The military engagements and campaigns of World War II are emblazoned on mankind’s memory: from the Blitzkrieg attacks that smashed the Polish army in 27 days, and conquered Norway in a day, through the savage and sustained fighting of Operation Barbarossa on the Eastern Front, to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The previously unknown level of destruction made possible by Robert Oppenheimer’s scientific breakthrough brought the war to an end, and in its wake came...

The nation's favourite annual guide to the short story, now in its eighth year.Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover – or more accurately, by its title. This new series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor's brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web sites, looking for the ...

A gloriously moving and entertaining, picaresque debut novel, about a young man’s sentimental education in late 19th-Century Europe; inspired by a real historical figure: ‘Captain’ Paul Boyton – the ‘Fearless Frogman’‘“But who among you might assist me on this adventure?” the Captain shouts.And then the Captain’s eyes fall on me, as was his plan all along, and he points me out, making sure just so’s everyone can see.“What about...

Wise and funny, touching and true, What We’re Teaching Our Sons is for anyone who has ever wondered how to be a grown up.We’re teaching our sons about money; about heartbreak, and mountains, and philosophy. We’re teaching them about the big bang and the abominable snowman and what happens when you get struck by lightning. We’re teaching them about the toughness of single mothers, and the importance of having friends who’ve known you longer than you’ve ...

A gloriously moving and entertaining, picaresque debut novel, about a young man’s sentimental education in late 19th-Century Europe; inspired by a real historical figure: ‘Captain’ Paul Boyton – the ‘Fearless Frogman’‘“But who among you might assist me on this adventure?” the Captain shouts.And then the Captain’s eyes fall on me, as was his plan all along, and he points me out, making sure just so’s everyone can see.“What about...

Wise and funny, touching and true, What We’re Teaching Our Sons is for anyone who has ever wondered how to be a grown up.We’re teaching our sons about money; about heartbreak, and mountains, and philosophy. We’re teaching them about the big bang and the abominable snowman and what happens when you get struck by lightning. We’re teaching them about the toughness of single mothers, and the importance of having friends who’ve known you longer than you’ve ...

A fascinating prize-winning novel about a house with a fanciful little turret, built by a river. Unfolding within its rooms are lives of event and emotional upheaval. A lot happens. And the tumultuous events of the twentieth century also leave their mark, from war to economic collapse, the deaths of presidents and princesses to new waves of music, art, architecture and political ideas. Meanwhile, a few metres away in the river, another creature follows a d...

Building work in an expanding Reykjav�k uncovers a shallow grave.Years before, this part of the city was all open hills, and Erlendur and his team hope this is a typical Icelandic missing person scenario; perhaps someone once lost in the snow, who has lain peacefully buried for decades. Things are never that simple.Whilst Erlendur struggles to hold together the crumbling fragments of his own family, his case unearths many other tales of family pain. The hills have more than...

Thick with owls and badgers, oak trees and wood piles, scarecrows and ghosts, and Tom Cox's loud and excitable dad, this book is full of the folklore of several counties the ancient kind and the everyday variety as well as wild places, mystical spots and curious objects. Emerging from this focus on the detail are themes that are broader and bigger and more important than ever.Tom's writing treads a new path, one that has a lot in common with a rambling country walk; it's bewitched ...

An exceptional third book in the horror anthology series which Publishers Weekly highlighted as “Beautifully written pieces that lean into the intuitive and fantastic.”Close to Midnight is the third volume in an annual, non-themed horror series of entirely original stories, showcasing the very best short fiction that the genre has to offer, and edited by Mark Morris. This new anthology contains 20 original horror stories, 16 of which have been com...

From the Scotiabank Giller Prize–winning novelist of 419 comes a spellbinding literary adventure novel about precious objects lost and found.The world is filled with wonders, lost objects—all real—all still out there, waiting to be found:· the missing Fabergé eggs of the Romanov dynasty, worth millions· the last reel of Alfred Hitchcock’s first film· Buddy Holly’s iconic glasses· Muhammad Ali’s Olympic gold medalHow can...

The best of the best …This essential book takes a decade of Best Australian Stories and selects the most outstanding short fiction by the country’s finest writers. These stories range widely in style and subject matter: there is drama and comedy, subtlety and extravagance, tales of suspense, love, fantasy, grief and revenge. Together they showcase the strength and diversity of Australian fiction at its very best.Contributors include: Murray Bail, D...