Search results for ""author iain"

During 2013-14, the IEA ran a competition to find the best blueprint for Britain outside the EU, with the objective of securing a free and prosperous economy should it choose to leave. The IEA does not have a position on whether Britain should leave the EU. However, it is part of their educational mission to promote a wider understanding of the importance of a free economy and the institutions that are necessary for a free economy. They therefore regarded it as important to promote debate on the best way to achieve this in the event of the British people choosing to leave the EU: that was the main purpose of the competition. To provide a longer-lasting contribution to this debate, the IEA decided to publish this monograph examining the various options using, in the main, entries to the British Exit ('Brexit') competition. There was a wide range of possible approaches suggested by entrants to that competition.Some proposed that Britain should promote free trade and openness through the unilateral removal of trade and other barriers to economic activity; others proposed maintaining formal relationships with European countries through the European Free Trade Association and/or the European Economic Area; still other entrants took the view that Britain should seek to form economic and political alliances and partnerships with countries outside Europe - for example with the Commonwealth or the --Anglosphere - normally with a view to that being a gateway to free trade with as much of the world as would be willing. The winner was Foreign Office diplomat Iain Mansfield, who received most of the publicity at the end of the competition. However, in understanding how Britain can be free and prosperous in the event that it leaves the EU, it is worthwhile considering a range of other approaches to 'Brexit'. It is only through determining the best destiny for Britain outside the EU that the correct decision will be taken about whether to leave the EU and, if so, how. This book therefore brings together Iain Mansfield's submission with edited versions of two other entries.One of those, by Robert Oulds, proposes that the UK remains a member of the European Economic Area and rejoins the European Free Trade Association; another, by Ralph Buckle and Tim Hewish, proposes that Britain pursues free trade through the route of the Commonwealth and the Anglosphere. The final contribution, by John Hulsman, was not an entry to the competition but re-examines an approach to promoting free trade first proposed in his IEA monograph published in 2001, The World Turned Rightside Up. This involved the development of a global free-trade association. Overall, this book is an important contribution to the debate about how Britain should leave the EU, should it choose to do so. It distils clearly the different options and the advantages and disadvantages of alternative approaches with reference to the objective of promoting a free and prosperous economy. The authors have different views about how to achieve the same objective. It is hoped that, by presenting those different views in this volume, the debate will move beyond 'Britain - in or out?' to a debate about something just as important: 'If Britain should leave, how should it leave?'

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Master the fundamentals of regression without learning calculus with this one-stop resource The newly and thoroughly revised 3rd Edition of Applied Regression Modeling delivers a concise but comprehensive treatment of the application of statistical regression analysis for those with little or no background in calculus. Accomplished instructor and author Dr. Iain Pardoe has reworked many of the more challenging topics, included learning outcomes and additional end-of-chapter exercises, and added coverage of several brand-new topics including multiple linear regression using matrices. The methods described in the text are clearly illustrated with multi-format datasets available on the book's supplementary website. In addition to a fulsome explanation of foundational regression techniques, the book introduces modeling extensions that illustrate advanced regression strategies, including model building, logistic regression, Poisson regression, discrete choice models, multilevel models, Bayesian modeling, and time series forecasting. Illustrations, graphs, and computer software output appear throughout the book to assist readers in understanding and retaining the more complex content. Applied Regression Modeling covers a wide variety of topics, like: Simple linear regression models, including the least squares criterion, how to evaluate model fit, and estimation/prediction Multiple linear regression, including testing regression parameters, checking model assumptions graphically, and testing model assumptions numerically Regression model building, including predictor and response variable transformations, qualitative predictors, and regression pitfalls Three fully described case studies, including one each on home prices, vehicle fuel efficiency, and pharmaceutical patches Perfect for students of any undergraduate statistics course in which regression analysis is a main focus, Applied Regression Modeling also belongs on the bookshelves of non-statistics graduate students, including MBAs, and for students of vocational, professional, and applied courses like data science and machine learning.

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In 1517, Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of Wittenberg's castle church. Luther's seemingly inconsequential act ultimately launched the Reformation, a movement that forevertransformed both the Church and Western culture. The repositioning of the Bible as beginning, middle, and end of Christian faith was crucial to the Reformation. Two words alone captured this emphasis on the Bible's divine inspiration, its abiding authority, and its clarity, efficacy, and sufficiency: sola scriptura . In the five centuries since the Reformation, the confidence Luther and the Reformers placed in the Bible has slowly eroded. Enlightened modernity came to treat the Bible like any other text, subjecting it to a near endless array of historical-critical methods derived from the sciences and philosophy. The result is that in many quarters of Protestantism today the Bible as word has ceased to be the Word. In The Reformation and the Right Reading of Scripture , Iain Provan aims to restore a Reformation-like confidence in the Bible by recovering a Reformation-like reading strategy. To accomplish these aims Provan first acknowledges the value in the Church's precritical appropriation of the Bible and, then, in a chastened use of modern and postmodern critical methods. But Provan resolutely returns to the Reformers' affirmation of the centrality of the literal sense of the text, in the Bible's original languages, for a right-minded biblical interpretation. In the end the volume shows that it is possible to arrive at an approach to biblical interpretation for the twenty-first century that does not simply replicate the Protestant hermeneutics of the sixteenth, but stands in fundamental continuity with them. Such lavish attention to, and importance placed upon, a seriously literal interpretation of Scripture is appropriate to the Christian confession of the word as Wordâthe one God's Word for the one world.

