Books,Canada Felt
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£8.54
Inanna Publications and Education Inc. Cora's Kitchen
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£999.99
Inanna Publications and Education Inc. Patterson House
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£10.95
Dayray Literary Press The Days of the Bitter End
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£18.00
CCB Publishing Ecstasy and Distress
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£22.75
Guernica Editions,Canada Burn It Down: Vol. 1
Book SynopsisIn 1967, the Summer of Love, 17-year old 'Buckles' Sinclair runs from her privileged home in Scarsdale to hitchhike to San Francisco, but instead of Flower Power, Peace, and Love she finds herself plunged into the darkest heart of the American nightmare. Her abandoned mother, KJ, rebuilds her identity and life in the company of a "family" of homosexual men-she is Wendy to The Lost Boys of Manhattan.
£16.46
Guernica Editions,Canada Blow Up the Ashes: Vol. 2
Book SynopsisBlow Up the Ashes, Volume 2 of American Mayhem, reveals the story of Pierre Doucet, a gambler and then a killer for the New Orleans mob during World War II who at one time admires from afar a yellow-haired girl.When decades later he travels to New York, he meets KJ again. They discover she was his "yellow-haired girl". KJ learns Pierre is a killer, but instead of drawing back in horror joins him. KJ and Buckles come together at the novels' end when Buckles wreaks revenge on Big Bill.
£14.96
Baraka Books The Insatiable Maw: The Nickel Range Trilogy,
Book SynopsisIn this story of eco-resistance based on actual events in the heart of Canada's Nickel Range, Jake McCool, the injured hardrock miner, returns to work for the International Nickel Company (INCO) but now at its nearby Copper Cliff smelter complex. In no time, Jake finds himself embroiled in a vicious fight over health and safety and, more specifically, over the extreme levels of sulphur dioxide that poison the air in the smelter but also in the entire surrounding area. The fight takes on new dimensions as freelance reporter Foley Gilpin sparks interest at Canada's national daily Globe & Mail and as local parliamentarian Harry Wardell smells the collusion between INCO and the highest levels of Ministry of Natural Resources at Queen's Park in Toronto.
£18.95
Talon Books,Canada The Grand Melee
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£10.99
Talon Books,Canada Twists of Fate: If by Chance & Destination
Book SynopsisTwists of Fate: If by Chance and Destination Paradise combines volumes 6 and 7 of Michel Tremblay''s acclaimed Desrosiers Diaspora series. In If by Chance, the great Ti-Lou, the famous She-Wolf of Ottawa, returns to Montréal after a fruitful career in the royal suite at the Château Laurier, where she welcomed diplomats and men of the world, politicians and ministers of worship. But in 1925 she packs up and sneaks off, her suitcases replete with savings. When she arrives at Windsor station, five possible fates await her, each with their share of risks and opportunities, of good and less good fortune. But in each of these lives, Ti-Lou will have to deal with more than mere chance; waiting for her at the crossroads are the blade of loneliness and, worse still, the fear of allowing herself to be loved. In Destination Paradise, set in 1930, we enter the Paradise Club, one of the few places that caters to confirmed bachelors. Precocious despite his young age, Édouard is carried away by the story of la Duchesse de Langeais, which he has just read in Balzac's eponymous novel. Of course we already know that Édouard will become the undisputed queen of the Montréal drag scene, but we knew less about his beginnings in life. Destination Paradise narrates Édouard's rite of passage.
£12.34
Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd Ruby Red Skies
Book SynopsisRuby used to be a fiery, sexy, musical genius. But when she got pregnant as a teenager in the 90s, her life took a turn into banality. Now a middle-aged Indo-Canadian woman, she feels unseen and unheard by her white husband and struggles to communicate with her mixed-race daughter. When she discovers her husband cheating, she embarks on a quest to unearth exciting secrets from her past. To find what she needs, she drives straight into B.C.'s raging wildfires, accompanied only by the fantastical stories her mother used to tell about their ancient Moghul ancestry - a dancer named Rubina who lived in the concubine quarters of the great Red Fort. This book is at once historical fiction and political romance, deftly navigating themes of mixed-race relationships, climate change, motherhood, body shame, death and the passage of time.
£12.79
Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd Firekeeper
Book SynopsisA healing journey through fire and water.
