tiny epic

From the #1 bestselling creators of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo comes a touching tale of adventure and friendship that proves even the smallest creatures can have a big impact. A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST PICTURE BOOK OF THE CENTURY When a tiny snail meets a humpback whale, the two travel together to far-off lands. It's a dream come true for the snail, who has never left home before. But when the whale swims too close to shore, will the snail be able to save her new friend? With vibrant illustrations and rhymes that are both playful and lyrical, The Snail and the Whale is an epic exploration into the beauty of this world, and a powerful reminder that love comes in all shapes and sizes.

So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and an astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic. Middlesex won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

This luxurious, large-format gift edition presents Charles Dickens'' best-loved Christmas stories, featuring gold cover embossing and stunning, illustrated page edges. A time of charity and choir, cosy gatherings around the fire, time spent with friends and family, and snow on the ground. All of these festive traditions along with many others were cemented in the public conscience by Charles Dickens'' Christmas stories. This collection contains five of Dickens'' best-loved Christmas stories: The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man, The Chimes, and the best-known and most-treasured of all, A Christmas Carol. Join Tiny Tim, the Crotchet family, Ebenezer Scrooge, and a menagerie of wonderfully realised characters on this festive journey and remind yourself of the true meaning of Christmas. Part of the Arcturus Epic Classics series, this edition also features over 40 classic illustrations by John Leech, John Tenniel and others, as well as a a detailed introduction to Dickens'' life and Christmas stories, written by George Davidson. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Epic Classics brings together stunning hardback gift editions of classic works, presented with striking illustrated page edges and illustrated throughout by such greats as Gustave Doré and Harry Clarke.

Don't miss a moment of the How to Train Your Dragon series, the bestselling, funny, action-packed books that inspired the hit movies! The story begins when Hiccup, his friend Fishlegs, and his cranky dragon Toothless get separated from their class during Boarding-an-Enemy-Ship practice. They accidentally board a prowling Roman galley intent on provoking war. When they rescue a tiny nanodragon, they uncover a plot to steal every dragon on the Isle of Berk! This is just the start to an epic adventure that will have kids laughing from start to finish, and shines with Cressida Cowell's trademark blend of action, humor, heart, and engaging illustrations.

Fans of comics, and heartwarming stories--not to mention cats!--will love Kitten Ninja, the origin story of the incredible Cat Ninja! Before Cat Ninja grew up and became Metro City's greatest defender, he was tiny, adorable Kitten Ninja and he battled...much tinier foes. (Hey, everybody has to start somewhere, right?) In this spin-off prequel to the enormously popular Epic Original Cat Ninja series, our favorite feline hero takes on everything a kitten-size ninja has to battle on the way to his heroic destiny: a sun spot that won't stay put, an irresistible ball of yarn, and--every cat's archenemy--snow! 2025 CBC Teacher Favorites Winner

This luxurious, large-format gift edition presents Charles Dickens'' best-loved Christmas stories, featuring gold cover embossing and stunning, illustrated page edges. A time of charity and choir, cosy gatherings around the fire, time spent with friends and family, and snow on the ground. All of these festive traditions along with many others were cemented in the public conscience by Charles Dickens'' Christmas stories. This collection contains five of Dickens'' best-loved Christmas stories: The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man, The Chimes, and the best-known and most-treasured of all, A Christmas Carol. Join Tiny Tim, the Crotchet family, Ebenezer Scrooge, and a menagerie of wonderfully realised characters on this festive journey and remind yourself of the true meaning of Christmas. Part of the Arcturus Epic Classics series, this edition also features over 40 classic illustrations by John Leech, John Tenniel and others, as well as a a detailed introduction to Dickens'' life and Christmas stories, written by George Davidson. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Epic Classics brings together stunning hardback gift editions of classic works, presented with striking illustrated page edges and illustrated throughout by such greats as Gustave Doré and Harry Clarke.

