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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Adventure / thriller > Historical adventure
In the bestselling tradition of Steven Pressfield, Bernard
Cornwell, and Conn Iggulden, a blockbuster set in gladiatorial Rome
Already a bestseller in the U.K., "Fire in the East" is the first
gripping installment in an immense grand narrative?the Warrior of
Rome series. In this ?well-constructed, well-paced and gripping
account? (Times Literary Supplement) Harry Sidebottom combines
stunning historical detail with resounding contemporary relevance
as he explores the enduring question of how far the West will go to
defend its liberties before it destroys the very thing it is trying
to protect.
AD 255?the Roman imperium is stretched to the breaking point, its
authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along
every border. One man is sent to marshal the defenses of a lonely
city and to shore up the crumbling walls of a once indomitable
symbol of Roman power, a man whose very name means war: a man
called Ballista. So unfolds an epic drama?a story of empire,
heroes, treachery, courage, and most of all, of brutal, bloody
warfare.
The spectacular flair for explosive action, depth of literary and
geographic knowledge, as well as the psychological complexity of
the characters makes "Fire in the East" the most authoritative
historical adventure novel this year.
Following up The One Man and The Saboteur, Gross's next historical thriller (also known as The Last Brother) brings to life the drama of the birth of organized crime in 1930s New York City from the tale of one family.
After a string of New York Times bestselling suburban thrillers, Andrew Gross has reinvented himself as a writer of historical thrillers. In his latest novel, Button Man, he delivers a stirring story of a Jewish family brought together in the dawn of the women's garment business and torn apart by the birth of organized crime in New York City in the 1930s.
Morris, Sol, and Harry Rabishevsky grew up poor and rough in a tiny flat on the Lower East Side, until the death of their father thrust them into having to fend for themselves and support their large family. Morris, the youngest, dropped out of school at twelve years old and apprenticed himself to a garment cutter in a clothing factory; Sol headed to accounting school; but Harry, scarred by a family tragedy, fell in with a gang of thugs as a teenager. Morris steadily climbs through the ranks at the factory until at twenty-one he finally goes out on his own, convincing Sol to come work with him. But Harry can't be lured away from the glamour, the power, and the money that come from his association with Louis Buchalter, whom Morris has battled with since his youth and who has risen to become the most ruthless mobster in New York. And when Buchalter sets his sights on the unions that staff the garment makers' factories, a fatal showdown is inevitable, pitting brother against brother.
This new novel is equal parts historical thriller, rich with the detail of a vibrant New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, and family saga, based on Andrew Gross's own family story and on the history of the era, complete with appearances by real-life characters like mobsters Louis Lepke and Dutch Schultz and special prosecutor Thomas Dewey, and cements Gross's reputation as today's most atmospheric and original historical thriller writer.
A The Times and Sunday Times Book of the Year 'An enthralling and
wonderfully vivid novel from a master storyteller' Joseph O'Connor
'Kneale's medieval world is animated with a refreshing lightness of
touch' Sunday Telegraph 1289. A rich farmer fears he'll go to hell
for cheating his neighbours. His wife wants pilgrim badges to sew
into her hat and show off at church. A poor, ragged villager is
convinced his beloved cat is suffering in the fires of purgatory
and must be rescued. A mother believes her son's dangerous illness
is punishment for her own adultery and seeks forgiveness so he may
be cured. A landlord is in trouble with the church after he punched
an abbot on the nose. A sexually driven noblewoman seeks a divorce
so she can marry her new young beau. These are among a ragtag band
of pilgrims that sets off on the tough and dangerous journey from
England to Rome, where they hope all their troubles and their
prayers will be answered. Some in the group, however, have their
own secret reasons for going. Others, while they might aspire to
piety, succumb all too often to the sins of the flesh. A riveting,
sweeping novel of medieval society and historic Englishness,
Pilgrims illuminates the fallibility of humans, the absurdities and
consolations of belief, and the very real violence at the heart of
religious fervour.