£16.10
VAGRANT PR Jumbo
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£14.36
Paper and Pen A Tale of Two Cities: A Story of the French
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£17.99
Orion Publishing Co Send Me Safely Back Again
Book SynopsisThe third novel in this brilliant Napoleonic series from acclaimed historian, Adrian Goldsworthy.The third novel in the series sees new challenges for the men of the 106th Foot, as the British army attempts to recover from the disaster of Corunna and establish a foothold in the Peninsula. Featuring the battles of Medellin and Talavera, the 106th will have their mettle severely tested on the battlefield. But if Napoleon is to be ejected from Spain, war must also be waged in more covert ways. For Hanley, the former artist who is a more natural observer than fighter, the opportunity to become an 'exploring officer' leads him into even more dangerous territory, the murky world of politics and partisans. And while Ensign Williams seeks to uncover the identity of the mysterious 'Heroine of Saragossa', a conspiracy of revenge within the regiment itself threatens to destroy him before he's even faced a shot from the French.
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co All in Scarlet Uniform
Book SynopsisThe fourth novel in a brilliant Napoleonic series from acclaimed historian Adrian Goldsworthy.The year is 1809, and the recruiting sergeants are hard at work, as the British army gathers strength for the next phase of the campaign against Bonaparte on the Spanish Peninsula. Captain Billy Pringle of the 106th Foot, however, has a somewhat more urgent reason to leave the country: having become embroiled in an ill-advised duel with a lieutenant in the 14th Light Dragoons, a posting to Spain would avoid any awkwardness for the regiment.Along with his friend Lieutenant Williams - whose sister Kitty was the cause of the duel - and the doughty veteran Sergeant Dobson, Pringle takes on the task of training Spanish troops to stand alongside their British allies. But what seems at first like easy duty soon turns into a desperate fight for survival as they find themselves besieged in the strategic fortress of Cuidad Rodrigo. For Bonaparte, taking the fortress will be the first step towards pushing the British back to the sea, and the task is entrusted to one of his most daring and successful generals, Marshal Ney. And Ney in his turn has found the perfect officer to lead the assault, a man not only desperate for advancement but also thirsting for revenge - a man whom Williams knows only too well.Trade ReviewGoldsworthy brilliantly evokes the reality of life - and death - in the early 19th-century British Army - DAILY MAILGoldsworthy tells this story with great skill and narrative force - WALL STREET JOURNALCompelling - FINANCIAL TIMESA superb achievement - LITERARY REVIEW
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Beat the Drums Slowly
Book SynopsisThe second novel in a brilliant new Napoleonic series from acclaimed historian Adrian Goldsworthy.Second in the series begun by TRUE SOLDIER GENTLEMEN, the story takes our heroes through the winter snows as Sir John Moore is forced to retreat to Corunna. Faced with appalling weather, and pursued by an overwhelming French army led by Napoleon himself, the very survival of Britain's army is at stake.But while the 106th Foot fights a desperate rearguard action, for the newly promoted Hamish Williams, the retreat turns into an unexpectedly personal drama. Separated from the rest of the army in the initial chaos, he chances upon another fugitive, Jane MacAndrews, the daughter of his commanding officer, and the woman he is desperately and hopelessly in love with. As the pair battle the elements and the pursuing French, picking up a rag-tag band of fellow stragglers along the way - as well as an abandoned newborn - the strict boundaries of their social relationship are tested to the limit, with surprising results. But Williams soon finds he must do more than simply evade capture and deliver Jane safe and sound to her father. A specially tasked unit of French cavalry is threatening to turn the retreat into a massacre, and Williams and his little band are the only thing standing between them and their goal.
