In the fall of 1947, Will Shakespeare saw the world collapse around him. Shakespeare, a secret soldier for the Knights Templar, barely escapes the slaughter of his entire knighthood at the hands of a rogue militant arm of the Vatican in a small Montreal church. With orders to escort Templar business associate Dorothy Wilkinson back to her home in Bermuda, Will must locate and rescue the most important secret treasure in human history before it is devoured by a hurricane in the watery caves beneath her father's property. The spiraling quest sends Will and Dorothy into uncovering dark secrets that make up the origins of the knighthood as they confront the traps and puzzles that masterfully protect the world's most coveted treasure.

Master and Commander is the first of Patrick O’Brian’s now famous Aubrey/Maturin novels, regarded by many as the greatest series of historical novels ever written. It establishes the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey RN and Stephen Maturin, who becomes his secretive ship’s surgeon and an intelligence agent. It contains all the action and excitement which could possibly be hoped for in a historical novel, but it also displays the qualities which have put O’Brian far ahead of any of his competitors: his depiction of the detail of life aboard a Nelsonic man-of-war, of weapons, food, conversation and ambience, of the landscape and of the sea. O’Brian’s portrayal of each of these is faultless and the sense of period throughout is acute. His power of characterisation is above all masterly.

This brilliant historical novel marked the début of a writer who grew into one of our greatest novelists ever, the author of what Alan Judd, writing in the Sunday Times, has described as ‘the most significant extended story since Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time’.

Comprises two remarkable Icelandic tales. The first, Hreidars Thattr, is in an ancient narrative form. It is one of the oldest Icelandic short stories preserved and its archaic style adds greatly to its interest. The story also gives an insight into medieval humour, very different from that of today. The second tale, Orms Thattr, differs greatly in age and type. It is a late composition and reveals a taste that grew in Iceland in the late Middle Ages, a taste for stories of adventure, magic and feats of strength. For this new edition the text has been entirely reset and numerous additions and corrections made, as well the binding being restored to something like that of the original edition.

Thomas Blackstone, Edward III's Master of War takes to Spain in the seventh instalment of David Gilman's gripping chronicle of the Hundred Years' War. Winter, 1364. The King is dead. Defeated on the field of Poitiers, Jean Le Bon, King of France, honoured his treaty with England until his death. His son and heir, Charles V, has no intention of doing the same. War is coming and the predators are circling. Sir Thomas Blackstone, Edward III's Master of War, has been tasked with securing Brittany for England. In the throes of battle, he rescues a young boy, sole witness to the final living breaths of the Queen of Castile. The secret the boy carries is a spark deadly enough to ignite conflict on a new front - a front the English cannot afford to fight on. So Blackstone is ordered south to Castile, across the mountains to shepherd Don Pedro, King of Castile, to safety. Accompanied only by a small detachment of his men and a band of Moorish cavalrymen loyal to the king, every step takes Blackstone further into uncertain territory, deeper into an unyielding snare. For the Master of War, the shadow of death is always present.

Strange things are happening in Tokyo. As war with Russia looms, the city is plagued by strange electricity storms, while the staff at the British Legation have gone on strike, claiming that the building is haunted.

Thaniel Steepleton is sent over from London to act as interpreter, bringing with him his partner, Keita Mori the watchmaker, their adopted daughter, Six, and Mori's clockwork octopus, Katsu. Thaniel is dazzled by life in Tokyo, but he feels increasingly out of his depth - especially when he meets Takiko Pepperharrow, and learns of her connection to Mori.

But then Mori disappears, and Thaniel and Takiko's paths diverge as they desperately try to find him. As their searches lead them to snow-steeped prisons and mountainside shrines, Thaniel is faced with the terrifying revelation that Mori's powers are no longer enough to save them - and that the watchmaker's time may have run out.

Natasha Pulley's extraordinary new novel, The Kingdoms, will be available in Spring 2021.

