Science fiction

Book SynopsisSet in a world of the near future, the celebrity elite have access to a technology that allows them to make perfect copies of themselves, known as Portraits. These Portraits exist to fulfil all the various duties that come as the price of fame. Our protagonist is the thirteenth copy made of the actress known as Lulabelle Rock. Her purpose is very simple: to track down and eliminate her predecessors. While initially easy, her task is made difficult by the labyrinthine confusion of Bubble City and the unfortunate stirrings of a developing conscience. When she makes the mistake of falling in love with one of her targets, the would-be assassin faces the ultimate question; when you don’t want to kill yourself, what’s the alternative?Trade Review"This is an engaging investigation of fame, personality and learning to know one’s own worth."– The Guardian"A dazzling noirish romp... By turns sad, introspective, and defiantly optimistic, this tale of self-hatred, self-love, and self-discovery delights." – Publishers Weekly, starred review"Ideal for fans of Orphan Black and Killing Eve, this near-future tech-noir is guaranteed to entrance as much as it perplexes."– Library Journal"In Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock, Maud Woolf playfully and skilfully explores an intriguing premise - a protagonist created to kill her own clones. Blade Runner meets Killing Eve in this clever and funny speculative thriller."— Guy Morpuss, author of Five Minds and Black Lake Mirror“A doppeltastic delight that explores identity and skewers celebrity culture.”— Ever Dundas, author of Goblin and HellSans“Thirteen Ways is iridescent, drawing you in with all its shiny colours and propelling you through the mystery and horror of Lulabelle Rock and Bubble City. It’s complicated. And really quite brilliantly simple.”— Joma West, author of Face“Original, funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock is a brilliantly assured debut. Woolf's razor-sharp wit and prose delivers a unique, contemporary and existential thriller which had me hooked from the premise to the final page!”— Adam Southward, author of the Alex Madison series"Lulabelle Rock is a must-read for fans of Black Mirror, Blake Crouch, and sci-fi that passes the Bechdel test. I don't often see books in this genre that can balance speculative elements with this much heart. Woolf is a debut author to watch."— Amber, @seekingdystopia "Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock is an addictively enthralling sci-fi thriller with razor sharp prose, cinematic scenes and a surprising tender exploration of experiencing the highs and lows of life and finding love."— Nils Shukla, The Fantasy Hive"Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock is a debut that is as riveting as it is emotionally charged. It is one that sunk its claws in early and kept moving right along with its imaginative storytelling and sardonic humor. Woolf is an author to keep an eye on." — FanFiAddict"Gentle and dark in equal parts, Woolf’s debut highlights the importance of balance, rest, and asking just enough of oneself. A riveting read." — Shazzie, Fantasy Book Critic“This book altered my brain chemistry. I’ll forever be fascinated by Lulabelle and her portraits.” — Charli, @bookishcharli"An insightful look at the unrealities of fame, this book explores identity and independence in a near future setting. The Lulabelles are as memorable and heartbreaking as they are unique. Woolf leaves the reader feeling thoughtful and introspective with her debut novel."— Fiction Fans Podcast"With Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock, it’s like Maud Woolf has joined forces with Tarantino and Edgar Wright to rip apart the crime/thriller genre, then remould it into something bad-ass and new. A genre-smashing, satire-mashing, ideas-packed gem of a novel."– Adam Simcox, author of the Dying Squad trilogy“Such a thought provoking and poignant read , makes you think, makes you feel, makes you just stop - fantasy at its best.”– Steph, @bookslovereaders "A rollicking action-thriller, a clever satire on fame, and a touching meditation on identity – Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock lives more lives than its cloned protagonist, each and every one of them a deep delight."– Katie Williams, author of Tell The Machine Goodnight"The action may capture your imagination, but the heart of the novel is to be found in the space in between...It’s fast-paced and fun, but there is so much more going on should you choose to accept it."- SNACK Magazine"This brilliant, unexpectedly moving satirical sci-fi debut explores themes of identity and ethics in wildly inventive fashion....Boasting finely-crafted character insights, clever Tarot references, and a killer twist, Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock is also pretty darn profound: “We are what we do, and when we having nothing to do, we are nothing”."- LoveReading"This futuristic debut novel is smart, pacy, intelligent and surprisingly moving."- Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman"A well-written debut with a loveable main character, Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock is a fresh, funny and feel-good story."- Books, Bones, Buffy"Unique, unpredictable, and uncanny...the structure of the novel flowed well, with quick and consistent pacing to maintain momentum."- The Badger

Read more less

Book SynopsisWelcome to your new favourite genre: the fucking fantastic. In these ten stories, everything is sex: walls, wax, the past, your future, your neighbours, hankies, candles, circuit boards, petri dishes, scrap metal – and language itself. Conjuring experiences for which there are no words, our amazing queer authors generate new tongues from the heat of their communing with a wild variety of lifeforms. From Diriye Osman’s spiritualised Peckham to Jem Nash’s time-travelling trans multiverse, these stories transport you to new ways of being and feeling. In a word, it’s CruiserShimmeringLipophilicNeckingerCircuitGirlboss. Whether you get horny from aliens, ghosts, robots, utopia, possession, ritual, or the completely surreal, there’s a story here for you. But why stop at one when you can taste pleasure in each and every one?Table of ContentsIntroduction by So Mayer and Adam Zmith Swipe Right for Non Humans by Grace Beswick The Ghostly Cruiser by Rachel Dawson Anima Kingdom by Diriye Osman The Neckinger Line by Swithun Cooper Lipophilic by Nicks Walker Circuit Jam by Vivien Holmes Synchronicity by Rien Gray Personal Time by Jem Nash Her Hands Moved Shimmering Across Me by Anna Walsh Boy in Maid Outfit Found Dead Handcuffed to Radiator in Girlboss’ Basement 11/08/2024 by Alison Rumfitt