£999.99
Orion Publishing Co Run Them Ashore
Book SynopsisIt's autumn 1810, Napoleon's legions have overrun Spain, and it looks as if Britain is losing the war. Backed by the Royal Navy, the British and their Spanish allies are clinging on to a toe-hold at Cadiz. As the French press ever closer, Lieutenant Williams of His Majesty's 106th Foot joins the Spanish partisans fighting behind enemy lines. Embroiled in the merciless guerrilla war, he soon realises that the greatest dangers come from his own side. A traitor is at work, and Williams must try to reach the British lines and warn them before a surprise raid on the French turns into a disaster.Trade ReviewThe action sequences are pungently exciting and the characters colourfully drawn. There is a fair bit of derring-do on the water... and Goldsworthy pays fitting tribute to the RN * WARSHIPS INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Whose Business is to Die
Book SynopsisIt's 1811. Wellington has finally driven Napoleon's armies from Portugal, but the cost has been high. Fearing a French counter-attack, the British must rally their tired men and go on the offensive. Lieutenant Hamish Williams of the 106th Foot relishes the call to action. Spurred on by the prospect of at last redeeming himself in the eyes of Jane McAndrews, he hopes for a battlefield promotion. But Williams is marching into the bloodiest battle of the war - Albuera. As entire regiments are destroyed in the desperate pursuit of victory, the fate of Williams and his comrades hangs in the balance . . .Trade ReviewGoldsworthy's grasp of military history and his intriguing storyline combine to keep us on the very edge of our seats. * DAILY MAIL *
£9.49
Canongate Books The Fabergé Secret
Book SynopsisNew York Times bestselling author Charles Belfoure takes readers on a breathless journey from the gilded ballrooms of Imperial Russia to the grim violence of the pogroms, in his latest thrilling historical adventure.St Petersburg, 1903. Prince Dimitri Markhov counts himself lucky to be a close friend of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. Cocooned by the glittering wealth of the Imperial court, the talented architect lives a life of luxury and comfort, by the side of his beautiful but spiteful wife, Princess Lara. But when Dimitri is confronted by the death and destruction wrought by a pogrom, he is taken aback. What did these people do to deserve such brutality? The tsar tells him the Jews themselves were to blame, but Dimitri can''t forget what he''s seen.Educated and passionate, Doctor Katya Golitsyn is determined to help end Russian oppression. When she meets Dimitri at a royal ball, she immediately recognizes a kindred spirit, and an unlikely affair begins between them. As their relationship develops, Katya exposes Dimitri to the horrors of the Tsar''s regime and the persecution of the Jewish people, and he grows determined to make a stand . . . whatever the cost.
£21.84
Canongate Books The Apollo Deception
Book SynopsisIn 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon . . . didn''t they?After China announce a space mission to place their own flag next to the one US astronauts planted during the Apollo 11 mission, few people bat an eyelid. Shortly after this statement Charlie Stephens, a 74-year-old former filmmaker, is murdered. The incident is made to look like an accident, but why?Going through his father''s effects, Gary Stephens discovers reels of 35mm celluloid showing the Apollo mission was faked - there''s no US flag on the moon, and only a handful of people know it. For his own safety Gary is brought into Mission Dark Side, a government-sanctioned cover-up to send a crew to the moon to plant the flag before the Chinese reach it . . . but there are those out to sabotage the mission and cause the US a national embarrassment.
£12.34
Canongate Books The Garden of Angels
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£12.34
Canongate Books The Mystic's Accomplice
Book SynopsisThe first historical mystery in award-winning author Mary Miley''s 1920s Chicago-set series introduces reluctant sleuth Maddie Pastore and takes readers into a dark and dangerous world of mobsters, speakeasies and seances.It''s 1924, and Maddie Pastore has it made. A nice house, a loving husband with a steady job - even if it is connected to Chicago''s violent Torrio-Capone gang - and a baby on the way. But then Tommy is shot dead, and she learns her husband had a secret that turns her life upside down.Penniless and grieving, Maddie is sure of only two things: that she will survive for the sake of her baby, and that she''ll never turn to the mob for help. So when she''s invited to assist a well-meaning but fraudulent medium, she seizes the chance. She''s not proud of her work investigating Madam Carlotta''s clients, but she''s proud of how well she does it.When Maddie unearths potential evidence of a dark crime, however, she faces a terrible dilemma: keep quiet and let a murderer go unpunished, or follow the trail and put herself and her baby in mortal danger . . .With its Prohibition-era setting, lively characters and enthralling historical detail, The Mystic''s Accomplice is an ideal pick for readers who enjoy 1920s-set mysteries.
