NEW

THE INTOXICATING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER ABOUT LOVE, COOKING AND MAGIC. PERFECT FOR FANS OF JOANNE HARRIS AND ISABEL ALLENDE.'This magical, mythical, moving story of love, sacrifice and summering sensuality is something I will savour for a long time' MAUREEN LIPMANLike Water For Chocolate tells the captivating story of the De la Garza family. As the youngest daughter, Tita is forbidden by Mexican tradition to marry. Instead, she pours all of her emotions into her delicious recipes, which she shares with readers along the way.When Tita falls in love with Pedro, he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. Unfortunately, he's married to her sister...Filled with recipes, longing and bittersweet humour, this charming story of one family's life in turn-of-the-century Mexico has captivated readers all over the world and was made into an award-winning film.'A joy... Has an energetic charm that's quite impossible to resist' LITERARY REVIEW'An epic love story with recipes and a sprinkling of magical realism' WASHINGTON POST'Enchanting...an open-eyed fairy story complete with ugly sister' BARBARA TRAPIDO'A Mexican culinary romance to make the mouth water' SHE'Ingenious' INDEPENDENT

Read more less

Charles Darwin's masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. Evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity.In The Greatest Show on Earth Richard Dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of 'Intelligent Design' and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. Like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection in birds and insects; the 'time clocks' of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. All of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution.The Greatest Show on Earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the fact of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in America. In Britain and elsewhere in the world, teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. Richard Dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. At the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. Written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.

Read more less

'Life affirming, triumphant and tragic . . . masterfully told. . . but also a wonderful page-turner' Guardian'Brilliant and hugely ambitious' New York Times'Extraordinary' TelegraphHERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATHOver 16 million copies sold worldwide.Now a major motion picture.

Read more less

'Fascinating...gripping...extremely funny...I loved it. It made me want to move to Paris' - India Knight, Sunday TimesDo you want to learn the secrets of the parents of France's well-behaved children?How come French babies sleep through the night? Why do French children happily eat what is put in front of them?How can French mothers chat to their friends while their children play quietly?Parents are saying MERCI to Pamela Druckerman!***** ‘Our parenting bible’***** ‘You are not alone! … Brilliantly funny and really helpful.’***** ‘Eye opening … it has changed the way I view and interact with my little one!’

Read more less

The hilarious romantic comedy from NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Sophie KinsellaI’ve lost it :(The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy.Stay positive!! :)A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls and Poppy’s life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she’s lost her phone too. When she spots an abandoned phone in a bin it seems it was meant to be . . . Finders Keepers!Except the phone’s owner, elusive businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. Can things get any more tangled?***** EVERYBODY LOVES SOPHIE KINSELLA: *****'Funny, fast and farcical. I loved it' JOJO MOYES'I couldn’t put it down.' LOUISE PENTLAND (SprinkleofGlitter)'I almost cried with laughter' DAILY MAIL'Life doesn't get much better than a new Sophie Kinsella novel' RED'Hilarious . . . you'll laugh and gasp on every page' JENNY COLGAN

Read more less

Russia, 1915: Sixteen year old farmer's son Georgy Jachmenev steps in front of an assassin's bullet intended for a senior member of the Russian Imperial Family and is instantly proclaimed a hero. Rewarded with the position of bodyguard to Alexei Romanov, the only son of Tsar Nicholas II, the course of his life is changed for ever. Privy to the secrets of Nicholas and Alexandra, the machinations of Rasputin and the events which will lead to the final collapse of the autocracy, Georgy is both a witness and participant in a drama that will echo down the century.Sixty-five years later, visiting his wife Zoya as she lies in a London hospital, memories of the life they have lived together flood his mind. And with them, the consequences of the brutal fate of the Romanovs which has hung like a shroud over every aspect of their marriage...

