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The Island at the End of the World: A Novel
by Sam TaylorThrough the eyes of eight-year-old Finn we find ourselves on a small island, surrounded by nothing but sea. Finn lives here with his Pa, his elder sister Alice and his younger sister Daisy, and has no memory of any world but this one. All he knows of the past comes from the songs and stories of his father, which tell of the great flood that drowned all the other inhabitants of the earth, a deluge their family survived thanks to the ark in which they now live.Alice, however, has entered adolescence, and treasures vague memories of her dead mother and of life before the flood. As her relationship with her father changes, she begins to see holes in his account of the past, and desperately seeks contact with the outside world. And when a boy, a stranger, is washed up on the shore, apparently in answer to the message she sent in a bottle, it appears they may not be alone after all.Set in the near future, told from three different viewpoints and written in extraordinary prose, The Island at the End of the World is an original, moving exploration of family love, truth and lies, and how strange and frightening it can feel for a child to discover the adult world.
Looking Back: Look Back In Anger; Epitaph For George Dillon; The World Of Paul Slickey; Dejavu (Faber Drama Ser. #Vol. 9)
by John OsborneWhen John Osborne died at Christmas 1994, his obituaries cited his autobiographical writings as perfect examples of undiluted talent and acerbic wit. Now, Osborne's superb autobiographies, A Better Class of Person: 1929-1956 and Almost a Gentleman: 1955-1966 (winner of the J. R. Ackerley Prize), are available for the first time in one volume, Looking Back.'A brilliant, funny, melancholy and acrimonious book of memoirs . . . Almost every page confirms that his powers as an elegist, definer of the Zeitgeist and master of unforgiving disgust remain undimmed.' ObserverThis volume also contains 'Bad John', a review by Alan Bennett of A Better Class of Person, and David Hare's eulogy for John Osborne at the memorial service for Osborne in 1995.
Creditors: in an English version
by August StrindbergAnxiously awaiting the return of his new wife, Adolph finds solace in the words of a stranger. But comfort soon turns to destruction as old wounds are opened, insecurities are laid bare and former debts are settled.Regarded as Strindberg's most mature work, Creditors is a darkly comic tale of obsession, honour and revenge. David Greig's version premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in September 2008.
The Wind in the Willows: Faber Children's Classics (Classic Bks.)
by Kenneth GrahameHere today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Toad has always been a silly sort of fellow. But when his latest obsession with motor cars - the faster the better - threatens to lead him to disaster, it is up to Toad's good friends Mole, Ratty and Badger to get him under control. Can they save Toad from prison, and his home Toad Hall from the wicked Weasels and Stoats? Adventure abounds in this classic story of friendship.
Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands Trilogy #1)
by Alwyn HamiltonThe first in the highly acclaimed trilogy packed with shooting contests, train robberies, festivals under the stars, powerful Djinni magic and an electrifying love story. WINNER of the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Author."Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."Dustwalk is Amani's home. The desert sand is in her bones. But she wants to escape. More than a want. A need. Then a foreigner with no name turns up to save her life, and with him the chance to run. But to where? The desert plains are full of danger. Sand and blood are swirling, and the Sultan's enemies are on the rise.Praise for the series:'Sheer escapism.' Guardian'Winning.' New York Times'Thrilling.' Booklist'Hugely entertaining . . . breathless romance and show-stopping action sequences.' Bookseller
Bone Gap
by Laura RubyEveryone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps - gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza goes missing, the people of Bone Gap aren't surprised. After all, it isn't the first time someone's slipped away and left Finn and Sean O'Sullivan on their own. Finn knows that's not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a man whose face he cannot remember. But no one believes him anymore. Well, not quite no one. Petey Willis, the beekeeper's daughter, suspects that lurking behind Finn's self-loathing is a story worth uncovering. And as we, like Petey, follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap - their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures - the truth about what happened to Roza is slowly revealed.
Three Sisters: A Drama In Four Acts... (Nhb Classic Plays Ser.)
by Anton ChekhovI don't know what it is I'm going to do but I'm going to do something. I'm going to be someone. I am! I'm sick of just being me. I'm going to be someone else. Someone better. I'm going to make a difference.Three sisters, Orla, Marianne and Erin, dream of escaping their tedious suburban lives for a fresh start in America. It is Erin's eighteenth birthday and, as the sun shines and guests assemble, everything for a fleeting moment feels possible. Relocated from a Russian provincial town in 1900 to East Belfast in the 1990s, Lucy Caldwell's new version of Chekhov's Three Sisters opened at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in October 2016.
