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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Adventure / thriller > Historical adventure
'Beautiful and engaging and clever'-Manda Scott 'A young witch to rival Tiffany Aching. Magic!'-FMA Dixon The Witches of Woodville Part 3 August 1940 In a quiet village in rural Kent, the enemy is at the gates . . . The Battle of Britain rages and Faye Bright encounters the ghost of a pilot who won't give up the fight. Before she can help him, Faye is whisked away to join a motley crew of witches to perform a top secret ritual on the White Cliffs of Dover that could repel the invaders. But there's a catch. The ritual must be executed in the nuddy. Mrs Teach threatens mutiny. Miss Charlotte is intrigued. And Faye wants to call the whole thing off when she suspects there's a spy in their midst. It's up to Faye Bright to uncover the traitor, all while dealing with the ghost haunting Ivy Barn who may hold the key to the truth. But first, Faye has to learn to fly . . . For fans of Lev Grossman and Terry Pratchett comes the third novel in this delightful series of war, mystery and a little bit of magic . . . Don't miss the other magical books in the WITCHES OF WOODVILLE series! #1 The Crow Folk #2 Babes in the Wood #3 The Ghost of Ivy Barn Praise for The Witches of Woodville series 'I so enjoyed The Crow Folk. Set in an endearingly odd village in deepest Kent, it's full of engaging characters and weird, witchy goings-on. Fast-paced, entertainingly creepy and at times laugh-out-loud funny, it's also genuinely moving'-Michelle Paver, author of Wakenhyrst 'ACE. Smart and funny and written so warmly. It's an absolutely smashing read'-Pernille Hughes, author of Probably the Best Kiss in the World 'Swept me straight back to days of losing myself in Diana Wynne Jones novels, and getting lost in truly absorbing, sometimes scary, sometimes emotive adventure with its roots in folklore and history. A story that is full of magic and delight that will thrill readers of any age'-Rowan Coleman, author of The Girl at the Window 'A delightful mash-up of Dad's Army and Charmed. An absolute treat'-CK McDonnell, author of Stranger Times 'Warm, witty, witchy wartime fun. With Mark Stay as writer you're always guaranteed a magical read'-Julie Wassmer, author of the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries 'You'll love it: Doctor Who meets Worzel Gummidge'-Lorna Cook, author of The Forgotten Village 'A jolly romp with witches, demons, and bellringing. Pratchett fans will enjoy this, and Faye is a feisty and fun hero. Dad's Army meets Witches of Eastwick'-Ian W Sainsbury
Jack Aubrey returns from his duties protecting whalers off the South American coast and is persuaded by a casual acquaintance to make investments in the City on the strength of supposedly certain information. From there he is led into the half-worlds of the London criminal underground and of government espionage – the province of his friend, Stephen Maturin. Devoted readers of Patrick O'Brian will find here all the brilliance of characterisation and all the sparkle of dialogue they have come to expect from a novelist often described as 'Jane Austen 'sur mer''. For those who will read him for the first time there will be the pleasure of discovering a novelist of unique character. "While his stories tell of men at war, he is a novelist of great gentleness of spirit. A pervasive serenity, a generosity towards human frailty, are among the qualities which have made his books irresistible. ..He is the most brilliant historical novelist of modern times." "These novels are a brilliant achievement. They display staggering erudition on almost all aspects of eighteenth-century life."