Patrick O’Brian is regarded by many as the greatest historical novelist now writing. Post Captain, the second novel in his remarkable Aubrey/Maturin series, led Mary Renault to write: ‘Master and Commander raised dangerously high expectations; Post Captain triumphantly surpasses them.’

This tale begins with Jack Aubrey arriving home from his exploits in the Mediterranean to find England at peace following the Treaty of Amiens. He and his friend Stephen Maturin, surgeon and secret agent, begin to live the lives of country gentlemen, hunting, entertaining and enjoying more amorous adventures. Their comfortable existence, however, is cut short when Jack is overnight reduced to a pauper with enough debts to keep him in prison for life. He flees to the continent to seek refuge: instead he finds himself a hunted fugitive as Napoleon has ordered the internment of all Englishmen in France. Aubrey’s adventures in escaping from France and the debtors’ prison will grip the reader as fast as his unequalled actions at sea.

Introducing Jonas Flynt. Gambler. Thief. Killer. Man of honour.'Fast, furious and with a glint of gallows humour, this is high-octane historical fiction' Daily Mail 'Swashbuckling action against a vivid historical backdrop. I loved this book' Ian Rankin 'High adventure meets espionage thriller as Jonas Flynt battles the tide of history and the deadly secrets of his own past...' D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance 1715. Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters, is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands. On her deathbed, the late Queen Anne may have promised the nation to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than the new king, George I. But the will has been lost. It may decide the fate of the nation. The crown must recover it at all costs. The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot. When secrets finally come to light, about the crown and about his own past, Jonas will learn that some truths, once discovered, can never be untold... An atmospheric and utterly compelling blend of crime, history and thriller, to delight fans of S. J. Parris, Andrew Taylor and C. J. Sansom. Praise for An Honourable Thief 'Reads like a genuine eighteenth century spy novel. I see a long future for Jonas Flynt' Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh 'Anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery and likes an edgy, charismatic protagonist is going to love the adventures of Douglas Skelton's new hero, Jonas Flynt' S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker 'An absolute triumph ... Five stars from me, and I look forward to reading more of Jonas's adventures' James Oswald, Sunday Times bestselling author 'Historical crime fiction at its absolute best. I loved it!' Marion Todd, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series 'Pitch-perfect stuff. Like all great historical novels you'll feel you're there! This is a departure for Skelton, who seems born to write high-end historical fiction' Denzil Meyrick, author of the DCI Daley thrillers 'Uniquely combines a page-turning thriller with a perfectly evoked sense of time and place. Powerful stuff from a master of his craft' Craig Russell, author of Hyde 'Skelton's mastery of time and place inhabited with richly drawn characters is a delight. It held me to the last tantalising page' David Gilman, author of The Englishman 'Jonas Flynt is one of those characters you'll be rooting for from the very first chapter ... it looks like Skelton has found a new home writing first-class historical fiction' Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief 'This is a fascinating, totally engrossing historical novel. Flynt is a most attractive, three-dimensional character and the same is true of the world he moves through. A brilliant, most enjoyable read' Paul Doherty, author of The Nightingale Gallery 'A cracking historical drama with breathless pacing and knuckle-chewing tension, all shot through with Skelton's deft characterisation and flashes of pitch-black humour. The perfect read to lose yourself in' Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast 'A compelling tale of justice and vengeance, of intrigue and plotting, all centred around a flawed 18th century Jack Reacher' Morgan Cry, author of Thirty-One Bones

'Best historical novelist' - Stephen King 'A master storyteller' - Sunday Times 'Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared' - The Times 'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily Mirror BETRAYED BY BLOOD. BOUND BY FATE. Inseparable since birth, Theo and Connie Courtney are torn apart by the tragic death of their parents. Theo, wracked with guilt, seeks salvation in combat, joining the British in the war against the French and Indian army. On a personal mission he meets the beautiful, innocent Abigail, with whom he falls madly in love. But when their tryst is discovered, Theo is left outcast in the wilderness, desperately fighting for his life. Determined to reclaim his honour, and save Abigail, Theo does whatever it takes to survive. Connie, believing herself abandoned by her brother, and abused and brutalised by a series of corrupt guardians, makes her way to France, where she is welcomed into high society. Here, she once again finds herself at the mercy of vicious men, whose appetite for war and glory lead her to the frontlines of the French battlefield in North America. As the siblings find their destinies converging once more, they realise that the vengeance and redemption they both desperately seek could cost them their lives . . . BOOK 17 IN THE EPIC HISTORICAL SAGA OF THE COURTNEY FAMILY, FROM INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WILBUR SMITH