£12.34
Oneworld Publications The Orenda: Winner of the Libris Award for Best
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE LIBRIS AWARD FOR BEST FICTION & BEST AUTHOR SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROGER WRITERS' TRUST FICTION AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE 'Historical fiction at its best' Sunday Telegraph A mesmerizing epic set in the wilds of 17th century North America, from a Giller Prize-winning author 1640s, The New World In the remote winter landscape, a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of a young Iroquois girl violently re-ignites a deep rift between two tribes. The girl's captor, Bird, is one of the Huron Nation's great warriors and statesmen. Years have passed since the murder of his family, but they are never far from his mind. In the girl, he recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter, but as he fights for her heart and allegiance, small battles erupt into bigger wars as both tribes face a new, more dangerous threat. Travelling with the Huron is Christophe, a charismatic missionary who has found his calling among the tribe. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to this new world, with its natural beauty and riches. As these three souls dance with each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, their social, political and spiritual worlds collide - and a new nation rises from a world in flux.Trade Review‘A fascinating study of blood-splattered resistance to the inevitable civilisation which will abrogate the lives of the Huron and their beautiful wilderness forever.’ * The Tablet *‘Even-handed and morally complex, melodramatic and keenly felt, it is historical fiction at its best’ * Sunday Telegraph * ‘Every time I opened the pages of The Orenda it was like stepping into another world, so vastly different to my own, but so wonderfully rich and evocative that I would feel a sense of dislocation whenever I closed the book and went about my normal life. It is by far the best novel I've read all year.’ -- Best books of 2013 * We Love This Book *‘A tour-de-force… Boyden's skill in never allowing the point of view of one of his protagonists to become more seductive than the others is remarkable… It is transparent that Boyden has done his historical homework…The author is too good, however, to make that anything but a subtext… Those layers are there to be savoured… to be secondary to the pursuit of a captivating plot.’ * The Herald *‘Brutal, tragic [and] viscerally realistic… What makes it extraordinary and, at times, hard to read or bear, is the way Boyden pulls no punches in conjuring up the horrors of tribal warfare without compromising the enveloping tragedy of the decimation of the Hurons and their way of life… It does not compromise the importance of this serious book, leaving the reader stunned and saddened.' 4 out of 5 stars. * The Metro *'One of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read.' -- Steven Galloway, author of The Cellist of Sarajevo'Joseph Boyden writes with muscle and magic in impossible balance... you will read no better book this year.' -- Andrew Davidson, author of The Gargoyle
£11.69
Quercus Publishing This Eden
Book SynopsisThis Eden is a smart modern-day adventure reminiscent of both the cyber noir novels of William Gibson and the golden age of espionage fiction.'An incredibly fast-paced literary thriller, tricksy & crammed with ideas, beautifully written, occupying its own unique territory somewhere between Graham Greene & William Gibson' Kevin PowerEver felt like you were living in a dystopian tech thriller? That's because you are... Michael is out of his depth. The closest he ever came to working in tech was when he rode a delivery bike for a food app in Vancouver. Yet when his coder girlfriend dies, he is inexplicably headhunted by sinister tech mogul Campbell Fess, who transplants him to Silicon Valley. There, a reluctant female spy named Aoife lures him into the hands of Towse, an enigmatic war-gamer, who tricks them both into joining his quest to save the world, and reality itself, from the deadliest weapon ever invented. Hunted by government agents and corporate goons, manipulated at every turn by the philosophising Towse, Aoife and Michael find themselves in an intercontinental chase which will take them from California to New York, from the forests of Uganda to Jerusalem, Gaza, Alexandria and Paris, and to a final showdown with the truth in Aoife's native Ireland.Fast-moving, exhilarating and tense, This Eden is both