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Salvation is the first title in a stunning science fiction trilogy, the Salvation Sequence, by Peter F. Hamilton. For fans of Iain M. Banks and Dan Simmons.Know your enemy – or be defeated.AD 2204An alien shipwreck is discovered on a planet at the very limits of human expansion – so Security Director Feriton Kayne selects a team to investigate. The ship’s sinister cargo not only raises bewildering questions, but could also foreshadow humanity’s extinction. It will be up to the team to bring back answers, and the consequences of this voyage will change everything.Back on Earth, we can now make deserts bloom and extend lifespans indefinitely. Humanity seems invulnerable. We therefore welcomed the Olyix to Earth when they contacted us. They needed fuel for their pilgrimage across the galaxy – and in exchange they helped us advance our technology. But were the Olyix a blessing or a curse?THE FAR FUTUREMany lightyears from Earth, Dellian and his clan of genetically engineered soldiers are raised with one goal. They must confront and destroy their ancient adversary. The enemy that caused mankind to flee across the galaxy and that hunts us still. If they aren’t stopped, we will be wiped out – and we’re running out of time.Continue the SF thrills with Salvation Lost and The Saints of Salvation.'A space-opera intrigue with a cold shock of an ending that makes the sequel a matter of urgency' – Ken MacLeod, author of The Sky Road

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'A remarkable book; surprisingly gripping and often very moving ... at once disorientating and illuminating.' - Robert Macfarlane We shape ourselves, and are shaped in return, by the walls that contain us. Buildings affect how we sleep, work, socialise and even breathe. They can isolate and endanger us but they can also heal us. We project our hopes and fears onto buildings, while they absorb our histories. In Living With Buildings, Iain Sinclair embarks on a series of expeditions - through London, Marseille, Mexico and the Outer Hebrides. A father and his daughter, who has a rare syndrome, visit the estate where they once lived. Developers clink champagne glasses as residents are 'decanted' from their homes. A box sculpted from whalebone, thought to contain healing properties, is returned to its origins with unexpected consequences. Part investigation, part travelogue, Living With Buildings brings the spaces we inhabit to life as never before.

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'A gothic horror story of quite exceptional quality' Financial Times'Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through.' Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least.Praise for Iain Banks:'The most imaginative novelist of his generation' The Times'His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers' Ken MacLeod, Guardian'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent' Neil Gaiman'An exceptional wordsmith' Scotsman

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Shortlisted for the 2022 Jhalak Prize The Poetry Book Society Winter Choice 2021 Vahni Capildeo's Like a Tree, Walking is a fresh departure, even for this famously innovative poet. Taking its title from a story of sight miraculously regained, this book draws on Capildeo's interest in ecopoetics and silence. Many pieces originate in specific places, from nocturnes and lullabies in hilly Port of Spain to 'stillness exercises' recording microenvironments - emotional and aural - around English trees. These journeys offer a configuration of the political that makes a space for new kinds of address, declaration and relation. Capildeo takes guidance from vernacular traditions of sensitivity ranging from Thomas A Clark and Iain Crichton Smith to the participants in a Leeds libraries project on the Windrush. Like a Tree, Walking is finally a book defined by how it writes love.

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___________________________________________________________________________________"Brilliantly wrought... Wonderful... Catling's expertise, imagination and linguistic flair are well matched by his wit and enthusiasm. Hollow is never less than tremendous fun... Catling is a great and wild talent... a raucous novel that thrills and unsettles in equal measure." - TLS"Prose that's sprinkled with neologisms and archaisms, and as crunchy and bitter-cold as snow... it's a nigh unclassifiable work, and all the better for that." - Financial Times"As with all the best fiction, there is a terrifying inevitability about Hollow ... Let it devour you."Iain Sinclair, author of Ghost Milk"Unsettling and delightful... very clever fun...a sheer, shuddering delight... both frightening and hilarious. Catling is a rare kind of writer.'"Scotland on Sunday____________________________________________________________________________From the author of the Vorrh Trilogy comes an epic odyssey following a group of mercenaries hired to deliver a church's ultimate power-a sacred oracle-as the decadence of carnival gives way to the gravity of lent and the mystic landscape grows ravenous - all set within a Bosch painting.The history of art contains no more imaginative or mysterious paintings that the landscapes of Hieronymus Bosch. Art historians ask where the weird creatures depicted there came from, and so too do the central characters of Hollow as they fight their way across these landscapes and encounter these creatures. Author B Catling is the first novelist to engage fully with Bosch's vision and climb imaginatively into it.In this novel it emerges that Bosch gave colour and form to monsters, 'letting them in' to the real world, and that they were still infesting the landscape when it was painted by Bosch's follower Pieter Bruegel. Now a wild bunch of mercenaries with a mission to deliver an oracle made of cloth, bones and a loud voice take a dangerous journey to the monastery at the base of the Tower of Babel, where the most terrifying secret in the world is kept. As they travel through a country painted first by Bosch and then by Bruegel, they are confronted and seduced by monsters and see scenes painted by them. These include the devil playing dice, a lewd mock wedding with a dirty bride, an unholy being living inside a hollow tree and riding a giant rat, and creatures indulging in inter-species sexual play as depicted in The Garden of Earthly Delights. A local marauding woman called Mad Meg with a small army of looting women from Breugel's Dull Gret is one of this novel's stranger characters. Perhaps it is because B. Catling is himself an artist that he has been able to create a modern narrative masterpiece which brings the painterly genius of Bosch and Breugel alive on the page.

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MPT's summer issue 'One Thousand Suns' focuses on poetry from African languages, with a selection of new translations of Senegalese poet Mama Seck Mbacke, Beninese Agnes Agboton and an interview with Equatorial Guinean Ricaredo Silebo Boturu. The African focus also includes an essay by poet and playwright Inua Ellams on translation, his Nigerian heritage and reworking The Tempest into Nigerian pidgen. We feature new translations of Hafez by UK poet Mario Petrucci and Jane Draycott's poem 'The Occupant', a response to the classic Dutch modernist text 'Awater'. Read Jan Wagner's new poems in Iain Galbraith's prizewinning translation, Hindi poet Geet Chaturvedi and Romanian Nora Iuga's surreal poetry - all in the groundbreaking magazine dedicated to poetry in translation. For the best in world poetry read MPT.