Pride and Prejudice: Pride And Prejudice Is A Classic 1813 Romantic Novel Of Manners Written By Jane Austen
by Jane AustenIt is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.At least Mrs Bennet is determined that this is the case, but as she pushes her five daughters at every matrimonial prospect, not every encounter goes to plan . . .This classic full of wit, humour and romance gets a whole new look with a gorgeous cover by Emily Sutton.
Behold The Man: And Other Stories (S. F. Masterworks Ser. #Vol. 22)
by Michael MoorcockMeet Karl Glogauer, time traveller and unlikely Messiah. When he finds himself in Palestine in the year 29AD he is shocked to meet the man known as Jesus Christ - a drooling idiot, hiding in the shadows of the carpenter's shop in Nazareth. But if he is not capable of fulfilling his historical role, then who will take his place?Expanded from the Nebula-winning 1966 novella, BEHOLD THE MAN is one of the greatest books of Moorcock's long and varied career. Intense, delicate and brutal, it explores the psyche of one man as he faces his ultimate fate. One he knows he cannot avoid.
The Name of the Wind: The legendary must-read fantasy masterpiece (Kingkiller Chronicle #Bk. 1)
by Patrick RothfussThe lyrical fantasy masterpiece about stories, legends and how they change the world. The Name of the Wind is an absolute must-read for any fan of fantasy fiction.'This is a magnificent book' Anne McCaffrey'I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone' THE TIMES'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.My name is Kvothe.You may have heard of me'So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeepter - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, through his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin.The Name of the Wind is fantasy at its very best, and an astounding must-read coming-of-age adventure.Readers adore The Name of the Wind:'The quality of the writing breathes magic into even fairly ordinary scenes, and makes some of the important ones extraordinary' Mark Lawrence'This is why I love fantasy so much . . . The writing style is smooth, the pacing just right . . . I would easily recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy, but also to people who enjoy great stories told wonderfully well' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'For the love of God, if you haven't read this book and love these kinds of high fantasy novels, READ IT!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The story is fantastic, the writing is amazing, and if you have a heart the main character will capture it' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Patrick Rothfuss is such a talented storyteller and there was never a dull moment throughout the entire book! . . . The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece and Patrick Rothfuss is a freaking genius' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'This story was, simply put, excellent . . . Rothfuss has more than earnt his reputation. I'm so glad this book lived up to the hype . . . A jaw dropping five stars' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'One of the best fantasy books of all time' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A legitimately wonderful story that is written beautifully . . . This should be one of the required reading books for any fan of fantasy' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Fatal Revenant: The Last Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant (The\last Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant #Bk. 2)
by Stephen DonaldsonReturn to the Land, and Linden Amory's quest to rescue her son and save the Land from the Despiser!Fatal Revenant, Book Two of "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant", begins where The Runes of the Earth ended: Linden Avery watches from a balcony while Thomas Covenant and her adopted son, Jeremiah, ride desperately toward Revelstone. But their reunion has vast consequences which she could not have foreseen. Soon she is betrayed by the people whom she most needs to trust. Transported deep into the Land's past, she is forced to confront mysterious strangers, legendary heroes, and ancient evils, and to stand alone against the malevolence of the Despiser's minions.Abandoned in Garroting Deep, the most bloodthirsty of the Land's long-dead forests, she reaches a fearsome decision: she determines to reshape reality in an attempt to end the Despiser's evil and her son's suffering. However, her purpose requires her to find Loric's krill, a weapon abandoned among the Hills of Andelain millennia ago. And she needs the aid of friends and allies who will turn against her if she reveals her intent. Attacked by enemies old and new, and harried by strange beings with ambiguous agendas, she strives toward Andelain. But the ravenous skurj are rising, and all of her actions appear to serve her worst foes.
From Dead to Worse: A True Blood Novel (Sookie Stackhouse #8)
by Charlaine HarrisThe supernatural community in Bon Temps, Louisiana is reeling from two hard blows: the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the manmade horror of the explosion at the vampire summit in the up-north city of Rhodes. Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, and she's yearning for things to get back to normal. But that's just not happening. Too many vampires - some friends, some not - were killed or injured, and her were-tiger boyfriend Quinn is among the missing.It's clear that things are changing, whether the weres and vamps like it or not. And Sookie, Friend to the Pack, blood-bonded to the leader of the local vampire community, is caught up in those changes. She's about to find herself facing danger and death and, not for the first time, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has stopped flowing, Sookie's world will be forever altered ...
