Orion Books

1918 was the critical year of battle as the Great War reached its brutal climax. Warfare of an epic scale was fought on the Western Front, where ordinary British soldiers faced the final test of their training, tactics and determination. That they withstood the storm and began an astonishing counterattack, is proof that by 1918, the British army was the most effective fighting force in the world. But this ultimate victory came at devastating cost. Using a wealth of previously unpublished material, historian Peter Hart gives a vivid account of this last year of conflict — what it was like to fight on the frontline, through the words of the men who were there. In a chronicle of unparalleled scope and depth, he brings to life the suspense, turmoil and tragedy of 1918's vast offensives.

Sookie's beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings — but even she has her limits. She'd really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn — but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human 'Geiger counter' for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne's power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she's about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day — and night — Sookie must decide which side she'll stand with — and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

While on the trail of Al Qaeda lieutenant Abu Qasim, ex-burglar turned CIA operative Tommy Carmellini photographs an American mobster boarding a yacht in the harbour of the island of Capri. Tommy's boss, Jake Grafton, sends him to find the link, if there is one, between the mobster, Fioratti, and Al Qaeda. Meanwhile Fioratti is busy planning a terror-for-hire strike that will make him rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Soon Tommy and Jake are embroiled in a stew of American mobsters, killers and thieves, and the clock is ticking...

The history of democratic politics in Britain since the coming of universal male suffrage in 1918 is a dramatic one, crowded with events and colourful figures. As well as the great events of war and economic crises, and the quieter drama of constitutional change, this era has been studded with democratic protests of every sort. The story opens more than 350 years ago. The Levellers of the 17th century, 18th-century radicals, the Chartists and the Reform Acts are all part of the unsteady and fiercely contested progress towards a democratic constitution. Dreams, visions and ideals are important too — of George Orwell, and Enoch Powell, Milton, Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke, Churchill and Lord Salisbury, Aneurin Bevan and Tony Benn — for they have also shaped our outlook.

Pendergast — the world's most enigmatic FBI Special Agent — returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult. William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Eyewitnesses claim, and the security camera confirms, that the assailant was their strange, sinister neighbour — a man who, by all reports, was already dead and buried weeks earlier. While Captain Laura Hayward leads the official investigation, Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta undertake their own private — and decidedly unorthodox — quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and vodou which no outsiders have ever survived...

It is fire season, and the hills of Los Angeles are burning. As the Police and Fire Departments evacuate the inhabitants, they find something no one expected: the days-old corpse of a middle-aged recluse who apparently committed suicide. Then comes an even more horrible discovery. Clutched in his lap is a photo album containing photographs of seven young women who have been murdered. Each photograph was taken only moments after the women were killed, and could only have been taken by the killer. One murder per year for seven years, their bodies found in different parts of the city. LAPD homicide detectives had never connected the seven murders. But now with the discovery of the 'death album' there is a link. Only one suspect had been charged in any of those cases but, with evidence supplied by Elvis Cole, in the end he walked free. That suspect was the suicide now discovered in the fire...and now the police are out for Cole...

Being a blood spatter analyst who hates the sight of blood has always made Dexter's work for the Miami PD tough. But it means he's very neat when it comes to his out-of-hours hobby: murder. Of course, the fact Dexter only kills bad people helps too. Now Dex is facing a disturbing situation. He's used to blood at work, and blood when he's out with the dark passenger (the voice that guides him on his deadly outings). But he's not sure what to make of the man who says blood is art. Using bodies as his canvas, someone is out there expressing themselves in the most lethal and painful of ways. If Dexter's to escape the scalpel and avoid becoming the latest exhibit, he needs somewhere to run... and he might just have found the perfect place. With his wedding looming, completing his nice-guy disguise, Dexter's honeymoon might just save his skin. From the most original voice in crime fiction, DEXTER BY DESIGN is an enthralling, macabre and gruesomely entertaining thriller.

Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and settles on a plot to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital — the National Gallery of Scotland. So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to a lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all its worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed...

In a world at war, the Dream Archipelago is a neutral zone, and therefore an alluring prospect to the young men on both sides of the conflict. In this interlinked collection of short stories and novellas, Christopher Priest explores war, relationships and forms of reality. Each tale is a truimph of quiet, steady craftsmanship, a model of ingenious design and subtle implication, and as a group they further enrich each other by interlocking cleverly, symmetrically and sometimes sinisterly.

Set in the glittering world of international diamond dealing, FLAWLESS follows the fortunes of idealistic young designer Scarlett Drummond Murray as she battles her way through the snake pits of greed and corruption in the jewellery business. From London to Beverly Hills, New York to Cape Town, Scarlett finds herself plunged into a world of ruthless mine owners, shady diamond dealers, and the stunningly beautiful women for whom they all compete, in business and in bed. All of them, in their different ways, are prepared to sell their souls and sacrifice everything in pursuit of that one, elusive, perfect stone, no matter what the cost. But is Scarlett also destined to be blinded by the brilliance of the temptation that surrounds her? Or can she keep her nerve — and her principles — and make it to the top with her heart and her business still intact?