Read more less

The third Jackson Brodie novel, winner of Richard & Judy's Best Read: literary crime from the number-one bestselling author of Big Sky and Transcription.'An exhilarating read. Her wry humour, sharp eye for the quirks of human behaviour and subtle characterisation are a constant joy' Daily MailIn a quiet corner of rural Devon, a six-year-old girl witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison. In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie, wise beyond her years, works as a nanny for a G.P. But her employer has disappeared with her baby, and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried. Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is a former acquaintance – Jackson Brodie – himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

Read more less

The fourth Jackson Brodie novel: literary crime from the prizewinning number-one bestselling author of Big Sky and Transcription.'Crime has given Atkinson the freedom to write an ambitious, panoramic work, full of excitement, colour and compassion' Sunday TimesA day like any other for security chief Tracy Waterhouse, until she makes a shocking impulse purchase. That one moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy's humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn. Witnesses to Tracy's outrageous exchange in the Merrion Centre in Leeds are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie, who has returned to his home county in search of someone else's roots. All three characters learn that the past is never history and that no good deed goes unpunished.

Read more less

A SHIVERING OF WORLDSDeep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad. As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.There will be a reckoning . . .THE FINAL DISCWORLD NOVEL

Read more less

Now a major Netflix series!Want to hear a ghost story? That's good. I know a few . . .After their recent adventures, the Lockwood & Co team deserve a well-earned break . . . so naturally they decide to risk their lives breaking into a heavily-guarded crypt. A building full of unsettled souls, it's also the final resting place of Marissa Fittes, the legendary and (supposedly) long-dead ghost hunter - though the team have their suspicions about just how dead she might be.What they discover changes everything.Pitched into a desperate race to get to the truth behind the country's ghost epidemic, the team ignite a final, epic battle against the Fittes agency. A battle that will force them to journey to the Other Side, and face the most terrifying enemy they have ever known.Can everyone make it out alive?Join Lucy, Lockwood, George and Holly for one last time as they battle ghosts and humans for truth and justice in this breathtaking finale to the bestselling series.'Stroud is a genius' - Rick Riordan

Read more less

Dragons have invaded Crumbling Castle, and all of King Arthur’s knights are either on holiday or visiting their grannies. It’s a disaster!Luckily, there’s a spare suit of armour and a very small boy called Ralph who’s willing to fill it. Together with Fortnight the Friday knight and Fossfiddle the wizard, Ralph sets out to defeat the fearsome fire-breathers. But there's a teeny weeny surprise in store . . .Fourteen fantastically funny stories from master storyteller Sir Terry Pratchett, full of time travel and tortoises, monsters and mayhem!‘So funny I dropped my spoon laughing!’ – King Arthur

Read more less

This second volume of the brilliant, bestselling Bartimaeus sequence. Two years have passed since the events of The Amulet of Samarkand and the young magician Nathaniel is rising fast through the government ranks. But his career is suddenly threatened by a series of terrifying crises. A dangerous golem makes random attacks on London and other raids, even more threatening, are perpetrated by the Resistance. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus travel to Prague, enemy city of ancient magic, but while they are there uproar breaks out at home and Nathaniel returns to find his reputation in tatters. Can he rescue it from his Machiavellian adversaries in the government bent on his destruction? A thrilling sequel in which the relationship between the young magician and the djinni remains as teasing and complex as ever.

Read more less

George's pet pig breaks through the fence into the garden next door - introducing him to his new neighbours: the scientist, Eric, his daughter, Annie, and a super-intelligent computer called Cosmos. And from that moment George's life will never be the same again, for Cosmos can open a portal to any point in outer space . . . Written by science educator Lucy Hawking and her father - the most famous scientist in the world - and illustrated by Garry Parsons, George's Secret Key to the Universe will take you on a rollercoaster ride through space to discover the mysteries of our universe.

Read more less

It began with Eragon . . . It ends with Inheritance, book four in the Inheritance Series. Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still the real battle lies ahead: they must confront King Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they can’t, no one can. There will be no second chances. The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?Featuring spectacular artwork by cult artist John Jude Palencar, this stunning book brings the bestselling Inheritance cycle to a breathtaking conclusion.

