Science fiction: apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic

Book SynopsisAstonishing, frightening, spectacular'NEW STATESMANA lasting monument to the uncanny'GUARDIANChilling'NEW YORK TIMESA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWith an introduction by N. K. JemisinAfter thirty years, the secret government agency known as the Southern Reach has been unable to solve the mysteries of Area X, a seemingly malevolent landscape wiped clean of human civilisation. Or is pristine wilderness a better description? Expedition after expedition has failed to come up with answers, often disastrously. The Southern Reach, in the process, has become a backwater agency, forgotten and underfunded despite the urgency of its mission. Following the tumultuous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation, the agency is in complete disarray.Enter John Rodriguez (aka Control), the Southern Reach's newly appointed director. Working with a distrustful team desperate for success, Control must navigate a maze of frustrating interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and hours of profoundly troubling Trade ReviewPraise for ANNIHILATION and the SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY: ‘I’m loving the Southern Reach Trilogy … Creepy and fascinating’ Stephen King ‘Hauntingly weird and brilliantly new … These are contemporary masterpieces and career-defining novels’ Adam Robert, Books of the Year, Guardian ‘This trilogy is a modern mycological masterpiece … Remarkable … Tense, eerie and unsettling … VanderMeer writes much better prose than Poe ever did … This is genuinely potent and dream-haunting writing. VanderMeer has arrived.’ Guardian ‘A teeming science fiction that draws on Conrad and Lovecraft alike … “Annihilation” shows signs of being the novel that will allow VanderMeer to break through to a new and larger audience’ Sunday Telegraph ‘A lasting monument to the uncanny … You find yourself afraid to turn the page’ Guardian ‘VanderMeer’s novel is a psycho-geographical tour de force, channelling Ballard and Lovecraft to instil the reader with a deep, delicious unease’ Financial Times ‘What a haunting book this is, lodging deep in the memory in similar fashion to otherworldly classics such as David Lindsay’s “A Voyage To Arcturus” … “Annihilation” is so disquietingly strange as to defy summarisation. Read it’ Daily Mail ‘Astonishing, frightening, spectacular … The imaginative daring and reach with which VanderMeer has invented and executed a concept such as Area X is breathtaking … Powerful and echoing … I hope the trilogy will come to be seen not only as the instant sci-fi classic it is, but also as Literature’ New Statesman ‘Immersive, insightful and often deeply bloody creepy, this is a startlingly good novel … A major work’ ***** SFX Magazine ‘A tense and chilling psychological thriller about an unravelling expedition and the strangeness within us. A little Kubrick, a lot of Lovecraft, the novel builds with an unbearable tension and claustrophobic dread that lingers long afterwards. I loved it’ Lauren Beukes ‘Original and beautiful, maddening and magnificent’ Warren Ellis

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Book SynopsisPure reading pleasure' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW''Genuinely potent and dream-haunting writing' GUARDIANPowerful and echoing'NEW STATESMANA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWith an introduction by Helen MacDonaldArea X has rebuffed expedition after expedition for decades, refusing to reveal its secrets. As it expands alarmingly, the Southern Reach agency tasked with its investigation has collapsed in confusion. Now, one last, desperate team crosses the border, determined to reach a remote island that may yet hold vital answers. How was Area X created, and why? Can it be stopped?In this climactic volume of the Southern Reach trilogy, reality mutates and mysteries resolve, but now that so many questions have answers, the consequences are no less profound or terrifying.''Pure reading pleasure'' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWArresting, unsettling, and unforgettable' NEW YORKER''Contemporary masterpieces and career-defining novels'' GUARDIANTrade ReviewPraise for the SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY: ‘I’m loving the Southern Reach Trilogy … Creepy and fascinating’ Stephen King ‘Hauntingly weird and brilliantly new … These are contemporary masterpieces and career-defining novels’ Adam Robert, Books of the Year, Guardian ‘This trilogy is a modern mycological masterpiece … Remarkable … Tense, eerie and unsettling … VanderMeer writes much better prose than Poe ever did … This is genuinely potent and dream-haunting writing. VanderMeer has arrived.’ Guardian ‘A teeming science fiction that draws on Conrad and Lovecraft alike … “Annihilation” shows signs of being the novel that will allow VanderMeer to break through to a new and larger audience’ Sunday Telegraph ‘A lasting monument to the uncanny … You find yourself afraid to turn the page’ Guardian ‘VanderMeer’s novel is a psycho-geographical tour de force, channelling Ballard and Lovecraft to instil the reader with a deep, delicious unease’ Financial Times ‘What a haunting book this is, lodging deep in the memory in similar fashion to otherworldly classics such as David Lindsay’s “A Voyage To Arcturus” … “Annihilation” is so disquietingly strange as to defy summarisation. Read it’ Daily Mail ‘Astonishing, frightening, spectacular … The imaginative daring and reach with which VanderMeer has invented and executed a concept such as Area X is breathtaking … Powerful and echoing … I hope the trilogy will come to be seen not only as the instant sci-fi classic it is, but also as Literature’ New Statesman ‘Immersive, insightful and often deeply bloody creepy, this is a startlingly good novel … A major work’ ***** SFX Magazine ‘A tense and chilling psychological thriller about an unravelling expedition and the strangeness within us. A little Kubrick, a lot of Lovecraft, the novel builds with an unbearable tension and claustrophobic dread that lingers long afterwards. I loved it’ Lauren Beukes ‘Original and beautiful, maddening and magnificent’ Warren Ellis

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Book SynopsisVoyager Classics timeless masterworks of science fiction and fantasy.A beautiful clothbound edition of the internationally acclaimed Fahrenheit 451 a masterwork of twentieth-century literature.Over 1 million copies sold in the UK.The terrifyingly prophetic novel of a post-literate future.Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.The classic dystopian novel of a post-literate future, Fahrenheit 451 stands alongside Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World as a prophetic account of Western civilization's enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.Bradbury's powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which, decades on from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock.Trade Review‘‘Ray Bradbury’s gift for storytelling reshaped our culture and expanded our world’ Barack Obama ‘Fahrenheit 451 is the most skilfully drawn of all science fiction’s conformist hells’Kingsley Amis ‘Bradbury’s is a very great and unusual talent’Christopher Isherwood ‘Ray Bradbury has a powerful and mysterious imagination which would undoubtedly earn the respect of Edgar Allen Poe’ Guardian

