{"title":"Pollution and threats to the environment","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":"austral","title":"Austral","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eA prescient and chilling climate change thriller set on the harsh landscape of Antarctica from one of the best science fiction writers of the present day\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe great geoengineering projects have failed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe world is still warming, sea levels are still rising, and the Antarctic Peninsula is home to Earth's newest nation, with life quickened by ecopoets spreading across valleys and fjords exposed by the retreat of the ice.\u003cbr\u003eAustral Morales Ferrado, a child of the last generation of ecopoets, is a husky: an edited person adapted to the unforgiving climate of the far south, feared and despised by most of its population. She's been a convict, a corrections officer in a labour camp, and consort to a criminal, and now, out of desperation, she has committed the kidnapping of the century. But before she can collect the ransom and make a new life elsewhere, she must find a place of safety amongst the peninsula's forests and icy plateaus, and evade a criminal gang that has its own plans for the teenage girl she's taken hostage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBlending the story of Austral's flight with the fractured history of her family and its role in the colonisation of Antarctica, \u003ci\u003eAustral\u003c\/i\u003e is a vivid portrayal of a treacherous new world created by climate change, and shaped by the betrayals and mistakes of the past. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAustral\u003c\/i\u003e has been optioned for television by Circle of Confusion, the company who brought \u003ci\u003eThe Walking Dead\u003c\/i\u003e and Locke and Key to the small screen. They've recruited award-winning screenwriter Elise McCredie (\u003ci\u003eStateless\u003c\/i\u003e) and director Erik Skjoldbjærg (\u003ci\u003eAn Enemy of the People\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Insomnia\u003c\/i\u003e) to work on this exciting project.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e'Paul McAuley's balanced grasp of science and literature, always a rare attribute in the writer of prose fiction, is combined with the equally rare ability to look at today's problems and know which are really problems, and what can be done about them.' \u003c\/i\u003e William Gibson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders are captivated by \u003ci\u003eAustral\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAustral\u003c\/i\u003e feels very timely\u003c\/b\u003e, as it confronts questions about borders, climate change, geoengineering, biodiversity, racism, and xenophobia . . . \u003cb\u003eAn excellent climate change novel\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Devastating, humane, extraordinarily harsh and beautiful'\u003c\/b\u003e Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The world building is very nicely done, with \u003cb\u003ea strong sense of place and landscape\u003c\/b\u003e. And the tale is infused with \u003cb\u003ethoughtful reflection on climate change\u003c\/b\u003e, wilding and genetic modifications' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eA gorgeous, haunting novel\u003c\/b\u003e-brimming with fractal stories-within-stories-about a fugitive on the run through the backcountry of the new nation established on a greening Antarctica' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  '\u003cb\u003eGenius\u003c\/b\u003e . . . I love the intersection of gene editing and anarchy. Imagining \u003cb\u003ea world drastically changed by global warming\u003c\/b\u003e but still crumpling under the dire weight of capitalism' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39784264794296,"sku":"9781473217324","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9781473217324-original.jpg?v=1763537000"},{"product_id":"world-engines-destroyer","title":"World Engines: Destroyer","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA hard-SF cli-fi saga set against the background of the birth of the solar system. Filled to the brim with big ideas and breathtaking worldbuilding\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIn the year 2570, a sleeper will wake . . .\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the mid-21st century, the Kernel, a strange object on a five-hundred-year-orbit, is detected coming from high above the plane of the solar system. Could it be an alien artefact? In the middle of climate-change crises, there is no mood for space-exploration stunts - but \u003ci\u003eReid Malenfant\u003c\/i\u003e, elderly, once a shuttle pilot and frustrated would-be asteroid miner, decides to go take a look anyway. Nothing more is heard of him. But his ex-wife, \u003ci\u003eEmma Stoney\u003c\/i\u003e, sets up a trust fund to search for him the next time the Kernel returns . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy 2570 Earth is transformed. A mere billion people are supported by advanced technology on a world that is almost indistinguishable from the natural, with recovered forests, oceans, ice caps. It is not an age for expansion; there are only small science bases beyond the Earth. But this is a world you would want to live in: a \u003ci\u003eStar Trek \u003c\/i\u003ewithout the stars.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter 500 years the Kernel returns, and a descendant of Stoney, who Malenfant will call \u003ci\u003eEmma II\u003c\/i\u003e, mounts a mission to see what became of Malenfant. She finds him still alive, cryo-preserved . . . His culture-shock encounter with a conservative future is entertaining . . . But the Kernel itself turns out to be attached to a kind of wormhole, through which Malenfant and Emma II, exploring further, plummet back in time, across five billion years . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eReaders are blown away by \u003ci\u003eWorld Engines: Destroyer\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'The book \u003cb\u003equickly becomes epic in a massive, yet thoroughly believable way\u003c\/b\u003e, precisely because the story is grounded in all of these \u003cb\u003ewell-realised characters\u003c\/b\u003e' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'It is \u003cb\u003ea really good Cli-Fi\u003c\/b\u003e but not only ecological . . . It touches on very many different topics that are very much in our future' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'It's a\u003cb\u003e great sci-fi\u003c\/b\u003e novel, \u003cb\u003ewell written and gripping\u003c\/b\u003e. I loved the \u003cb\u003eamazing world building\u003c\/b\u003e, the fleshed out cast of characters and the plot' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This is \u003cb\u003ea complex book with a lot going on\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Suffice to say this was \u003cb\u003ea fantastic read with a great story, good characters\u003c\/b\u003e \u0026amp; a world that I would very much like to come back to' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The \u003cb\u003elarge scale is always where Baxter is so exciting\u003c\/b\u003e and passionate and \u003cb\u003eit pays off in spades\u003c\/b\u003e in the final act. Worth your time to read and enjoy' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'If you love your science fiction hard, \u003cb\u003elook no further than Stephen Baxter to find your fix\u003c\/b\u003e. He was \u003cb\u003eliterally a rocket scientist\u003c\/b\u003e. His work is always grounded in science' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gollancz","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":39784292090040,"sku":"9781473223196","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/2642\/0664\/products\/9781473223196-original.jpg?v=1756953431"},{"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"}],"url":"https:\/\/store.gollancz.co.uk\/collections\/pollution-and-threats-to-the-environment.oembed","provider":"Gollancz","version":"1.0","type":"link"}