Read more less

'Come, Belgarion, Child of Light. I await thee in the City of Night . . .'A confrontation that has been prophesied for thousands of years is racing towards a conclusion. For as Garion comes into his heritage as the Rivan King, Overlord of the West, and takes up the Orb of Aldur to protect the land, Torak awakes and his evil hordes of Murgo soldiers and Grolim priests march in his name. While the princess Ce'Nedra mobilises the forces of the free lands to repel the invaders, Garion heads for his duel with Torak - a duel upon which the fate of the whole world depends...

Read more less

Long ago, the evil God Torak fought a war to obtain an object of immense power - the Orb of Aldur. But Torak was defeated and the Orb reclaimed by Belgarath the sorcerer. Garion, a young farm lad, loves the story when he first hears it from the old storyteller. But it has nothing to do with him. Or does it? For the stories also tell of a prophecy that must be fulfilled - a destiny handed down through the generations.And Torak is stirring again . . .

Read more less

The first book in The Inheritance Series When poor farm boy Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it’s a lucky discovery. Perhaps, he will be able to buy his family food for the winter. But, when a baby dragon hatches out of the stone, Eragon realises he’s stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. His simple life is shattered, and he’s thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. To navigate this dark terrain, and survive his cruel king’s evil ways, he must take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders. Will he succeed? The fate of the Empire rests in his hands. . .

Read more less

Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked - but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all - the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness-But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

Read more less

THE SECOND BOOK IN THE TIFFANY ACHING SERIESSomething is coming after Tiffany. . . Tiffany Aching is ready to begin her apprenticeship in magic, but life isn't exactly what she thought it would be. She expects spells and magic – not chores and ill-tempered goats! Surely there must be more to witchcraft than this?And Tiffany will find that she needs her magic more than ever, to fight off the insidious, disembodied creature that is pursuing her. This time, neither Mistress Weatherwax (the greatest witch in the world) nor the fierce, six-inch-high Wee Free Men can protect her. In the end, it will take all of Tiffany's inner strength to save herself. Will she succeed?

Read more less

AN INSTANT TOP TEN BESTSELLER!'Next-level domestic suspense - even the twists have twists. I loved it - Andrea Mara is a star.' Lee ChildClose your eyes.The game of hide and seek is over, but little Lily Murphy hasn't been found. Her parents try to stay positive, but they know this peaceful Dublin suburb will never be the same again.Count to ten.Years later, Joanna moves into a new house. It seems perfect in every way, until she learns that Lily Murphy used to live here.And when you open them, your child is gone.Because Joanna thinks she knows what really happened to Lily - and if the truth gets out, it might be her undoing...'Original, clever, and unputdownable.' Sarah Pearse'A relentless, twisting page-turner, Hide and Seek delves deeply into every parent's worst nightmare. A first-class thriller.' Chris Whitaker**Don't miss No One Saw A Thing, the gripping, twisty new thriller from Andrea Mara, available to pre-order now!**READERS LOVE HIDE AND SEEK!'Andrea Mara is the Queen of the Unexpected Twist. Not to mention excelling in creating an attention-grabbing hook to ensure that the reader's attention is 'hooked' from the opening page...' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I loved, loved, LOVED this book! A fast-paced thriller with twists that you never see coming!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Andrea Mara has done it again, bringing a sense of dread and suspense to any parent who flicks though her books...!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I loved this book. From the very first page I was gripped by a fast paced & gripping storyline. This is excellently written & has plenty of twists and turns. Not to be missed!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Wow, I absolutely bloody loved this extremely well-written, cleverly plotted mystery/thriller that had me hooked in and captivated from the spine-chilling opening sentence right through to the satisfying concluding dash of poetic justice.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I honestly think it's her best book yet. From the very start I was completely gripped by the story, and I couldn't put this book down. This is an unputdownable crime thriller thick with suspense and intrigue. A massive 5?? read for me.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'This was for me perhaps her best thriller yet.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐Praise for Andrea Mara:'Grips from the first page and keeps upping the stakes . . . I didn't predict any of the twists and turns.' Sarah Pearse, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium'Sharp, sophisticated, and full of suspense.' Cara Hunter'Andrea Mara's tight plotting and convincing characterisation make her books both compelling and intriguing.' Liz Nugent

