{"title":"Narrative theme: Sense of place","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"ultima","title":"Ultima","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe mind-blowing, time-warping science fiction epic that puts grand scientific ideas into a thrilling page-turning narrative\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFresh from his latest collaboration with Terry Pratchett on the Long Earth sequence Stephen Baxter now returns to the mysteries and challanges first hinted at in his acclaimed novel PROXIMA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn PROXIMA we discovered ancient alien artifacts on the planet of Per Ardua - hatches that allowed us to step across light years of space as if we were stepping into another room. The universe opened up to us. Now in ULTIMA the consequences of this new freedom make themselves felt. And we discover that there are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and they have a plan for us. For some of us. But as we learn the true nature of the universe we also discover that we have countless pasts all meeting in this present and that our future is terrifyingly finite. It's time for us to fight to take back control.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is grand scale, big idea SF of the best possible sort. It is set to build on the massive success of PROXIMA and define Stephen Baxter's work going forward.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead what everyone is saying about \u003ci\u003eUltima\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eSo much fun of a read\u003c\/b\u003e this turned out to be. \u003cb\u003eFilled with SF inventiveness\u003c\/b\u003e, delivered in a spontaneous, unforced pace. \u003cb\u003eA treat. Five stars for sure\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eThis is one of the best books that Baxter has written\u003c\/b\u003e to date, cleverly conflating some of his most beloved ideas, from deep time to alternate histories. Not to mention the immutability of the human spirit' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I love both time travel and alternate universe stories, so the fact that \u003cb\u003eUltima was able to exceed my already-high expectations\u003c\/b\u003e is awesome' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Excellent, as usual. A combination of the historical and scientific. Fascinating'\u003c\/b\u003e Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA rollercoaster of a ride across space, universes, and time\u003c\/b\u003e, and what ultimately draws you on the most is the mystery surrounding the hatches and who built them and why' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Baxter again \u003cb\u003emakes mind-blowing concepts accessible with an enthralling story\u003c\/b\u003e to explain them' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39784127070392,"sku":"9780575116894","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9780575116894-original.jpg?v=1770801310"},{"product_id":"the-house-of-shattered-wings","title":"The House of Shattered Wings","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAn epic murder mystery set on the crumbling streets of a Paris torn apart by a magical war . . .\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Lyrical, sophisticated, lush, suspenseful' Ken Liu\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eParis in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France's once grand capital.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHouse Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithin the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires' salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders can't put down \u003ci\u003eThe House of Shattered Wings\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn intense, beautiful, brutal journey written with an eye for the stunning, vivid detail and the cruel demands of duty, loyalty, and leadership' Kate Elliot\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eI was absolutely gripped by this novel the whole way\u003c\/b\u003e. It is such a \u003cb\u003ebeautiful, powerful, genuinely haunting\u003c\/b\u003e fantasy' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Incredibly atmospheric: \u003cb\u003eyou can almost see yourself walking the streets of Paris\u003c\/b\u003e, seeing the polluted, black Seine for yourself, surrounding Notre Dame and Des Magasins' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA fascinating take on fallen angels in 1930s Paris\u003c\/b\u003e . . . I was quite taken by the prose and the world building in this as well as \u003cb\u003erich and complex characters\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA suspenseful supernatural narrative\u003c\/b\u003e focusing on fallen angels as they fight for power in \u003cb\u003ea post-apocalyptic Paris\u003c\/b\u003e that boasts \u003cb\u003ebrilliant worldbuilding, powerful prose\u003c\/b\u003e and a cast of terrifically conflicted characters' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39784251326648,"sku":"9781473212572","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9781473212572-original.jpg?v=1768460529"},{"product_id":"celestial","title":"Celestial","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003e1977. \u003cbr\u003e THE SPACE RACE IS FAR FROM OVER.\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eZiggy Da Luca is a linguist recruited by NASA for reasons she can't quite fathom. After seeing the video they've intercepted, it becomes clear her work is far more central to their plans than she realised.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSent to the moon to investigate a hatch discovered by the Russians, Ziggy faces challenges she's never trained for. Seen by some as a liability, she must contend with her own crew as well as the Russian cosmonauts, as everyone races to uncover the hatch's mystery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat she finds there is beyond anything she could imagine. The future of humankind could be changed for ever. The only question is whether she'll make it home to tell her story.","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44695377510686,"sku":"9780575115262","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9780575115262-original.jpg?v=1756519974"},{"product_id":"ubik","title":"Ubik","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA classic science fiction tale of artifical worlds by one of the great American writers of the 20th century\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGlen Runciter is dead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOr is he?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSomeone died in the explosion orchestrated by his business rivals, but even as his funeral is scheduled, his mourning employees are receiving bewildering messages from their boss. And the world around them is warping and regressing in ways which suggest that their own time is running out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf it hasn't already.