Few writers are better at conjuring up a vision of Ancient Greece'
THE TIMES * * * * * * * 210BCE. The most powerful empires in the
world brawl over the spoils of a declawed Greece. Philopoemen has a
vision to end the chaos and anarchy that consumes his homeland - to
stop the endless wars and preserve the world he loves. He must
resist the urge of the oligarchs to surrender to their oppressors
and raise an army to defend his countrymen from the all-conquering
powers of Sparta, Macedon and Rome. It is the last roll of the dice
for the Achean League. The moment Philopoemen has been training for
his whole life. The new Achilles is poised to restore the glory of
the former empire. To herald a new era. To become the last great
hero of Greece. * * * * * * * Praise for Christian Cameron: 'One of
the finest writers of historical fiction in the world' BEN KANE
'The master of historical fiction' SUNDAY TIMES 'A storyteller at
the height of his powers' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY
PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE BLOOD FOREST 'A BLOODY
PAGE-TURNER' Mail on Sunday For fans of Bernard Cornwell, Simon
Scarrow, Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden, a spectacular debut where
honour and duty, legions and tribes clash in bloody, heart-breaking
glory . . . ____________ AD 9. Fifteen thousand battle-hardened
Roman legionaries strike deep into dense forest. Awaiting them are
deadly, hostile Germanic tribes. In a clearing they find twelve
massacred and strung-up legionaries. Is this a threat, or a
warning? There is just one bloodied, broken survivor. He has no
idea who he is. Only that he is a soldier. And now he must fight.
As the legions are mercilessly cut down, the nameless soldier joins
a small band of survivors trapped in the forest. If they fight
together they have a slim chance of staying alive. But whose side
is the soldier on? And is it the right one? _____________ 'Blood
and guts, but also a clever exploration of the moral ambiguity of
war and loyalty to a flag' Mail on Sunday 'Gives Rome's legionaries
a contemporary voice - brutal, audacious and fast paced' Anthony
Riches, author of the Empire series 'Historical fiction written by
a real war veteran who knows all there is to know about blood and
bonding in battle. An earthy and powerful read' Sport
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King Solomon's Mines
(Paperback)
H. Rider Haggard; Edited by Robert Hampson; Preface by Giles Foden
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R261
R237
Discovery Miles 2 370
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Ships in 9 - 17 working days
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The first great "Lost World" action-adventure-a precursor to
Indiana Jones
H. Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines" has entertained
generations of readers since its first publication in 1885.
Following a mysterious map of dubious reliability, a small group of
men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend-and a lost
treasure, the fabled mines of King Solomon. Led by the English
adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a
frozen corpse, survive untold dangers in remote mountains and
deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the
legendary hoard of diamonds.
The dead are rising. The world hangs in the balance... A man holds
a gun to Professor Alex Harker in a Cambridge University lecture
room. He wants to know about the mysterious Codex Gigas. But before
Harker can learn more the man shoots himself, threatening Harker's
girlfriend Chloe as he does so. Soon Harker is deep in a life or
death struggle that takes him to Berlin, Italy and France. It seems
that, thanks to the Codex, the dead are rising. It can only mean
one thing: Judgement Day. Or does it? In a game of crosses and
double crosses, Harker doesn't know who or what to believe anymore.
Behind the lies, behind the Vatican, behind the Codex, is the most
terrible puppet master of all... A white-knuckle thriller perfect
for fans of Dan Brown, Scott Mariani and Chris Kuzneski.
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The Canary Keeper
(Paperback)
Clare Carson; Narrated by Sarah Cullum
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R264
R242
Discovery Miles 2 420
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Ships in 9 - 17 working days
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'Historical fiction at its very best' ELLY GRIFFITHS. A Times
Historical Fiction Book of the Month. They will see me hang for
this. London, 1855. In the grey mist of the early morning a body is
dumped on the shore of the Thames by a boatman in a metal canoe.