Read more less

From the bestselling author of Normandy '44 and Sicily '43, a brilliant new history of the last days of the war'Seldom is war so vividly described...An assault on the senses...Painful to read, impossible to put down' Gerard DeGroot, The Times'Epic and moving...Holland brings this cramped universe vividly to life' Patrick Bishop, Daily TelegraphIt took a certain type of courage to serve in a tank in the Second World War. Encased in steel, surrounded by highly explosive shells, a big and slow-moving target, every crew member was utterly vulnerable to enemy attack from all sides. Living - and dying - in a tank was a brutal way to fight a war.The Sherwood Rangers were one of the great tank regiments. They had learned their trade the hard way, in the burning deserts of North Africa. From D-Day onwards, they were in the thick of the action til the war's end. They and their Sherman tanks covered thousands of miles and endured some of the fiercest fighting in Western Europe. Their engagements stretch from the Normandy beaches to the bridges at Eindhoven. They were the first British unit into Germany, grinding across the Siegfried Line and on into the Nazi heartland.Through compelling eye-witness testimony and James Holland's expert analysis, Brothers In Arms brings to vivid life the final bloody scramble across Europe and gives the most powerful account to date of what it was really like to fight in the dying days of World War Two.

Read more less

'Shari expertly traps you, confounds you and leaves you gasping at the end. More, please...' FIONA BARTON Why would you run scared from a happy home? You're waiting for your beloved husband to get home from work. You're making dinner, looking forward to hearing about his day. That's the last thing you remember. You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town. The police suspect you were up to no good. But your husband refuses to believe it. Your best friend isn't so sure. And even you don't know what to believe . . . *****Praise for Shari Lapena:'I thought the read-it-in-one-sitting thing was a cliché. Not any more.' LINWOOD BARCLAY 'Entirely compelling, utterly realistic. You will not see the twists coming.' Daily Mail 'Meticulously crafted and razor sharp.' HARLAN COBEN'A twisty, utterly riveting tale.' TESS GERRITSEN 'Shari Lapena furnishes a clever array of motives and suspects. The tension is high and remains to the last, stunning page.' The Times 'Tense. Unpredictable. Unputdownable. Shari's novels are domestic noir at its finest' SIMON KERNICK 'Smart, twisty thriller . . . It's taut, intelligent and compelling' Heat 

Read more less

The book behind the Amazon Prime and BBC Series starring David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm and Benedict Cumberbatch'Ridiculously inventive and gloriously funny' Guardian What if, for once, the predictions are right, and the Apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea? It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse. And then there's the small matter that someone appears to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .What readers are saying about Good Omens:***** 'A superb recipe for disaster. I didn't stop grinning from beginning to end.'***** 'Both Gaiman and Pratchett are great authors and they complement each other brilliantly'***** 'Superbly enjoyable read. Seamlessly co-written.'

Read more less

'A remarkable book' The Independent'... a revelatory read.' The GuardianWhat readers are saying:***** 'A lot more than just the diet Djokovic follows. It's about his whole approach to life'***** 'Revolutionised my diet. A year on, I feel like a different person and much healthier'In Serve to Win, Djokovic recounts how he survived the bombing of Belgrade, rising from a war-torn childhood to the top tier of his sport. He also reveals the diet that transformed his health and pushed him to the pinnacle.While Djokovic loved and craved bread, pasta and the pizza from his family's restaurant, he discovered that his body couldn't process wheat.A player once plagued by aches, breathing difficulties and injuries on court suddenly became the number-one tennis player in the world simply by changing what he ate. Eliminating gluten made him feel instantly better, clearer, lighter and quicker. His new physical health and mental focus enabled him to achieve his two childhood dreams: to win Wimbledon and to be ranked the world's number-one tennis player.He has gone on to win 22 Grand Slams, crediting his diet with making this possible.Djokovic challenges you to try his way of eating for just 14 days. He provides weekly menus and easy-to-prepare recipes that will help you lose weight and find your way to a better you. You don't need to be a professional athlete to start living and feeling better. A trimmer, stronger, healthier you is just two weeks away.