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders minds have been blown by \u003ci\u003eUbik\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'\u003cb\u003eSheer craziness\u003c\/b\u003e, a book defying any straightforward synopsis . . . \u003cb\u003ea unique time travel adventure\u003c\/b\u003e that could only be concocted from the fertile psychedelic imagination of the incomparable PKD' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This \u003cb\u003epre-cyberpunk gigglefest was an absolute joy\u003c\/b\u003e to behold . . . I would bill it as a \u003cb\u003eTruman Show-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-Barbarella-type of sci-fi\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'If you have not read PKD before I highly recommend Ubik as \u003cb\u003ethe gateway into his wonderfully weird fiction\u003c\/b\u003e. I kind of envy you' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'UBIK is much stranger and \u003cb\u003emore darkly humorous than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep\u003c\/b\u003e . . . although there are many humorous elements, \u003cb\u003eoverall the story is dark, philosophical, and just plain disorienting\u003c\/b\u003e. I found the book impossible to put down' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA darkly humorous blurring of lines between reality and illusion\u003c\/b\u003e and a concomitant degree of paranoia' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'About eighty decades \u003cb\u003eahead of its time\u003c\/b\u003e, only Ubik can help to process the overwhelmingness of the contemporary age. \u003cb\u003eChock full of post-death theology\u003c\/b\u003e, psionics, proto-cyberpunk, \u003cb\u003eand retro-retro-retro future nostalgia\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'We spend a great deal of it unsure of what is real and what isn't and some of the ideas Dick manages to throw in as the story progresses \u003cb\u003ehad me grinning and shaking my head at the crazy logic of it all\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47716273258782,"sku":"9781857988536","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9781857988536-original.jpg?v=1765003896"},{"product_id":"witches-abroad","title":"Witches Abroad","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGranny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg are going on a trip to avert certain disaster. Terry Pratchett's Discworld returns with another laugh-out-loud adventure dissecting everyone's favourite fairy tales.\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt seemed an easy job... After all, how difficult could it be to make sure that a servant girl doesn't marry a prince?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut for the witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick, travelling to the distant city of Genua, things are never that simple...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eServant girls have to marry the prince. That's what life is all about. You can't fight a Happy Ending.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt least - up until now...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders love \u003ci\u003eWitches Abroad\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This book not only \u003cb\u003edelivers silly fun and fast-paced action\u003c\/b\u003e (including not one but TWO witches' duels), \u003cb\u003ebut also contemplations on some very deep matters\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'[Pratchett] balances humour and poignancy so masterfully that I can't help but marvel at it' \u003c\/b\u003eGoodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eNanny and Granny are at their height in this book\u003c\/b\u003e as far as their back-and-forth dialogue. The two play so well off of each other' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I'll never view the fairy tales of my youth the same way again after reading this one. Definitely worth 5 stars'\u003c\/b\u003e Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eThe twisted take on fairytales and how we're shaped by stories was brilliantly executed\u003c\/b\u003e, and at times even pretty disturbing . . . The underlying social commentary is very Pratchett' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":47716273750302,"sku":"9781473200265","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9781473200265-original.jpg?v=1757468091"},{"product_id":"proxima","title":"Proxima","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHow would you survive on a planet that doesn't spin?\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAn awe-inspiring Planetary Romance from Terry Pratchett's co-author on the Long Earth Books\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe very far future: The Galaxy is a drifting wreck of black holes, neutron stars, chill white dwarfs. The age of star formation is long past. Yet there is life here, feeding off the energies of the stellar remnants, and there is mind, a tremendous Galaxy-spanning intelligence each of whose thoughts lasts a hundred thousand years. And this mind cradles memories of a long-gone age when a more compact universe was full of light ...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 27th century: Proxima Centauri, an undistinguished red dwarf star, is the nearest star to our sun - and (in this fiction), the nearest to host a world, Proxima IV, habitable by humans. But Proxima IV is unlike Earth in many ways. Huddling close to the warmth, orbiting in weeks, it keeps one face to its parent star at all times. The 'substellar point', with the star forever overhead, is a blasted desert, and the 'antistellar point' on the far side is under an ice cap in perpetual darkness. How would it be to live on such a world?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYuri Jones, with 1,000 others, is about to find out ...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePROXIMA tells the amazing tale of how we colonise a harsh new eden, and the secret we find there that will change our role in the Universe for ever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders love \u003ci\u003eProxima\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'\u003cb\u003eThe plot was very interesting\u003c\/b\u003e and I really liked how the narrative alternated from the past to the future to give a better understanding of the setting . . . \u003cb\u003ea thought provoking and compelling read\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Some \u003cb\u003edamn fine science fiction\u003c\/b\u003e . . . There's \u003cb\u003ea strong blend of characters\u003c\/b\u003e here, including human and AI' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I \u003cb\u003ehighly recommend it for fans of hard sci-fi, time dilation, space exploration, colonisation and first contact\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Baxter has gone to a lot of bother to do his scientific, ecological research to serve you an entire planet on a platter' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Half hard sci-fi about \u003cb\u003esurviving on a new planet\u003c\/b\u003e, half an almost-2001 sense of mysterious alien force. It all comes together really well' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47717683659038,"sku":"9780575116856","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9780575116856-original.jpg?v=1768460237"},{"product_id":"what-abigail-did-that-summer","title":"What Abigail Did That Summer","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe new Rivers of London novella, from \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e Number One bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGhost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eIt is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake. While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks, chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged, the teens return home - unharmed but vague about where they've been.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real, and a posse of talking foxes that think they're spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly - why?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for the Rivers of London novels:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'Ben Aaronovitch has created a wonderful world full of mystery, magic and fantastic characters. I love being there more than the real London'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNICK FROST\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'As brilliant and funny as ever'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE SUN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Charming, witty, exciting'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE INDEPENDENT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An incredibly fast-moving magical joyride for grown-ups'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDiscover why this incredible series has sold over two million copies around the world. 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