Weaver: Time's Tapestry, Book Four (Time's Tapestry Ser. #4)
by Stephen BaxterStephen Baxter's superb historical thriller series tips over into alternate history as the Germans invade Britain in 1940The Weaver of Time's Tapestry has finally suceeded in twisting the threads of history into a new shape; the Luftwaffe have pushed the RAF to the brink, and the invasion barges have reached the beaches of Sussex and Kent. Britain wakes up to the nightmare of the Wermacht unleashed in Southern England.As the desperate battle to hold up the invasion rages it is left to a few indivuals caught up in the panic and chaos to piece together what has really happened - is this the culmination of a plan that has taken centuries to play out, a plot from the future to change the past forever?Stephen Baxter's historical thriller series crashes into the 20th century with a terrfying vision of mechanised war and political atrocity unleashed on English soil. This is the climax of one of the most thoughful and involving series of novels that have brought history alive like no other.
An Ice Cold Grave (Harper Connelly #2)
by Charlaine HarrisHarper Connelly was struck by lightning as a teenager, and now she can find the dead.In her third case, Harper and Tolliver, her stepbrother, are hired to find a missing grandson. But the truth is far worse than a single dead child, for numerous teenage boys, all unlikely runaways, have disappeared from Doraville, North Carolina. Harper soon finds the eight bodies, buried in the half-frozen ground, but then, still reeling from coming into contact with her first serial killer, she is attacked and injured. Now she and Tolliver have no choice but to stay in Doraville while she recovers, and as she reluctantly becomes part of the investigation, she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of the town: knowledge that makes her the most likely person to be next to end up in an ice-cold grave.
Flood (A\novel Of The Flood Ser. #1)
by Stephen BaxterFrom Terry Pratchett's co-author on the Long Earth books comes the ultimate disaster novel - the world is drowning and there is nowhere left on earth to go.Next year. Sea levels begin to rise. The change is far more rapid than any climate change predictions; metres a year. Within two years London, only 15 metres above the sea, is drowned. New York follows, the Pope gives his last address from the Vatican, Mecca disappears beneath the waves.Where is all the water coming from? Scientists estimate that the earth was formed with seas 30 times in volume their current levels. Most of that water was burnt off by the sun but some was locked in the earth's mantle. For the tip of Everest to disappear beneath the waters would require the seas to triple their volume. That amount of water is still much less than 1% of the earth's volume. And somehow it is being released. The world is drowning. The biblical flood has returned.And the rate of increase is building all the time. Mankind is on the run, heading for high ground. Nuclear submarines prowl through clouds of corpses rising from drowned cities, populations are decimated and finally the dreadful truth is known. Before 50 years have passed there will be nowhere left to run.FLOOD tells the story of mankind's final years on earth. The stories of a small group of people caught up in the struggle to survive are woven into a tale of unimaginable global disaster. And the hope offered for a unlucky few by a second great ark ...
The Sweet Scent of Blood (Spellcrackers.com Ser.)
by Suzanne McLeodTHE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD is the first book of SPELLCRACKERS.COM, a sexy, sassy new series guaranteed to spice up your reading life, and perfect for fans of Kim Harrison.Genevieve Taylor is a Sidhe, one of the noble fae, and she's unusual, even in present-day London where celebrity vampires, eccentric goblins and scheming lesser fae mix freely with the human population. Genny is a rising star at Spellcrackers.com, where she finds the `M' in magic - and that invariably leads to mischief, malice and - too often - murder. Spellcrackers.com is affiliated to the Witch Council, whose ancient tenets prohibit any contact with vampires. Genny also works as a volunteer at a clinic which treats victims of vampire attacks. Then there's her extra-curricular activity, extracting vulnerable fae lured by the local fang gangs. Genny certainly doesn't wants any closer involvement with the vampire community.But when Mr October, one of the hot calendar pin-up vamps, is accused of violently murdering his girlfriend, Genny's called on to repay an old debt and prove his innocence. And that means consorting with some of the sexiest vamps in London!
Absolution Gap (Gollancz S. F. Ser. #4)
by Alastair ReynoldsTake another awe-inspiring leap into the darkly imagined future of REVELATION SPACE, where it is time for Humanity to meet its Unmakers.Mankind has endured centuries of horrific plague and a particularly brutal interstellar war ... but there is still no time for peace and quiet.Stirred from aeons of sleep, the Inhibitors - ancient alien killing machines - have begun the process of ridding the galaxy of its latest emergent intelligence: mankind. As a ragtag bag of refugees fleeing the first wave of the cull head towards an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, they discover an avenging angel, a girl born in ice. She has the power to lead mankind to safety, and the ability to draw down their darkest enemy.And on a planet where vast travelling cathedrals crawl towards the treacherous fissure known as Absolution Gap, an unsettling truth becomes apparent: to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much, much worse ...