Read more less

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK FOR SPRING 2017When the body of a young girl is found hanging from a tree, the only clue the police have is an airline tag around her neck. It reads ‘I’m travelling alone’.In response, police investigator Holger Munch is immediately charged with assembling a special homicide unit. But to complete the team, he must track down his former partner, Mia Krüger – a brilliant but troubled detective – who has retreated to a solitary island with plans to kill herself.Reviewing the file, Mia finds something new – a thin line carved into the dead girl’s fingernail: the number 1. She knows that this is only the beginning. To save other children from the same fate, she must find a way to cast aside her own demons and stop this murderer from becoming a serial killer.PRAISE FOR I'M TRAVELLING ALONE:'Terrific . . . Intelligent and gripping . . . May well propel [Bjork] to deserved international fame.' The Times'This is a simply terrific debut. The characters are completely believable, the plot is scalpel sharp and, as the hunt escalates, it will frighten the wits out of you in an utterly brilliant way.' Sunday Mirror‘Tense, thrilling and genuinely scary.’ Heat‘Perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series and Danish crime drama The Bridge.’ Crime Scene Magazine'Samuel Bjork’s formidable I’m Travelling Alone is despatched with real élan . . . Mia’s confrontation with both her own demons and a very human one is mesmerising fare.' Independent‘The latest Norwegian crime-writing sensation.’ Sunday TimesSamuel Bjork’s latest novel The Boy in the Headlights is out now

Read more less

Sergeant Andy McNab recounts the story of the top secret mission that would reveal the secrets of the SAS to the world for the first time.Their location: IraqTheir mission: to sever a vital enemy underground communication link, to find and destroy mobile Scud launchersTheir call sign: Bravo Two ZeroWhen eight members of the elite SAS regiment embark on a highly covert operation, they are each laden with 15 stones of equipment, needing to tab 20km across the desert to reach their objective. But within days, their location is compromised. They engage in a fierce battle. They escape on foot to the Syrian border. Three men die. One escapes.But four men are captured. For them, the worst is yet to come. Delivered to Baghdad, they are tortured with a savagery for which not even their intensive SAS training has prepared them…This is a story of superhuman courage, strength, endurance and dark humour in the face of overwhelming odds. It shows just how much it takes to be a member of the SAS.‘The best account yet of the SAS in action’ Sunday Times‘One of the best books to emerge from the first Gulf War … Magnificent’ Independent on Sunday

Read more less

*NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS AND FELICITY JONES*Florence: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city. Only Langdon’s knowledge of the hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.With only a few lines from Dante’s Inferno to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the Renaissance’s most celebrated artworks to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat…Origin, the spellbinding new Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, is out now

Read more less

'Has the energy of The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the inventiveness of Alice in Wonderland' Sunday TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . OH, THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE STOCKING THAT MAKES A NOISE, said Death, OTHERWISE WHAT IS 4:30 A.M. FOR?Superstition makes things work in the Discworld and undermining it can have Consequences. It's just not right to find Death creeping down chimneys and trying to say Ho Ho Ho . . . It's the last night of the year, the time is turning, and if Susan, Gothic governess and Death's granddaughter (sort of), doesn't sort everything out by morning, there won't be a morning. Ever again . . . The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Hogfather is the fourth book in the Death series; a festive feast of darkness (but with jolly robots and tinsel too).