Next year. Sea levels begin to rise. The change is far more rapid than any climate change predictions; metres a year. Within two years London, only 15 metres above the sea, is drowned. New York follows, the Pope gives his last address from the Vatican, Mecca disappears beneath the waves. Where is all the water coming from? Scientists estimate that the earth was formed with seas 30 times in volume their current levels. Most of that water was burnt off by the sun but some was locked in the earth's mantle. For the tip of Everest to disappear beneath the waters would require the seas to triple their volume. That amount of water is still much less than 1% of the earth's volume. And somehow it is being released. The world is drowning. The biblical flood has returned. And the rate of increase is building all the time. Mankind is on the run, heading for high ground. Nuclear submarines prowl through clouds of corpses rising from drowned cities, populations are decimated and finally the dreadful truth is known. Before 50 years have passed there will be nowhere left to run. FLOOD tells the story of mankind's final years on earth.The stories of a small group of people caught up in the struggle to survive are woven into a tale of unimaginable global disaster. And the hope offered for a unlucky few by a second great ark...

Hogswatchnight is fast approaching, and the Hogfather (that jolly fat man who delivers presents to the kiddies) is missing. But it's vital that all the presents are delivered, otherwise the sun won't rise tomorrow. However, there is another supernatural entity who can be everywhere at once and, most importantly, knows where everybody lives. And Death reckons that with a false beard and a few cushions, it might just work. And while Death is busy working out the mysteries of climbing down chimneys and drinking sherry, it's up to Susan to track down the real Hogfather. It's a dark time of the year. There are monsters afoot. And some of them look just like us. HO HO HO. You'd better watch out...Terry Pratchett's bestseller, adapted and directed by Vadim Jean, is a two-part live-action/CGI film starring David Jason, to be premiered on Sky One in December 2006.

Pieta Martinelli's sister is getting married. Since she is a bridal designer it falls to her to make the wedding gown. But Pieta is distracted by a series of unanswered questions. Why is her father feuding with another Italian in the neighbourhood? Why is her mother so faded and sad? And could the man she's always held a torch for really be getting married to someone else? As Pieta stitches and beads her sister's wedding gown she uncovers the secrets that have made her family what it is and that stand between her and happiness. THE ITALIAN WEDDING is a feast of food and love. It's about discovering who your parents really are. And who you really want to be.

In London of 1840, the economy is sliding into recession; gangs of unemployed workers roam the streets; and a murderer prowls the capital's poor neighborhoods. Pyke, still grieving over the death of his wife and struggling to shoulder his responsibilities as a father, is in debtors' prison, having lost his home and reached the edge of bankruptcy. Fitzroy Tilling, now head of the new Metropolitan Police Force gives Pyke his freedom, but in return he must agree to investigate the brutal death of a young biracial woman, who was apparently working as a prostitute. It is not long before another woman turns up dead, and Pyke begins to suspect that he has stumbled on something more sinister, and more far-reaching than the murder of a couple of prostitutes. Pyke's investigation takes him from the London docks to the sugar plantations of Jamaica, from a fading colonial mansion to the backstreets of the East End in a struggle against ambitious and ruthless enemies, as well as demons of his own.

Following a failed marriage to a 'large, puffy, short-legged, big-breasted and practically brainless baba', Humbert Humbert decides to move to America to work as a tutor. Much to his dismay, his plans change and he moves into a boarding house in Ramsdale, New Hampshire. But his disappointment quickly fades after he realises he lives next door to the 'light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul Lo-li-ta.' The relationship blossoms between the man 'with a cesspool of rotting monsters behind his slow boyish smile' and the sassy, vivacious young girl in Nabokov's highly controversial take on the classic American road trip novel.

When girl-about-town Charlotte discovers her husband has been arrested for fraud, she flees to the wilds of Exmoor to nurse her broken heart. But she's not the only one with a life in turmoil. Sebastian — bad boy of the British art scene — is determined to drink the local pub dry while his wife lives it up in London. Fitch married the high-spirited Hayley hoping for wedded bliss, but is struggling to keep up with her outrageous demands. Penny is recenlty divorced, and determined to have fun — but who with? As Charlotte adapts to life without LK Bennett and Starbucks, she turns to her new-found friends for advice. But can she forgive her husband for what he did, before it's too late?

Your school days are supposed to be the best days of your life — and Tracey Mortimer has no argument with that. Sixteen years ago she was the most popular girl in school, ruled her own gang, and dated the cutest boy in her year. Now it's all rather different: she's 33, stuck in a dull marriage that's only tolerable because her husband is rarely at home. And although she dearly loves her two children, a life of kids TV and alphabetti spaghetti is hardly exciting...Then Tracey spots an advert from a TV company wanting to make a reality-style show on a perfect school reunion — giving Tracey the chance to re-live the good old days. But not all her old school classmates remember their school days quite as Tracey does. Tracey made Suzanne Sharp's life hell — so what better way to get her own back than revenge, live on national television...