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ghost was her father''s parting gift, presented by a black-clad secretary in a departure lounge at Narita..Mona is a young girl with a murky past and an uncertain future whose life is turned upside down when her pimp sells her to a plastic surgeon in New York and overnight she''s turned into someone else.Angie Mitchell is a famous Hollywood Sense/Net star with a special talent. And despite the efforts of studio bosses to keep her in ignorance, Angie''s started remembering things. Soon she''ll discover who she really is . . . and why she doesn''t need a deck in order to enter cyberspace.From inside the matrix, plots are set in motion and human beings are being played like pieces on a board. And behind the intrigue lurks the shadowy Yazuka, the powerful Japanese underworld, whose leaders ruthlessly manipulate people and events to suit their own purposes.Or so they think . . .Trade Review'Brilliant . . . a delight to read. No one can ever hope to out-Gibson Gibson . . . A true original - Sunday TimesGibson's most accomplished book to date, a futurist hybrid of Fleming and Deighton and Bester - Time OutGibson can spin a gripping yarn. He builds up a great head of steam within the first few pages and doesn't relax until the end - Times Literary SupplementA chillingly plausible blueprint of the near-future - Evening Standard

Read more less

Book SynopsisCypher is one of the most mysterious figures in the galaxy, and this novel sheds light on his motivations and thoughts. Although, told from Cypher’s own point of view, his words are suspect by default…As the Great Rift unfolds in the night sky above Terra and daemons walk upon the birth world of mankind, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman returns, heralding a dark new age. During the breaking storm, Cypher and his band of Fallen escape from the most secure prison in the Imperium. Now loose in the Imperial Palace, they are hunted by warriors of the Dark Angels, forces of the Adeptus Custodes, and Imperial Assassins. But what are Cypher’s intentions? Can anything or anyone be trusted? Told from Cypher’s own, unreliable point of view, this tale of truth, lies and secrets sees one of the Imperium’s most mysterious figures make war at its very heart. But what are the true motivations of the Lord of the Fallen?

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne of Clarke's most famous and acclaimed novels, winner of both the HUGO AWARD and the NEBULA AWARDIn the 22nd century visionary scientist Vannevar Morgan conceives the most grandiose engineering project of all time, and one which will revolutionize the future of humankind of space: a Space Elevator, 36,000 kilometres high, anchored to an equatorial island in the Indian Ocean.Winner of the HUGO AWARD for best novel, 1980Winner of the NEBULA AWARD for best novel, 1979

Read more less

Book SynopsisNOW A #1 BLOCKBUSTING FILM. The Sun is dying. Earth will perish too, consumed by the star in its final death throes. But rather than abandon their planet, humanity builds 12,000 mountainous fusion engines to propel the Earth out of orbit and onto a centuries-long voyage to Proxima Centaurai... Cixin Liu is one of the most important voices in world Science Fiction. A bestseller in China, his novel, The Three-Body Problem, was the first translated work of SF ever to win the Hugo Award. Here is the first collection of his short fiction: ten stories, including five Chinese Galaxy Award-winners. This collection's title story, The Wandering Earth, is the biggest SF movie ever to come out of China – taking the world's #1 box office ranking in February 2019. Liu's writing takes the reader to the edge of the universe and the end of time, to meet stranger fates than we could have ever imagined. With a melancholic and keen understanding of human nature, Liu's stories show humanity's attempts to reason, navigate and, above all, survive in a desolate cosmos. 'Cixin's trilogy is SF in the grand style, a galaxy-spanning, ideas-rich narrative of invasion and war' GUARDIAN. 'Wildly imaginative, really interesting... The scope of it was immense' BARACK OBAMA, 44th President of the United States. Trade ReviewComplex and grandiose... this is a mind-altering and immersive experience' * Daily Mail *A marvellous mélange of awe-inspiring scientific concepts... exhilarating, mind-stretching' * TLS *Top-flight SF; smart, informative and engaging * SFX *Liu conjures up a genuine sense of wonder * SFX *Absolutely fantastic... The hardback is a thing of beauty and its translations are wonderful' * For Winter Nights *A wonderful collection and brings Cixin Liu's own unique flavour to the genre * SF Crows Nest *Liu uses the exotic foreignness of alien environments to lure readers into an enchanted literary escape pod. The story's backdrop might be one of spectacular beauty or entropic devastation but the distancing effect its abnormality provides is always stirring * Big Issue *Short stories [...] allow an idea to be developed without getting bogged down with having to fill hundreds of pages and in this collection Cixin Liu has ably demonstrated the form... One of the most interesting books I have read' * Concatenation *Liu has continued to write and publish stories which share similar ideas and offer a vision for a better world through scientific fantasy * New European. *As with other Chinese works in the genre, it is tempting to draw parallels with the Communist regime, even when the writers themselves do not - and dare not - make those analogies explicit. For Western readers, Chinese sci-fi thus offers a window into the country's hopes and fears. Especially its fears * Economist. *Beautifully written, the Sun hangs 'motionless in the sky, surrounded by a faint, dawn-like halo'. The ten other stories collected here are just as great * Wired *Earth-shattering... While built around a hard-science outlook that acknowledges the bleakness of humanity's chances, these stories also feature a lot of the heart and hopefulness that draw readers to science fiction in the first place. Liu conjures a sense of wonder while grounding his tales in well-wrought characters. This is a masterwork' * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisKnow your frenemy.‘I’ve had adventures too. My whole life doesn’t revolve around you, you know.’When she's not busy amassing armies of Cybermen, or manipulating the Doctor and his companions, Missy has plenty of time to kill (literally). In this all new collection of stories about the renegade Time Lord we all love to hate, you'll discover just some of the mad and malevolent activities Missy gets up to while she isn't distracted by the Doctor.So please try to keep up.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom J. G. Ballard, author of Crash' and Cocaine Nights' comes his extraordinary vision of an African forest that turns all in its path to crystal.Through a leaking' of time, the West African jungle starts to crystallize. Trees metamorphose into enormous jewels. Crocodiles encased in second glittering skins lurch down the river. Pythons with huge blind gemstone eyes rear in heraldic poses. Most flee the area in terror, afraid to face a catastrophe they cannot understand.But some, dazzled and strangely entranced, remain to drift through this dreamworld forest: a doctor in pursuit of his ex-mistress, an enigmatic Jesuit wielding a crystal cross and a tribe of lepers searching for Paradise.In this tour de force of the imagination, Ballard transports the reader into one of his most unforgettable landscapes.This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard's works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including James Lever, Ali Smith, Hari Kunzru and Martin AmiTrade Review‘Something magical and not to be missed’ Guardian ‘Beautifully rendered … Ballard the poet in full ecstatic blast’Anthony Burgess ‘Of all the unknown regions Ballard’s imagination has opened up, this crystalline forest is the most haunting’ Guardian ‘A haunting vision of diseased beauty … Ballard sustains it with extraordinary intensity’ Observer ‘Ballard transports us once more into his own mystical, glittering and poetic universe’ Sunday Telegraph ‘The terrifying thing about Ballard is his logic; is this science fiction or history written ahead of its time?’ Len Deighton