Read more less

BOOK 1 OF THE BELGARIAD, the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by one of the godfathers of the tradition. Discover the epic stories that inspired generations of fantasy writers - from Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle to George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.A battle is coming......And in that battle shall be decided the fate of the worldMyths tell of the ancient wars of Gods and men, and a powerful object – the Orb – that ended the bloodshed. As long as it was held by the line of Riva, it would assure the peace. But a dark force has stolen the Orb, and the prophecies tell of war. Young farm boy Garion knows nothing of myth or fate. But then the mysterious Old Storyteller visits his aunt, and they embark on a sudden journey. Pursued by evil forces, with only a small band of companions they can trust, Garion begins to doubt all he thought he knew...

Read more less

‘A minor masterpiece. I laughed so much I fell from my armchair’ Time OutThe Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .'Anything you do in the past changes the future. The tiniest little actions have huge consequences. You might tread on an ant now and it might entirely prevent someone from being born in the future.'The Discworld's most inept wizard has found himself on the Discworld’s last continent, a completely separate creation.It's hot. It's dry . . . very dry. There was this thing once called The Wet, which no one believes in. Practically everything that's not poisonous is venomous. But it's the best bloody place in the world, all right?And in a few days, it will be except . . . Who is this hero striding across the red desert? Champion sheep shearer, horse rider, road warrior, beer drinker, bush ranger, and someone who'll even eat a Meat Pie Floater when he's sober? A man in a hat whose luggage follows him on little legs, who's about to change history by preventing a swagman stealing a jumbuck by a billabong?Yes . . . all this place has between itself and wind-blown doom is Rincewind, the inept wizard who can't even spell wizard. Still . . . no worries, eh?The Discworld novels can be read in any order but The Last Continent is the sixth book in the Wizards series.

Read more less

'You ride along on his tide of outlandish invention, realising that you are in the presence of a true original' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Trousers. That's the secret...Put on trousers and the world changes. We walk different. We act different. I see these girls and I think: idiots! Get yourself some trousers!' Women belong in the kitchen - everyone knows that. Not in jobs, pubs or indeed trousers, and certainly not on the front line. Nonetheless, Polly Perks has to become a boy in a hurry if she wants to find her missing brother in the army. Cutting off her hair and wearing the trousers is easy. Learning to fart and belch in public and walk like an ape takes more time.There’s a war on. There's always a war on, and Polly and her fellow raw recruits are suddenly in the thick of it. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. It's time to make a stand. The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Monstrous Regiment is a standalone novel.

Read more less

'Generous, amusing and the ideal boarding point for those who have never visited Discworld' Sunday TelegraphThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Neighbours... hah. People'd live for ages side by side, nodding at one another amicably on their way to work, and then some trivial thing would happen and someone would be having a garden fork removed from their ear.'When the neighbours in question are the proud empires of Klatch and Ankh-Morpork, those are going to be some pretty large garden tools indeed. Of course, no-one would dream of starting a war without a perfectly good reason...such as a 'strategic' piece of old rock in the middle of nowhere.It is after all every citizen's right to bear arms to defend their own. Even if it isn't technically their own. And even if they don't have much in the way of actual weaponry. As two armies march, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch faces unpleasant foes who are out to get him... and that's just the people on his side. The enemy might be even worse.

Read more less

'Precisely balanced . . . a cracking comic thriller' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . 'Well, he thought, so this is diplomacy. It's lying, only for a better class of people. They say that diplomacy is a gentle art. That mastering it is a lifetime's work. But you do need a certain inclination in that direction. It's not something you can just pick up on the job.A few days ago Sam Vimes was a copper - an important copper, true - chief of police - but still, at his core, a policeman. But today he is an ambassador - to the mysterious, fat-rich country of Uberwald. Today, Sam Vimes is also a man on the run.At some point during his ambassadorship, things went very wrong. It's snowing. It's freezing. And if Vimes can't make it through the forest, with only his wits and the gloomy trousers of Uncle Vanya (don't ask), there's going to be a terrible war.There are monsters on his trail. They're bright. They're fast. They're werewolves - and they're catching up.