CONSPIRACY. BETRAYAL. REBELLION. PEACE IS JUST ANOTHER KIND OF BATTLEFIELD . . . 'Nimble, brutal and hilarious' Daily Mail 'Will leave fans begging for more' Starburst * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Unrest worms into every layer of society. The Breakers lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while yesterday's heroes nurse grievances and noblemen bicker for their own advantage. The King of the Union struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only to see his enemies, and his debts, multiply. The old ways are being swept aside, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever. Second in the AGE OF MADNESS trilogy, THE TROUBLE WITH PEACE is the next instalment of a series which is revolutionising fantasy . . . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 'A breakneck- speed fantasy book that brings in all the elements of a political thriller, action romp and reflective memoir. Job well done' The Sun 'Joe Abercrombie is a master of the genre' Lev Grossman 'It's smart. It's witty. This is an absolutely top-notch work of fantasy' Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reviews 'The Trouble with Peace mauls expectations to serve up a sublime sequel that's even better than it's showstopper of a predecessor' Novel Notions 'Effortlessly brilliant' The Bookbeard's Blog 'I had insanely high expectations for the sequel. But The Trouble with Peace met pretty much all of them' The Fantasy Inn

'Historical fiction with a fantastical twist, done with verve and skill' IAN RANKIN 'An atmospheric and constantly surprising thriller' SUNDAY TIMES 'Kept me guessing until the end. An absolute masterpiece' JENNIFER SAINT 'A deliciously dark historical novel of thrilling originality' ESSIE FOX 'Spellbinding, gripping, immersive and deliciously gothic' ERIN KELLY 'Evocative, chilling, compelling' TAMMY COHEN 'Breathtakingly good' ABIR MUKHERJEE Paris, 1750. In the midst of an icy winter, as birds fall frozen from the sky, chambermaid Madeleine Chastel arrives at the home of the city's celebrated clockmaker and his clever, unworldly daughter. Madeleine is hiding a dark past, and a dangerous purpose: to discover the truth of the clockmaker's experiments and record his every move, in exchange for her own chance of freedom. For as children quietly vanish from the Parisian streets, rumours are swirling that the clockmaker's intricate mechanical creations, bejewelled birds and silver spiders, are more than they seem. And soon Madeleine fears that she has stumbled upon an even greater conspiracy. One which might reach to the very heart of Versailles... A intoxicating story of obsession, illusion and the price of freedom.

Prize-winning author Petina Gappah's tale of Dr Livingstone's epic journey through nineteenth-century Africa is 'incredible' (Yaa Gyasi), 'powerful' (Jesmyn Ward), and 'beautiful' (Anthony Doerr). 'A fine writer.' J.M. Coetzee 'Wonderful.' The Times 'Captivating.' Guardian This is the story of the body of Bwana Daudi, the Doctor, the explorer David Livingstone - and the sixty-nine men and women who carried his remains for 1,500 miles across the African interior so that he could be borne across the sea and buried in his own country. This is the story of those in the shadows of history: those who saved a white man's bones, his dark companions, who became his faithful retinue on an epic funeral march - little knowing that his corpse carried the maps that sowed the seeds of the continent's brutal colonisation and enslavement. This is the story of how human bravery, loyalty, and love can triumph over darkness - and it is Petina Gappah's radical masterpiece. 'Incredible.' Yaa Gyasi 'Beautiful.' Anthony Doerr 'Powerful.' Jesmyn Ward