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At a time of renewed focus on the schools curriculum, Roy Blatchford has brought together some of the sharpest thinkers in education in a brilliant mixture of both practical and conceptual essays about what makes for a positive secondary curriculum.Perfectly timed to reflect the new Ofsted framework, the contributions reflect a range of thinking, planning and delivery, as schools do it now and will for the future. It is a compendium of proven practice, offering tips to less experienced/adventurous middle and senior leaders.Featuring contributions from: Iain Veitch; Deborah Eyre; Stephen Rollett; David Birch; Melanie Saunders; Fran Haynes; Mary Myatt; Rebecca Clark; Nick Soar; Rachel Macfarlane; Ashley Robson; Jo Facer; Ed Vainker; Samuel Strickland; Simon Watson; Elizabeth Swan; Peter Hyman.

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Following the fi rst volume of Bill Hare's exploration Scottish Artists, Scottish Artists in an Age of Radical Change, this new volume, Scottish Art and Artists in Historical and Contemporary Context will expand on the invaluable contribution to the cultural development of modern and contemporary Scotland.Joan Eardley, Alan Davies, the Boyle Family, Ken Currie, Anthony Hatwell, Doug Crocker, Jack Knox, Lys Hansen, William Turnbull, Iain Robertson, Douglas Gordon and John Kennedy are just some of the artists who Bill Hare explores in both their historical and contemporary contexts. From body politics to the Athenian way to Scottish artists in Venice, this book will reveal the importance and intellectual power this generation of Scottish artists have had over decades of time through a compilation of in-depth essays and interviews.

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This extraordinary collection celebrates the dazzling worldbuilding of Iain M. Banks, one of the most important and influential writers in modern science fiction.Faithfully reproduced from notebooks he kept in the 1970s and 80s, these annotated original illustrations depict the ships, habitats, geography, weapons and language of Banks' Culture series of novels in incredible detail.'Superb - well worth it for the hardcore fans. This is an incredibly well put-together collection of drawings, diagrams, notes and schematics from one of the all-time greats of science fiction and space opera. This book looks absolutely stunning and the quality is extraordinarily high. It was well worth the wait' Waterstones bookseller review'The Culture: The Drawings pulls together his art work for the first time, and it's clear he was a very good draughtsman. Maps of alien archipelagos. Sketches of spaceships and guns and castles and tanks . . . This isn't an archive of ideas so much as the melting pot from which ideas came' The Times'Banks was a dude who loved his whisky and his amateur draftsmanship has some of the character of cask spirit: raw and unrefined but heady and intoxicating' Eurogamer'The Culture series is incredible and this book goes to show how the books could be so intricate and consistent. He designed the whole universe by hand' Reader reviewPraise for the Culture series:'Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution' Independent on Sunday 'Few of us have been exposed to a talent so manifest and of such extraordinary breadth' New York Review of Science Fiction 'Jam-packed with extraordinary invention' Scotsman 'Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future' GuardianThe Culture series: Consider Phlebas The Player of Games Use of Weapons The State of the Art Excession Inversions Look to Windward Matter Surface Detail The Hydrogen Sonata Other books by Iain M. Banks: Against a Dark Background Feersum Endjinn The Algebraist***Also, look out for the Deluxe 'Special Circumstances' Edition of The Culture: The Drawings. This ultimate, limited collector's edition includes an exclusive, numbered, cloth-bound edition of The Culture: The Drawings in a sumptuous presentation case, a booklet of original Culture-inspired artwork, specially commissioned 3D printing files and many other Culture-inspired features***

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'Ingenious, daring and brilliant' GuardianCOMPLICITY N. 1. THE FACT OF BEING AN ACCOMPLICE, ESP. IN A CRIMINAL ACTA few spliffs, a spot of mild S&M, phone through the copy for tomorrow's front page, catch up with the latest from your mystery source - could be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular day at the office for free-wheeling, substance-abusing Cameron Colley, a fully paid-up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh newspaper.Prentice McHoan has returned to the bosom of his complex but enduring Scottish family. Full of questions about the McHoan past, present and future, he is also deeply preoccupied: mainly with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances... Praise for Iain Banks:'The most imaginative novelist of his generation' The Times'His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers' Ken MacLeod, Guardian'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent' Neil Gaiman'An exceptional wordsmith' Scotsman

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Now a major television documentary (Channel 4, 2021)The epic mission to destroy Hitler’s flagship.‘Bismarck was now loose in the Atlantic … we had to find and sink her.’May, 1941. The most powerful battleship the world has ever seen, the German Navy’s Bismarck, breaks out into the Atlantic to ravage Allied convoys. Together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, the Bismarck will seek to deliver a killer blow to Britain’s war effort.The British launch an all-or-nothing bid to sink her, with the Home Fleet and other naval units steaming hard from all points of the compass, straining every sinew to trap and destroy Bismarck. HMS Hood, the battlecruiser pride of the Royal Navy, is destroyed within eight minutes of engaging Bismarck on 24 May. However, the brand new battleship HMS Prince of Wales lands a pivotal blow on Bismarck, puncturing a fuel tank, forcing the German battleship to make for refuge in a friendly port.Reeling from the loss of the Hood, the Royal Navy redoubles its efforts, intent on avenging lost shipmates. Aircraft carrier Ark Royal, along with battleships King George V and Rodney, plus cruisers and destroyers, are among those who hunt and pursue the foe over more than 1,700 miles.This is the story of Bismarck’s fateful final twenty-four hours on 26/27 May 1941: the finale of the hunt and the culminating brutal close-quarters battle as Bismarck makes a desperate bid to escape the enemy.Using eyewitness accounts of Royal Navy sailors, Royal Marines and Swordfish torpedo-bomber aviators – including searing testimony gleaned by the author during unique interviews with a ‘band of brothers’ who were in the thick of the action - Ballantyne brings one of the Second World War’s most dramatic events thundering to life. He also draws on new research in museum archives and other accounts from both the British and German side, to present a multi-dimensional, cinematic telling of a legendary episode in naval combat history.An epic story, told with compelling immediacy, it takes readers aboard warships in unforgiving seas, into the cockpits of warplanes in shrapnel-lashed skies and even inside a U-boat under a cruel ocean. Perfect for readers of Richard Hough and Saul David.Praise for Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom ‘A powerful and moving cinematic study devoted to what has to be the most dramatic event of the Second World War at sea’Julian Stockwin, author of the Thomas Kydd series of naval adventures‘By drawing on the first-hand experiences of veterans in the thick of the action, Iain Ballantyne has produced a deeply researched and unputdownable account of the hunt for the Bismarck that is at once authoritative, insightful and highly readable’Rowland White, author of Harrier 809 and Vulcan 607