Read more less

'Funny, wise and mock heroic . . . The funniest and best crafted book I have read all year' Sunday ExpressThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .'What's so hard about pulling a sword out of a stone? The real work's already been done. You ought to make yourself useful and find the man who put the sword in the stone in the first place.'The City Watch needs MEN! But what it's got includes Corporal Carrot (technically a dwarf), Lance-constable Cuddy (really a dwarf), Lance-constable Detritus (a troll), Lance-constable Angua (a woman... most of the time) and Corporal Nobbs (disqualified from the human race for shoving).And they need all the help they can get, because someone in Ankh-Morpork has been getting dangerous ideas - about crowns and legendary swords, and destiny.And the problem with destiny is, of course, that she is not always careful where she points her finger. One minute you might be minding your own business on a normal if not spectacular career path, the next you might be in the frame for the big job, like saving the world . . .

Read more less

‘Funny, delightfully inventive, and refuses to lie down in its genre’ ObserverThe Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .There is a curse. They say: may you live in interesting times.’May you live in interesting times’ is the worst thing one can wish on a citizen of Discworld, especially on the distinctly unmagical Rincewind, who has had far too much perilous excitement in his life and can’t even spell wizard. So when a request for a ;Great Wizzard; arrives in Ankh-Morpork via carrier albatross from the faraway Counterweight Continent, it's the endlessly unlucky Rincewind who's sent as emissary. The oldest (and most heavily fortified) empire on the Disc is in turmoil, and Chaos is building. And, for some incomprehensible reason, someone believes Rincewind will have a mythic role in the ensuing war and wholesale bloodletting. There are too many heroes already in the world, but there is only one Rincewind. And he owes it to the world to keep that one alive for as long as possible.The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Interesting Times is the fifth book in the Wizards series.

Read more less

'Look after the dead', said the priests, 'and the dead will look after you.'Wise words in all probability, but a tall order when, like Teppic, you have just become the pharaoh of a small and penniless country rather earlier than expected, and your treasury is unlikely to stretch to the building of a monumental pyramid to honour your dead father. He’d had the best education money could buy of course, but unfortunately the syllabus at the Assassin's Guild in Ankh-Morpork did not cover running a kingdom and basic financial acumen...

Read more less

'His spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction' Mail on SundayNAMED AS ONE OF THE BBC'S 100 MOST INSPIRING NOVELS The Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . In the beginning there was…a turtle.Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place which might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different. Particularly as it’s carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules.But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc’s very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world’s first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land.Unfortunately, the person charged with maintaining that survival in the face of robbers, mercenaries and, well, Death, is a spectacularly inept wizard…The Discworld novels can be read in any order but The Colour of Magic is the first book in the Wizards series.

Read more less

‘Persistently amusing, good-hearted and shrewd’ The Sunday Times The Discworld is very much like our own – if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not half so bad as a lot of ignorance. The last thing the wizard Drum Billet did, before Death laid a bony hand on his shoulder, was to pass on his staff of power to the eighth son of an eighth son. Unfortunately for his colleagues in the chauvinistic (not to say misogynistic) world of magic, he failed to check that the baby in question was a son. Everybody knows that there's no such thing as a female wizard. But now it's gone and happened, there's nothing much anyone can do about it.Let the battle of the sexes begin . . . The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Equal Rites is the first book in the Witches series.

Read more less

'This is one of Pratchett's best books. Hilarious and highly recommended' The TimesThe Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . .'It was the usual Ankh-Morpork mob in times of crisis; half of them were here to complain, a quarter of them were here to watch the other half, and the remainder were here to rob, importune or sell hotdogs to the rest.'Insurrection is in the air in the city of Ankh-Morpork. The Haves and Have-Nots are about to fall out all over again.Captain Sam Vimes of the city's ramshackle Night Watch is used to this. It's enough to drive a man to drink. Well, to drink more. But this time, something is different - the Have-Nots have found the key to a dormant, lethal weapon that even they don't fully understand, and they're about to unleash a campaign of terror on the city.Time for Captain Vimes to sober up.