Talk soon spreads of the killer and his striking accomplice: a
young widow in mourning dress. Birdie Quinn's sleeplessness led her
to the river that morning. She has always been wilful, haughty,
different... but is she a murderess? To clear her name, she must
retrace the dead man's footsteps to Orkney and the far north. A
dangerous journey for a woman alone, but one she must make to save
her life. This gripping, richly layered historical thriller is
perfect for fans of The Familiars, The House Between Tides and The
Confessions of Franny Langton. 'Historical fiction at its very
best. Mesmerising setting, fantastic characters and a fascinating
insight into a ruthless trade' ELLY GRIFFITHS. 'What a joy! Reads
like a classic nineteenth-century mystery with a twist, richly dark
and full of gaslit menace' LESLEY THOMSON. 'Unearths startling
truths about death and corruption in the transatlantic fur trade'
THE TIMES. 'A top quality piece of historical fiction' iSCOT
MAGAZINE.
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Hildebrand
- Valkyrie
(Paperback)
Rob Mackinnon; Illustrated by Luca Casalanguida, Natalia Nesterenko
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R560
R514
Discovery Miles 5 140
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and
Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history
to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed Pepys trilogy. 'A
remarkably beguiling read. It transported me to the glitter and
filth of seventeenth century London' Martine Bailey, author of The
Almanack 'The fusion of historical facts and fiction is so flawless
that it is hard to know where reality ends and fiction begins'
Readers' Favorite London, 1666. Elizabeth 'Bird' Carpenter has a
wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her
father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she
suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares
her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her
trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a
bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own. When Knepp goes
away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her maidservant
Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Entranced by the music,
the glitter and glamour of the surroundings, and the free and
outspoken manner of the women on the stage, she falls in love with
the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an
actress. But life in the theatre was never going to be
straightforward - for a jealous rival wants to spoil her plans, and
worse, Knepp forbids it, and Bird must use all her wit and
intelligence to change his mind. Based on events depicted in the
famous Diary of Samuel Pepys, Entertaining Mr Pepys brings London
in the 17th Century to life. It includes the vibrant characters of
the day such as the diarist himself and actress Nell Gwynne, and
features a dazzling and gripping finale during the Great Fire Of
London. The third in Deborah Swift's atmospheric trilogy, bringing
to life the women in Pepys' Diary. Each novel features a different
character and can be read as a standalone book. PRAISE FOR THE
PEPYS TRILOGY: 'Swift is a consummate historical novelist, basing
her books on immaculate research and then filling the gaps between
real events and real people with eloquent storytelling, atmospheric
scene setting and imaginative plot lines' The Visitor 'A novel that
transports readers with astonishing and engrossing detail' Readers'
Favorite 5* 'Pepys and his world spring to vibrant life...
Gripping, revealing and stunningly imagined' Lancashire Evening
Post
The call of the republic, the weight of destiny. A new legend takes
to the seas.'A thrilling new adventure series that rivals the
immortal Patrick O'Brian' Angus Donald1793. The infant French
republic is assailed on all sides, by enemies within and the
combined might of the great European monarchies without. A
fanatical regime has taken power in Paris. In the midst of these
upheavals, Philippe Kermorvant, son of an English aristocrat and a
French nobleman, arrives in Brittany, his father's homeland, for
the first time in his life. He gained experience of brutal warfare
as a young officer in the fledgling United States, and Russian,
Navies. Now he has three reasons for making his new home in France:
his fervent belief in the ideals proclaimed by the new French
Republic, his desire to revive the ancient estate of his family,
and his wish to fight against those whom he has always regarded as
his enemy... The English. But with the core of the French fleet on
the verge of mutiny and the horrors of 'Madame Guillotine' at their
peak, Philippe will have more than warfare, politics and family
entanglements to contend with. From a toxic homecoming welcome to
an arbitrary spell in gaol, Philippe's loyalty to the republic will
be tested to breaking point. Everything will come to a head in a
life-or-death battle on the high seas, which will leave him with an
impossible choice. One that will change his life forever... The
thrilling introduction to the newest star of Napoleonic naval
fiction, Philippe Kermorvant, from award-winning naval author and
historian J. D. Davies, perfect for fans of C. S. Forester, Patrick
O'Brian and Julian Stockwin.
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