Read more less

Book SynopsisRingworld: the most stunning artifact in known space, an articficial world with three million times Earth''s surface area. Who built it? And where are they?In this stunning sequel to Larry Niven''s Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel, Louis Wu (now a near-hopeless lirehead hooked on electrical ecstasy), the aged Kzin warrior, Speaker-to-Animals, and the Hindmost, puppeteer mate of mad Nessus, return to Ringworld. Their aim is to prevent cataclysm. IN the process, they find themselves learning Ringworld''s incredible secrets...

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.''Banks is a phenomenon'' William Gibson In the winter palace, the King''s new physician has more enemies than she realises. But then she also has more defences than even her most hardened adversaries could imagine.In another palace, far across the mountains, sits the regicidal Protector General. His chief bodyguard also has enemies to worry about, with the threat of treachery and assassination never far away.And beneath the surface of these feudal courts - behind the spies, murders, politics and intrigues - lies an entirely different kind of threat, an entity that nobody would ever suspect.Praise for the Culture series:''Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution'' Independent on Sunday''Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future'' Guardian''Banks''s sci-fi, at its best, is staggeringly inventive, beautifully written, dramatic and often very funny. His stories are packed with ideas, warships with minds very much of their own, alien races, charismatic drones and intergalactic politics'' New Scientist''Jam-packed with extraordinary invention'' Scotsman''Compulsive reading'' Sunday Telegraph The Culture series:Consider PhlebasThe Player of GamesUse of WeaponsExcessionInversionsLook to WindwardMatterSurface DetailThe Hydrogen SonataThe State of the ArtOther books by Iain M. Banks:Against a Dark BackgroundFeersum EndjinnThe AlgebraistAlso now available: The Culture: The Drawings - an extraordinary collection of original illustrations faithfully reproduced from sketchbooks Banks kept in the 1970s and 80s, depicting the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks'' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.Trade ReviewBanks is a phenomenon: the wildly successful, fearlessly creative author of brilliant and disturbing non-genre novels, he's equally at home writing pure science fiction of a perculiarly gnarly energy and elegance * William Gibson *There is now no British SF writer to whose work I look forward with greater keenness * THE TIMES *Poetic, humourous, baffling, terrifying, sexy - the books of Iain M. Banks are all these things and more * NME *