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Book SynopsisA chilling piece of Russian dystopian fiction and the basis of three bestselling computer games Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, and Metro: ExodusThe year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. The half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind. But the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory, the stuff of myth and legend.More than 20 years have passed since the last plane took off from the earth. Rusted railways lead into emptiness. The ether is void and the airwaves echo to a soulless howling where previously the frequencies were full of news from Tokyo, New York, Buenos Aires. Man has handed over stewardship of the earth to new life-forms. Mutated by radiation, they are better adapted to the new world. Man''s time is over.A few score thousand survivors live on, not knowing whether they are the only ones left on earth. They live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity''s last refuge. Stations have become mini-statelets, their people uniting around ideas, religions, water-filters - or the simple need to repulse an enemy incursion. It is a world without a tomorrow, with no room for dreams, plans, hopes. Feelings have given way to instinct - the most important of which is survival. Survival at any price.VDNKh is the northernmost inhabited station on its line. It was one of the Metro''s best stations and still remains secure. But now a new and terrible threat has appeared. Artyom, a young man living in VDNKh, is given the task of penetrating to the heart of the Metro, to the legendary Polis, to alert everyone to the awful danger and to get help. He holds the future of his native station in his hands, the whole Metro - and maybe the whole of humanity.Readers are hooked on Metro 2033:''The Russians have a skill in writing apocalyptic, nightmarish stories . . . Claustrophobic, dark cul-de-sacs of danger and terror, Metro 2033 is a world of uncertainties and fear . . . I never realised that you can read a book through your fingers as you wait for the horrors to leap out from the ruins and the dark'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''Frankly it is the best post-apocalyptic sci-fi I have ever read . . . the story operates on a number of different levels, is tightly plotted, very descriptive and real . . . The ending is a twist and a shocker that left me feeling empty and hollow for a few days afterwards'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''Those Russians know how to write dystopian, post-apocalyptic, creepy horror . . . Life in the metro is brutal, raw, dirty, dangerous, but also deeply human . . . a fantastic, immersive read'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''The creatures, the world, the Metro, the people are all very well though out and built . . . The ending hit me out of nowhere, completely unexpected on my part. Just. What a twist'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Book SynopsisHugo and Shirley Jackson award-winning Peter Watts stands on the cutting edge of hard SF with his acclaimed novel, BlindsightTwo months since the stars fell...Two months of silence, while a world held its breath.Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune''s orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever''s out there isn''t talking to us. It''s talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route.So who do you send to force introductions with unknown and unknowable alien intellect that doesn''t wish to be met?You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees x-rays and tastes ultrasound. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won''t be needed. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called vampire, recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesistan informational topologist with half his mind goneas an interface between here and there.Pray they can be trusted with the fate of a world. They may be more alien than the thing they''ve been sent to find.Trade Review"A magnificent, darkly gleaming jewel of a book that hurdles the contradictions inherent in biochemistry, consciousness, and human hearts without breaking stride." --Elizabeth Bear, author of Karen Memory "Peter Watts has taken the core myths of the First Contact story and shaken them to pieces. The result is a shocking and mesmerizing performance, a tour-de-force of provocative and often alarming ideas. It is a rare novel that has the potential to set science fiction on an entirely new course." --Karl Schroeder, author of Stealing Worlds "A tour de force, redefining the First Contact story for good. Peter Watts' aliens are . . . something new and infinitely more disturbing, forcing us to confront unpalatable possibilities about the nature of consciousness." --Charles Stross, author of The Delirium Brief "Blindsight is excellent. It's state-of-the-art science fiction: smart, dark and it grabs you by the throat from page one. Like a C J Cherryh book it makes you feel the danger of the hostile environment (or lack of one) out there. And unlike many books it plays with some fascinating possibilities in human development (I like the idea of some disabilities becoming advantages here) and some disconcerting ideas about human consciousness (understanding what action preceding though actually means)." --Neal Asher "If Samuel R. Delany, Greg Egan and Vernor Vinge had collaborated to update Algis Budrys's classic Rogue Moon for the new millennium, they might have produced a novel as powerful and as uniquely beautiful as Blindsight." --Spider Robinson, co-author of Variable Star by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson

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Book SynopsisFollowing the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part in Douglas Adams' multi-media phenomenon and cult classic series. This edition includes exclusive bonus material from the Douglas Adams archives, and an introduction by Monty Python star, Terry Jones.If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe?Which is exactly what Arthur Dent and the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There's just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea.And did anyone actually make a reservation?Follow Arthur Dent's galactic (mis)adventures in the rest of the trilogy with five parts: Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless.Trade ReviewOne of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius -- David WalliamsDazzlingly inventive -- Caitlin MoranFizzing with ideas . . . Brilliant -- Charlie BrookerI haven’t known many geniuses in my life. Some brilliantly smart people, but only a tiny handful would I class as geniuses. I would class Douglas, because he saw things differently, and he was capable of communicating the way he saw things, and once he explained things the way he saw them, it was almost impossible to see them the way you used to see them -- Neil GaimanIt changed my whole life. It's literally out of this world -- Tom BakerHitchhiker’s is packed with that unique energy, all barmy and bristling and bold. This book can be witty, iconoclastic, godless, savage, sweet, surreal, but above all, it dares to be silly. Fiercely, beautifully silly -- Russell T. Davies, writer and producer of Doctor WhoHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *Sheer delight * The Times *

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Book SynopsisMysterious explosions have rocked the planet, setting off a series of supernatural phenomena known as the Death Stranding. Spectral creatures that devour the living have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction, causing countries to fall and survivors to scatter and live in pockets of isolation. Sam Porter Bridges, the legendary porter with the ability to return from the world of the dead, has been entrusted to save mankind from the brink of destruction. Plagued by haunting visions, and tracked by Higgs, a man who longs to see humanity extinct, Sam must finally discover the truth behind the Death Stranding and fate of this world.