WINNER OF THE WINGATE PRIZE 2021 SUNDAY TIMES "MUST READS" PICK ECONOMIST "BEST BOOKS OF 2020" PICK KIRKUS REVIEWS "10 BOOKS TO LOOK FOR IN 2021" PICK "Boundless imagination and a vibrant style . . . a heroine of unforgettable grit" DAVID GROSSMAN "A story of great beauty and surprise" GARY SHTEYNGART The townsfolk of Motal, an isolated, godforsaken town in the Pale of Settlement, are shocked when Fanny Keismann - devoted wife, mother of five, and celebrated cheese-maker - leaves her home at two hours past midnight and vanishes into the night. True, the husbands of Motal have been vanishing for years, but a wife and mother? Whoever heard of such a thing. What on earth possessed her? Could it have anything to do with Fanny's missing brother-in-law, who left her sister almost a year ago and ran away to Minsk, abandoning their family to destitution and despair? Or could Fanny have been lured away by Zizek Breshov, the mysterious ferryman on the Yaselda river, who, in a strange twist of events, seems to have disappeared on the same night? Surely there can be no link between Fanny and the peculiar roadside murder on the way to Minsk, which has left Colonel Piotr Novak, head of the Russian secret police, scratching his head. Surely a crime like that could have nothing to do with Fanny Keismann, however the people of Motal might mutter about her reputation as a vilde chaya, a wild animal . . . Surely not. Translated from the Hebrew by Orr Scharf
Foreword by Levison Wood, presenter of Walking the Americas. A comprehensive, fascinating and inspiring gallery of the great adventures that changed our world. Throughout history there have been brave men and women who dared to go where few had gone before. They broke new ground by drawing on incredible reserves of courage, fortitude and intelligence in the face of terrible adversity. Their endeavours changed the world and inspired generations. Spanning several centuries and united by the common theme of the resilience of the human spirit, this is the ultimate collection of the stories of the intrepid explorers who forged new frontiers across land, sea, skies and space. 50 incredible journeys including; * Tenzing and Hillary's conquest of Everest * Neil Armstrong's giant leap * Christopher Columbus' new world * Amelia Earhart flying the Atlantic * gold fever in the Yukon * the hunt for a man-eating leopard in India Great Expeditions includes not only some of the most famous journeys in history but also introduces many more that ought to be more widely recognised and celebrated.
A profoundly unsettling story of a plantation slave's desperate escape into a rainforest beyond human control, with his master and a ferocious dog on his heels. This flight to freedom takes them on a journey that will transform them all, as the overwhelming physical presence of the forest and its dense primeval wilderness reshapes reality and time itself. In the darkness, the old man grapples with the spirits of all those who have gone before him; the knowledge that the past is always with us, and the injustice that can cry out from beyond the grave. From a Prix Goncourt writer hailed by Milan Kundera as the 'heir of Joyce and Kafka', The Old Slave and the Mastiff fearlessly portrays the demonic cruelties of the slave trade and its human costs - a wise, loving tribute to the Creole culture of Martinique, and a vividly told journey into the heart of Caribbean history and human endurance.
'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his subject.' The Daily Telegraph 'Alan Judd knows more about the secret world than any other writer living. To have him turn his expert eye on the world of Christopher Marlowe - and on Francis Walsingham, the Elizabethan George Smiley - is a special kind of literary treat.' Mick Herron 'Absolutely spellbinding. I gobbled it up in two days and could not stop' Miranda Seymour Danger and dissent stalk the streets and taverns of Elizabethan England. The Queen's chief spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and his team of agents must maintain the highest levels of vigilance to ward off Catholic plots and the ever-present threat of invasion. One operative in particular - a young Cambridge undergraduate of humble origins, controversial beliefs and literary genius who goes by the name of Kit Marlowe - is relentless in his pursuit of intelligence for the Crown. When he is killed outside an inn in Deptford, his mysterious death becomes the subject of rumours and suspicion that are never satisfactorily resolved. Years later, Thomas Phelippes, a former colleague of Marlowe's and a man once much valued by Walsingham, finds himself imprisoned in the Tower. When he is visited by an emissary of the new king, however, it becomes clear that his long fall from favour may be reversed if he will furnish his monarch with every detail he is able to recall about his murdered friend's life and death. But just what is it that so fascinates King James about the famously mercurial playwright-spy, and does Phelippes know enough to secure his own redemption? Virtuosic, gripping and meticulously researched, award-winning writer Alan Judd turns is at the peak of his powers in this remarkable novel about a literary genius whose short-life and violent death composed one of the most fascinating unresolved mysteries of all time.
Captain Jack Aubrey is ashore on half-pay without a command — until his friend, and occasional intelligence agent, Stephen Maturin, arrives with secret orders for Aubrey to take a frigate to the Cape of Good Hope, under a Commodore’s pennant. But the difficulties of carrying out his orders are compounded by two of his own captains — Lord Clonfert, a pleasure-seeking dilettante, and Captain Corbett, whose severity can push his crews to the verge of mutiny. Based on the actual campaign of 1810 in the Indian Ocean, O’Brian’s attention to detail of eighteenth-century life ashore and at sea is meticulous. This tale is as beautifully written and as gripping as any in the series; it also stands on its own as a superlative work of fiction.
