The original Northern Powerhouse, Newcastle upon Tyne has witnessed countless transformations over the last century or so, from its industrial heyday, when Tyneside engineering and innovation led the world, through decades of post-industrial decline, and underinvestment, to its more recent reinvention as a cultural destination for the North. The ten short stories gathered here all feature characters in search of something, a new reality, a space, perhaps, in which to rediscover themselves: from the call-centre worker imagining herself far away from the claustrophobic realities of her day job, to the woman coming to terms with an ex-lover who's moved on all too quickly, to the man trying to outrun his mother's death on Town Moor. The Book of Newcastle brings together some of the city's most renowned literary talents, along with exciting new voices, proving that while Newcastle continues to feel the effects of its lost industrial past, it is also a city striving for a future that brims with promise.

"Route Offline" is a festival of contemporary stories that brings together in printed form a series of distinguished collections which were initially published online.The twenty-five stories included here take you around the world in the safety of your own book and in the hands of first class storytellers. Inside you will find five original collections featuring: a magical and exotic compilation of Bulgarian shorts; the young single father's tale; an exploration of skin that crosses the barrier between what's inside and what's outside; an eclectic series of colourful lives condensed and a sundrenched collection of dogs, summer heat and the first flushes of sexual awakening."Route Offline" is a title in the "Route" series of contemporary stories.