a classic spy novel and speculative fiction for the here and the now. O'Loughlin adapts the propulsive thriller form to create a sharp yet passionate account of a world under mortal threat from cyber-warfare, feral money, runaway technology, and a cynical onslaught on truth itself.Trade ReviewAn incredibly fast-paced literary thriller, tricksy & crammed with ideas, beautifully written, occupying its own unique territory somewhere between Graham Greene & William Gibson -- Kevin PowerSharp, witty and so well-written, with a plot that intrigues till the end. The Thirty-Nine Steps for the modern age. -- Christine Dwyer HickeyThis Eden is a delight, a rollicking ride that never lets up, with a surprising - and emotionally rich - ending. And if that were the sum of it, This Eden would be a terrific read. But, as readers of O'Loughlin's Giller-nominated, multifaceted historical mystery Minds of Winter might have guessed, there is much more to the novel than that' * Quill and Quire *Like a Tesla carjacked by William S. Burroughs, beneath its cool, sleek prose This Eden teems with ideas, wit and invention. A wild ride that hurtles from Vancouver to Jordan to Paris, from a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda to the dark pools of the high-frequency traders where money itself seems on the point of coming alive, Ed O'Loughlin's new novel is a searing depiction of a world teetering on the brink of technological abyss, a rallying cry for those who want to save it, and an exhilarating, bleeding-edge thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. -- Paul MurrayIts like Jason Bourne meets John Le Carré, but the sense that it could be terrifyingly real never leaves. * Irish Sun *Feral money is gnawing at the vitals of this timely but quirky cyberthriller by Ed O'Loughlin, a former Booker nominee. * The Times *Determinedly original * The Times * A sophisticated literary thriller, it is written with super-cool elegance and a keen eye for detail reminiscent of the best of William Gibson. Manipulated by the mysterious, philosophising Towse, Aoife and Michael must keep moving, warned to stay off -grid or be captured by the sinister agents pursuing them for reasons Towse is not ready to disclose. They manage to get from California through Africa to Israel, and then to Europe for the final showdown in Dublin. This is a breathtaking, memorable adventure with a serious heart. * Guardian *Wonderfully intriguing * Crowsnest *A glorious blend of spy novel and speculative fiction, the kind of book that sends the reader tumbling down rabbit holes to explore surreal scenarios that are chillingly plausible. * Irish Times Weekend *Gripping... The threat to global stability here is an unholy amalgamation of AI and cryptocurrency, and O'Loughlin salts the action with big ideas and keeps the pace from flagging * Financial Times *An unsettling thriller that treads in the digital footsteps of William Gibson's intricate worldview of spies, global conspiracies and rampant technology . . . O'Loughlin has a unique voice that keeps you on edge throughout. * Crime Time *This Eden brings spying up to date, with high frequency trading bots running amok and a cryptocurrency playing havoc with online financial systems. * East Anglian Daily Times *This novel is like the lovechild of Graham Greene and Philip K Dick, and it's impossible to do it justice in a short review. It's an ingenious mix of espionage and dystopian fiction, generously sprinkled with clever literary allusions. * Indepedent *A brilliant international cyber-thriller that's smart, funny and, as it turns out, remarkably timely. -- Christine Dwyer Hickey * Irish Independent *
£8.54
Troubador Publishing Private Wojtek: Soldier Bear
Book SynopsisThe story is told as a fictional account of one of the soldiers, based on the author's uncle, though including many historical facts. This cub who they called Wojtek (pronounced Vojtek), meaning 'Happy Warrior' in Polish, was initially adopted as their mascot and would be raised by their company, accompanying them on their travels through the Middle East. It would then be given official documents by the authorities making him a real soldier (hence the term Private) so as to enable him to travel with the company to the battle of Monte Cassino, where he would become a hero. After the war, Wojtek came to Scotland with the soldiers and, after being demobbed, had to be given to Edinburgh zoo. He was a huge, comical, tame and intelligent bear and had many hilarious adventures during his time with the Company.