Read more less

Book SynopsisTHIS LOVE STORY IS ABOUT TO BE REWRITTEN''A fresh and clever romcom' Holly Miller, internationally bestselling author of The Sight of You ''A beautifully crafted love story' Laura Jane Williams, author of Our StopClever, warm and moving' Holly Smale, author of Cassandra in ReverseAs featured in Sunday Times Style.A TRULY TIMELESS LOVE STORY Cambridge University student Joe Greene dreams of a future where his words will echo through the ages.Esi already knows his future. She's on a time-traveling tour to witness history's greatest moments. In Esi's era, Joe is as renowned as Shakespeare, and he's about to meet Diana, the subject of his famous love poems.But Esi is harbouring a secret. This year, something will happen at Cambridge that will wreck her life, and she's hellbent on changing it. When she bumps into Joe, she sends his destiny into a tailspin. To save both their futures, Esi becomes Joe's dating coach, helping him win over Diana. But when Joe starts falling for Esi instead they both face a crucial question:Is the future set in stone, or can we rewrite our fates?The sweetness of romcom About Time collides with the rich melancholy and high-stakes romance of Time Traveller''s Wife in this gorgeous new love story destined to be future classic.'Beautifully explored and deeply complex' Gal Gadot on Meet Me in Another LifeStunningly clever, sweepingly romantic and so beautifully crafted! I absolutely adored it!' Helly Acton, author of Begin AgainA novel every bit as smart, tender, and intriguing as its title' Abbie Greaves, author of The Silent Treatment and Anywhere For YouHugely charming, funny, and philosophical' Julie Leong, author of The Teller of Small FortunesCombining Y2K nostalgia, swoony romance and big questions about destiny a funny, tender time travel romance that will delight readers. I loved it!' Zen Cho, award-winning author of Sorcerer to the Crown A fun and surprising dive into love and destiny or lack thereof' Mike Chen, New York Times bestselling author of A Quantum Love StoryAn utterly charming and completely unique love story' Holly James, author of The Déjà Glitch

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Dazzlingly intelligent and subtle'' Sunday Times''Worth of Raymond Chandler ... intelligent, inventive, constantly entertaining'' Sunday TelegraphTexan billionaire General Midwinter will stop at nothing to bring down the USSR - even if it puts the whole world at risk. The fourth and final novel featuring the cynical, insolent narrator of The IPCRESS File sees him sent from his shabby Soho office to bone-freezing Helsinki in order to penetrate Midwinter''s vast anti-Communist network - and stop a deadly virus from wiping out the planet.Trade ReviewDazzlingly intelligent and subtle. * Sunday Times *Worthy of Raymond Chandler... intelligent, inventive, constantly entertaining. * Sunday Telegraph *Deighton is a fearless observer of the deceptive human world. -- John Gray * New Statesman *They don't, as they say, write them like this anymore. You will be entertained, informed, thrilled and dazzled. Long may he, and his creations, live on. -- Jeremy Duns * The Guardian *A wonderful mixture of the exciting and the amusingly humdrum ... James Bond may be thinner, but so is his dialogue. -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Telegraph *Len Deighton is the Flaubert of the contemporary thriller writers. -- Michael Howard * Times Literary Supplement *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt is the 20th Century, an advertisement-drenched world in which the big ad agencies dominate governments and everything else. Now Schoken Associates, one of the big players, has a new challenge for star copywriter Mitch Courtenay. Volunteers are needed to colonise Venus. It''s a hellhole, and nobody who knew anything about it would dream of signing up. But by the time Mitch has finished, they will be queuing to get on board the spaceships.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Yalda''s universe, light has mass, no universal speed, and its creation generates energy; on Yalda''s world, plants make food by emitting light into the dark night sky. And time is different: an astronaut might measure decades passing while visiting another star, only to return and find that just weeks have elapsed for her friends.On the farm where she lives, Yalda sees strange meteors that are entering the planetary system at an immense, unprecedented speed - and it soon becomes apparent that more of this ultra-fast material is appearing all the time, putting her world in terrible danger. An entire galaxy is about to collide with their own.There is one hope: a fleet sent straight towards the approaching galaxy, as fast as possible. Though it will feel like weeks back home, on board, millennia will pass before the collision, time enough to raise new generations, and time enough to find a way to stop the ultra-fast material.Either way, they have a chance to save everyone back on the home world.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLife goes on for the billions left behind after the humanity-saving colony mission to Proxima Centauri leaves Earth orbit ... but what's the point?Julie Riley is two years too young to get out from under her mother's thumb, and what does it matter? She's over-educated, under-employed, and kept mostly numb by her pharma emplant. Her best friend, who she's mostly been interacting with via virtual reality for the past decade, is part of the colony mission to Proxima Centauri. Plus, the world is coming to an end. So, there's that.When Julie's mother decides it's time to let go of the family home in a failing suburb and move to the city to be closer to work and her new beau, Julie decides to take matters into her own hands. She runs, illegally, hoping to find and hide with the Volksgeist, a loose-knit culture of tramps, hoboes, senior citizens, artists, and never-do-wells who have elected to ride out the end of the world in their campers and converted vans, constantlyTrade Review"Not to be missed.""Greene nails it!""Engaging and memorable.""Sure to connect with anyone who has searched for their purpose in life and a place to belong.""Twenty-Five to Life is a story of found friendship between the unlikeliest of characters and the rediscovery of humanity in the face of doom.""This book hooked me. Greene’s not-too-distant dystopian future really hits home."