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Book SynopsisMostly Harmless is the fifth and final part in Douglas Adams' much-loved cult classic series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.This edition includes exclusive bonus material from the Douglas Adams archives, and an introduction by Dirk Maggs, co-producer of BBC Radio 4's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases.Arthur Dent hadn't had a day as bad as this since the Earth had been blown up.After years of galactic wanderings, Arthur finally settles on the small planet Lamuella and becomes a sandwich maker. Looking forward to a quiet life, his plans are thrown awry by the unexpected arrival of his daughter.There's nothing worse than a frustrated teenager with a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in their hands. When she runs away, Arthur goes after her determined to save her from the horrors of the universe.After all – he's encountered most of them before . . .Trade ReviewOne of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius -- David WalliamsDazzlingly inventive -- Caitlin MoranFizzing with ideas . . . Brilliant -- Charlie BrookerI haven’t known many geniuses in my life. Some brilliantly smart people, but only a tiny handful would I class as geniuses. I would class Douglas, because he saw things differently, and he was capable of communicating the way he saw things, and once he explained things the way he saw them, it was almost impossible to see them the way you used to see them -- Neil GaimanIt changed my whole life. It's literally out of this world -- Tom BakerReally entertaining and fun -- Michael PalinHitchhiker’s is packed with that unique energy, all barmy and bristling and bold. This book can be witty, iconoclastic, godless, savage, sweet, surreal, but above all, it dares to be silly. Fiercely, beautifully silly -- Russell T. Davies, writer and producer of Doctor WhoHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Sheer delight * The Times *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary FictionShortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction Book of the Year.2074. America's future is Civil War. Sarat's reality is survival. They took her father, they took her home, they told her lies . . . She didn't start this war, but she'll end it.Omar El Akkad’s powerful debut novel imagines a dystopian future: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague and one family caught deep in the middle. In American War, we’re asked to consider what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons against itself.Trade ReviewAmerican War creates as haunting a post-apocalyptic universe as Cormac McCarthy did in The Road, and as devastating a look at the fallout that national events have on an American family as Philip Roth did in The Plot Against America. -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *So sharply observed . . . hard to resist. * Sunday Times *This is extremely good . . . Basically was hoping for my train to be delayed -- Sarah PerryThis is an outstanding book – 1984 meets The Handmaid’s Tale – that feels closer to reality than it possibly should. * Prima *America’s tortured present lends unsettling believability to American War, the dystopian debut from journalist Omar El Akkad with its late 21st-century picture of a second civil war, fought over fossil fuel in a US devastated by environmental disaster. Brilliantly imagined, it’s both a timely tale and a salutary warning. -- Mariella Frostrup, Guardian ‘Best Books of 2017’Terrifying . . . moving . . . Convincing, compelling and very bloody scary. * Metro *Future dystopias always tell us a great deal about our most pressing contemporary anxieties and this is a novel that imagines the cracks currently emerging in US society widening into ravines. -- Alex Preston ‘Best Fiction of 2017’ * Observer *[An] exciting debut . . . what sets this impressive book apart from other dystopian novels is the fully realised plausibility of the scenario El Akkad’s created, the roots of which can be all too easily identified in the world around us today… As diverting a read as this engrossing novel is, American War should no doubt also be read as a cautionary tale. * Independent *Informed by writer El Akkad's experiences working as a journalist in Afghanistan and Egypt's Arab Spring, this is a timely and haunting book that reflects our uncertain era. * Stylist *It is an ambitious concept and El Akkad . . . pulls it off in an imaginative feat of world building . . . American War is an assured debut and El Akkad’s experience as a war reporter lends a grisly realism to proceedings . . . A vivid and nightmarish vision of an all-too-conceivable future. * Express *American War is an extraordinary novel. El Akkad’s story of a family caught up in the collapse of an empire is as harrowing as it is brilliant, and has an air of terrible relevance in these partisan times. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven[A] striking debut . . . El Akkad is well equipped to speculate on the way in which our present predicaments might spark brutal conflict: he has seen those conflicts for himself . . . the book’s politics and its situations are all too believable. * New Statesman *Disturbingly plausible . . . a tale of a future America torn asunder by its own political and tribal affiliations . . . The novel’s thriller premise notwithstanding, Akkad applies a literary writer’s care to his depiction of Sarat’s psychological unpacking and the sensory details of her life . . . Whether read as a cautionary tale of partisanship run amok, an allegory of past conflicts or a study of the psychology of war, American War is a deeply unsettling novel. The only comfort the story offers is that it’s a work of fiction. For the time being, anyway. -- Justin Cronin * New York Times *The comment being made on the Trump administration is impossible to miss in this engaging novel . . . It paints a bleak picture pf the future of humanity if climate change and the divisions of our society are not addressed now. * i *American War is the most impressive new novel I’ve read this year. Set in a scarily plausible future scarred by civil strife and climate change, it’s thrilling for the sheer transporting force of its storytelling. Its lasting power, though, lies in its complex account of moral disintegration, both individual and societal. -- Garth Greenwell, 'Best holiday reads 2017' * Guardian *Follow the tributaries of today’s political combat a few decades into the future and you might arrive at something as terrifying as Omar El Akkad’s debut novel, American War . . . Poignant and horrifying . . . El Akkad demonstrates a profound understanding of the corrosive culture of civil war, the offenses that give rise to new hypocrisies and mythologies, translating terrorists into martyrs and acts of despair into feats of heroism. * Washington Post *American War is a worthy first novel, thought-provoking [and] earnest . . . It is at its best depicting the lives of ordinary people caught up in terrible circumstances and how those ordinary people are, in the crosshairs of crisis, forever changes, and how some can become extraordinary or at least affect history. * Los Angeles Times *Unsettling and horribly plausible * Psychologies Magazine *In American War, [Omar El Akkad] has crafted a most unusual novel, one featuring a gripping plot and an elegiac narrative tone, but also an oppressively grim vision of a divided, selfdestructive nation that becomes a victim of its darkest impulses and actions. * Boston Globe *El Akkad’s debut novel transports us to a terrifyingly plausible future in which the clash between red states and blue has become deadly . . . Part family chronicle, part apocalyptic fable, American War is a vivid narrative of a country collapsing in on itself, where political loyalties hardly matter given the ferocity of both sides and the unrelenting violence that swallows whole bloodlines and erodes any capacity for mercy or reason. This is a very dark read; El Akkad creates a world all too familiar in its grisly realism. * Publishers' Weekly *Omar El Akkad’s topically minded tale deals with climate change, drone warfare, refugee crisis and the use of torture . . . Compelling. * SFX *El Akkad has created a brilliantly well-crafted, profoundly shattering saga of one family’s suffering in a world of brutal power struggles, terrorism, ignorance, and vengeance. American War is a gripping, unsparing, and essential novel for dangerously contentious times. * Booklist (starred review) *American War is Omar El Akkad’s first novel and it is masterful. Both the story and the writing are lucid, succinct, powerful and persuasive . . . Over the course of the novel, we will discover how the narrator came to know and love Sarat, how he suffered to see her suffer and how he witnessed good and evil do battle for her soul. But, more importantly, we come to reflect once more on the egotism and idiocy of war, and on the millions of people it makes homeless, and on the unfortunate way that those who still have the means to live inside locked homes tend to hate others who show up en masse at their doorstep, shoeless and hungry and desperate. * Toronto Globe and Mail *A plausible, terrifying chronicle of the fracture and subsequent annihilation of the US . . . A thrillingly complex adventure that moves from the American south to Alaska and on to the Middle East and North Africa . . . At its heart and most movingly, the novel also becomes a coming-of-age narrative about how easily a curious child faced with horror and powerlessness can transform into a weapon intent on obliteration. As we learn at the end of the prologue, “This isn’t a story about war. It’s about ruin.”’ * The Australian *

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

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Book Synopsis'One of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius' - David WalliamsAn international phenomenon and pop-culture classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been a radio show, TV series, novel, stage play, comic book and film. Following the galactic (mis)adventures of Arthur Dent, Hitchhiker’s in its various incarnations has captured the imaginations of curious minds around the world . . .It's an ordinary Thursday lunchtime for Arthur Dent until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly afterwards to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and his best friend has just announced that he's an alien. At this moment, they're hurtling through space with nothing but their towels and an innocuous-looking book inscribed, in large friendly letters, with the words: DON'T PANIC. The weekend has only just begun . . .This 42nd Anniversary Edition includes exclusive bonus material from the Douglas Adams archives, and an introduction by former Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies.Continue Arthur Dent's intergalactic adventures in the rest of the trilogy with five parts: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless.Trade ReviewOne of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius -- David WalliamsDazzlingly inventive -- Caitlin MoranFizzing with ideas . . . Brilliant -- Charlie BrookerI haven’t known many geniuses in my life. Some brilliantly smart people, but only a tiny handful would I class as geniuses. I would class Douglas, because he saw things differently, and he was capable of communicating the way he saw things, and once he explained things the way he saw them, it was almost impossible to see them the way you used to see them -- Neil GaimanThe first book that wasn’t by Roald Dahl that really made me laugh. Arthur Dent is this humdrum person in search of a cup of tea and ends up going on mind-blowing adventures. He is so ordinary and the circumstances are so extraordinary that it was the funniest thing I’d ever read -- Robert WebbIt changed my whole life. It's literally out of this world -- Tom BakerReally entertaining and fun -- Michael PalinHitchhiker’s is packed with that unique energy, all barmy and bristling and bold. This book can be witty, iconoclastic, godless, savage, sweet, surreal, but above all, it dares to be silly. Fiercely, beautifully silly -- Russell T. Davies, writer and producer of Doctor WhoHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Sheer delight * The Times *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *Really entertaining and fun -- John CleeseMuch funnier than anything John Cleese has written -- Terry JonesWho is John Cleese? -- Eric IdleI know for a fact that John Cleese hasn’t read it -- Graham Chapman

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Book SynopsisThe SF classic that inspired the blockbuster vampire movie starring Will Smith.

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Book SynopsisBy far the best book I''ve read this year. Roxane Gay #1 Best Book of 2022 (Vulture) A Best Horror Novel of All Time (Cosmopolitan) One of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 (Esquire, Library Journal, Paste, and CrimeReads) A Top 10 Horror Debuts of 2022 (Booklist) A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Horror A Best Book of 2022 (Tor.com) A Best SFF Book of 2022 (Gizmodo) A Top 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature (The New York Times Style Magazine).Manhunt is an explosive post-apocalyptic novel that follows trans women and trans men on a grotesque journey of survival.A modern horror masterpiece. Carmen Maria MachadoBeth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they''ll nev

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

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Book SynopsisA truly phenomenal, breathtaking debut science-fiction novel of the highest order.