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days (Revelation Space Ser. #6)
by Alastair ReynoldsJust when you thought it was safe to go back into interstellar space ...Alastair Reynolds burst onto the SF scene with the Arthur C. Clarke Award-shortlisted REVELATION SPACE, British Science Fiction Award-winning CHASM CITY, and REDEMPTION ARK. Now experience the phenomenal imagination and breathtaking vision of 'The most exciting space opera writer working today' (Locus) in these two tales of high adventure set in the same universe as his novels.The title story, 'Diamond Dogs', tells of a group of mercenaries trying to unravel the mystery of a particularly inhospitable alien tower on a distant world; 'Turquoise Days' is about Naqi, who has devoted her life to studying the alien Pattern Jugglers.
Galactic North (Revelation Space Ser. #6)
by Alastair ReynoldsGathered here for the first time are Alastair Reynolds' stories and novelettes set in the universe of REVELATION SPACE, his first bestselling blockbuster.
Redemption Ark (Revelation Space Ser. #2)
by Alastair ReynoldsThe Inhibitors are back and Humanity is doomed!Many, many millennia ago, the Inhibitors seeded the universe with machines designed to detect intelligent life - and then to suppress it. But after hundreds of millions of years, the machines started to fail and intelligent cultures started to emerge.Then Dr Dan Sylveste and the crew of Infinity discovered what had happened to the long-vanished Amarantin race ... and awakened the Inhibitors.On Yellowstone, where no one is quite who they appear, the Inquisitor and the planet's Most Wanted War Criminal are watching as the Inhibitors turn a small group of planets into raw materials. Whatever they are building with those materials is not going to be good for Humanity.Once again, Al Reynolds has produced a stunning, universe-spanning space opera of mind-blowing proportions. Big in size, big in concepts, REDEMPTION ARK will leave you gasping at its audacity and breathless at its conclusion.This is British SF at its absolute best.
Revelation Space: The breath-taking space opera masterpiece (S.F. MASTERWORKS #1)
by Alastair ReynoldsNine hundred thousand years ago, something wiped out the Amarantin. For the human colonists now settling the Amarantin homeworld Resurgam, it's of little more than academic interest, even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect Amarantin city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin. For brilliant but ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it's more than merelty intellectual curiosity - and he will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if the truth costs him everything. But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines ...REVELATION SPACE: a huge, magnificent space opera that ranges across the known and unknown universe ... towards the most terrifying of destinations.
All Together Dead: A True Blood Novel (Sookie Stackhouse #7)
by Charlaine HarrisSookie's beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings - but even she has her limits. She'd really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn - but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human 'Geiger counter' for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne's power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she's about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day - and night - Sookie must decide which side she'll stand with, and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.
Rendezvous With Rama (S.F. MASTERWORKS #1)
by Sir Arthur C. ClarkeThe multi-award-winning SF masterpiece from one of the greatest SF writers of all timeRama is a vast alien spacecraft that enters the Solar System. A perfect cylinder some fifty kilometres long, spinning rapidly, racing through space, Rama is a technological marvel, a mysterious and deeply enigmatic alien artefact.It is Mankind's first visitor from the stars and must be investigated ...Winner of the HUGO AWARD for best novel, 1974Winner of the NEBULA AWARD for best novel, 1973Winner of the JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD for best novel, 1974Winner of the BSFA AWARD for best novel, 1973
Terminal World
by Alastair ReynoldsSpearpoint, the last human city, is an atmosphere-piercing spire of vast size. Clinging to its skin are the zones, a series of semi-autonomous city-states, each of which enjoys a different - and rigidly enforced - level of technology. Horsetown is pre-industrial; in Neon Heights they have television and electric trains ...Following an infiltration mission that went tragically wrong, Quillon has been living incognito, working as a pathologist in the district morgue. But when a near-dead angel drops onto his dissecting table, Quillon's world is wrenched apart one more time, for the angel is a winged posthuman from Spearpoint's Celestial Levels - and with the dying body comes bad news.If Quillon is to save his life, he must leave his home and journey into the cold and hostile lands beyond Spearpoint's base, starting an exile that will take him further than he could ever imagine. But there is far more at stake than just Quillon's own survival, for the limiting technologies of the zones are determined not by governments or police, but by the very nature of reality - and reality itself is showing worrying signs of instability ...
Grave Secret (Harper Connelly #4)
by Charlaine HarrisWhen she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead ...