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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction
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Underdogs
(Paperback)
Chris Bonnello
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R320
R263
Discovery Miles 2 630
Save R57 (18%)
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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One million cloned soldiers. A nation imprisoned. A group of
neurodiverse rebels fighting back. Britain as we know it lies
destroyed. In the aftermath of the most daring military coup in
history, the surviving population is crammed inside giant Citadels,
watched over by an army of cloned soldiers. The hope of a nation
lies in a tiny number of freedom fighters hidden in the abandoned
countryside - most of whom are teenagers who escaped the attack on
their special school. Seen by many as no more than misfits and
'problem children', this band of fighters could never have imagined
the responsibility that now rests on their shoulders. But perhaps
this war needs a different kind of hero. After a lifetime of being
defined by their weaknesses, the teenagers must learn how to play
to their strengths, and become the best they can be in a world that
has never been on their side.
'Page-turning and gritty' DAILY MAIL. Amid the carnage of the 100
Years War - the bloodiest conflict in medieval history - a young
English archer confronts his destiny... England, 1346: For Thomas
Blackstone the choice is easy - dance on the end of a rope for a
murder he did not commit, or take up his war bow and join the
king's invasion. As he fights his way across northern France,
Blackstone learns the brutal lessons of war - from the terror and
confusion of his first taste of combat, to the savage realities of
siege warfare. Vastly outnumbered, Edward III's army will finally
confront the armoured might of the French nobility on the field of
Crecy. It is a battle that will change the history of warfare, a
battle that will change the course of Blackstone's life, a battle
that will forge a legend.
The Length of Days features a wild cast of characters-Lithuanian,
Russian, and Ukrainian-and cameo appearances by Rosa Luxemburg, Amy
Winehouse, and others. Embedded narratives attributed to one
character, an alcoholic chemist-turned-massage-therapist, broaden
the reader's view of the funny, ironic, or tragic lives of people
who remained in the ill-fated Donbas after Russia's initial
aggression in 2014. Unexpected allies emerge to try to stop the
war, as characters criticize Ukraine's government at the time, its
self-interest, and failures to support its citizens in the east.
With elements of magical realism, the work combines poetry and a
wicked sense of humor with depth of political analysis, philosophy,
and moral interrogation. Witty references to popular
culture-Ukrainian and European-underline the international and
transnational aspects of Ukrainian literature. The novel ends on a
hopeful note even though by then the main characters have already
died twice: they return with greater power each time. As the
author's last novel written originally in the Russian language, The
Length of Days is a deeply Ukrainian work, set mostly in the
composite Donbas city of Z-an uncanny foretelling of what this
letter has come to symbolize since February 24, 2022, when Russia
launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, When the Emperor Was
Divine is the critically acclaimed debut novel by bestselling
writer Julie Otsuka - author of The Buddha in the Attic - in which
she explores the lives of Japanese immigrants living in America
during the Second World War. It is four months after Pearl Harbour
and overnight signs appear all over the United States instructing
Japanese Americans to report to internment camps for the duration
of the war. For one family it proves to be a nightmare of
oppression and alienation. Explored from varying points of view -
the mother receiving the order to evacuate; the daughter on the
long train journey; the son in the desert encampment; the family's
return home; and the bitter release of their father after four
years in captivity - it tells of an incarceration that will alter
their lives for ever. Based on a true story, Julie Otsuka's
powerful, deeply humane novel tells of an unjustly forgotten
episode in America's wartime history. 'Honest and gloriously
written, will haunt you long after you've turned the final page.
Brilliant' Elle 'An intense jewel of a book written with clarity
and beauty' Marie Claire 'Vindicates the suffering of the Japanese
in America . . . a blistering first novel' The Times Literary
Supplement 'A compelling, powerful portrait of a terrible
endurance. Terrific' The Times Julie Otsuka was born and raised in
California. She is the author of the novel When the Emperor Was
Divine, and a recipient of the Asian American Literary Award, the
American Library Association Alex Award, and a Guggenheim
fellowship. Her second novel, The Buddha in the Attic, was
nominated for the 2011 National Book Award. She lives in New York
City.
June 1945. Hitler has triumphed, Britain is under German occupation
and America cowers under the threat of nuclear attack. In the dead
of night, a figure flits through the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey,
searching for a hidden document he knows could change the course of
history. The journal he discovers, by a young soldier, David
Erskine, records an extraordinary story. When the Allies drive the
Germans out of France and victory seems imminent, Erskine is in
Antwerp, where he witnesses a world-changing reversal of fortune.
From a high vantage point, he watches a huge mushroom cloud rise
over London: an atomic bomb has been detonated by the Germans in a
last desperate roll of the dice. Captor becomes captive and Erskine
is held as a POW in his own land. As the brutal grip of the
occupying forces tightens, he is determined to join the resistance.
A daring escape leads him and his fiancee Katie on a breathless
chase to the university town of St Andrews, where the Germans have
established a secret research laboratory. When it becomes clear
what its purpose is, David, Katie and their small, trusted band
must adopt a desperate and audacious plan to thwart Nazi domination
. . .
HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES - HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED
THE NAZIS THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK
CLUB PICK 'A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and
libraries to change people's lives' JILL MANSELL 'Heart-breaking
and heart-lifting and always enchanting' RUTH HOGAN 'An
irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to
bibliophiles and historical fiction fans alike' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'I
devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp . . . charming and
moving' TATIANA DE ROSNAY 'An irresistible, compelling read' FIONA
DAVIS 'Paris and libraries. What's not to love?!' NATASHA LESTER
'Compelling' WOMAN & HOME 'Delightful, richly detailed'
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY PARIS, 1939 Odile Souchet is obsessed with
books, and her new job at the American Library in Paris - with its
thriving community of students, writers and book lovers - is a
dream come true. When war is declared, the Library is determined to
remain open. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything
changes. In Occupied Paris, choices as black and white as the words
on a page become a murky shade of grey - choices that will put many
on the wrong side of history, and the consequences of which will
echo for decades to come. MONTANA, 1983 Lily is a lonely teenager
desperate to escape small-town Montana. She grows close to her
neighbour Odile, discovering they share the same love of language,
the same longings. But as Lily uncovers more about Odile's
mysterious past, she discovers a dark secret, closely guarded and
long hidden. Based on the true Second World War story of the heroic
librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an
unforgettable novel of romance, friendship, family, and of heroism
found in the quietest of places.
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Zoli
(Paperback)
Colum McCann
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R312
R255
Discovery Miles 2 550
Save R57 (18%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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The life of Zoli Novotna begins on the leafy backroads of Slovakia,
when she and her grandfather come upon a quiet lake where their
family has been drowned by Fascist guards. Zoli and her grandfather
flee to join up with another clan of travelling harpists. So begins
an epic tale of song, intimacy and betrayal. Based loosely on the
true story of the Gypsy poet Papusza, and set against the backdrop
of the Second World War, Zoli is a love story, a tale of loss, and
a parable of modern-day Europe.
Recruit new soldiers, face new foes, and explore the mysteries of
the Carpathian Mountains in two new campaigns, one competitive and
one for solo or cooperative play. High in the Carpathian Mountains
stands the crumbling Castle Fier. Once home to a powerful warlord,
the castle cast a dark shadow across the nearby villages, until
crusaders attacked with sword and flame to put an end to its
menace. Though history passed into folklore, the ruins of Castle
Fier remained shunned by all as a cursed site. Now, horrors have
been seen moving at night. An army gathers. Something has awoken in
the ruins. With the political situation in the surrounding region
becoming increasingly unstable, France, Prussia, Britain, and the
other powers have dispatched their best agents to investigate the
ruins, eliminate any threats, and acquire any treasures that could
prove useful in the ongoing fight against the harvestmen... and
each other. The Carpathians: Castle Fier is a supplement for The
Silver Bayonet: A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, in which the
special units must fight their way through the ruins of a menacing
haunted castle. It features two campaigns - one competitive and one
for solo or cooperative play - as well as new monsters to fight,
soldiers to recruit, and treasure to unearth.
January, 1918: Franz Becker, a high-scoring, decorated ace, rejoins
his fighter squadron in Flanders. He has been fighting since
October 1914, and is suffering badly from the strain of war.
Imperial Germany is almost finished, strangled by the Allied
blockade, its people starving. The country is running out of men
and resources, but there is one last chance to win the war: Russia
has made peace and the Americans have yet to arrive. Franz and his
fellow pilots know they have to fight on, no matter how outnumbered
they are, otherwise the enemy will be in Germany. The Spring takes
a heavy toll of the top aces, and Franz knows that it will soon be
his turn to go to the Great Army. His close friend Karl von Leussow
is at home in Brandenburg, on convalescent leave after being shot
down and badly wounded the summer before. Franz misses him
desperately, but believes Karl to be safe. He can only hope that
they will meet again, "after the war"...whenever that may be.
Spring turns to Summer and every German offensive fails, with
terrible casualties. The Allied aircraft are ever more numerous,
the new pilots are barely out of school, and most die within a
couple of weeks. The ranks of the Great Army continue to grow. How
many more men will die before peace is made?
The runaway international No.1 bestseller that launched Tom
Clancy's spectacular career - became a blockbuster film - and
introduced Jack Ryan. THE HUNT IS ON... Silently, beneath the chill
Atlantic waters, Russia's ultra-secret missile submarine, the Red
October, is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want
her back. With all-out war only seconds away, the superpowers race
across the ocean on the most desperate mission of a lifetime.
Wanted: companion to escort a young, orphaned child home to Australia. All expenses as well as passage covered. Interested parties to apply without delay to 32 Williams Street, Belgravia.
Rose Hamilton is in desperate need of a fresh start. There are so many reasons she should ignore the advertisement: the war, those treacherous seas, her family, her fiance... but she cannot help herself. Within weeks, she is boarding an enormous convoy, already too attached to five-year-old Walter Lucknow. But rural Queensland, and the cattle station home of Walter's parents, is not as either of them were told to expect. Rose cannot leave this little boy she's grown to love until he is happy, and she knows the key to this is Walter's wounded fighter pilot uncle Max.
But how will she ever part with Walter? And what if he isn't the only reason she wants to stay?
'Intriguing, comforting and endearingly familiar' Katie Fforde 'The
BBC's most downloaded radio show' The Guardian 'Incredible legacy'
The BBC 'Longest running drama in the world' The i News 'a gripping
plot full of love affairs, deceit, loss and more' Radio Times In
celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Archers hitting the
radio waves. It's 1940 and war has broken out. It is midnight at
the turn of the year, and Walter Gabriel speaks the same line that
opened the very first radio episode - 'And a Happy New Year to you
all!' For Ambridge, a village in the heart of the English
countryside, this year will bring change in ways no one was
expecting. From the Pargetters at Lower Loxley to the loving,
hard-working Archer family at Brookfield Farm, the war will be hard
for all of them. And the New Year brings the arrival of evacuees to
Ambridge, shaking things up in the close-knit rural community. As
the villagers embrace wartime spirit, the families that listeners
have known and loved for generations face an uphill battle to keep
their secrets hidden. Especially as someone is intent on revealing
those secrets to the whole village . . . Beautifully produced, with
stunning endpapers, this is the perfect read for all Archers fans.
Two decades after the great economic collapse the world's cities
have ceased to exist and life continues only in scattered
communities. Back in '43, Jake was a rich, young futures broker,
immersed in the 'datascape' of the world's financial markets. He
saw what was coming - and who was behind it. Forewarned, he was one
of the few to escape the fall. For twenty two years, Jake Reed has
lived in fear of the future and finally it is coming across the
plain towards him. Chinese airships are in the skies and a strange,
glacial structure has begun to dominate the horizon. Under the rule
of the mighty Tsao Ch'un, a resurgent China is seeking to abolish
the past and bring about world peace through rigidly enforced
order. But a civil war looms, and Jake will find himself at the
heart of the struggle for the future.
1943, Wartime Italy. Trattoria di Luca sits at the heart of the
small Umbrian town of Amatino. For decades it has been run by the
di Luca and Capaldi patriarchs and become a byword not only for
fabulous food, but also wine from the Capaldi vineyard. But now the
last of these great men is dead, Italy is consumed by war and
everything must change. Sophie di Luca has always assumed her
beloved father would leave the trattoria to her, a fine chef in her
own right. But in Mussolini's Italy a woman's place is strictly in
the home, and Sophie's father has secretly arranged for Giorgio
Capaldi to come back from Rome to take over Trattoria di Luca.
Charismatic, forceful, grieving the loss of his wife and unborn
baby in an Allied bombing raid, Giorgio is in no mood to compromise
with Sophie. As conflict within the family rises, Mussolini falls
and the Germans march in. Life is about to become very dangerous
indeed. An atmospheric and moving novel, perfect for fans of Santa
Montefiore and Victoria Hislop. 'A joyous read, which really spoke
to me about the indomitability of the human spirit. A wonderful
book.' Elizabeth Enfield, author of Ivy and Abe Praise for
Annabelle Thorpe: 'Unputdownable!' Claire Dyer, author of The Last
Day 'A pacy, engaging tale of human weakness and of passion so
overwhelming it can make fools of us all' Daily Express
Her father's only daughter. Her country's only hope.
________________________________ Ireland, 1152 The King of
Leinster, awaiting news of his newborn child, is disappointed to
hear he has a daughter. Diarmait MacMurchada wanted another
strapping son to shoulder a spear, wield a sword, and protect his
kingdom. But from the moment Diarmait held the newborn Aoife knew
she would be his most precious treasure. 1166 Forced into exile
Aoife and her family find themselves at the mercy of Henry II.
Aoife - aware of her beauty but not its power - intrigues and
beguiles Henry in equal measure. For Aoife he agrees to help her
father, an alliance that leads the MacMurchadas to the charismatic
Richard de Clare, a man dissatisfied with his lot and open to new
horizons. Diarmit promises Richard Aoife's hand in marriage in
return for his aid in Ireland, but Aoife has her own thoughts on
the matter. She may be a prize, but she is not a pawn, and she will
play the men at their own game. For herself, for her family, and
for her country. From the royal halls of scheming kings, to staunch
Welsh border fortresses and the wild green kingdoms of Ireland, The
Irish Princess is a sumptuous, journey of ambition and desire, love
and loss, heartbreak and survival. ________________________________
Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'An author who makes history come
gloriously alive' The Times 'Stunning . . . Her characters are
beguiling, and the story is intriguing' Barbara Erskine 'Picking up
an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you know you are in for a sumptuous
ride' Daily Telegraph 'I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such
historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton' Sharon
Kay Penman 'Enjoyable and sensuous' Daily Mail 'Meticulous research
and strong storytelling' Woman & Home 'A riveting read . . . A
glorious adventure not to be missed!' Candis
The story begins on the eve of 9/11, with the narrator's haunting
description of the airplane attack on the Twin Towers as seen on TV
while he is on holiday in Central Asia. Subsequent chapters shift
backwards and forwards in time, but two main themes emerge: the
rise of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan under the charismatic
but reclusive leadership of Tahir Yuldash and Juma Namangani; and
the main character, poet Belgi's movement from the outer edge of
the circle, from the mountains of Osh, into the inner sanctum of
al-Qaeda, and ultimately to a meeting with Sheikh bin Laden
himself. His journey begins with a search for a Sufi spiritual
master and ends in guerrilla warfare, and it is this tension
between a transcendental and a violent response to oppression,
between the book and the bomb, that gives the novel its specific
poignancy. Along the way, Ismailov provides wonderfully vivid
accounts of historical events (as witnessed by Belgi) such as the
siege of Kunduz, the breakout from Shebergan prison - a kind of
Afghan Guantanamo - and the insurgency in the Ferghana Valley.
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Khatyn
(Paperback)
Ales Adamovich
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R502
Discovery Miles 5 020
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Based on previously sealed war archives and rare witness records of
the survivors, Khatyn is a heart wrenching story of the people who
fought for their lives under the Nazi occupation during World War
II. Through the prism of the retrospect perception as narrated by
the novel's main character Flyora - a boy who matures during the
war - author Ales Adamovich beholds genocide and horrific crimes
against humanity. The former teen partisan goes back in time and
remembers atrocities of 1943. The novel's pages become the stage
where perished people come to life for one last time, get to say
their last word, all at the backdrop of blood chilling cries of
women and children being burned alive by a Nazi death squad that,
accompanied by the Vlasov's unit, surges a Byelorussian village.
'This 5-star thriller is a non-stop action-packed adventure...
Reads like the latest blockbuster film... I was left breathless, my
heart pounding as I turned the last page' NetGalley review, You've
cracked the Da Vinci code, now uncover the Vatican secret... The
deepest secrets are kept in the darkest places. When ex-MI5
operative Joe Mason is sent to Rome to guard an elderly professor
and his daughter, he thinks he's in for an easy ride. But on their
first day in the Vatican secret archives, a masked assassin gains
entry, shoots Joe's client in cold blood and steals an ancient
manuscript. Giving chase, Joe can't imagine what could lie within
those pages that would make someone willing to kill. The search for
answers leads Joe and his comrades in a race against time, across
continents and into treacherous mountains. Only they have a hope of
rescuing the Vatican Book of Secrets before a centuries-old enemy
can succeed in bringing Rome - and the world as we know it -
crashing down... The Da Vinci Code meets Die Hard in this
fast-paced, adrenaline-filled, action-adventure thriller. Perfect
for fans of Lee Child and Clive Cussler, The Vatican Secret will
have you turning the pages late into the night. Readers are gripped
by The Vatican Secret: 'Cover to cover action... with the pages
flying by... A great writer... I loved this book' NetGalley review
'An absolutely thrilling adventure, a rollercoaster ride...
Terrific plot and well-drawn characters' NetGalley review 'A
dynamite premise and a tantalizing plot... Hits its stride from
page one... Definitely entertaining' Steve Berry, author of The
Kaiser's Web 'A fast-paced book with non-stop action' NetGalley
review 'An explosive cocktail of relentless action' Alex Shaw,
author of Total Blackout 'This book has it all... Action, intrigue,
suspense... with me on the edge of my seat itching to know what
would happen next' NetGalley review 'A high-octane, page-turning
thriller that has it all' Rob Jones, author of The Atlantis
Covenant 'History, excitement and plenty of action. I was totally
engrossed' NetGalley review 'You just get swept away with the
characters, the action... Magnifico!' NetGalley review
The explosive Orphan X thriller from bestselling author Gregg
Hurwitz. 'HURWITZ FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS' GUARDIAN TO THOSE WHO
TRAINED HIM, HE'S ORPHAN-X. TO THOSE WHO NEED HIM, HE'S THE NOWHERE
MAN. Once a secret government assassin, Evan Smoak walked away to
help others. But when his old handler calls with a warning - the
Orphans are being killed off - he also receives a final mission. A
young girl - the last Orphan recruit - is in danger. First, Evan
must find her. Then he must protect her. But those tasked with her
elimination will not stop. And leading them is one of Evan's fellow
Orphans - who'll do anything to see him dead . . . _______________
'WONDERFUL' THE TIMES 'MEMORABLE AS HELL' JAMES PATTERSON
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