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Audiobooks Narrated by Peter Noble
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"Following on from the explosive action of The Departure, Zero Point is the second book in Neal Asher's near-future, science fiction Owner series.
Earth’s Zero Asset citizens no longer face extermination. Thanks to Alan Saul, the Committee’s despotic network is in ruins and its robotic enforcers lie dormant. But the ruthless Serene Galahad sees an opportunity to grab power. On Mars, Var Delex fights for Antares Base’s survival, while the Argus Space Station hurtles towards the red planet. And Var knows whomever, or whatever, trashed Earth is still aboard. She must not only save the base, but deal with the first signs of rebellion. And aboard Argus Station, Alan Saul’s mind has expanded into the local computer network. In the process, he uncovers the ghastly experiments of the Humanoid Unit Development, the possibility of eternal life, and a madman who may hold the keys to interstellar flight. But Earth’s agents are closer than Saul thinks, and the killing will soon begin."
"A young white boy and a Zulu teen grow up together, building an extraordinary friendship as they explore the rugged Drakensberg mountains around a remote South African hotel during the apartheid era.
Jock and Papin forge an indelible bond while learning to love and appreciate each other’s cultures. Despite whispers from intolerant guests, the boys are oblivious to the consequences of their friendship. “There goes the zebra,” guests remark, claiming they can’t tell where the white boy ends and the black boy begins.
But the boys’ friendship is strong enough to conquer all—until society’s impossible expectations wrench them apart, leaving bitter disappointment and soul-deep wounds that will not heal.
A decade later, these long-lost friends converge on opposite sides of a harrowing battlefield, one a reluctant soldier, the other a passionate freedom fighter. Their intimate knowledge of the other’s way of life could be the very tools that save them … or destroy them. And an unimaginable choice will put Jock and Papin’s once-unbreakable bond to the ultimate test.
Jill Wallace, author of the multi-award-winning World War II novel War Serenade, brings together a fascinating coming-of-age story with a compelling tale of human connection in Zebra.
Inspired by the life of Athol Wallace"
"If China seems unstoppable, so too does its leader Xi Jinping. As general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and president of China, he commands over 1.4 billion people, in a vast country that spans the prosperous megacities of Beijing and Shanghai and desperately poor rural regions where families still struggle with malnutrition.
Today, Xi Jinping faces a series of monumental challenges that would make other global leaders tremble: a trade war with the USA, political unrest in Hong Kong, accusations of genocide in Xinjiang, stuttering economic growth, and a devastating global pandemic that originated inside China.
But who is Xi Jinping and what does he really want? To rejuvenate China and bring economic prosperity to all its people? To challenge American supremacy and turn China into the world's dominant power? Avoiding both sycophantic flattery and outright condemnation, this new biography by Stefan Aust and Adrian Geiges gets inside the head of one of the world's most mysterious leaders. Skillfully unraveling the hidden story of Xi Jinping's life and career, from his early childhood to his rise to the pinnacles of the Party and the State, they flesh out his views and uncover how he became the most powerful man in the world."
"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 to reach alternate worlds. The multiverse is revealed in all its glory and terror - and he can finally flee his timeline.
Then Ottanger meets the Fenris, an evolved human visiting Earth from the far future. He'd engineered the original world-walking mutation, so those altered could escape the Committee's regime. Yet this only aided a few, while millions still suffered. And Ottanger sees that the Committee will become unstoppable if not destroyed.
However, the Fenris's visit also attracted the Hive. With the power of its trillion linked minds, it craves world-walking biotech and will do anything to get it. As conflict looms at home, and war threatens the multiverse - the Fenris, Ottanger and his companions must prepare for battle . . .
Praise for Neal Asher
'Neal Asher's books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain' - John Scalzi, author of Old Man's War
'Without a doubt the most entertaining science fiction author writing today' - SFF World"
"Detective Dean Matheson has returned to his hometown to begin his new job and put the traumatic events of his past behind him – but his fresh start won't last long…A nameless girl badly beaten and dumped in front of the mysterious new church. A shocking murder scene discovered in the apartment over the diner. A child missing without a trace. These are the crimes Dean Matheson is confronted with in his first week as detective. Are they isolated events, or is something altogether more disturbing happening in Maple Valley now that Dean's back in town?"