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'Will have you in stitches' The Irish Times'He's almost certainly not the hero you ordered, but he's the hero we need right now' Dave Gorman'I nearly stopped breathing twice as I was laughing so much. Glorious." Dom Joly'Probably the funniest thing I've read this year' Rufus HoundGet ready for the online adventures of one man who just wants to make friendsAnd one very annoyed worldBased on the ingenious Sir Michael Twitter account, How to (Almost) Make Friends on the Internet is the funniest book you'll read this year. Whether it's offering his services as a Karate Lawyer or Funeral DJ, devising the world's worst plan to get a free haircut, or trying to buy a blue bucket that may or may not be for sale, Michael just wants to connect with people.The only problem is that people are slightly less enthusiastic about connecting with him and the results are utterly hilarious.Warning: you'll never think about adding someone called Michael to a group chat the same way ever again.'Finally, someone has worked out a good use for social media and it's brilliantly, painfully funny' Iain Morris, Co-creator of The Inbetweeners'Michael is the funniest human on the internet, bar none. Read his book, you cowards' James Felton, author of 52 Times Britain was a Bellend

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In Reliability and Alliance Interdependence, Iain D. Henry argues for a more sophisticated approach to alliance politics and ideas of interdependence. It is often assumed that if the United States failed to defend an ally, then this disloyalty would instantly and irrevocably damage US alliances across the globe. Henry proposes that such damage is by no means inevitable and that predictions of disaster are dangerously simplistic. If other allies fear the risks of military escalation more than the consequences of the United States abandoning an ally, then they will welcome, encourage, and even praise such an instance of disloyalty. It is also often assumed that alliance interdependence only constrains US policy options, but Henry shows how the United States can manipulate interdependence to set an example of what constitutes acceptable allied behavior. Using declassified documents, Henry explores five case studies involving US alliances with South Korea, Japan, the Republic of China, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. Reliability and Alliance Interdependence makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of how America's alliances in Asia function as an interdependent system.

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As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week.'Told with the verve and immediacy of a novel' - Iain SinclairA vividly told yet reflective account of a year as a volunteer police officer, examining the nature of policing, its impact on those who are policed and on our communal life.A former carer, primary school teacher and education researcher, Matt Lloyd-Rose became a volunteer police officer to try to understand the challenges facing young people in Brixton, the place he lived and taught. He got more than he bargained for. Each Friday evening, he put on the uniform and policed South London: racing through it on blue lights, patrolling its streets, entering a parallel version of a place he thought he knew.Into the Night takes you on a journey to the heart of our society’s most complex and controversial institution, showing the best and worst of ordinary policing: from macho thrill-seeking and shocking misogyny to quiet moments of kindness and care. Its pages are filled with the homeless, the lonely, the sick and the angry, with teenage gang members, confused drunks, violent partners, runaway dogs and an illegal hot-dog vendor who won’t take no for an answer.Into the Night is an exploration of what it would mean to reframe policing as a caring, rather than enforcement, role. It is also a luminous portrait of South London, the epicentre of Britain’s struggle against racist policing, surfacing hidden histories of resistance and abuse.'Acutely observed and tenderly written' - Polly Morland, bestselling author of A Fortunate Women'An important and timely book written with empathy and real life experience' - Shami Chakrabarti'A textured, compassionate book about cities, loss wounded souls.' - Sukhdev Sandhu

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'A deeply satirical and thought-provoking thriller' Sunday ExpressA couple of ice cubes, first, then the apple that really started it all. A loft apartment in London's East End; cool but doomed, demolition and redevelopment slated for the following week. Ken Nott, devoutly contrarian leftish shock-jock attending a mid-week wedding lunch, starts dropping stuff off the roof towards the deserted car park a hundred feet below. Other guests join in and soon half the contents of the flat are following the fruit towards the pitted tarmac... just as mobiles start to ring, and the apartment's remaining TV is turned on, because apparently a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center... Praise for Iain Banks:'The most imaginative novelist of his generation' The Times'His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers' Ken MacLeod, Guardian'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent' Neil Gaiman'An exceptional wordsmith' Scotsman

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In Suffering Iain Wilkinson provides a compelling sociological exploration of human suffering, and its political and moral repercussions. Sociology is always concerned with the causes and consequences of human suffering in one form or another, yet there is no sociology of suffering per se. This book is written with the understanding that if sociology fails to attend to what suffering does to people then it is left with a severely diminished account of human experience. Wilkinson maintains that a sociological response to suffering must confront the most unsettling questions of meaning and morality. He argues that the apparent 'senselessness' of suffering has the power to transform dramatically the ways we relate to society and ourselves. The book explores some of the ways in which our sensitivity towards this 'problem of suffering' is related to a new 'politics of compassion' in modern societies. Powerful and timely, the book will have strong appeal to upper-level undergraduate students of sociology, anthropology, health, politics, and cultural studies, in addition to general readers concerned to understand one of the most pressing issues of our time.

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SHORTLISTED FOR CYCLING BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS'Paris-Roubaix is the best race in the world and knocks spots off the Tour de France.' Sir Bradley Wiggins.Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North. The ultimate monument in cycling's Classics. More than 150 miles across dusty or muddy roads, much of it puncture-inducing and bone-breaking cobblestones. Even professional riders blanche at the very mention of it. Tour de France winners (with the notable exception of Wiggins in 2014) make their excuses from it. So why on earth would an amateur even dare to attempt it?In To Hell on a Bike, Iain MacGregor does just that and as he prepares for the ride of his life, he explores the history and culture of this extraordinary race. With insights from legends of the sport, trainers, mechanics and fellow writers, as well as those who have maintained the traditions of Paris-Roubaix since its inception over a century ago, it is the ultimate story of the ultimate cycling challenge.