Read more less

Book SynopsisOctavia E. Butler''s ground-breaking masterpiece, with an original foreword by Ayòbámi Adébáyò. Now an acclaimed TV series streaming on Disney +''A marvel of imagination, empathy and detail'' NEW YORK TIMES''The marker you should judge all other time-travelling narratives by'' GUARDIAN''One of the most significant literary artists of the twentieth century. One cannot exaggerate the impact she has had'' JUNOT DIAZIn 1976, Dana dreams of being a writer.In 1815, she is assumed a slave.When Dana first meets Rufus on a Maryland plantation, he''s drowning. She saves his life - and it will happen again and again.Neither of them understands his power to summon her whenever his life is threatened, nor the significance of the ties that bind them.But each time Dana is pulled back to the past, she finds herself confronting secrets she never knew ran through her blood. PRAISE FOR OCTATrade ReviewOne of the most significant literary artists of the twentieth century. One cannot exaggerate the impact she has had -- Junot DiazButler's prose, always pared back to the bone, delineates the painful paradoxes of metamorphosis with compelling precision * Guardian *A dark, compelling and still horribly resonant time travel story * Independent *[Her] evocative, often troubling, novels explore far-reaching issues of race, sex, power and, ultimately, what it means to be human * New York Times *No novel I've read this year has felt as relevant, as gut-wrenching or as essential... If you've ever tweeted "All Lives Matter", someone needs to shove Kindred into your hand, and quickly * The Pool *Kindred is that rare magical artifact . . . the novel one returns to, again and again * Harlan Ellison *One cannot finish Kindred without feeling changed. It is a shattering work of art * Los Angeles Herald-Examiner *[A] must-read novel * BBC *Everyone should read at least one novel by the grand dame of science fiction, and Kindred is a perfect (and harrowing and disturbing and brilliant) place to start * Refinery 29 *The immediate effect of reading Octavia Butler's Kindred is to make every other time travel book in the world look as if it's wimping out... This is a brilliant book, utterly absorbing, very well written, and deeply distressing. It's very hard to read, not because it's not good but because it's so good * Tor *A searing, caustic examination of bizarre and alien practices on the third planet from the sun * Kirkus *One of the most original, thought-provoking works examining race and identity * Los Angeles Times *Impossible to turn away from once you've devoured the first few pages * Starburst *If you haven't read Butler, you don't yet understand how rich the possibilities of science fiction can be * Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction *Butler's books are exceptional * Village Voice *Few writers in our field are so good at blending page-turners with philosophical questions so seamlessly -- Cory Doctorow

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe sixth book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore, Tehanu and Tales from Earthsea.With illustrations from Charles Vess''Le Guin''s words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it'' David MitchellThese five superlative, evocative and enchanting stories range from a few hundred years before A Wizard of Earthsea to just before The Other Wind, and feature some of Le Guin''s most popular characters, including the Wizard Ged himself. The stories are rounded off with an essay about Earthsea''s history and people.No Earthsea fan will want to be without this magical collection.''[Earthsea is] a memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death'' Magaret AtwoodTrade ReviewReads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago, and whose twists and turns have been handed down through generations of storytellers. It is timeless. . . . Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it * David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas *A memorable exploration of the relationship between life and death. . . Ged, its hero, must face his shadow self before it devours him. Only then will he become whole. In the process, he must contend with the wisdom of dragons: ambiguous and not our wisdom, but wisdom nonetheless * Margaret Atwood *[This series] made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking * Neil Gaiman *One of the most deeply influential of all 20th century fantasy texts * THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FANTASY *Le Guin makes a triumphant return ... the publication of this collection is a major event in fantasy literature * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *

Read more less

Book Synopsis This powerful graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s groundbreaking dystopian novel stands beside the acclaimed previous graphic novel adaptations, Kindred, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and Parable of the Sower, winner of the Hugo Award Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Talents: A Graphic Novel Adaptation is the continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina. Brought to life by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, the creative team behind the #1 New York Times bestseller Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina’s daughter, Asha Vere—from whom she has been separated for most of the girl’s life—interspersed with sections in the form of Lauren’s own journals. Against a background of a war-torn continent under the control of a Christian fundamentalist fascist state, Asha searches for answers about her own p

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisC'mon, grab your friends and head to distant lands for a brand-new ADVENTURE (er, TIME!)!When Finn and Jake save the newly installed Computer Princess from the clutches of the evil Ice Kinghe just wants a bride, OK, is that too much to ask?!the two escort her back to the Computer Kingdom, where she gives the Best of Buds a new quest: find the powerful guide for heroes, the Enchiridion, and bring it back to her so she can scan it for her digital archive! But where are they going to find it? And how?!From songwriting with lovesick poets to attending art shows with megalomaniacs to dance battles with the Cat Queen in the funky reaches of outer space, Finn and Jake find themselves on a truly mathematical (and dare we say . . . radical?!) journey on their quest to complete CP's requestbut surely nothing can stop the Best of Buds! That is to say, surely their friendship is totally, completely, definitely not about to be put to the test! Right?Written and drawn by Annie-nominated designer for TV and feature animation Nick Winn, highlighting a host of talented artists and featuring backup stories by Adventure Time alum Derek Ballard (Cartoonshow), this new Adventure Time series is one you won't want to miss!Collects issues #1-4 of the new Oni Press Adventure Time series.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA first contact SF novel, from the Hugo Awardwinning author of Folding Beijing.2080, the world is divided, dominated by two antagonistic factions, the Pacific League and the Atlantic Alliance. Tensions are high and the smallest disturbance in the status quo could set the world on fire.And a signal flickering through deep space could be just that spark. As three young scientists form an alliance to decode the signal, they realise that the answers don''t only lie in deep space, they also lie deep in humanity''s past.What they discover will change everything: our past, present and future. If we have one.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSome years after the events ofAliensandAlien 3 an artist obsessed with the disturbing visceral potential of the xenomorphs is pursued to an abandoned colony. Written by the much-celebrated Shaun Hamill, author ofA Cosmology of Monsters and The Dissonance.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA novel that differs from other science fiction and dystopian stories in that it is predominantly character driven. A genre bending story about two characters and the extraordinary worlds they inhabit.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBased on the blockbuster Xbox game, this is the stunning story of the men and women who stood between a planet and total destruction - and now have to face the consequences of their actions. After a brutal fifteen-year war for survival, the Coalition of Ordered Governments is forced to destroy mankind's last city in a final bid to stop the Locust Horde. As the survivors flee Jacinto, they must contend with the last of the Locust, bent on vengeance, as they struggle to stay alive in an icy wilderness. Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, and their fellow Gears fight to get Jacinto's refugees to a safe haven, but find themselves in a lawless new world where the enemy is human - and as desperate and dangerous as any grub. This novel is based on a computer game with an 18-rating.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFifty years after the events of ALTERED CARBON, Takeshi Kovacs is serving as a mercenary in the Procterate-sponsored war to put down Joshuah Kemp''s revolution on the planet Sanction IV. He is offered the chance to join a covert team chasing a prize whose value is limitless -- and whose dangers are endless. Here is a novel that takes mankind to the brink.A breakneck-paced crime thriller, ALTERED CARBON took its readers deep into the universe Morgan had so compellingly realised without ever letting them escape the onward rush of the plot. BROKEN ANGELS melds SF, the war novel and the spy thriller to take the reader below the surface of this future and lay bare the treacheries, betrayals and follies that leave man so ill-prepared for the legacy he has been given: the stars. This is SF at its dizzying best: superb, yet subtle, world-building; strong yet sensitive characterisation; awesome yet believable technology, thilling yet profound writing. Richard Morgan is set to join t

Read more less

Book SynopsisTo the spaceship Discovery, floating in the silent depths of space since Dave Bowman passed through the alien 'Star Gate', comes Heywood Floyd on a mission of recovery. What he finds near Jupiter is beyond the imaginings of any mere human.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOriginal Sin by Michael Jan Friedman Centuries after the death of the original Ellen Ripley, her clone has joined the fight against the Alien threat. With the help of an android named Call, a brutal hired gun named Johner, and a paraplegic mechanic named Vriess, she will battle an Alien horror, and discover the answer to a question that pierces the Alien mystery to its seething acid-chamber of a heart. DNA War by Diane Carey In a bleak galaxy, the hospitable planet Rosamond 6 is a rare find. But while it may look like an oasis among the stars, it harbors a fatal secret: it is infested with Aliens. Eager to prove her theory that the Aliens can be reasoned with, anthropologist Jocasta Malvaux has set up an observation post there. And something unexpected happens: the Aliens don't attack. But, why? Could it be that the monsters are evolving? Or is it a matter of time until every person on the planet must fight for their lives?Trade Review“The novels in these Omnibuses span the width and breadth of the Alien universe, stretching its boundaries and giving it a marvelous depth of detail” - BookRiot

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile Spartans get all the glory, no soldier-not even the legendary Master Chief-wins a war on his own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) played a major role in saving Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War-acts of bravery and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the United Nations Space Command.Now, after many Spartans have been killed in battle and the Master Chief is listed as MIA, the UNSC decides to create a new generation of Spartans to defend humanity from threats both outside-and within. When they come to Buck with an extraordinary proposition, he is forced to make a life-altering decision. With the Covenant War finally over, is it time for him to retire to the sidelines for a life he could only dream about ...or is he prepared to step up and become part of the military's new blood?

Read more less

Book SynopsisA brand new look for one of SF master David Brin's most acclaimed novels: a moving post-apocalyptic tale of one man rekindling hope for a desperate nation

Read more less

Book SynopsisSome hot property Mal's crew desperately need another payday, but not desperately enough to transport a Blue Sun flightcase to Badger, no questions asked, when the area is swarming with Alliance spacecraft equally keen to regain the stolen property. Yet Jayne refuses to miss out, and sneaks the case aboard Serenity. Lucid dreams Within hours of secreting the case Jayne suddenly finds himself back on the Cobb homestead with his brother Matty miraculously cured of the damplung. Wash is at the controls of the highest-spec cruiser money can buy, the billionaire head of a 'verse-spanning business empire. All of the crew but River are soon immersed in vivid hallucinations of their deepest desires, while their bodies lie insensible on the ship. Fantasies gone sour Wash's empire begins to crumble; the Cobb ranch is under attack by merciless bandits. As everyone's daydreams turn nightmare, Serenity floats on a crash course towards a barren moon, with only River standing between the crew and certain oblivion.Trade Review"The Ghost Machine is a delight from page one right on through to the end. The heart of one of my favorite franchises continues to beat strong in the Titan Books series of novels, and I am eager for more." - Nerds on Earth "Lovegrove ends up creating something that's really clever, and gives a new look at some very familiar characters." - Grimdark Dad

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe hit prequel comics adaptation of the legendary science fiction epic from NY Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson continues!Spanning from Arrakis to Wallach IX, formative moments from major characters’ past in the Dune universe come to light driven by the ruthless machinations of House Harkonnen! Chaos ensues across planets with tense rescue missions, impossible choices, meanwhile events on Ix turn explosive, and Bene Gesserit plotting finally comes to fruition. As the Harkonnens brutality abounds on Arrakis, Liet and Warrick are pitted against each other in the name of love, Leto finds himself in a fateful meeting elsewhere, and Duncan takes a significant step toward who he’s destined to be... The tension rises in the thrilling prequel adaptation by authors Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson, artist Fran Galán (Creepshow), and colorist Patricio Delpeche (Fissure), where deadly choices and conflicts will shape the future of Arrak

