Showing results by narrator "Rupert Degas" in All Categories

In this 1945 novella, barnyard animals rise up against the oppressive rule of human farmers and set about to create a better world for themselves. When two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, emerge as leaders of the new collective, a schism is created with dire implications for the erstwhile utopia. George Orwell's satirical story of Revolutionary Russia and Stalinism is a classic of anti-authoritarianism protest literature.

Deep in the labyrinthine corridors of Gormenghast Castle, a child is born. Titus, 77th Earl of Groan, is heir to arcane and all-embracing rituals that determine the activities of everyone from Lord Sepulchrave, his father, to the vast cook, Swelter, and the irrepressible Dr Prunesquallor. But not the steely and devious Steerpike, who will lie, cheat and even murder to get on. One of the greatest feats of sustained imaginative writing, the world of Gormenghast Castle is brilliantly realised in this darkly fantastic novel.

Five days before Christmas, Detective Sergeant Emmanuel Cooper sits at his desk at the Johannesburg major crimes squad, ready for his holiday in Mozambique. A call comes in: a respectable white couple has been assaulted and left for dead in their bedroom. The couple’s teenage daughter identifies the attacker as Aaron Shabalala— the youngest son of Zulu Detective Constable Samuel Shabalala—Cooper’s best friend and a man to whom he owes his life.

The city of Luskan has always been a den of pirates, thieves, and murderers. But lately, things have gotten much worse. A ship crashes offshore with nothing but corpses. Every day, people go crazy and brutalize those around them. And the only signs that even the most hardened criminals still walk the streets at night are bones. Luskan's sister city, Waterdeep, has sent a detachment to quarantine the unclean city - to let the filth within die, rather than infect the rest of the Realms. But Myrin has slipped inside, declaring that she will save Luskan.

For Hannah Shapiro, a young American student, the nightmare began eight years ago in Los Angeles, when the owner of Private--the world's most exclusive detective agency--saved her from a horrific death. Now, after eight years, the terror follows her to London. The only man who can help is former Royal Military Police Sergeant Dan Carter, head of Private London.

The Oblivion Order is falling apart, and the time line is beginning to unravel. Dalton's obsession with the Djinn threatens to bring down the continuum and the only way to stop him is to resolve the riddles of the Eschaton Cascade and find Josh's father. Follow Caitlin and Josh as they discover the origins of the Order and the future that the founder was aiming to avoid.

After narrowly escaping Nazi terror, Rowland Sinclair and his companions land in London, believing they are safe. But they are wrong. A bizarre murder plunges the hapless Australians into a queer world of British aristocracy, fascist Blackshirts, illicit love, scandal and spies. A world where gentlemen are not always what they are dressed up to be....

Sister Felicity does not return to her room after prayers. The nun is found strangled in the confessional box. She is only the first of St. Cecilia’s faithful to meet a gruesome end. The killer will not stop until this place of God is destroyed. It is up to DI Gilbert Markham and his loyal deputy DS Noakes to stop the murderer. Cruel secrets come to light that force Markham’s girlfriend Olivia to face her own past. The body count in the monastery continues to rise, and once again, a violent evil proves devastatingly close to home.

Two skeletons are discovered in the grounds of St Mary's Choir School. This was not a centuries-old Christian burial. They are wearing modern-day clothes, and there is evidence of foul play. Consecrated land has been sadistically violated.

Detective Inspector Gilbert Markham is a rising talent of the Bromgrove police force. He is on the trail of the murderer when another life is brutally claimed. Who is the savage killer lurking in this innocent place?

The Brazen Minotaurs infiltrate an ancient temple-tomb, seeking an artefact sacred to their Chapter, one that could turn the tide of battle in the Imperium's favour. But they are not the first to enter the tomb....

When Rebecca Russell’s brother marries, she finally has the opportunity she has been dreaming of: to leave the seclusion of her reclusive grandfather’s home and enter into society. But when her inexperience has her making blunders and courting embarrassment, help comes from an unexpected source: the brooding, irritable brother of her chaperone.

A.J.A. Symons discovered Frederick Rolfe’s Hadrian the Seventh in 1925 and became consumed with fascination for its eccentric author, aka ‘Baron Corvo’. His ‘quest’ takes the form of an irresistible detective story, the twists and turns of his investigation into Rolfe’s unfortunate life resulting in a groundbreaking form of biography that reveals much about both men.

Rumors are swirling around the dark corners of Westgate that a brutal vigilante is dealing violence and havoc in the guise of Shadowbane. Kalen and Myrin have just arrived from Luskan, in search of Kalen's former apprentice, Rhett. Though Kalen believes Rhett to be dead, Myrin won't give up hope as she in turn seeks more information about her past. And Kalen too must find his place, perhaps in the Eye of Justice - the organization that trained him - though that's the last place he wants to end up. But who are is this mysterious vigilante who wields the vaunted sword Vindicator?

Titus Groan has fled the rambling, ruined and ruinous castle of Gormenghast, desperate for a view of the world beyond. But he wasn’t prepared for this! Satellites, death-rays, sinister policemen and underworld outcasts live in a nightmarish contemporary city that feels like something by Wells, Burroughs or Philip K. Dick. Threatened and lost, he begins to miss the home he left; but surely he won’t be tempted back?

In The American Future, historian Simon Schama takes a long look at the multiple crises besetting the United States and asks how these problems look in the mirror of time. In four crucial debates - on wars, religion, race and immigration, and the relationship between natural resources and prosperity - Schama looks back to see more clearly into the future. Full of lost insights, The American Future showcases Schama's acclaimed gift for storytelling, ensuring these voices will be heard again.

Nu-Earth, a battle-ravaged world forever scarred by an ongoing war between the Nort and Souther armies. The poison atmosphere makes it hostile to all who fight there, with the exception of one person—the Rogue Trooper. A biologically-engineered war machine, Rogue Trooper is searching for the traitor General responsible for the deaths of his clone brothers. Together with his three 'dead' bio-chipped comrades, Gunner, Bagman and Helm, he won't stop until he has succeeded in his personal mission of revenge!

When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her.

Handsome teacher Ashley Dean is brutally murdered at Hope Academy. It’s known as a rough place, but gossip blames the violence on a deranged intruder. DI Markham’s instincts say otherwise. Could this brutality have been the work of a student? Could there even be a connection with the staff? It seems unthinkable. After all, DI Gilbert Markham’s girlfriend Olivia teaches English at the school. Markham’s team probes deeper, and the local community begins to turn against Markham. Somebody in a position of power is hiding appalling information.

A spirited yoga teacher teams up with a dark horse partner (determined to right wrongs); and together they seek closure on the sudden and mysterious death of a friend.

An early case from the career of the famed Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn sees a most unusual mystery. Mild-mannered Administratum clerk Master Imus is quite sure that he's committed a most dreadful crime...but he's not entirely certain quite what it is or how he did it. Can Eisenhorn get to the bottom of the mystery before it's too late?