Read more less

When the National Security Agency's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage - not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence.Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves...Origin, the spellbinding new Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, is out now

Read more less

NOW A MAJOR TELEVISION SERIES The Capitol Building, Washington DC: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon believes he is here to give a lecture. He is wrong. Within minutes of his arrival, a shocking object is discovered. It is a gruesome invitation into an ancient world of hidden wisdom.When Langdon's mentor, Peter Solomon - prominent mason and philanthropist - is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving his friend's life is to accept this mysterious summons.It is to take him on a breathless chase through Washington's dark history. All that was familiar is changed into a shadowy, mythical world in which Masonic secrets and never-before-seen revelations seem to be leading him to a single impossible and inconceivable truth...Origin, the spellbinding new Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, is out now

Read more less

Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat.. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this."Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants" - THE TIMES"Do yourself a favour and read ANYTHING by this Author, you won't be sorry" -- ***** Reader review"A real page turner" -- ***** Reader review"Delightful reading, well written, and wonderful characters, and Dragons! Lots of Dragons! Bliss!" -- ***** Reader review"A brilliant read" -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************A YOUNG GIRL'S DESTINY AWAITS...Every two hundred years or so, shimmering Threads fall from space, raining death and black ruin on Pern. The great dragons of Pern hurl themselves through the beleagured skies, flaming tongues of fire to destroy deadly Thread and save the Planet.But it was not Threadfall that made young Menolly unhappy. It was her father who betrayed her ambition to be a Harper, who thwarted her love of music. Menolly had no choice but to run away.When, suddenly, she came upon a group of fire lizards, wild and smaller relatives of the fire-breathing dragons, she let her music swirl around them and taught nine of them to sing.Suddenly Menolly was no longer alone -- she was Mistress of Music and Ward of the dazzling fire dragons.The Dragonriders of Pern series continues in Dragonsinger.

Read more less

Cherished by millions of readers, this #1 New York Times bestselling novel is a powerful tale of perseverance and hope. Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park interweaves the stories of two Sudanese children who overcome mortal dangers to improve their lives and the lives of others.A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay.Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's in an astonishing and moving way. Includes an afterword by author Linda Sue Park and the real-life Salva Dut, on whom the novel is based, and who went on to found Water for South Sudan.

Read more less

The renowned British primatologist continues the "engrossing account" of her time among the chimpanzees of Gombe, Tanzania (Publishers Weekly).In her classic, In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall wrote of her first ten years at Gombe. In Through a Window she continues the story, painting a more complete and vivid portrait of our closest relatives. On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe is a community where the principal residents are chimpanzees. Through Goodall's eyes we watch young Figan's relentless rise to power and old Mike's crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed and another dooms hers to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths. As Goodall compellingly tells the story of this intimately intertwined community, we are shown human emotions stripped to their essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected."A humbling and exalting book . . . Ranks with the great scientific achievements of the twentieth century."--Washington Post "[An] absolutely smashing account . . . Thrilling, affectionate, intelligent--a classic."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Read more less

A beguiling novel that does for contemporary Kenya and its 1,000 species of birds what Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies Detective series does for Botswana For the past three years, the widower Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Reserved and honorable, Malik wouldn't be noticed by a bystander in a Nairobi street--except perhaps to comment on his carefully sculpted combover. But beneath that unprepossessing exterior lies a warm heart and a secret passion. But just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), who should pop up but his nemesis from his school days. The jokester Harry Khan, good-looking in a flashy way and quick of foot, has also become enraptured with the object of Malik's affection. So begins the competition cooked up by fellow members of the Asadi club: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week's time gets the privilege of asking Ms. Mbikwa to the ball. Set against the lush Kenyan landscape rich with wildlife and political intrigue, this irresistible novel has been sold in eight countries and is winning fans worldwide.

Read more less