Wednesday meets Loki in this hilarious adventure series from debut author Louise Austin. Perfect for listeners of 8 to 12.Come on a fang-tastic adventure! I'm Alex Abbott. I was a completely ordinary kid until I accidentally got turned into a vampire. I have cool powers, but they're seriously not worth it, because I have to:1. Keep the powers secret, even from my best friends (nightmare)2. Still go to school every day (thanks, Mum and Dad)3. Never eat chips or ice-cream ever again (the WORST)Actually, that's not the worst. Trying to find a cure, I blundered into the supernatural world, broke an ancient pact and extinguished 32 tiny fire sprites (my bad). Now I'm on an epic quest to right those wrongs and make a deal with an ancient Sicilian fire demon to get my life back. What could possibly go wrong . . .?

A number one bestseller in the UK, this captivating and epic tale of family ties, romance, war, disease, and history is set on the beautiful Greek Island of Crete. On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding plans a trip to her mother's childhood home in Plaka, Greece hoping to unravel Sofia's hidden past. Given a letter to take to Sofia's old friend, Fotini, Alexis is promised that through Fotini, she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga—Greece's former leper colony. Fotini at last reveals the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters, and a family rent by tragedy, war, and passion. Alexis discovers how intimately her family is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip. Atmospheric and captivating, The Island transports readers and keeps them gripped to the very last word.

The breathtaking new novel from the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Midnight House. 'I just loved this sweeping and deeply moving book of dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE 'A page-turning mystery, richly layered and irresistible' CARMEL HARRINGTON 'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE As epic as the landscape it so vividly describes, The Glass Key will take you on a journey that will stay with you for ever... Readers are enthralled! 'I loved this book so much' 'I simply adored it' 'A very moving and emotional novel with a thumping good plot' 'I am still wiping away the tears of emotion after finishing this wonderful book' 'What a beautifully written story, secrets, mystery and emotion' 'This book was amazing' 'If stories of strong women are your thing, this book is for you' 'Will appeal to readers who enjoy the The Lake House and The Nightingale' --------- In Ireland, Maggie has grown up hearing her mother tell her the bedtime story of The Glass Key. It's a Nordic fairytale passed down by Maggie's grandmother Anna Swan, who mysteriously left her home one stormy night years ago, never to return. Now Maggie's grandfather has died and going through his things, Maggie is shocked to discover a faded wartime letter, asking him to take in a baby. In that moment she realises that Anna Swan was a woman of many secrets. Only by travelling to Norway and discovering the story of four brave young women whose lives were forever changed by the occupation of their tiny islands, can Maggie uncover the shocking truth about her family - and finally unlock the mystery of the glass key... 'You can taste the salt air and bathe in the glow of the Northern Lights' KATE QUINN 'What a journey! So evocative...my heart was broken several times over' KAREN SWAN 'A captivating story that unlocks an emotional doorway to the past' EVIE WOODS 'Epic, emotional and immersive. One of those books I wanted to savour' LOUISE DOUGLAS 'Brimming with mystery, family secrets and heart' MADELINE MARTIN 'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY

An epic and imaginative historical novel, based on the true story of the wrecked Batavia from the Costa Award-winner and twice BBC Radio 2 Book Club author1628. Embarking on a journey in search of her father, a young girl called Mayken boards the Batavia, the most impressive sea vessel of the age. During the long voyage, this curious and resourceful child must find her place in the ships busy world, and she soon uncovers shadowy secrets above and below deck. As tensions spiral, the fate of the ship and all on board becomes increasingly uncertain.1989. Gil, a boy mourning the death of his mother, is placed in the care of his irritable and reclusive grandfather. Their home is a shack on a tiny fishing island off the Australian coast, notable only for its reefs and wrecked boats. This is no place for a child struggling with a dark past and Gils actions soon get him noticed by the wrong people.The Night Ship is an enthralling tale of human brutality, providence and friendship, and of two children, hundreds of years apart, whose fates are inextricably bound together.

The stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947 liberated 400 million Indians from the British Empire. One of the defining moments of world history had been brought about by a tiny number of people, including Jawaharlal Nehru, the fiery prime minister-to-be; Gandhi, the mystical figure who enthralled a nation; and Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, the glamorous but unlikely couple who had been dispatched to get Britain out of India without delay. Within hours of the midnight chimes, however, the two new nations of India and Pakistan would descend into anarchy and terror. INDIAN SUMMERdepicts the epic sweep of events that ripped apart the greatest empire the world has ever seen, and reveals the secrets of the most powerful players on the world stage: the Cold War conspiracies, the private deals, and the intense and clandestine love affair between the wife of the last viceroy and the first prime minister of free India. With wit, insight and a sharp eye for detail, Alex von Tunzelmann relates how a handful of people changed the world for ever.

_________________________ A sweeping, epic novel of the greatest city in the world. From the empty grandeur of the New World to the skyscrapers of the City that Never Sleeps, from the intimate detail of lives long forgotten to those lived today at breakneck speed, Edward Rutherfurd's acclaimed novel is a true epic. The novel begins with a tiny Indian fishing village and the Dutch traders who first carved out their hopes amidst the splendour of the wilderness. The British settlers and merchants followed, with their aristocratic governors and unpopular taxation which led to rebellion, war, the burning of the city and the birth of the American Nation. Yet a country that had already rent itself asunder once did so again over slavery. As the country fought its bloody Civil War, the city was torn apart by deadly riots. Hopes and dreams, greed and corruption - they have always been the companions of freedom and opportunity in the city's teeming streets. As the immigrant ships berthed next to Ellis Island in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, they poured more and more Germans, Irish, Italians and Jews into the churning ethnic mix of the city. Deals were struck, politicians corrupted, men bought or assassinated, heiresses wooed, fortunes were speculated on Wall Street and men became rich beyond the dreams of avarice. The heady seesaw of wealth and poverty was seen in the Roaring Twenties and the Great Crash, the city's future symbolised by its buildings which literally touched the sky: the Empire State, the Chrysler Building, the Twin Towers. Rutherfurd tells this irresistible story through a cast of fictional and true characters whose fates interweave in the rise and fall, fall and rise of the city's fortunes. It is the story of how in four centuries New York became the envy of the world. And in telling the story through the lens of New York, Rutherfurd brings the story of America itself to unforgettable life in this epic masterpiece.

INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! “An epic fantasy odyssey begins.” — Entertainment Weekly "A richly rendered world . . . Kaner writes action that's both fun and intelligible . . . If "The Last of Us" didn't slake your thirst for stories of a grizzled fighter taking a tough kid on the road, then Godkiller should be your jam.” — Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post Enter a land of gods and monsters, soldiers and mercenaries, secrets and wishes—the explosive #1 internationally bestselling epic fantasy debut in a new trilogy for fans of The Witcher and Gideon the Ninth Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows. As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, this morally grey hero makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too. Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, this unlikely found family must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it. “Godkiller will have you in its grasp from the first pages. . . An extraordinary journey.” — Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree "Beautifully imagined and intensely felt . . . Godkiller is a bone-rattling fantasy thriller that flies by in a breathtaking rush." — Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Locke & Key "Epic and intimate, tender and sharp, Godkiller is a triumph of storytelling." — Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

A sweeping and vivid novel inspired by the life of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, the illustrator behind the famed Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck--featuring line drawings from the iconic cards. "Pixie". I like it. "Pixie Pamela". It's a good name for me: sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone. It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but skeptical of the world around her. After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination. In Pixie, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.

INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! “An epic fantasy odyssey begins.” — Entertainment Weekly "A richly rendered world . . . Kaner writes action that's both fun and intelligible . . . If "The Last of Us" didn't slake your thirst for stories of a grizzled fighter taking a tough kid on the road, then Godkiller should be your jam.” — Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post Enter a land of gods and monsters, soldiers and mercenaries, secrets and wishes—the explosive #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut in a new trilogy for fans of The Witcher and Gideon the Ninth Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows. As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child's soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can't kill it without ending the girl's life too. Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it. “Godkiller will have you in its grasp from the first pages. . . An extraordinary journey.” — Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree "Beautifully imagined and intensely felt . . . Godkiller is a bone-rattling fantasy thriller that flies by in a breathtaking rush." — Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Locke & Key "Epic and intimate, tender and sharp, Godkiller is a triumph of storytelling." — Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf

An incredible immersive novel in words and pictures by Brian Selznick, a love letter to the natural world. Big Tree follows two tiny sycamore seeds, Louise and Merwin, as they try to save the world while searching for a safe place to grow. In the spirit of such timeless classics as Charlotte's Web, The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, Big Tree is a fast-paced epic adventure that takes readers on a mesmerizing journey from the prehistoric age to present day. It is filled with mystery and danger, humour, heart, and hope, and will captivate readers ages seven and up. Selznick creates a vivid fantastical world rooted in science, a cast of unforgettable original characters, and an exquisite escapade that takes readers on a mesmerising journey from prehistory through the meteoric transformation of Earth to present day. Big Tree is a tour de force from an ingenious creator at the top of his creative form. This story began as an original idea from film legend Steven Spielberg, and his production company has the film rights. A page-turning adventure with wonderful characters, about how even the smallest can make an impact and save our world Brian's first book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, was the winner of the esteemed Caldecott Medal , the first novel to do so, as the Caldecott Medal is for picture books & made into a feature length film, HUGO, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Jude Law

The Irish answer to Taylor Jenkins Reid - heartfelt, stylish, and impossible to put down' Louise O'Neill From London to Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo, this is a story of friendship, ambition, passion - and something more. London, 2005 Behind the unmarked door of Love and Death, a tiny speakeasy in East London, Robbie Saunders and El Tippett are cocktail-making stars on the rise. Locked in a volatile dance of rivalry and chemistry, they can't decide how they feel about each other. And, as the as the city transforms itself, and the bar's legend grows, it all begins to unravel. Yet something indefinable keeps drawing Robbie and El back together. Over the years that follow, one unexpected, ill-advised, and utterly glorious late night after another, can they put aside professional betrayals to build something brand new? ' Charming and gripping ' MARIAN KEYES 'As seductive and smoky as the cult venues it depicts, I love Niamh's dry wit and observational skill , and the epic sweep of El and Robbie's connection across the years feels so cinematic ' MHAIRI McFARLANE READERS GIVE IT 5 STARS: 'Nothing Good Happens After 2AM is to cocktail making what TJR's Atmosphere is to space travel, or Carrie Soto is to tennis' ' Heartfelt , atmospheric , and full of flavour ' ' Daisy Jones x Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow x Deep Cuts x The Favourites . If you like any of those four books, or travel, or cocktails, you'll love this ' 'What an absolutely gorgeous book

New York Times Bestseller Gregory Maguire’s stunning saga set in the world of Oz comes full circle in the unforgettable conclusion to the Wicked Years epic fantasy series which started with Wicked, the multimillion-copy bestseller and basis for the #1 smash hit movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Bestselling author Gregory Maguire’s remarkable series, The Wicked Years, comes full circle with this, his fourth and final excursion in his dark Oz reimagining across a richer, more complex landscape of “the magical land of Oz.” In this compelling political fantasy, Out of Oz brilliantly reimagines L. Frank Baum’s world over the rainbow as wracked with social unrest—placing Glinda the good witch under house arrest and having the Cowardly Lion on the lam from the law as the Emerald City prepares to make a brutal civil war on Munchkinland. Amid all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now Rain will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war. Even Dorothy Gale makes a triumphant return in Maguire’s magnificent Oz finale—tying up every loose green end of the series he began with his classic Wicked, the basis for the smash hit Broadway musical.

Middlesex is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. A dazzling triumph from the bestselling author of The Virgin Suicides--the astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl. "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver's license...records my first name simply as Cal." So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

New York Times Bestseller Gregory Maguire’s stunning saga set in the world of Oz comes full circle in the unforgettable conclusion to the Wicked Years epic fantasy series which started with Wicked, the multimillion-copy bestseller and basis for the #1 smash hit movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Bestselling author Gregory Maguire’s remarkable series, The Wicked Years, comes full circle with this, his fourth and final excursion in his dark Oz reimagining across a richer, more complex landscape of “the magical land of Oz.” In this compelling political fantasy, Out of Oz brilliantly reimagines L. Frank Baum’s world over the rainbow as wracked with social unrest—placing Glinda the good witch under house arrest and having the Cowardly Lion on the lam from the law as the Emerald City prepares to make a brutal civil war on Munchkinland. Amid all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now Rain will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war. Even Dorothy Gale makes a triumphant return in Maguire’s magnificent Oz finale—tying up every loose green end of the series he began with his classic Wicked, the basis for the smash hit Broadway musical.

***THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** TEMPTRESS. MONSTER. WARRIOR. The ultimate female rage fantasy, Aicha is a fierce and devastatingly powerful romantic epic fantasy perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and She Who Became the Sun . The Portuguese flag has been planted across Morocco, its empire ruling with an iron fist. But eventually, all empires must fall. Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, was born for battle. She has witnessed the death of her people, their starvation and torture at the hands of the occupiers, and it has awakened an anger within her. An anger that burns hot and bright, and speaks to Aicha's soul. Only Aicha's secret lover Rachid, a rebellion leader, knows how to soothe her. But as the fight for Morocco's freedom reaches it violent climax, the creature that simmers beneath Aicha's skin begs to be unleashed. It hungers for the screams of those who have caused her pain, and it will not be ignored. Praise for Aicha: 'Aicha is a sharpened blade, swinging between the celebration of love in all its forms and unbridled anger. A ferocious debut.' Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk 'Aicha lit a whole bonfire in my belly, stole the air right out of my lungs and then left my heart in tiny little pieces. An incredible debut' Ellis Hunter, author of Blood Bound 'A heady, heart-wrenching, magnetic debut, bursting with both love and fury' Holly Race, author of Six Wild Crowns 'A debut of epic scope, Aicha instantly establishes this author as one to watch. Furious, heart-wrenching, and utterly enchanting, Aicha tells the story of a heroine unlike any other' Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, author of The Principle of Moments 'A heart-pounding and immersive read that has it all: intriguing magic, devastating romance, detailed world-building and fascinating mythology. Bouazzaoui crafts her powerful debut with gut-wrenching intricacy. A must read' Aamna Qureshi, author of The Baby Dragon Café

The Glass Key is a breathtaking, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love, loss and secrets from the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Midnight House. 'I just loved this sweeping, layered, and deeply moving book full of complex characters and dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE 'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written, layered and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE In Ireland, Maggie has grown up hearing her mother tell her the bedtime story of The Glass Key. It's a Nordic fairytale passed down by Maggie's grandmother Anna Swan, who mysteriously left her home one stormy night years ago, never to return. Now Maggie's grandfather has died and going through his things, Maggie is shocked to discover a faded wartime letter, asking him to take in a baby. In that moment she realises that Anna Swan was a woman of many secrets. Only by travelling to Norway and discovering the story of four brave young women whose lives were forever changed by the occupation of their tiny islands, can Maggie uncover the shocking truth about her family - and finally unlock the mystery of the glass key... As epic as the Norwegian landscape it so vividly describes, The Glass Key is a sweeping journey of a novel that will stay with you for ever. 'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY 'Mesmerising... the characters will sweep you away to a distant island, and leave their imprint long after you turn the last page' HAZEL GAYNOR 'I was on the edge of my seat, trying to guess how the mystery would unravel... Amanda Geard has fast become one of my favourite authors' JENNY ASHCROFT 'A magnificent story beautifully told and I can't stop thinking about it' LIZ FENWICK 'Brimming with mystery, family secrets and heart... this story will be loved by fiction readers everywhere' MADELINE MARTIN 'A tale of family secrets through the decades and a community grappling with the encroaching war, a compelling story that I looked forward to every night until I'd read the final page' HEATHER WEBB

The dystopian epic of World Made by Hand continues in a novel hailed as "Larry McMurty's Lonesome Dove, set in the dystopian world of The Road" ( New York Journal of Books). A new age has begun on Earth. Oil is no longer a resource. Some parts of America are nuclear wastelands. Civilization has devolved into a constant struggle for food, water, and shelter. In the tiny hamlet of Union Grove, New York, the US government is little more than a rumor. Wars are being fought over dwindling resources and illness has a constant presence. Bandits roam the countryside, preying on the weak and a sinister cult threatens the town's fragile stability. It is up to every citizen of Union Grove to decide what they are willing to fight for, kill for, and die for... This is a tale of humanity at its shining best and brutal worst woven together in a "suspenseful, darkly amusing story with touches of the fantastic in the mode of Washington Irving" ( Booklist). "Kunstler's postapocalyptic world is neither a merciless nightmare nor a starry-eyed return to some pastoral faux utopia; it's a hard existence dotted with adventure, revenge, mysticism, and those same human emotions that existed before the power went out." - Publishers Weekly