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In Reliability and Alliance Interdependence, Iain D. Henry argues for a more sophisticated approach to alliance politics and ideas of interdependence. It is often assumed that if the United States failed to defend an ally, then this disloyalty would instantly and irrevocably damage US alliances across the globe. Henry proposes that such damage is by no means inevitable and that predictions of disaster are dangerously simplistic. If other allies fear the risks of military escalation more than the consequences of the United States abandoning an ally, then they will welcome, encourage, and even praise such an instance of disloyalty. It is also often assumed that alliance interdependence only constrains US policy options, but Henry shows how the United States can manipulate interdependence to set an example of what constitutes acceptable allied behavior. Using declassified documents, Henry explores five case studies involving US alliances with South Korea, Japan, the Republic of China, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. Reliability and Alliance Interdependence makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of how America's alliances in Asia function as an interdependent system.

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A walking guide to this historic London neighbourhood, uncovering its countercultural roots. A delightful English/Japanese pocket-size guide to London's most popular district. Through four walks London writer Julian Mash uncovers the history, culture and fascinating characters that have made Notting Hill so iconic. Beautifully laid out including several photographic images and four hand-drawn maps, the guide will appeal to both tourists and residents alike. Key Points: Good sales potential to tourists visiting this hugely popular area of London. Appeals to residents as it uncovers the lesser-known Notting Hill. Stylish pocket-size guide illustrated with hand drawn maps and photographs. Taps into the burgeoning interest in literary walks and psychogeography made popular by writers such as Ian Nairn, Iain Sinclair, Matthew Beaumont

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The Grade By Grade series draws on the rich and varied Boosey & Hawkes catalogue of classical, contemporary and educational repertoire, highlighting composers including Serge Prokofieff, Dmitri Shostakovich, Karl Jenkins, Carol Barratt and Christopher Norton, alongside arrangements of traditional music from around the world by Peter Wastall, Vera Gray and others.Carefully selected by Iain Farrington, this practical anthology provides the complete repertoire resource for the aspiring Grade 2 pianist and creates the perfect package for teaching, exam preparation and performance.Each volume contains:* a diverse collection of pieces, each complemented by a useful practice and performance tip * grade-appropriate scales and arpeggios linked to the repertoire through bespoke text and exercises * brand new sight-reading and improvisation activities * newly-commissioned aural awareness tasks Packaged with a CD of full performance demonstrations and grade-appropriate aural awareness

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Each year Poetry New Zealand, this country’s longest-running poetry magazine (established in 1951 by Louis Johnson), rounds up important new poetry, reviews and essays, making it the ideal way to catch up with the latest poetry from both established and emerging New Zealand poets. The packed issue #56 features 130 new poems—including by this year’s featured poet, Wes Lee, and by David Eggleton, Janet Newman, Amber Esau, Elizabeth Morton, Aimee-Jane Anderson-O’Connor, Alistair Paterson, essa may ranapiri, Nikki-Lee Birdsey, Iain Britton, Jordan Hamel, Jack Ross, Dominic Hoey, Owen Bullock, Semira Davis, Rata Gordon, Adrienne Jansen, Olivia Macassey, Vaughan Rapatahana, and Kerrin P. Sharpe—and essays and reviews of new poetry collections.

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"Rouge is a fever dream—a brilliant, intense, unforgettable horror story about a beauty cult with a deeply moving mother-daughter story at its core. Mona Awad’s signature and singular imagination and black humor and empathy are on full display here, and her wild-ride of a tale is masterfully grounded in the emotional devastation of childhood and grief. I loved every word of this."—Laura Zigman, author of Small World "There is nobody else like Mona Awad, daring enough to plunge her hands—rings and all—into the viscera of story and discover an unsettling beauty within. ROUGE is her most magnetic work yet, a thrilling dystopian romp that knows that beneath the glossy, aspirational veneer of self-care lurks the same old gothic abyss."—Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun "A brilliant, biting critique of western beauty standards as well as a soaring, phantasmagoric, Angela Carter-esque fairy tale about trauma and the loss of self. Rouge is deeply unsettling, funny, obsessive, and unlike anything I've read. A truly mesmerizing read."—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts "Unsettling, whimsical, and moving, Rouge is an authentic, innovative kind of narrative magic that's both surreal and absolute. A striking novel of incandescence and heart."—Iain Reid, author of I'm Thinking of Ending ThingsFrom the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep? For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa her mother to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, ROUGE explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, ROUGE holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.

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On the eve of the general election, Ed Miliband declared that Labour had won the ‘ground war’. He proclaimed that his activists had been in touch with many more voters than his opponents: ‘We have had five million conversations. This will go to the wire.’ Yet the Conservatives went on to win a majority for the first time in more than two decades - while Labour lost seats in England, and were all but wiped out in Scotland. How could they get it so wrong? Iain Watson followed the Labour campaign around Britain, and now he examines what its senior politicians are now calling the party’s ‘political and organisational failures.’ He exposes the high-level divisions over when to rule out a deal with the SNP, the gulf between perception and reality over Labour’s level of support, and looks at the more successful campaigns of the Conservatives and Scottish Nationalists. He sets out the challenges for the next Labour leader, having had his own conversations with voters, activists and senior party figures, and discovers there is no easy solution to the party’s problems.

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The railway came to Peebles in July 1855. However, this small town in the Scottish Borders soon became the subject of a dispute between the North British Railway and the Caledonian Railway. The Peebles Railway, the first to reach the town, was taken over in 1876 by the North British. In 1855, however, the Symington, Biggar & Broughton Railway was authorised and, in 1861, formally absorbed by the Caledonian Railway. The North British responded with a new line from Peebles to Galashiels which blocked the Caledonian. In this book, Roy G. Perkins and Iain MacIntosh look at the two North British lines, from where the original Peebles Railway left the line south of Edinburgh to Galashiels, using a fascinating collection of modern and period photographs. Although the railways in the Borders were closed in the 1960s, sections of them are still in partial use as cycle paths and the new Borders Railway will also bring fresh life to parts.