"What I have most wanted to do throughout the past ten years is to make political writing into an art.
In this essay, Orwell describes his personal journey to becoming a writer and offers some important motives for writing.
Moving from his experience of writing his first completed poems to trying his hand at short stories, to finding fame as a fully fledged writer, Orwell discusses the importance of writing, his continuous technique and sets out some important motives for becoming a writer yourself."
"It starts with the hanging woman in the Maple Valley woods; the woman with no shoes, no car and no name. On paper it's an obvious case of suicide – but to Officer Dean Matheson, something doesn't add up. Then there are the other deaths, deaths that also look like suicides – but are they? The victims are all women living on the fringes of society, addicts and criminals. Who will miss them? Does anyone really care if they die? Dean Matheson is making it his business to care, even if it means he becomes a target…"
"Former police officer Dean Matheson has been playing it safe since the case that cost him almost everything. But working as a PI doesn't quite cut it – that is until a British woman walks into his office with a job that Dean can't resist. The woman's daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It's clear there's something sinister about the girls' disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful? So begins Dean's journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he'll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide…"
"'One of the most exquisite debuts I've read for some time' Daily Telegraph
'Affecting and haunting' Observer
After the death of his wife, a father raises his two sons alone. His bond with Fus, the eldest, and Gillou, the youngest, is a close one. But their town is not one of opportunity, and it soon becomes clear that the boys are heading down different paths. Gillou sets his sights on university in Paris. Fus, despite his socialist upbringing, falls in with the local far-right group. Though he joins mostly for the camaraderie, their activities, which might on the surface appear harmless, lead to a violent confrontation.
How can a father and son find common ground when everything seems set to break them apart? A sudden tragedy will force them to find an answer.
Tense, sharp and ultimately heartbreaking, Laurent Petitmangin's first novel, What You Need From The Night, shines a spotlight on lives that are unfolding in forgotten corners of France and asks what acts can truly be forgiven.
'A tragedy of unconditional love' - L'Obs
'Heartbreaking . . . haunts you long after you've put it down'- Libération
'As sublime as it is painful' - Le Parisien"
"In the fiery environment of an election season, with tensions stoked by an unrelenting heatwave, Danny Walker goes about the business of being a carefree boy. But when a horrific act of violence is visited on his family, his sense of innocence is shattered and his grip on reality slowly begins to fracture. In lean, lyrical prose - reminiscent of the work of J.M. Coetzee and Cormac McCarthy - Zimbabwean writer Ian Holding delivers a mesmerising coming-of-age tale of guilt and responsibility set within the fault-lines of modern Africa."
"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 after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service.
Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, the ex-soldier heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity miss these apex predators? And alien ruins? Meanwhile, biophysicist Oren has formed his own survival plan – one he’ll pursue at any cost.
As a desperate battle erupts to consume the planet, Ursula finds she must dig deep into her past to ensure humanity’s future."
"Long-time art critic Richard Dorment reveals the corruption and lies of the art world and its mystifying authentication process.
Late one afternoon in the winter of 2003 art critic Richard Dorment answered a telephone call from a stranger. The caller was Joe Simon, an American film producer and art collector. He was ringing at the suggestion of David Hockney, his neighbour in Malibu. A committee of experts called the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board had declared the two Warhols in his collection to be fake. He wanted to know why and thought Dorment could help.
This call would mark the beginning of an extraordinary story that would play out over the next ten years and would involve a cast of characters straight out of fiction. From rock icons and film stars; art dealers and art forgers; to a murdered Russian oligarch and a lawyer for the mob; from courtrooms to auction houses: all took part in a bitter struggle to prove the authenticity of a series of paintings by the most famous American artist of the twentieth century.
Part detective story, part art history, part memoir, part courtroom drama, Warhol After Warhol is a spellbinding account of the dark connection between money, power and art."
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