£5.99
SilverWood Books Ltd Bombweed: Adapted from an unpublished novel
Book SynopsisRosebay willowherb grew rapidly on bombsites in WWII. Often called Bombweed, its image conjured up the terror of the blitz and its aftermath; a reminder of the lifelong consequences of wartime loss and the choice to cling to, discard, or lock away the memories of those who have disappeared from view in the fog of war. // Vivienne, a naive teenager in 1938, has to grow up in a world at war. Her family is shattered, like the buildings in her town, by the Luftwaffe. Vivienne and her sisters each seek ways to deal with devastating loss. Memories are destroyed, blotted out with drink and sex, or clung to obsessively. Houses can be repaired when peace comes, but the heart is a trickier matter. Vivienne knows that to recover, she must reach into the dark past.Trade ReviewGillian grew up in post-war Portsmouth in a family steeped in amateur dramatics. She lacked confidence, and would often be watching rehearsals and performances from the back of a darkened hall. The good thing, she says, is that by 12 years old she had seen almost all of Shakespeare's plays. She is no longer shy. // After completing a social science degree, Gillian stepped sideways into education where her curiosity about children who were failing in school drew her to therapeutic training. She has published and contributed to conferences nationally and internationally. // 'Bombweed' is Gillian's first novel. It is based on an unpublished story written in 1947 by her mother in the aftermath of WWII. Assisted by her sister Maureen, she has turned their mother's extensive, rambling, narrative into an engrossing story of love and loss, and sibling rivalry, in wartime Britain. // I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well crafted and real and it was a difficult book to put down. I was sad when I reached the end. I wish there was more to come. Tina, Amazon Reviewer // This book far surpasses my expectations; it is a story of life during the 2nd world war for a family in the Portsmouth area, badly affected by bombing and loss of life. Vivienne and her sisters go out into the world, dealing with war time conditions in their different ways. It is told in a clear and true voice and is a great read. Judica, Amazon Reviewer;Table of ContentsTea for Two Peace in Our Time Dancing Cheek to Cheek Blackout Buttons and Bows My Heart and I Home Fires Stirring Silent Night In the Bleak Midwinter On the Beach The End of the Pier Out of the Blue We'll Meet Again On a Bicycle Made for Two Blues in the Night Let It Snow, Let It Snow We Will Never Surrender Out of Sight, Out of Mind I'll Get By As Long As I Have You Bye Bye Blackbird I'm Through with Love Run Rabbit Run There is a Tavern in the Town Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye Baby It's Cold Outside In the Mood Goodnight Sweetheart Run Rabbit Run Again Lend A Hand On The Land Making Hay Sisters, Sisters V for Vengeance Shine On Harvest Moon The Homecoming Waltz V for Victory It's Been a Long, Long Time On the Outside Looking In When the Lights Come On Again All Over the World Stormy Weather Home Fires Burning Still Tea for Two I'm Beginning to See the Light Tea for Two Again On the Sunny Side of the Street
£11.99
Poetry Wales Press Cease Upon Midnight
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Poetry Wales Press A Simple Scale
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Poetry Wales Press The Confession of Hilary Durwood
Book SynopsisHilary Durwood writes his father a letter of confession from the London gaol in which he awaits execution. Eager for glory as an explorer in the further reaches of the Empire he is duped into undertaking a semi-mythical mission, in semi-mythical lands. After many adventures and setbacks he returns to London destitute, dismayed at having killed someone, and seeking revenge against the Gentleman Explorer who set him up. Meanwhile a serial killer, The Slasher, stalks the streets and inevitably their paths will cross? .Hilary has survived dangerous islanders who are intent on eating human flesh, a huge cat with a wooden leg, a giant centipede, and a man who is determined to taste every animal on the planet. He has been fed by birds bringing hallucinogenic berries and held up the crumbling Tower of Ectha. And now Hilary must write his final letter and contemplate the nature of murder and of guilt. This dark comedy thriller is a page-turning and riotous engagement with the notions and myths of Empire, the nature of reality, the power of narrative and the gullibility of those who wish to believe, even in the face of the truth.
£9.49
Poetry Wales Press Whaling
Book Synopsis
£18.62
Poetry Wales Press Things Found on the Mountain
Book Synopsis"Much With Body is modern and approachable, with an undercurrent of irony. All in all, a powerfully potent reading experience" Buzz Magazine"I was moved by this collection which places the joy of nature alongside the lived experience of those who suffer, the wild and free next to images of confinement and inaccessibility. Atkin has crafted poems in both traditional and highly experimental forms with huge success." - London Grip"This collection is a keeper, I can''t recommend it highly enough."- Caroline Bracken Atkins splits her collection into three unique parts. Atkins begins with refreshing perspective on the innocence and light-hearted descriptions of her experience with her local wildlife in Cumbria. Her next section is focused on ignored poetry from Dorothy Wordsworth, taking on an experimental style to share Atkins'' struggle with lockdown, weather and illness. In her final section, Atkins highlights the ableism she experiences, linking the medical to the personal and her identity as a long-term sufferer from a chronic illness.
£9.49
Poetry Wales Press All The Colours You Cannot Name
Book Synopsis
£9.49