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'Ingenious, daring and brilliant' GuardianCOMPLICITY N. 1. THE FACT OF BEING AN ACCOMPLICE, ESP. IN A CRIMINAL ACTA few spliffs, a spot of mild S&M, phone through the copy for tomorrow's front page, catch up with the latest from your mystery source - could be big, could be very big - in fact, just a regular day at the office for free-wheeling, substance-abusing Cameron Colley, a fully paid-up Gonzo hack on an Edinburgh newspaper.Prentice McHoan has returned to the bosom of his complex but enduring Scottish family. Full of questions about the McHoan past, present and future, he is also deeply preoccupied: mainly with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances... Praise for Iain Banks:'The most imaginative novelist of his generation' The Times'His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers' Ken MacLeod, Guardian'His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent' Neil Gaiman'An exceptional wordsmith' Scotsman

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This important book analyses recurring issues within financial services regulation relevant to the use of technology, at a time when competition is moving towards greater use of technology in the financial services sector. Iain Sheridan assumes no advanced knowledge of computers and related technology topics, but where necessary encapsulates the essential aspects to offer a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the regulation of finance and technology.Key features include: Cutting-edge coverage of topics within technology Drawing together the different strands of financial regulation and technology Succinctly encapsulating the essence of complex topics, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, intellectual property and quantum computing Furthering readers’ understanding of the key case law, regulation, authoritative financial services regulator guidance and international standards governing these specific themes. Financial Regulation and Technology will be crucial reading for legal counsel and compliance officers in asset managers, banks, platforms and FinTech SMEs looking to consolidate their knowledge of financial regulation and technology issues.

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This important book analyses recurring issues within financial services regulation relevant to the use of technology, at a time when competition is moving towards greater use of technology in the financial services sector. Iain Sheridan assumes no advanced knowledge of computers and related technology topics, but where necessary encapsulates the essential aspects to offer a comprehensive yet accessible guide to the regulation of finance and technology.Key features include: Cutting-edge coverage of topics within technology Drawing together the different strands of financial regulation and technology Succinctly encapsulating the essence of complex topics, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, intellectual property and quantum computing Furthering readers’ understanding of the key case law, regulation, authoritative financial services regulator guidance and international standards governing these specific themes. Financial Regulation and Technology will be crucial reading for legal counsel and compliance officers in asset managers, banks, platforms and FinTech SMEs looking to consolidate their knowledge of financial regulation and technology issues.

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In Suffering Iain Wilkinson provides a compelling sociological exploration of human suffering, and its political and moral repercussions. Sociology is always concerned with the causes and consequences of human suffering in one form or another, yet there is no sociology of suffering per se. This book is written with the understanding that if sociology fails to attend to what suffering does to people then it is left with a severely diminished account of human experience. Wilkinson maintains that a sociological response to suffering must confront the most unsettling questions of meaning and morality. He argues that the apparent 'senselessness' of suffering has the power to transform dramatically the ways we relate to society and ourselves. The book explores some of the ways in which our sensitivity towards this 'problem of suffering' is related to a new 'politics of compassion' in modern societies. Powerful and timely, the book will have strong appeal to upper-level undergraduate students of sociology, anthropology, health, politics, and cultural studies, in addition to general readers concerned to understand one of the most pressing issues of our time.

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'Being Human masterfully reorientates us towards the only story that ultimately makes sense of who we are ... A remarkably timely book' Justin Brierley'Practical, prayerful and ambitious. A Gospel-infused, wide-angle lens on contemporary society.'Jill Duff, Anglican Bishop of Lancaster'A valuable toolkit for church leaders, to help them build confidence in their members, to share the story of Jesus and his kingdom.'Les Isaac OBE, President, Ascension Trust'A great book about one of the most important but confusing questions of our time.'Professor Iain Provan, author of Cuckoos in our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being HumanWho am I? Does my life matter? What will make me happy?In different ways and at different moments we all ask life's big questions about what it means to be human. But in our fast-paced, rapidly changing and often exhausting society, our cultural stories struggle to provide us with good answers. Whether on issues of gender identity or AI, climate change or racial injustice, our individual solutions to life's big challenges can often end in deep division and broken relationships. But there is another way. Being Human offers a new lens - a new way to engage with our cultural conversations using four key aspects of humanity: significance, connection, presence and participation. Digging into the foundations of our cultural stories, authors Jo Frost and Peter Lynas expose the cracks in our culture's understanding of what it means to be human. By contrasting our cultural narratives with the story of the Bible, we can see how cultural truths have been fractured and isolated from the fullness and richness of who God is and who God created us to be, and come to recognise that only in Jesus can we live truly fully human lives. Being Human is a refreshingly clear and engaging guide for everyone who wants to live out and share the good, true and beautiful biblical vision of what it is to be human. Peter and Jo co-lead the Being Human project, an initiative from the Evangelical Alliance, helping everyday Christians live out and share the biblical vision of what it means to be human.

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Have you ever experienced conflict between what your head and your heart were telling you to do? Have you struggled to reach agreement with others when making a group decision, or regretted a major decision and had to live with the consequences? Have you ever found it difficult to be sure of God’s will in a particular situation? If so, you’re in very good company. Everybody makes decisions – all the time. Are there ‘5 simple steps’ to the right decision? No, there aren’t. Should you stop thinking about it and ‘just do something’? No, you shouldn’t. But could you expect God to share with you his will and purpose, giving you clues and directions in a way you can understand? Yes, you could. Iain Dunbar and Peter Wilkinson share their own decision-making history (even the dodgy stuff) and encourage you to look honestly at yours. Borrowing from the world of coaching, they help you evaluate your decision-making to date and develop new and better habits and practices with God at the centre.