Read more less

Book SynopsisA SOLDIER''S MISSION IN A WORLD GONE TO HELL: SURVIVE, RESCUE, REBUILDThis is the destiny of those who stand for others. Their honour will be bought in blood and pain.The Camp Ryder Hub is broken. Captain Lee Harden is nowhere to be found, and his allies are scattered across the state, each of them learning that their missions will not be as easy as they thought. Inside the walls of Camp Ryder, a silent war is brewing between those few that still support Lee''s vision of rebuilding and the majority who support Jerry''s desire for isolation. But this war will not remain silent for long. And in this savage world, everyone will have to make a choice.This is the fourth book in the bestselling Remaining series, telling a gritty tale of survival, perseverance and the fight to get back what has been lost.Trade ReviewSurvival horror at almost its very best ... Molles and Orbit are certainly onto a winner in a series that deserves to be seen by genre fans be it online or on paper The Book Bag These are my current favorite post-apocalyptic zombie novels! ... I love how this series builds fantastic characters and poses them with and against one another in super believable situations. I can believe this future...The action is detailed and vivid Boing Boing Anxiety and building desperation fuel this debut zombie thriller ... Sharply targeted sentences depict an acutely human action hero who wrestles his anxiety ... Molles's precise construction gives readers ample reason to return Publishers Weekly A well written, taut adventure novel with characters that definitely make a mark SF Crowsnest

Read more less

Book SynopsisA MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF TWENTY-FIVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE INIMITABLE AUTHOR OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, KURT VONNEGUT 'Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer...a zany but moral mad scientist' Time A diabolical government asserts control by eliminating orgasms. A scientist discovers the secret to unlocking instant happiness, with unexpected consequences. In an America where everyone is equal every which way, a tennage boy plans to overthrow the system. Welcome to the Monkey House gathers together twenty-five of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the 1950s and 1960s. Shot through with Vonnegut's singular humour, wit and bewilderment at humanity, this is a collection that celebrates a true master of short-form fiction.Trade ReviewA joyous ragbag of a collection * Observer *After Vonnegut, everything else seems a bit tame * Spectator *One of the master alchemists of modern American fiction * Sunday Times *A cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny * Financial Times *A brilliant wacky ideas-monger * Guardian *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience' - Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism.Do the dead sleep soundly in the land of death - or do they have plans of their own?Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award 2016.A generation ago the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions. But that was then. Now the god is dead and the city lies in ruins, a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings.So it makes perfect sense for General Turyin Mulaghesh, foul-mouthed hero of the battle of Bulikov, rumoured war criminal, ally of embattled Prime Minister Shara Komayd, to be exiled here - but she's not just eking out her days in this hellhole till retirement. She's on one final mission, to find a Saypuri secret agent who's gone AWOL.The trouble is, that this old soldier isn't sure she's still got what it takes to be the hero . . .A triumphant return to the world of A City of Stairs.'Loud, bold and uncompromisingly ambitious' - Upcoming4.meTrade ReviewAstonishingly good . . . a deep, powerful novel that's worth reading and rereading * Publishers Weekly, starred review *One of the smartest second world fantasies out there and has some of the most memorable characters in recent memory * Wes Chu, The Chicago Review of Books *Magnificent . . . City of Blades does everything a really good sequel should. If anything, it's a better book than its predecessor * Tor.com *Surpasses its predecessor in almost all aspects . . . loud, bold and uncompromisingly ambitious and I wholeheartedly recommend it even if you haven't read City of Stairs * Upcoming4.me *Does [City of Blades] live up to the Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and GoodReads Choice Awards-nominated City of Stairs? Allow me to answer with an emphatic yes . . . Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the most talented authors writing in SFF today and this is his finest work to date' * Fantasy-Faction *Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience. This is the book that will earn it for him. A story that draws you in, brilliant world building, and oh my God, Sigrud. You guys are going to love Sigrud. * Brent Weeks, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Black Prism on City of Stairs *Building beautifully upon the richly detailed world introduced in the first book of the series, Bennett serves a stew of fantasy and adventure with a healthy dose of humor and a ladle full of violence * Library Journal, starred review *Like the very best speculative fiction, City of Blades immerses readers in a made-up world, only to force us to take a harder look at the real one * Booklist *Richly detailed and expertly plotted. A grand entertainment * Kirkus *City of Blades is bolder and harder hitting in almost every aspect . . . perfection. This one gets a full five stars and my hearty recommendation * Bibliosanctum *City of Blades has really left an impression and however much I try to write I feel like I can't do the book enough justice. It is so much more than just another Fantasy novel with gods, war and mystery * Draumr Kopa *Bennett's most powerful book yet - an examination of deeper issues within an enthralling adventure fantasy tale as sharply crafted as any of the titular blades. 9/10 * Sci-fi Bulletin *In a word, City of Blades is perfection. * The Bibliosanctum *A superior work of secondary world epic fantasy . . . I would recommend City of Blades, and its predecessor, to anybody looking for an example of cutting edge, subversive and self-aware epic fantasy . . . I sincerely hope this will be a landmark trilogy that . . . will have a rippling effect on the epic fantasy genre for years to come. * SFFWorld *An outstanding example of fantasy literature * Speculating on SpecFic *City Of Stairs worked, primarily, for one big reason: The world Bennett had created was just awesome. [City of Blades] feels no less rich, no less realised . . . Read this first and then, if you fall just as hard for the world as I have, go back and read Stairs to get your fill of all the strangeness and wonderment * NPR.org *Just as powerful as the first, and even stronger in significant ways . . . among the best novels of 2016 * SF Signal *Hooked me from the first chapter and kept me reading at a frantic pace. I can honestly say I enjoyed it even more than the first * The Speculative Herald *