Bloomsbury presents Pixie by Jill Dawson, read by Kristin Atherton"Pixie". I like it. "Pixie Pamela". It's a good name for me: sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone.It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination.In Pixie, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.

***THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** TEMPTRESS. MONSTER. WARRIOR. The ultimate female rage fantasy, Aicha is a fierce and devastatingly powerful romantic epic fantasy perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and She Who Became the Sun . The Portuguese flag has been planted across Morocco, its empire ruling with an iron fist. But eventually, all empires must fall. Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, was born for battle. She has witnessed the death of her people, their starvation and torture at the hands of the occupiers, and it has awakened an anger within her. An anger that burns hot and bright, and speaks to Aicha's soul. Only Aicha's secret lover Rachid, a rebellion leader, knows how to soothe her. But as the fight for Morocco's freedom reaches it violent climax, the creature that simmers beneath Aicha's skin begs to be unleashed. It hungers for the screams of those who have caused her pain, and it will not be ignored. Praise for Aicha: 'Aicha is a sharpened blade, swinging between the celebration of love in all its forms and unbridled anger. A ferocious debut.' Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk 'Aicha lit a whole bonfire in my belly, stole the air right out of my lungs and then left my heart in tiny little pieces. An incredible debut' Ellis Hunter, author of Blood Bound 'A heady, heart-wrenching, magnetic debut, bursting with both love and fury' Holly Race, author of Six Wild Crowns 'A debut of epic scope, Aicha instantly establishes this author as one to watch. Furious, heart-wrenching, and utterly enchanting, Aicha tells the story of a heroine unlike any other' Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, author of The Principle of Moments 'A heart-pounding and immersive read that has it all: intriguing magic, devastating romance, detailed world-building and fascinating mythology. Bouazzaoui crafts her powerful debut with gut-wrenching intricacy. A must read' Aamna Qureshi, author of The Baby Dragon Café

A sweeping and vivid novel inspired by the life of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, the illustrator behind the famed Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck--featuring line drawings from the iconic cards. "Pixie". I like it. "Pixie Pamela". It's a good name for me: sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone. It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but skeptical of the world around her. After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination. In Pixie, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.

The Glass Key is a breathtaking, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love, loss and secrets from the bestselling author of the Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Midnight House. 'I just loved this sweeping, layered, and deeply moving book full of complex characters and dark secrets' SANTA MONTEFIORE 'A gorgeous novel. Beautifully written, layered and twisty. I loved it' EVE CHASE In Ireland, Maggie has grown up hearing her mother tell her the bedtime story of The Glass Key. It's a Nordic fairytale passed down by Maggie's grandmother Anna Swan, who mysteriously left her home one stormy night years ago, never to return. Now Maggie's grandfather has died and going through his things, Maggie is shocked to discover a faded wartime letter, asking him to take in a baby. In that moment she realises that Anna Swan was a woman of many secrets. Only by travelling to Norway and discovering the story of four brave young women whose lives were forever changed by the occupation of their tiny islands, can Maggie uncover the shocking truth about her family - and finally unlock the mystery of the glass key... As epic as the Norwegian landscape it so vividly describes, The Glass Key is a sweeping journey of a novel that will stay with you for ever. 'An old school epic that will have readers turning the pages long into the night' SINÉAD CROWLEY 'Mesmerising... the characters will sweep you away to a distant island, and leave their imprint long after you turn the last page' HAZEL GAYNOR 'I was on the edge of my seat, trying to guess how the mystery would unravel... Amanda Geard has fast become one of my favourite authors' JENNY ASHCROFT 'A magnificent story beautifully told and I can't stop thinking about it' LIZ FENWICK 'Brimming with mystery, family secrets and heart... this story will be loved by fiction readers everywhere' MADELINE MARTIN 'A tale of family secrets through the decades and a community grappling with the encroaching war, a compelling story that I looked forward to every night until I'd read the final page' HEATHER WEBB