Jack West Jr has made it to the Supreme Labyrinth. Now he faces one last race - against multiple rivals, against time, against the collapse of the universe itself - a headlong race that will end at a throne inside the fabled labyrinth. But the road will be hard. For this is a maze like no other: a maze of mazes. Uncompromising and complex. Demanding and deadly. It all comes down to this. It ends here - now - in the most lethal and dangerous place Jack has encountered in all of his many adventures. And in the face of this indescribable peril, with everything on the line, there is only one thing he can do. Attempt the impossible.
Here is a remarkable vintage tour-de-force of the Fifties, in which Stuart Benton explores the range of human experience from the sublime to the exotically degrading. Marriage, illicit love, the uneasy relationship between children and parents, business success and failure, a trial for murder, a descent into the underworld of society, and later ascent to the delights of a swiftly-moving, jaded society set all these can be found in the fabric of All Things Human. John Stuart Kent is a millionaire banker and aesthete, living out the Indian Summer of his life as the shape of his future is altered by five extraordinary women: Helen, his young wife, a resentful Galatea whose pathological jealousy cools their relationship. Sylvia, a fascinating and magnanimous Wagnerian singer, with flaming red hair and a fresh attitude toward love. Aimee, a courtesan, par excellence. Edda, Kent s secretary, sweet, young and unashamed who fumbles into scandalous catastrophe. Ivy, a sophisticate of enormous wealth and esoteric accomplishments. John Stuart Kent endures a Faust-like descent to a modern, mechanized Hell, experiencing all the humiliations and betrayals of modern society and its strange criminal procedures on his way. In the fight for his good name and his liberty, Kent must use all of his charm and wit, and enlist the help of a few friends, or he could be stuck in the abyss of the criminal system forever."
One warrior will bring an army to its knees...Britannia, 60 AD. When her husband dies, Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, expects Rome to enter into a new agreement with her people. However, when Rome betrays them and her daughters are raped by Roman soldiers, Boudicca swears revenge. The Britannic tribes rise up and join her in a campaign against their oppressors and soon her enormous army sweeps across the country in an unstoppable campaign of brutality. A young boy races to join her cause, but when it is discovered that he is the last true blood of the Deceangli, Prydain, the ex-legionary, embarks on a mission to save him. For the final time, his path is destined to cross with Cassus, the boyhood friend who has sworn to kill him, whatever the cost. The incredible, thrilling final instalment in the Romans series, perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Conn Igggulden and Harry Sidebottom.
Jack Aubrey is a naval officer, a post-captain of experience and capacity. When 'The Letter of Marque' opens he has been struck off the Navy list for a crime he has not committed. With Aubrey is his friend and ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also an unofficial British intelligence agent. Maturin has bought for Aubrey his old ship, the 'Surprise' as a 'private man-of-war'. Together they sail on a voyage which, if successful, might restore Aubrey to the rank, and the raison d'etre whose loss he so much regrets. "The success of this great sequence comes from the conviction and huge enthusiasm which O'Brian had for his history. Everything changed when he realised that the Napoleonic wars were the Englishman's Troy tales, as historically and mythically rich, and imaginatively exploitable as the story that produced 'The Iliad'." "From the opening page I was addicted to what I judge to be one of the greatest cycles of storytelling in the English language."
During war, nothing is ever at it seems...Sally Hartley is a hopeless romantic. Her father died when she was a baby but she has lived off stories from her mother of what a wonderful man he was. Now, all she wants is a love like theirs. And she thinks she's found it in Adam, the brother of a friend from home. When Adam is posted to Orkney, it's like Sally's dreams have all come true. After Italy changes sides in the war, the Italian POWs are granted more freedom on the islands, meaning Sally can spend more time with her friend, Aldo, and the two grow ever closer. But when a family secret is revealed, Sally's trust might be forever broken. Sally, Iris and Mary must continue their duties even as life changes drastically around them, including an attack on one of their fellow Wrens from an unknown assailant. Now the friends face danger not just from the enemy, but also someone much closer to home. An uplifting and dramatic WWII saga for fans of Kate Thompson, Margaret Dickinson and Daisy Styles.