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Book SynopsisThe disturbing post-apocalyptic novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, author of The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes and dramatised on BBC Radio 4.David Strorm''s father doesn''t approve of Angus Morton''s unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realise that his own son, and his son''s cousin Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret abberation which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery, or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands. . . The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure.''Perfect timing, astringent humour. . . one of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intTrade ReviewPerfect timing, astringent humour . . . One of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence * Spectator *Remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way * Guardian *Remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way * Guardian *

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

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Book SynopsisIntroduced by Jeff VanderMeer - ''a classic: stunning, dangerous, darkly beautiful'' - welcome to the post-apocalyptic White Lotus: a luxury hotel at the end of the world in this lost 1967 dystopia ...''Chilling and prescient.'' Andrew Hunter Murray ''Elemental and true.'' Kiran Millwood Hargrave ''Mesmerizing.'' Sandra Newman ''Like someone from the future screaming to us.'' Salena GoddenThe day we came up from the shelters four people were found dead on the steps of the hotel. Welcome to Termush: a luxury coastal resort like no other. All the wealthy guests are survivors: preppers who reserved rooms long before the Disaster. Inside, they embrace exclusive radiation shelters, ambient music and lavish provisions; outside, radioactive dust falls on the sculpture park, security men step over dead birds, and a reconnaissance party embarks.Despite weathering a nuclear apocalypse, their problems are only j

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Book SynopsisIn the year 2100, the invention of the Electron Pump - an apparently inexhaustible supply of free energy - has enabled humanity to devote its time and energies to more than the struggle for survival, finally breaking free of the Earth. But the Electron Pump works by exchanging materials with a parallel universe, and such unbalancing of the cosmos has consequences. Humans and aliens alike must race to prevent a vast nuclear explosion in the heart of the Sun - and the vaporisation of the Earth exactly eight minutes later ...

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Book Synopsis''Ingenious, horrifying'' - Guardian It started with fireballs raining down from the sky and crashing into the oceans'' deeps. Then ships began sinking mysteriously and later ''sea tanks'' emerged from the deeps to claim people . . . For journalists Mike and Phyllis Watson, what at first appears to be a curiosity becomes a global calamity. Helpless, they watch as humanity struggles to survive now that water - one of the compounds upon which life depends - is turned against them. Finally, sea levels begin their inexorable rise . . . The Kraken Wakes is a brilliant novel of how humankind responds to the threat of its own extinction and, ultimately, asks what we are prepared to do in order to survive.Trade ReviewIngenious, horrifying * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA landmark book in the fields of science fiction and feminism.Four women living in parallel worlds, each with a different gender landscape. When they begin to travel to each other''s worlds each woman''s preconceptions on gender and what it means to be a woman are challenged.Acclaimed as one of the essential works of science fiction and an influence on William Gibson, THE FEMALE MAN takes a look at gender roles in society and remains a work of great power.

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Book SynopsisA Post-Apocalyptic Fable Told In Three Parts For Fans of Saga!In this decades spanning post-apocalyptic tale, Maceo and Mezzy have never met anyone like each other, and they’ll need all the help they can get to survive a planet ravaged by environmental catastrophe. “Love in the Wasteland” kicks off the first arc of this epic trilogy that spans a lifetime as the dark mysteries of a ruined world and their own stark differences tear at the threads holding Mezzy and Maceo together. As they endure the horrors of plastic tornadoes and frozen sludge, Maceo proves to be more than just a burden, and they make an unlikely connection. But to their peril… they might not be as alone as they thought… New York Times bestselling, Eisner and Harvey Award-winning writer Jason Aaron (Thor, The Avengers, Southern Bastards) launches his most ambitious original series to date with three distinct artistic partners – Eisner Award-winning artist Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), acclaimed artists Leila del Duca (Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed, Sleepless), and Nick Dragotta (East of West, Ghost Cage) – to take on a vision of the end of the world that’s brutal and nostalgic, whimsical and grounded… and ultimately, timeless. Collects Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World #1-5.

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Book SynopsisThe essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series – this is the ultimate introduction to the Lawman of the Future! After Dredd’s discovery of a mutant branch of his bloodline during Origins, the lawman has started to take a closer look at Justice Department’s treatment of those unfortunates warped by the legacy of the Atomic Wars. Mutants are currently forbidden entry into Mega-City One, and exiled to facilities and townships in the irradiated wasteland, but Dredd believes it’s time the law was changed – but is even he prepared for the turmoil he’s about to unleash? The stories collected in this volume affect the Dredd strip for years to come, and features work by writer John Wagner (Button Man) and artists Colin MacNeil (Essential Judge Dredd: America), Kev Walker (Star Wars), Patrick Goddard (Battle Action), and Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl).Trade ReviewREVIEW FOR PREVIOUS ESSENTIAL JUDGE DREDD COLLECTIONS "With 40+ years of Dredd tales to choose from, the new Essential Judge Dredd has opened with an impressive one-two punch." - ComicconREVIEW FOR PREVIOUS ESSENTIAL JUDGE DREDD COLLECTIONS "If you’re a fan that hasn’t seen this stuff before, you’re in for a rare treat." - Grovel

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Book SynopsisIsaac Marion grew up in the mossy depths of the Pacific Northwest, USA, where he worked as a heating installer, a security guard, and a visitation supervisor for foster children before publishing his debut novel in 2010 - Warm Bodies became a New York Times bestseller and inspired a major Hollywood film adaptation. It has been translated into twenty-five languages worldwide. Isaac lives in Seattle with his cat and a beloved cactus, writing fiction and music and taking pictures of everything.Trade ReviewI never thought I could care so passionately for a zombie. Isaac Marion has created the most unexpected romantic lead I've ever encountered, and rewritten the entire concept of what it means to be a zombie in the process. This story stayed with me long after I finished reading it. I eagerly await the next book by Isaac Marion -- STEPHENIE MEYERA mesmerising evolution of a classic contemporary myth -- Simon PeggWarm Bodies is a strange and unexpected treat. R is the thinking woman's zombie - though somewhat grey-skinned and monosyllabic, he could be the perfect boyfriend, if he could manage to refrain from eating you. This is a wonderful book, elegantly written, touching and fun, as delightful as a mouthful of fresh brains -- AUDREY NIFFENEGGERA disarming writer, ruefully humorous, knowingly cinematic in scope. This is a slacker-zombie novel with a heart * Guardian *Warm Bodies is a terrific book - a compelling literary fantasy which is also a strange and affecting pop-culture parable -- Nick Harkaway, author of The Gone-Away World

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Book SynopsisA quantum Brave New World from the boldest and most wildly speculative writer of his generation.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisOne Year After is the New York Times bestselling follow-up to William R. Forstchen's smash hit One Second After, the novel cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should readThe story begins one year after One Second After ends, two years since nuclear weapons were detonated above the United States and brought America to its knees. After months of suffering starvation, war, and countless deaths, the survivors of Black Mountain, North Carolina, are beginning to recover technology and supplies they had once taken for granted, like electricity, radio communications, and medications. When a federal administrator arrives in a nearby city, they dare to hope that a new national government is finally emerging. That hope quickly diminishes when town administrator John Matherson learns that most of the young men and women in the community are to be drafted into the Army of National Recovery and sent to trouble spots hund