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom the international bestselling author of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning The Windup Girl, comes an electrifying thriller set in a world on the edge of collapse.WATER IS POWERThe American Southwest has been decimated by drought, Nevada and Arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the Colorado River, while California watches.When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in Phoenix, Las Vegas water knife Angel Velasquez is sent to investigate.With a wallet full of identities and a tricked-out Tesla, Angel arrows south, hunting for answers that seem to evaporate as the heat index soars and the landscape becomes more and more oppressive. There, Angel encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist who knows far more about Phoenix''s water secrets than she admits, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas migrant who dreams of escaping north to those places where water still falls from the sky.As bodies begin to pile upTrade ReviewThis is the best kind of science fiction. An intense thriller and a deeply insightful vision of the coming century, laid out in all its pain and glory. It's a water knife indeed, right to the heartAnyone can write about the future. Paolo Bacigalupi writes about the future that we're making today, if we keep going the way we are. It makes his writing beautiful . . . and terrifyingThese days are coming, and as always fiction explains them better than fact. This is a spectacular thriller, wonderfully imagined and written, and racing through it will make you think - and make you thirsty - Lee ChildThe Water Knife is a noir-tinged, apocalyptic vision of the near-future: What will the world be like, and how will we live in it? Bacigalupi already seems to live there. Once I started, I couldn't put it down - Kelly LinkBacigalupi is a worthy successor to William Gibson - Time

Read more less

Book SynopsisRob Grant and Doug Naylor were part of the gestalt entity known as Grant Naylor, which created and wrote the Emmy award-winning series Red Dwarf for BBC television. Together they were head writers for Spitting Image in the mid-eighties, and together they wrote two novels, Red Dwarf (1989) and Better Than Life (1991). Since 1994 they have been pursuing separate careers, and each has written a bestselling Red Dwarf novel; Doug's Last Human was published in 1995, Rob's Backwards was published in 1996. All these books are available in Penguin and have sold over 1.7 million copies.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe’re all stories in the end…In this exciting collection you’ll find all-new stories spinning off from some of your favourite Doctor Who moments across the history of the series. Learn what happened next, what went on before, and what occurred off-screen in an inventive selection of sequels, side-trips, foreshadowings and first-hand accounts – and look forward too, with a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor.Each story expands in thrilling ways upon aspects of Doctor Who’s enduring legend. With contributions from show luminaries past and present – including Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Vinay Patel, Joy Wilkinson and Terrance Dicks – The Target Storybook is a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the wonders of the Whoniverse.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt a New York City Wedding, on a sweltering summer night, four people are trying to get their lives started.Yun has everything he''s ever wanted, but somehow it''s never enough.Emory is finally making her mark, but feels the shame more than the success.Andrew just wants to be honest, but had lied to himself his whole life.Fin can''t resist falling in love, but can''t help wrecking it all either.Then the four of them watch as one of the guests sits down and never gets back up. Soon it''s happening everywhere. Is it an illness or a choice?Because how can anyone be happy in a world where the only choice is to feel everything - or nothing at all?Trade ReviewA dark, addictive novel * Red *Intense, twisty and beautifully written . . . unique * Daily Mail *Extraordinary -- Emily St John Mandel on THE LAST

Read more less

Book Synopsis ''Autonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the internet'' NEAL STEPHENSON ''Something genuinely and thrillingly new'' WILLIAM GIBSON ''Holy hell. Autonomous is remarkable'' LAUREN BEUKESWINNER OF THE 2018 LAMBDA AWARD FOR SFFSHORTLISTED FOR THE NEBULA AWARD 2018SHORTLISTED FOR THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT 2018Earth, 2144. Jack is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, traversing the world in a submarine as a pharmaceutical Robin Hood, fabricating cheap medicines for those who can''t otherwise afford them. But her latest drug hack has left a trail of lethal overdoses as people become addicted to their work, doing repetitive tasks until they become unsafe or insane. Hot on her trail is an unlikely pair: Eliasz, a brooding military agent, and his indentured robotic partner, Paladin. As they race to stop information about the sinister origins of Jack''s drTrade ReviewAutonomous is to biotech and AI what Neuromancer was to the Internet -- Neal StephensonSomething genuinely and thrillingly new -- William GibsonHoly hell. Autonomous is remarkable -- Lauren BeukesBrims and bubbles over with ideas, tenderness and care; my experience of reading it was of wanting to discuss every paragraph I consumed. A brilliant, fascinating debut -- NPREverything you'd hope for from the co-founder of io9 -- Boing BoingThrilling -- Guardian

Read more less

Book SynopsisTerry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any. www.terrypratchettbooks.comTrade ReviewA continual delight, with its unexpected conceits and original inventions. And if Mr Pratchett's tongue is frequently in his cheek, his parody of the science fiction idiom is always deft, knowledgeable and good humoured * Oxford Times *

Read more less