In The Universe Within, Neil Shubin, one of the world's leading experts, reveals to us the extraordinary cosmic and evolutionary adventure of our own bodies. During the past 13.7 billion years (or so) since the Big Bang, our universe has evolved, stars have formed and died and our planet congealed from the matter in space. For aeons, the earth has circled the sun while mountains, seas and entire continents have come and gone. Against this epic backdrop, humanity's place in the cosmos can look tiny and insignificant. But as Neil Shubin shows in this revelatory new book, the one place where universe, solar system and planet merge is inside your body. Shubin shows how the origin of the Moon is tied to our internal body clocks; how the vast amounts of water on Earth and inside all living creatures crossed the deepest stretches of space to us; how strange fluctuations in the orbits within our solar system have led to our irregular ice-ages; and how tiny imbalances in the chaos immediately after the Big Bang can explain why matter exists at all. Delving below the earth's surface and into the frozen Arctic, exploring the smallest atomic structures and the vast reaches of space, Neil Shubin uncovers a sublimely beautiful, almost magical truth: that in every one of us lies the most profound story of all - how we and our world came to be. 'Shubin is not only a distinguished scientist, but a wonderfully lucid and elegant writer; he is an irrepressibly enthusiastic teacher ... a science writer of the first rank', Oliver Sacks Neil Shubin is a palaeontologist in the great tradition of his mentors, Ernst Mayr and Stephen Jay Gould. He has discovered fossils around the world that have changed the way we think about many of the key transitions in evolution and has pioneered a new synthesis of expeditionary palaeontology, developmental genetics and genomics. He trained at Columbia, Harvard and Berkeley and is currently a Professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago. His previous book is Your Inner Fish: The amazing discovery of our 375-million-year-old ancestor.

Middlesex is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. A dazzling triumph from the bestselling author of The Virgin Suicides--the astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl. "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day of January 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of l974. . . My birth certificate lists my name as Calliope Helen Stephanides. My most recent driver's license...records my first name simply as Cal." So begins the breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction. Lyrical and thrilling, Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex is an exhilarating reinvention of the American epic.

***THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** TEMPTRESS. MONSTER. WARRIOR. The ultimate female rage fantasy, Aicha is a fierce and devastatingly powerful romantic epic fantasy perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and She Who Became the Sun . The Portuguese flag has been planted across Morocco, its empire ruling with an iron fist. But eventually, all empires must fall. Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom-fighter, was born for battle. She has witnessed the death of her people, their starvation and torture at the hands of the occupiers, and it has awakened an anger within her. An anger that burns hot and bright, and speaks to Aicha's soul. Only Aicha's secret lover Rachid, a rebellion leader, knows how to soothe her. But as the fight for Morocco's freedom reaches it violent climax, the creature that simmers beneath Aicha's skin begs to be unleashed. It hungers for the screams of those who have caused her pain, and it will not be ignored. Praise for Aicha: 'Aicha is a sharpened blade, swinging between the celebration of love in all its forms and unbridled anger. A ferocious debut.' Eliza Chan, author of Fathomfolk 'Aicha lit a whole bonfire in my belly, stole the air right out of my lungs and then left my heart in tiny little pieces. An incredible debut' Ellis Hunter, author of Blood Bound 'A heady, heart-wrenching, magnetic debut, bursting with both love and fury' Holly Race, author of Six Wild Crowns 'A debut of epic scope, Aicha instantly establishes this author as one to watch. Furious, heart-wrenching, and utterly enchanting, Aicha tells the story of a heroine unlike any other' Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, author of The Principle of Moments 'A heart-pounding and immersive read that has it all: intriguing magic, devastating romance, detailed world-building and fascinating mythology. Bouazzaoui crafts her powerful debut with gut-wrenching intricacy. A must read' Aamna Qureshi, author of The Baby Dragon Café