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Book SynopsisAltered Carbon and The Wind-Up Girl meet Apocalypse Now in this Ditmar and Aurealis award-winning, fast-paced, intelligent, action-driven cyberpunk, probing questions of memory, identity and the power of narratives. Lin ‘The Silent One’ Vu is a gangster in Chinese-occupied Hanoi, living in the steaming, paranoid alleyways of the 36 Streets. Born in Vietnam, raised in Australia, everywhere she is an outsider. Through grit and courage, Lin has carved a place for herself in the Hanoi underworld under the tutelage of Bao Nguyen, who is training her to fight and survive. Because on the streets there are no second chances. Meanwhile the people of Hanoi are succumbing to Fat Victory, an addictive immersive simulation of the US-Vietnam war. When an Englishman – one of the game’s developers – comes to Hanoi on the trail of his friend’s murderer, Lin is drawn into the grand conspiracies of the neon gods: the mega-corporations backed by powerful regimes that seek to control her city. Lin must confront the immutable moral calculus of unjust wars. She must choose: family, country, or gang. Blood, truth, or redemption. No choice is easy on the 36 Streets.Trade Review"36 Streets glows bright and hallucinatory as tropical neon, goes down smooth as warm sake, cuts deep as a nano-steel blade. Napper honours classic cyberpunk with fresh perspectives and hot genre recombinations, a nasty new future gleam, the proverbial new coat of paint. But there are more austere echoes here too, of Graham Greene and Kazuo Ishiguro, of a whole post-colonial literary heritage banging to be let in. In a genre stuffed with facile hero narratives, 36 Streets consistently chooses something else - messy humanity, grey moral tones and choices, hard-edged geopolitical truth. Raw and raging and passionate, this is cyberpunk literature with a capital fucken L. Get it while it's hot!" Richard Morgan, author of Altered Carbon "Brutal, brooding, brilliant . . . an angry vision of violence wrapped around a complex meditation of memory, trauma and hegemony. This is cyberpunk with soul." Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, author of The Salvage Crew "Intimately concerned with the little guy in a world of neon gods, Napper paints a prophetic and uncomfortably believable vision of the future. A fascinating interplay between advancing technology and wish fulfillment, 36 Streets is ambitious in scope while remaining deeply human." Tim Hickson, Hello Future Me "High-octane, immersive SF at its best. 36 Streets is sure become a classic in the field." Kaaron Warren, Shirley Jackson Award-Winner "Napper has made a remarkable character in the form of his protagonist Lin Thi Vu, subverting to some degree the conventions of the world of male power and violence. It's a great achievement. The set pieces, the interludes, of performed mastery with weapons and skill, are well poised and set the scene with ritualised violence." Stephen Teo, author of Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: The Wuxia Tradition "An engrossing, intriguing action-packed duty tour of a tech-thick, violence-infused, neon-scorched near future gangland Vietnam, where unwinnable games run hot and wild. Highly recommended." Cat Sparks, author of Lotus Blue "A fun, frenetic journey of neon-blasted streets, sinister underworlds and oodles of brutal tech, rendered in cutthroat prose so tangible you can almost smell the grime and cigarette smoke. T. R. Napper's cyberpunk world is a feral, back-alley brawl of a novel with real blood under its nails." Jeremy Szal, author of Stormblood "Beautiful, shimmering, ghostly science fiction." Anna Smith-Spark, author of Empires of Dust Praise for T R Napper "Haunting and iridescent - combines the paranoid weirdness of the best Philip K Dick, the chilly but cool-as-fuck future gleam of cyberpunk, and an achingly beautiful literary inflection reminiscent of mainstream heavyweights like Murakami or Ishiguro. T. R. Napper's futures feel at once gritty and vertiginous and close-focus human in the way only the best SF can manage. Whatever roadmap he's working from, I can't wait to see where he's taking us next." Richard Morgan, author of Altered Carbon "Heartbreaking... it evokes the depth of Chinese history, the successive wars, the poetry that expresses both the love of the landscape and the pain of the soldier leaving home, perhaps never to return." (for Dark on a Darkling Earth) Locus Magazine "T R Napper's cyberpunk story is a standout [in the collection], featuring a download with the tension of a high-speed chase" (for Twelve Minutes to Vinh Quang ) Publisher's Weekly "The story is by turns blackly funny, speculatively impressive, and bleakly moving." (for A Strange Loop) Rich Horton, Locus Magazine "wonderfully strange" (for An Advanced Guide to Successful Price-Fixing in Extraterrestrial Betting Markets ) sci fi review "Darkly gonzoid" (for An Advanced Guide to Successful Price-Fixing in Extraterrestrial Betting Markets ) Locus Magazine "The whole reads like a fever dream" (for The Great Buddhist Monk Beat Down ) Tangent Online "Thrilling and Moving" (for Ghosts of a Neon God) Rocket Stack Rank

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Book SynopsisTerry Jones was a writer, actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director, presenter, poet, historian and author. He is best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe and for directing the group's films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Life of Brian. He died in 2020.Douglas Adams created all the various and contradictory manifestations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: radio, novels, TV, computer game, stage adaptations, comic book and bath towel. He lectured and broadcast around the world, wrote for Doctor Who and was a patron of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Save the Rhino International. Douglas Adams was born in Cambridge, UK and lived with his wife and daughter in Islington, London, before moving to Santa Barbara, California, where he died suddenly in 2001.Trade ReviewAn absurd, rollicking space adventure * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe essential Judge Dredd graphic novel series – this is the ultimate introduction to the Lawman of the Future!It is Judgement Day! Sabbat the Necromagus has resurrected every corpse in the whole world to serve as his zombie horde. All over the globe the Judges are facing unimaginable odds, but then the unthinkable happens and time-travelling Strontium Dog, Johnny Alpha, arrives to lend Dredd a hand. It is the team-up of the century as Dredd and Alpha fight back against the walking dead!Essential Judge Dredd: Judgement Day is a fast-paced and action-packed epic scripted by Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys), with art from Carlos Ezquerra (Strontium Dog), and Dean Ormston (Black Hammer).Trade ReviewREVIEW FOR PREVIOUS ESSENTIAL JUDGE DREDD COLLECTIONS"With 40+ years of Dredd tales to choose from, the new Essential Judge Dredd has opened with an impressive one-two punch." - ComicconREVIEW FOR PREVIOUS ESSENTIAL JUDGE DREDD COLLECTIONS"If you’re a fan that hasn’t seen this stuff before, you’re in for a rare treat." - Grovel

