"At last, I finally understand the alphabet! I also love this book: secret Beatles knowledge from one of the closest insiders." —Steve MartinPeter Asher met the Beatles in the spring of 1963, the start of a lifelong association with the band and its members. He had a front-row seat as they elevated pop music into an art form, and he was present at the creation of some of the most iconic music of our times.Asher is also a talented musician in his own right, wi...

‘Balls-to-the-walls levels of exuberance and inventiveness’– Locus Magazine on Dark DiamondFORGE A NEW FUTURE. OR BE CONSUMED BY THE PAST.Captain Blite and Agent Cormac thought they had defeated the malevolent AI Straeger. But Straeger’s mission to plunge the galaxy into a devastating war is far from over. With a twisted p-prador army bred from the Spatterjay virus, Straeger sets his plans in motion.Meanw...

**This program is read by the author.A legendary record producer and performer takes listeners on an alphabetical journey of insights into the music of the Beatles and individual reminiscences of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.**Peter Asher met the Beatles in the spring of 1963, the start of a lifelong association with the band and its members. He had a front-row seat as they elevated pop music into an art form, and he was present at the creation of some of the most iconic m...

**A NYRB CLASSICS ORIGINALDiscover 9 classic short stories by the giant of French literature—whose work inspired Dostoyevsky, Henry James, and Marcel Proust—with this collection showcasing Balzac’s impressive range.**Characters from every corner of society and all walks of life—lords and ladies, businessmen and military men, poor clerks, unforgiving moneylenders, aspiring politicians, artists, actresses, swindlers, misers, parasites, sexual adventurers, crackpots, and more—...

Dark Intelligence is the first novel in the Transformation series, a no-holds-barred adventure set in Neal Asher's popular Polity universe.One man will transcend death to seek vengeance. One woman will transform herself to gain power. And no one will emerge unscathed . . .Thorvald Spear wakes in hospital, where he finds he's been brought back from the dead. What's more, he died in a human vs. alien war which ended a whole century ago. But when he r...

Weaponized is a thrilling far-future adventure by acclaimed science fiction author Neal Asher.A bright new future for humanity – or a dark and inescapable past.Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. She excels in weapons development, and progresses rapidly up the ranks. But af...

The Departure is the first gripping adventure in Neal Asher's near-future, science fiction Owner series.The Argus Space Station looks down on a nightmarish Earth. And from this safe distance, the Committee enforces its despotic rule. There are too many people and too few resources, and they need twelve billion to die before Earth can be stabilized. So corruption is rife, people starve, and the poor are policed by mechanized overseers and identity-reader gu...

Doomed to die. And die again.Dark Diamond is the first in a high-octane space opera trilogy, Time’s Shadow. From Neal Asher, creator of the Polity universe.‘Infinitely entertaining’ – Locus MagazineSomebody is trying to kill Captain Blite, but each attempt ends in unexpected failure. All Blite knows is that a black diamond – left to him by the dark AI Penny Royal – is the cause of his unlikely su...

He can jump between worlds. But can he save his own?As the totalitarian Inspectorate tightens its grip, one man discovers the power to slip through the gaps and traverse alternate universes. World Walkers by Neal Asher is an exhilarating standalone novel set within the Owner universe.Ottanger is a rebel and mutant on an Earth governed by a ruthless Committee. But after its Inspectorate experiments on him, he discovers the ability...

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom.War Bodies by Neal Asher is a gripping, high-octane standalone adventure set in his expansive Polity universe – a far-future society run by artificial intelligences.Long ago, the Cyberat left Earth to co-evolve with machines. Now, led by the powerful dictator Castron, their Old Guard believe that machines should replace the physical body. But these beliefs are upended with the ar...

Dark, cutting, and coursed through with bright flashes of humour, crystalline imagery, and razor-sharp detail, I Become a Delight to My Enemies is a gut-wrenchingly powerful, breathtakingly beautiful meditation on the violence and shame inflicted on the female body and psyche.An experimental fiction, I Become a Delight to My Enemies uses many different voices and forms to tell the stories of the women who live in an uncanny Town, uncovering their ...

Child well-being, which covers everything from family relationships to their material well-being, is now increasingly being talked about in policy and practice nationally and internationally. However, a lack of clarity remains about what the idea really means and how it can help children.This book brings together contributions from international experts in order to define child well-being and to further understand how it can improve children's lives. Issues covered include how the ...