From bestselling historian Adrian Goldsworthy, the second book in his authentic, action-packed City of Victory series set on the frontiers of the Roman Empire. AD 114: NICOPOLIS In the arid plains beyond the empire's Eastern Frontier, a Roman legion lays siege to the city of Nicopolis. Estranged from his beloved Enica to keep her safe, centurion Flavius Ferox is still working for the emperor's cousin, the calculating and ruthless Hadrian. Sent to uncover corruption in the army, Ferox has killed a tribune and is under suspended sentence of death - but he knows more traitors are at large. As the siege builds, Ferox will have to figure out who can be trusted, and just what it is that Hadrian really wants... Gritty, gripping and profoundly authentic, The City is the second book in the City of Victory trilogy, set in the Roman empire from bestselling historian Adrian Goldsworthy. Praise for Adrian Goldsworthy: 'No one knows the Roman army better than Adrian Goldsworthy, and no one writes more convincing Roman fiction.' Harry Sidebottom 'Gritty and realistic.' Daily Telegraph 'Brings the reader closer to the true nature of Roman Britain.' NB Magazine
You know the names and the stories, but you've never seen them like this before! My Name Was Never Frankenstein: And Other Classic Adventure Tales Reanimated brings your favorite characters back to life in new and exciting escapades. In this inventive collection, a stellar cast of writers uses classic adventure tales as a launch pad for an eclectic mix of prequels, alternate universes, spin-offs, and total reboots. Imagine Ahab is shipwrecked on an island of cannibals, or Mr. Hyde tells his side of the story, or the scarecrow from Oz struggles with the mystery of his existence. By turns wry and haunting, My Name Was Never Frankenstein upends old territory and classic characters to reclaim them for a new generation.
With the mighty Sikh Khalsa, the finest army ever seen in Asia, poised to invade India and sweep Britannia’s ill-guarded empire into the sea, every able-bodied man was needed to defend the frontier – and one at least had his answer ready when the Call of Duty came: ‘I’ll swim in blood first!’ Alas, though, for poor Flashy, there was no avoiding the terrors of secret service in the debauched and intrigue-ridden Court of the Punjab, the attentions of its beautiful nymphomaniac Maharani (not that he minded that, really), the horrors of its torture chambers or the baleful influence of the Mountain of Light.
Two sisters become embroiled in the burgeoning Cold War in this spellbinding novel of espionage, secrets and betrayals Berlin, 1947: good Soviets Vera and Marya find themselves mired in the covert post-war conflicts that are shaping a new world order. When Marya, an interpreter liaising with the British, gets caught in secret agent Vera's web of deceit, she must make desperate choices to survive - and to protect those she loves. Nine years later, as the Soviets confront their Stalinist past, Vera revisits that pivotal moment, unravelling shocking truths about her sister and herself. Against an epic backdrop, Anika Scott weaves a nail-biting, morally complex story of double-triple bluff and loyalty - or otherwise - to family or motherland. PRAISE FOR THE SOVIET SISTERS 'Electrifying, meticulously researched, and expertly plotted, The Soviet Sisters is at once a Cold War thriller, a gripping spy story, a page-turning mystery, and a familial drama' Lara Prescott, New York Times-bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept 'What a page turner! The era and setting were very fresh, I learned so much, and I loved being taken around post-war Berlin. East and West, love and hate - this story gives beautiful insight into the opposites that can make or break a sisters' bond. Compelling' Mandy Robotham, USA Today-bestselling author of The Berlin Girl and The Girl Behind the Wall
Nick Miller is Central Division's maverick Detective Sergeant. Disliked and distrusted by friends and foes, he works alone. He crosses the line. And he gets results. The Graveyard Shift... Nick Miller is new to the graveyard shift - the midnight hours when the driven and the desperate come out to play. Tonight Ben Garvald is out of prison. After nine years inside, he's back in the old neighbourhood. Back to his remarried ex-wife. Back for revenge. Brought in Dead... Then after a fatal night out, a girl's body is pulled from an isolated stretch of river. The last person to see her alive had enemies on both sides of the fence. Miller wants justice. But so does her father - with or without the law on his side. Hell Is Always Today... And the Rainlover. Whose victims are always women. Always at night when the streets are wet. He could be any one of a thousand men. Hounded by the public and the press, Miller needs to find him before he strikes again. It's time to throw out the rule book in the line of duty. GRAVEYARD TO HELL Jack Higgins' gritty police saga set in the 1960s, first released as three short volumes and long out of print, is now reimagined as one gripping novel, packing a punch as only 'The Legend' of thriller fiction knows how. |
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