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Book Synopsis'The Mother Code is a dystopian tale for all, which is scarily relevant right now' Press AssociationWhat it means to be human-and a mother-is put to the test in Carole Stivers' debut novel set in a world that is more chilling and precarious than ever. Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners has acquired the worldwide film rights for THE MOTHER CODE.It's 2049, and the survival of the human race is at risk. Earth's inhabitants must turn to their last resort: a plan to place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale robots-to be incubated, birthed, and raised by machines. But there is yet one hope of preserving the human order-an intelligence programmed into these machines that renders each unique in its own right-the Mother Code.Kai is born in America's desert southwest, his only companion is his robot Mother, Rho-Z. Equipped with the knowledge and motivations of a human mother, Rho-Z raises Kai and teaches him how to survive. But as children like Kai come of age, their Mothers transform too-in ways that were never predicted. When government survivors decide that the Mothers must be destroyed, Kai must make a choice. Will he break the bond he shares with Rho-Z? Or will he fight to save the only parent he has ever known?In a future that could be our own, The Mother Code explores what truly makes us human-and the tenuous nature of the boundaries between us and the machines we create.Trade ReviewSome stories are so unique, yet so universal, that it is wonder they aren't a part of the human fable already. Carole Stivers's THE MOTHER CODE, is such a novel. Simply written but powerful, chock full of ideas and extrapolations about what it means to be a mother and all that such a word implies. Both apocalyptic, yet hopeful, treat yourself to this story. You'll be well rewarded. * James Rollins *Set against a post-pandemic apocalypse, biochemist Carole Stivers's The Mother Code offers it all: intriguingly flawed characters; compelling action; and, that most elusive of things, a fresh plot-children raised from birth by mother bots. The Mother Code asks us to reimagine the limitations of artificial intelligence and the costs of species survival, and in doing so, offers a profound meditation on motherhood and what it means to be human. Stivers is a brilliant storyteller! * Lori Ostlund *I could not put down The Mother Code! Part action adventure, part sci-fi, the novel is suspenseful and cinematic and such a pleasure to read. Carole Stivers is a masterful storyteller and she has combined science, technology and history to tell a beautiful story of humanity and love. * Devi S. Laskar *Carole Stivers is far from the first to wonder if motherhood can be scientifically replicated, but this is a thoughtful and thought-provoking addition to that meditation,. An end-of-times tale that focuses less on what has been lost and more on what and who might be saved (and how.) Stivers' wonderful story settles right on the line between human and machine, as blame and threat and rescue and love shift from character to character in surprising and powerful ways * Karen Joy Fowler *Biochemist Stivers's sweeping, cinematic debut raises probing questions about the nature of family and human connection... This dystopia is painful, provocative, and ultimately infused with hope * Publishers Weekly, starred review *The Mother Code is a dystopian tale for all, which is scarily relevant right now * Press Association review *The Mother Code is a dystopian tale for all * The Irish News (Belfast) *The Mother Code is a dystopian tale for all, which is scarily relevant right now * The Irish Examiner *Silicon Valley biochemist Stivers writes with a calm, technical authority * Financial Times *Stivers delivers a gripping techno-thriller that offers hope despite its bleak premise * The Guardian *An uneasy mix of techno-thriller and examination of the effects of new technology on human development * ParSec *

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Book SynopsisFollowing the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part in Douglas Adams' multi-media phenomenon and cult classic series. If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe?Which is exactly what Arthur Dent and the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There's just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea.And did anyone actually make a reservation?Follow Arthur Dent's galactic (mis)adventures in the rest of the trilogy with five parts: Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless.Trade ReviewOne of the greatest achievements in comedy. A work of staggering genius -- David WalliamsDazzlingly inventive -- Caitlin MoranFizzing with ideas . . . Brilliant -- Charlie BrookerI haven’t known many geniuses in my life. Some brilliantly smart people, but only a tiny handful would I class as geniuses. I would class Douglas, because he saw things differently, and he was capable of communicating the way he saw things, and once he explained things the way he saw them, it was almost impossible to see them the way you used to see them -- Neil GaimanIt changed my whole life. It's literally out of this world -- Tom BakerHitchhiker’s is packed with that unique energy, all barmy and bristling and bold. This book can be witty, iconoclastic, godless, savage, sweet, surreal, but above all, it dares to be silly. Fiercely, beautifully silly -- Russell T. Davies, writer and producer of Doctor WhoHe had almost a Wodehousian style and some of his phrases and jokes entered our language. He changed the way people spoke -- Stephen FryThere has never been another writer remotely like Douglas Adams. He discovered a completely new genre – scientific wit – and having discovered it he raised it to dizzying heights -- Tony RobinsonQuite good I suppose, if you like brilliantly entertaining books written with a touch of imaginative genius -- Griff Rhys JonesVery occasionally a book comes along that changes the way you laugh and what you laugh about -- Richard DawkinsOne of the world’s sanest, smartest, kindest, funniest voices * Independent on Sunday *Magical . . . read this book * Sunday Express *Sheer delight * The Times *

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Book SynopsisNow a Major Film Starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)As flood waters close over London, a woman gives birth to a child. Heartfelt and urgently original, The End We Start From is the compulsive debut novel from Megan Hunter.'Engrossing, compelling and hopeful' – Naomi Alderman, author of The Power'Stunning' – Benedict CumberbatchDays after giving birth, mother and child are forced to leave home in search of safety. The journey north with be dangerous – but new life and fresh hope push them on . . .A startlingly beautiful story of a family's survival, The End We Start From is a haunting but hopeful dystopian vision of a familiar world made dangerous and unstable.'Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . tremendous' – Independent'I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once' - Tracy Chevalier'Beautifully spare and haunting' - Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenTrade ReviewThe End We Start From is strange and powerful, and very apt for these uncertain times. I was moved, terrified, uplifted – sometimes all three at once. It takes skill to manage that, and Hunter has a poet’s understanding of how to make each word count. -- Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl EarringThe End We Start From is a beautifully spare, haunting meditation on the persistence of life after catastrophe. I loved it. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenA shot of distilled story . . . engrossing, compelling and finally hopeful -- Naomi Alderman, author of The Power, winner of the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for FictionI can’t remember ever having read a novel quite as sparing or as daring as Megan Hunter’s The End We Start From, or one that delivers so mighty an impact from such delicate materials. It is a moving, wistful and compelling debut. -- Jim Crace, author of HarvestAn exceptional, alarming and beautiful book, which still echoes months after I finished reading it. Megan Hunter is a writer of unnerving power. -- Evie Wyld, author of All the Birds, SingingI'll be recommending this book for years to come. Utterly brilliant, hugely important. Here's the thing: it's perfect. -- Nathan Filer, author of Costa Prize-winning The Shock of the FallExtraordinary. Megan Hunter's prose is exquisite, her depiction of a world descending into chaos is frighteningly real, and yet, it is her portrayal of motherhood - that tender-terrifying experience of bringing a child into a world - that has remained with me. The End We Start From is an incredible, original exploration of all that beauty, boredom and bewilderment. I read it in one sitting, and was deeply moved. -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites and The Good PeopleThe End We Start From is relentlessly, achingly personal. Hunter reminds us that disasters are rarely experienced in panorama. Instead, we live bone-deep inside our narrator. This book is fierce, sorrowful, and spiked with moments of bright joy. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like YouThe End We Start From is so good and clever: a beautiful, timely book about survival (both domestic and global) shot through with hope and humanity -- Lisa Owens, author of Not WorkingBeautiful . . . Water isn't the thing here, love is. And how we survive as the level of love rises -- Cynan Jones, author of The Dig and The CoveExceptional, stunning. I devoured it -- Megan Bradbury, author of Everyone is WatchingA dystopia that feels utterly convincing as our narrator gives birth to her son in a London under threat of advancing flood waters. She lives in the gulp zone so must head off into a familiar territory that has become terrifying in search of shelter and safety. This slender take on new motherhood has stayed with me – not least in making me think about the UK as a place to flee from rather than to, and to imagine Londoners turned refugees. -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * Stylist *Spellbinding . . . a debut [that] packs a punch that belies its brevity, with the author's background in poetry shining through . . . The End We Start From is a slender novel, but more profoundly moving than novels six times as long. It is perfectly balanced between fear and wonder. The world around them may be falling apart in the most extraordinary way, but ordinary life goes on and, as Hunter makes us understand, what a beautiful life it is. * The Bookseller *Powerful . . . an uplifting celebration of the reality of motherhood in the face of terrifying global disaster * Daily Mail *I held my breath reading this beautiful and timely novel. With precise yet lyrical language Megan Hunter gets to the centre of who we are, where we are, and why it matters. The End We Start From is a work of art -- Christie Watson, author of Tiny Sunbirds Far AwayThis debut is a story of a new mother and her baby who are turned into refugees after a mysterious environmental crisis. The End We Start From is a relevant story of our times which shrewdly ponders the meaning of survival and humanity in desperate times * Wales Arts Review *Startling . . . beautiful and insightful. Everyone who reads this will come away feeling renewed * Elle Magazine *Megan Hunter's slender, startling debut shimmers with light, even as the novel heads into dark territory . . . tender and profound -- Psychologies Book of the MonthExtraordinary . . . The End We Start From is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, in that it shares the same narrative detachment, and the same precise poetry. It is of course told from the perspective of a mother, rather than a father, and is set in a world that is only beginning to fall into chaos. And in the midst of it all, each parent cradles their child, enchanted by their breathing. “Sometimes he sleeps so quietly it seems that he has gone.” Megan Hunter’s remarkable debut novel feels like the other half of the story * Financial Times *In a future London, a mysterious environmental crisis is causing flooding. On the day a woman gives birth to her first child, Z, her home and the city is submerged, and she and her husband R are forced to leave in search of safety. In a scant 127 pages, Megan Hunter creates a powerful and painful story of love and endurance, and of the experiences of being a mother and a refugee * Stylist *A haunting dystopian tale unlike any you’ve read before. In the aftermath of an environmental disaster, London is submerged by floodwater and the narrator, who remains unnamed, is forced to flee with her newborn baby. Despite the world as they know it crumbling around them, mother and son grow and thrive in this dangerous new Britain, where they’ve been recast as refugees. Poetic, precise, and surprisingly full of warmth, this is a beautiful story about the first months of motherhood and the places where hope springs, even in the darkest of times * AnOther *Brilliant . . . Hunter traces - with expert precision and such lyricism - who we are when life is minimised . . . an echo of Jenny Offill's Dept of Speculation . . . a visceral, poetic confession -- Sinéad Gleeson * Irish Times *Fans of Station Eleven will love this. * Red magazine *The End We Start From is an effective, unusual and ambitious debut, which keeps the reader pinned to the page * Guardian *Set in a post-apocalyptic Britain, Megan Hunter's debut is lyrical, uplifting and unmissable * Stylist *A stunning tale of motherhood. Megan has crafted a striking and frighteningly real story of a family fighting for survival that will make everyone stop and think about what kind of planet we are leaving behind for our children -- Benedict CumberbatchStrange and haunting . . . This isn’t a novel in which exposition is a problem; it’s more Virginia Woolf does cli-fi . . . Good news then that film rights have already been snapped up, by Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SunnyMarch and Hera Pictures. Let’s just hope they do it justice; the dystopian elements are the easy sell, the beating heart of this tender and tremendous story is without doubt Hunter’s portrait of early motherhood, an all-encompassing world of its own * Independent *Megan Hunter uses words sparingly. In her startlingly poetic debut, The End We Start From, she even rations her letters. She calls her characters R and Z and each paragraph is only a sentence or two long. Hunter tangles the delight and disorientation of new motherhood with scenes of societal collapse. As everything seems to be ending, as London floods, a new life begins, hot and pink and hungry. Hunter writes with delicacy and precision; her imagery is pearlescent in places. It’s a sliver of a novel, but it shimmers. * Observer *Natural disasters and climate-related catastrophes might make for a compelling setting, but to really catch a reader's interest, you need to have the personal touch. And this is a novel that takes that principle down to its sparsest, simplest best, focusing on one woman and her child through a year of turmoil . . . best read in one sitting to fully absorb the haunting, brutal yet loving atmosphere of the narrator's journey . . . does a great job of capturing the intensity of early parenthood . . . a tale of survival in extreme conditions * SFX *Hunter's spare, drumskin-tight prose zings off the page, and ingenious descriptions abound . . . It may only consist of 127 pages of impressionistic, staccato sentences, but this is a book of wide horizons and big ideas, and it's no surprise that Benedict Cumberbatch's company have just acquired movie rights. For Hunter the future looks very bright indeed. * Scotland on Sunday *A story of sheer catastrophe, peppered with endearing experiences and milestones of new motherhood. The element which defines this short piece of dystopian fiction is the unique, elegant writing style . . . The End We Start From is beautiful, thought-provoking and most of all, hauntingly believable. It is a tale of hope at a time when the country truly needs it. A stunning debut. * Manchester Evening News *

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Book SynopsisThis gripping thriller about a supernatural pandemic is one you will not want to put down. Sometimes you can only fight fire with fireNobody knew where the virus came from. FOX News said it had been set loose by ISIS, using spores that had been invented by the Russians in the 1980s. MSNBC said sources indicated it might''ve been created by engineers at Halliburton and stolen by culty Christian types fixated on the Book of Revelation. CNN reported both sides. And while every TV station debated the cause, the world burnt.Pregnant school nurse, HARPER GRAYSON, has seen lots of people burn on TV, but the first person she saw burn for real was in the playground behind her school. But when she realises she has become infected, she is determined to find a way to survive - at least long enough to see her child born. No matter what is left of the world for them to live in.With the epic scope of THE PASSAGE and the emotional impact of THETrade ReviewIf you haven't yet grabbed a copy of Joe Hill's THE FIREMAN, you need to. Original and gripping, a page-turner * George R.R.Martin *I devoured this book as if the pages themselves were on fire...an end of the worldtale with a blazing heart of hope at its core. A contender for book of the year * Sarah Pinborough, author of 13 MINUTES *Joe Hill really could set the world on fire with this book: cleverly imagined and a compulsive read * Katherine Cowdrey, The Bookseller *Joe Hill has always been good, but he's created something incandescent here, soaring and original. He's a master storyteller who writes with fire in his veins * Lauren Beukes, author of Broken Monsters *'Very well-drawn characters, some serious shocks, a great sense of humour and a willingness to break hearts as well as raise pulse rates.' * SciFiNow *I would put money on this being huge. Can't put it down * Sam Baker, The Pool *You'll be instantly hooked if you're obsessed with The Walking Dead. It's got the whole post-apocalyptic world nailed...there is a brilliant humour amid the darkness, and the action scenes feel like a movie * Cosmopolitan *Taps into fears we all have about the world coming to an end, as Donald Trump stokes the fires of racial hatred in America, wars continue across the planet and diseases such as Zika and Ebola spread with shocking speed. * The Mail on Sunday *Hill's writing has matured along with his ideas. He plays out the apocalypse so quickly and efficiently, through small-town witnesses and television broadcasts, that it feels absolutely devastating. And in the aftermath, he juggles a huge cast of characters with aplomb, giving each their time to shine, yet still managing to keep the tension high throughout * The Guardian *Original, compulsive and very frightening * Woman & Home *Clever - but The Fireman isn't just clever, it's also a book with real soul... the deeper truths of The Fireman lie in the way it explores how we slowly build connections with those closest to us...a brave, bold and big hearted take on the end of the world * SFX *Set to blaze through bestsellers lists....exhilarating * Stuff *Beautiful and aching and striking, a poignant exploration of human relationships and an ode to the simple things * Ars Technica *A Lord of the Flies for the Twitter generation. Clever, gripping and packs a hell of a punch * Joanne Harris *Ominously superb * Nick Harkaway *This book is incredible * Lev Grossman *Joe Hill (aka Stephen King Jnr) proves he's a chip off the old block with this epic post-apocalyptic adventure * The Sunday Mirror *The Fireman by Joe Hill is a thrilling, long-lingering, morally-striking book that set my heart and mind alight. A must read. * Delve into Dystopia *Breathless adventures, pulsing emotions, things that go bump in the night and so much more, with surprises lurking on the corner of every page * Lovereading.co.uk *This is a huge cauldron of a novel that pulses with life, hope and decency as well as extreme fear and constant devastation * BestChickLit.co.uk *The Fireman is a large book but you hardly notice the pages turning and you certainly wouldn't want to rush it. There are moments of extreme and violent action, fought by real people, there are other passages that are so evocative, memorable and beautifully written, with characters to match. There are also jawdropping moments. It's the most atmospheric read I've had in a long time. * For Winter's Nights *Even though The Fireman is primarily an Apocalyptica, the human issues of corrupt power, personal strength, family, friendship and forgiveness added a level that enhanced my ability to feel invested in the story.Forget The Walking Dead- a book where you actually care for the characters' survival, The Fireman is the next big thing in Dystopian Fiction. * The Book Addict *this is a book about engagement with the world, about love, and about the need to survive in the worst of circumstances. Hill has been well known in the genre community for a while now, but I'd love to see him break out with this one. It's a terrific book, one which deserves to be read. * The Afterword *In our opinion, this book is right up there with the likes of Swan Song, Blood Crazy and, yes, even The Stand. (Yup, we went there, it's that damn good.) * The Eloquent Page *The Fireman is an exceptional novel, it's moving and thoughtful, drawing you in and not letting you go right up to the superb ending. It's an engaging, emotional journey written by a master of their craft. * SF Book *Hill creates a fast paced thriller, with twists in every chapter * The Sunday Express *A Fantastically compelling read, Hill making the end of the world into a real and visceral thing with the deftest of touches. * OBSERVER *The book most likely to be spotted on sun loungers this Summer... a gripping end-of-the-world epic. * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *A sprawling post-apocalyptic thriller * THE TELEGRAPH *A fast-paced thriller, with twists in every chapter. * i (PAPER) *Joe Hill has inherited many literary traits from his father Stephen King, including an easy-going authorial voice and a knack for creeping out readers. * THE FINANCIAL TIMES *This is a book that starts with a bang and then relentlessly builds. Joe managed to make my skin crawl in the first chapter, turning what should be a time for celebration into something decidedly creepy. At the mid-point of a lengthy book it became near un-putdownable, in that horrifying 'can't look away from a car crash' kind of way. Although the details are dark and even horrible, the narrative pull is relentless and unstoppable. -- Mark Yon * SFFWORLD.COM *Take the ideas, characters, and tone of Station Eleven (2014) and add a large helping of the action, villains, and unrelenting menace from Doctor Sleep (2013) and you have The Fireman, an excellent example of the very best that genre fiction has to offer readers today -- BooklistLike his father, Stephen King, Hill has a talent for depicting fascinating characters caught in terrible situations . . . With a full cast of characters and multiple story lines to keep the reader hooked, Hill's enthralling fourth thriller hits another home run -- Starred Library Journal ReviewJoe Hill has always been good, but he's created something incandescent here, soaring and original. He's a master storyteller who writes with fire in his veins * Lauren Beukes, author of Broken Monsters *Every decade must have a great story of how we fail, how our society comes apart. Joe Hill has just written ours - which makes us all refugees seeking a safe haven in the wreckage of a world made brutal and hostile. Ominously superb * Nick Harkaway *If you haven't yet grabbed a copy of Joe Hill's THE FIREMAN, you need to. Original and gripping, a page-turner * George R. R. Martin *