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The New Testament gospel writers record nineteen resurrection appearances, from the first encounter with Mary Magdalene on Easter morning to Paul’s life-changing experience on the Damascus road. Stations of the Resurrection offers reflections on each of these episodes from the bestselling poet Malcolm Guite and the much admired writer and bishop, Guli Francis-Dehqani, accompanied by colour illustrations from the priest-artist Iain McKillop. Bishop Guli draws on her first hand knowledge of Middle Eastern culture to explore these stories and Malcolm Guite offers a sonnet in response to each of them – many published here for the first time - with reflections on the texts that inspired them. This imaginative and inspirational resource also includes the complete Stations of the Resurrection liturgies from Common Worship Times and Seasons that commemorate each of the nineteen events, allowing the book to be used for both personal devotional use and liturgical celebration.

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Is my experience real?Or just a movie in my head?Am I no more than a super computer? You are your brain, neuroscientists tell us. Everything happens in there. Yet even the most sophisticated brain scan cannot tell us who we are. Nothing in our neurons remotely suggests the rich nature of our experience, the colours, sounds and smells that make up our lives. When Tim Parks came across a radical new theory of consciousness, he set on a quest that moves through one sparkling encounter after another to arrive at the deepest of questions: what stuff exactly is consciousness made of? And where is it? Inside or out? ‘An exceptionally witty and compelling look at the nature of consciousness… Parks is a delight to read’ Iain McGilchrist‘[It has] wit, humanity and insight… Parks is an entertaining companion throughout’ Mail on Sunday

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A Year of Scottish Poems is a glorious collection of 366 poems to keep you company for every day of the year.Reflecting the changing seasons, landscape and history of Scotland and her people and marking key dates in the Scottish calendar – from Burns Night to Hogmanay – these poems are powerful, thoughtful and uplifting.Compiled by Gaby Morgan, with an introduction from the National Poet for Scotland, Makar Jackie Kay, this collection is bursting at the seams with the strongest voices in Scottish poetry including Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, George Mackay Brown, Sir Walter Scott, Liz Lochhead, Don Paterson, Nan Shepherd, Stewart Conn, Kathleen Jamie, Elma Mitchell, John Rice, Muriel Spark, Iain Crichton Smith, Julia Donaldson, Kate Clanchy, Carol Ann Duffy and many more to deliver magic on every page that lasts a whole year!

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When burned-out investigative journalist Adam Budd's estranged mother dies, he inherits her estate. This includes Stone Heart House, a huge ramshackle mansion on a remote Scottish island. He visits the island to sort out her tangled affairs, and at first it seems like a charming haven of tranquillity. But after he witnesses a strange accident, he begins to develop suspicions about the inhabitants. Why does everyone seem so eerily calm, even under stress? What is stopping Harriet, the lawyer helping him with his affairs, from leaving the island when she so clearly wants to? Is he making a big mistake by falling for her? And why have so many children gone missing? Stone Heart Deep is a compelling and claustrophobic thriller with a remarkable twist, as if Iain Banks had rewritten The Wicker Man.

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Essays throwing fresh light on what it was like to be a medieval soldier, drawing on archival research. The "long" fourteenth century saw England fighting wars on a number of diverse fronts - not just abroad, in the Hundred Years War, but closer to home. But while tactics, battles, and logistics have been frequently discussed, the actual experience of being a soldier has been less often studied. Via a careful re-evaluation of original sources, and the use of innovative methodological techniques such as statistical analysis and the use of relational databases, the essays here bring new insights to bear on soldiers, both as individuals and as groups. Topics addressed include military service and the dynamics of recruitment; the social composition of the armies; the question of whether soldiers saw their role as a "profession"; and the experience of prisoners of war. Contributors: Andrew Ayton, David Simpkin, Andrew Spencer, David Bachrach, Iain MacInnes, Adam Chapman, Michael Jones, Guilhem Pepin, Remy Ambuhl, Adrian R. Bell

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Essays throwing fresh light on what it was like to be a medieval soldier, drawing on archival research. The "long" fourteenth century saw England fighting wars on a number of diverse fronts - not just abroad, in the Hundred Years War, but closer to home. But while tactics, battles, and logistics have been frequently discussed, the actual experience of being a soldier has been less often studied. Via a careful re-evaluation of original sources, and the use of innovative methodological techniques such as statistical analysis and the use of relational databases, the essays here bring new insights to bear on soldiers, both as individuals and as groups. Topics addressed include military service and the dynamics of recruitment; the social composition of the armies; the question of whether soldiers saw their role as a "profession"; and the experience of prisoners of war. Contributors: Andrew Ayton, David Simpkin, Andrew Spencer, David Bachrach, Iain MacInnes, Adam Chapman, Michael Jones, Guilhem Pepin, Remy Ambuhl, Adrian R. Bell

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Scots in London in the Eighteenth Century is an interdisciplinary collection of essays that explores, through the experiences of individuals and groups ranging from James Boswell and his circle at one end of the social spectrum to highland folk musicians at the other, the reasons why Scottish men, women, and children made the long journey south to London and their reactions to the great metropolis once there. Through the varied approaches of historians and art historians, and literary critics and musicologists, this book addresses a series of interconnected themes including the dynamics that gave rise to periodic "Scotophobia" and also generated a distinct form of Scottish social capital and eventual integration; patronage, as a type of social relationship particular to the age and to the capital city; cultural production, both high and popular; and the making of Scottish identity in London, along with the impact of London-forged Anglo-Scottish identity on Scotland and evolving notions of "Britishness." Contributing to this volume are Iain Gordon Brown, Sandro Jung, Viccy Coltman, James J. Caudle, Nigel Aston, Patricia R. Andrew, Anita Guerrini, Mary Anne Alburger, Stana Nenadic, Katharine Glover, and Jane Rendall.