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Book SynopsisWith his trademark dry wit, Kurt Vonnegut''s Cat''s Cradle is an inventive science fiction satire that preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon - and, worse still, surviving it. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Benjamin Kunkel.Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding ''fathers'' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to humanity. For he is the inventor of ice-nine, a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. Writer Jonah''s search for his whereabouts leads him to Hoenikker''s three eccentric children, to an island republic in the Caribbean where the absurd religion of Bokononism is practised, to love and to insanity. Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut''s cult tale of global destruction is a frightening and funny satire on the end of the world and the madness of mankind.Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was born in Indianapolis. During the Second World War he was a prisoner in Germany and present at the bombing of Dresden, an experience he recounted in his famous novel Slaughterhouse Five (1969). His first novel, Player Piano, was published in 1951 and since then he has written many novels, including The Sirens of Titan, Jailbird, Deadeye Dick, Galapagos and Hocus Pocus. If you enjoyed Cat''s Cradle, you might like Philip K. Dick''s The Man in the High Castle, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''One of the warmest, wisest, funniest voices to be found anywhere in fiction''Sam Leith, Daily Telegraph''A free-wheeling vehicle ... An unforgettable ride!''The New York Times''Vonnegut looked the world straight in the eye and never flinched''J.G. Ballard

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Book Synopsis2021 MARKS THE 70th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, THE MOST FAMOUS CATASTROPHE NOVEL OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY ''When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.'' When a freak cosmic event renders most of the Earth''s population blind, Bill Masen - one of the lucky few to keep his sight - finds himself trapped in a London jammed with sightless mobs who prey on those who can still see. But another menace stalks blind and sighted alike. With nobody to stop them the Triffids - walking carnivorous plants with lethal stingers - rise up as humanity stumbles and falls . . .With its startling imagery of desolate streets and lurching, The Day of the Triffid''s lethal plant life retains its power to haunt today.''One of those books that haunts you for the rest of your life'' Sunday Times''Has captivated readers for overTrade ReviewOne of those books that haunts you for the rest of your life * Sunday Times *Has captivated readers for over half a century * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn James Herbert's Portent it is the near future and signs of an impending global disaster are multiplying. Earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions sweep the earth. As the storms and tempests rage, a series of ominous events signal the emergence of a new and terrifying force. While scuba-diving on the Great Barrier Reef a diver watches fascinated as a tiny light floats past him towards the surface. Moments later he is torn to pieces as the reef erupts with colossal power. On the banks of the Ganges, a young boy pauses from his back-breaking labours, transfixed by the play of a mysterious light amidst the monsoon rains, before a towering geyser of boiling water bursts from beneath the streets, scalding him to death. In the Chinese city of Kashi travellers bring back reports of a strange light seen shining above the endless dunes of the Taklimakan Desert. And as the city's inhabitants watch for its return, the desert rises up to engulf

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Book SynopsisGREEN EARTH takes the stories first told in FORTY SIGNS OF RAIN, FIFTY DEGREES BELOW and SIXTY DAYS AND COUNTING and combines them in a fully updated, compressed and compelling single volume.Trade Review‘One of the finest working novelists in any genre’GUARDIAN 'If I had to choose one writer whose work will set the standard for science fiction in the future, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’NEW YORK TIMES Praise for the Science in the Capital series: ‘The BRAVE NEW WORLD of global warming … A narrative that is rich in closely observed characters and a wonderfully vivid sense of place … depicts a society sleep-walking towards the abyss’GUARDIAN ‘A funny, convincing, intelligent book’INDEPENDENT ‘Finely written and persuasively paints what may be – if climate change happens the way so many scientists fear’SFX

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Book SynopsisJames Herbert's Domain imagines having to choose between nuclear radiation or horrifying, flesh-eating rats.Trade ReviewCompletes the rodent trilogy with what must be the ultimate rat novel . . . the adventure never flags. * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisAlex Miller saved thousands of lives back in New York... but he killed thousands to do it. Now stranded on a hostile sea with countless refugees, he sees the hundreds of tiny, difficult decisions that need to be made every day to keep people alive. Samantha Hernandez has moved beyond humanity, becoming something else: an Archaean, part of the new breed that live and breathe the ancient ecology. Now she's having doubts; are they the future of the human race, or only the agents of its destruction? What they both understand is: this cannot abide. The Archaeans, and the men and women of Schaeffer-Yeager corporation, need a plan, if humanity is to survive in any form. But how to fight back when the Earth itself has become your enemy. * This second instalment of our all-action military sci-fi series will be pitched squarely at fans of the genre. * There will be extensive blog coverage on all major genre sites. * A fully supported social media campaign will feature targeted ad spend focusing on the military sci-fi market. * We will be running price promotions on book one in the series (Extinction Biome: Invasion) to raise the profile of the series and engage with new readers. * Previous title: 9781781083888 Extinction Biome: Invasion

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