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**An Observer Book of the Year**The new memoir from prize-winning writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo - playful, provocative and original, it's her deeply personal take on striving for a life of her own'When it comes to spinning light and shadow on the complexities of living, loving and language, Xiaolu Guo is one of the most valuable writers in the world' DEBORAH LEVYThe world can seem strange and lonely when you step away from your family and everything you have tried to call your own. Yet beauty may also appear. In the autumn of 2019 Xiaolu travelled to New York to take up her position as a visiting professor for a year, leaving her child and partner behind in London. The encounter with American culture and people threatens her sense of identity and throws her into a crisis - of meaning, desire, obligation and selfhood.This is a memoir about separation - by continents, by language, and from people. It's about being an outsider and the desperate longing to connect. Xiaolu uses her exploration of language (one of the meanings of the word 'radical' is the graphic component, or root, of Chinese characters), and her own life, to create this unique text. At once a memoir, a dictionary, and an ardent love letter, it is an expression of her fascination with Western culture and her nostalgia for Eastern landscapes, and an attempt to describe the space in between. An archive of an artist's search for creative freedom, it is above all else an intimate account of her efforts to carve out a life of her own.'Radical in angle of attack, smart and brave' IAIN SINCLAIR, author of The Gold Machine

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When a senior Cabinet minister dismissed corporate fears over a hard Brexit with a curt `F**k business,' it seemed emblematic of a growing distance between the country's politicians and its wealth creators. Recounted by the founder and chairman of the UK's largest independent lobbying business, Iain Anderson - who has had a ringside seat at the interactions between business and politics since the 2016 referendum - this is the definitive and shocking story of how and why politics and business have become utterly disconnected in the last decade; culminating in the rancour, mistrust and confusion of Brexit. Featuring exclusive and candid interviews with those at the heart of No. 10, the Cabinet and Parliament, and with the foremost business leaders of this Brexit generation, F**K Business portrays the exhaustion felt by all major companies over politics. With unparalleled access to the key players, the book describes how business sought to prepare for Brexit only to be frustrated by the inability of Parliament to set out a clear pathway ahead. But it also points the way ahead for a new relationship and a brighter future. This is essential, often shocking, reading for anyone interested in how Brexit unfolded for Britain's most important economic movers and shakers.

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Three girls seem to have the world at their feet in the summer of 1914. But World War I is coming and things will change forever especially for women.Debutante Lucinda McFarlane is engaged to be married to Major Sir David Melcome, but their society wedding has to be scaled right down when war is declared and David is recalled to his regiment.Mabel Oakley, once a maid for the McFarlanes, has inherited Thomas Clarke's printing works, but an unexpected turn of events leaves her at the mercy of her father's old enemy, solicitor John Sheridan. What can she do?Lady Diana Fosse-Bury is incredibly beautiful and reckless. When war is declared she immediately wants to be in the thick of it. Can her budding romance with Lucinda McFarlane's brother Iain survive the Western front?With war coming, the destinies of these three girls will soon be entwined forever, but only if they dare to love in the face of the dangers ahead of them.Praise

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The unique model of apartheid, colonisation and military occupation that Israel imposes on the Palestinians, along with myriad violations of international law, have made Palestine the moral cause of a generation. Yet many people continue to ask, 'what can we do?' Generation Palestine helps to answer this question by bringing together Palestinian and international activists in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The movement aims to pressure Israel until it complies with International Law, mirroring the model that was successfully utilised against South African apartheid. With essays written by a wide selection of contributors, Generation Palestine follows the BDS movement’s model of inclusivity and collaboration. Contributors include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Ken Loach, Iain Banks, Ronnie Kasrils, Professor Richard Falk, Ilan Pappe, Omar Barghouti, Ramzy Baroud and Archbishop Attallah Hannah, alongside other internationally acclaimed artists, writers, academics and grassroots activists.

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This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the central questions and debates in contemporary political thought and offers guidelines for the reformulation of political theory in the light of the philosophical and substantive problems it faces today. The book includes discussion of the nature of political obligation; the interrelation of equality and liberty; gender; the public and the private; principles of justice and the conditions of their realization; democratic politics and the forms of representation; sovereignty, the nation-state and the international system; the role of international law; and war and the legitimate use of force. The volume is composed of major new essays by leading scholars in political theory from Europe, Africa and the United States: John Dunn, Stephen Lukes, Susan Moller Okin, Andrew Reeve, Jon Elster, Claus Offe, Ulrich Preuss, Iain McLean, David Held, Charles Beitz, Antonio Cassese, Onora O'Neill, Samir Amin and Agnes Heller. Students and academics in political theory, and those in the social sciences concerned with contemporary political thought, will all be interested in this book.

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In thirty years on the front line of British policing, there is very little that Iain Donnelly didn't do: from being a uniformed constable on the beat in London to running counter-terrorism and surveillance operations, combatting child sexual exploitation and overseeing the investigation of the most serious crimes. During that time, he saw the job change irrevocably, to the point where the public no longer knows what to expect from the police and the police service no longer knows what to expect of itself. Tango Juliet Foxtrot - police code for 'the job's fucked' - reveals how constant political meddling and a hostile media narrative have had a devastating impact on the morale of police officers and their ability to protect the public. With the organisation cut by 20,000 officers and 23,000 police staff, only 7 per cent of reported crime now results in a charge - compared with around 20 per cent ten years ago. By turns fascinating and funny, poignant and uplifting, this compelling account paints a vivid picture of what life is really like for those tasked with keeping us safe - and, crucially, explores what needs to change to secure the future of British policing.

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This is Limmy’s second book. It’s a whole load of new, odd and hilariously grim short stories. Tom is in a soft play with his daughters. He’s bored. He’s so bored he can move things with his mind. A man fills up a mate’s biscuit tin without ever telling him, to see what happens. Maggie’s boyfriend Iain bought a curtain. It keeps attacking them. She wants it out the house. A man is sitting in his wheelie bin at two in the morning, and he wants to tell you why. Kenny’s mate Scott is suicidal and ridden with guilt. Kenny takes him on holiday to Benidorm. It’ll be some laugh. Praise for Daft Wee Stories: ‘The comedy book of the year.’ – Time Out ‘Funny, peculiar and original.’ – Guardian ‘Didn't realise pieces of paper with no pictures on could be so funny. I mean I was cryin’ all day yesterday into this book. Hilarious’ – Someone on Amazon

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Artificial Condition continues The Murderbot Diaries, a science fiction series that tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. It appeals to fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans. "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure." It has a dark past-one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself "Murderbot." But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more. Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don't want to know what the "A" stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue. What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks.

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