The Annual Discworld Calendar is an inspired collection of paintings by award-winning illustrators who give us their own unique interpretations of Terry Pratchett's phenomal Discworld. Each full-page illustration also appears on the back; there are biographies of the artists as well as the author on the inside front page. The calendar dates are exhaustively researched and include major real-time calendrical data for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. It also includes notable Discworld dates like the Creator's Birthday, Samedi Nuite Morte, and the Uberwald League of Temperance Day (Remember: Not One Drop!). Artists briefed include Edward Miller, Les Edwards, Sandy Nightingale, Jackie Morris, David Frankland, David Wyatt, and, of course, Stephen Player and Paul Kidby, Terry Pratchett's favourite portrayers of the Discworld.

England's medieval queens were elemental in shaping the history of the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics, dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very centre of power — the king's bed. From Matilda of Flanders, the Conqueror's queen, to Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor consort, England's queens fashioned the nature of monarchy and influenced the direction of the state. Occupying a unique position in the mercurial, often violent world of medieval state-craft, English queens had to negotiate a role that combined tremendous influence with terrifying vulnerability. Lisa Hilton's meticulously researched new book explores the lives of the twenty women who were crowned queen between 1066 and 1503, reconsidering the fictions surrounding well-known figures like Eleanor of Aquitaine and illuminating the lives of forgotten figures such as Adeliza of Louvain. War, adultery, witchcraft, child abuse, murder — and occassionally even love — formed English queenship, but so too did patronage, learning and fashion. Lisa Hilton considers the evolution of the queenly office alongside intimate portraits of the individual women, dispelling the myth that medieval brides were no more than diplomatic pawns. From Eleanor of Castile's eccentric passion for fruit to Anne of Bohemia's contribution to the Protestant reformation, QUEENS CONSORT is a provocative and dramatic narrative which redefines English history in terms of an exceptional group of women whose personal ambitions, triumphs and failures helped to give birth to the modern state.

In the year 2130, a mysterious and apparently untenanted alien spaceship, Rama, enters our solar system. The first product of an alien civilisation to be encountered by man, it reveals a world of technological marvels and an unparalleled artificial ecology. But what is its purpose in 2131? Who is inside it? And why?

He's talented, he's sexy, and he's here to stay! Robert Pattinson is officially the world's hottest young actor. In this book we take you closer than ever before to the star of Twilight and New Moon... Packed with up-to-date news, the hottest gossip from the set of New Moon, the very latest gorgeous photos, facts and quizzes, the ROBERT PATTINSON ANNUAL 2010 is the perfect Christmas gift for fans everywhere. Take the test to see which Twilight character you're most like and discover whether you could even be Rob's perfect partner. Test your knowledge of Rob's loves and hates, and find out whether you're his number one fan... With a FREE and exclusive Robert Pattinson calendar poster — filled in with all of Rob's important dates over the coming year — this is a must-have annual that will keep your heart fluttering over Rob all year round!

Tim Fountain knows more about sex than most people. His show, Sex Addict, was the target of widespread and vociferous critical media attention and led him to be labelled a pervert and a freak by much of the mainstream press. This, understandably, raised a few questions in his mind. Was his sex life really so different to the rest of Britain? Or was he just being rather more vocal about what he was up to? To find out, Tim has travelled around the country, starting in Bradford at the site of his first 14-year-old fumble, to take the sexual temperature of our age. Visiting doll-fetishists and animal-fanciers, dogging fans and spanking enthusiasts, swingers' hotels and glory holes, Tim investigates our current attitudes to sex, peeping behind closed doors and exploring the private lives of Britons in an attempt to discover just what is going on beneath our stiff upper lips.

Although he is an indubitably international superstar, Sir Sean Connery still knows the city of Edinburgh practically street by street from delivering the morning milk as a schoolboy. His round included Fettes College, where Ian Fleming had sent his fictional James Bond after he was expelled from Eton. BEING A SCOT is a vivid and highly personal portrait of Scotland and its achievements, which is self-revelatory whilst full of Sir Sean's desire to shine light upon Scottish success and heroic failure. His personal quest with his friend and co-writer Murray Grigor has been to seek answers to some perplexing questions: How did Scots come to devise so many new sports and games, or raise others to new heights? What gave fire to the Gothic tendency in Scottish literature? Why have so many creatively inventive and influential architects been Scots? Where did Scotland's unreal blend of psychotic humour originate? And what about the national tradition of self-deprecation sometimes called the Scottish cringe? Sean Connery offers a correction to misconceptions that many believe are part of the historical record whilst revealing as never before his own vibrant personal history.

It's early April of 1945. The Nazi regime is being slowly throttled by the oncoming Russian and Allied armies and Hitler rages uselessly in his Berlin bunker. But the high command have one more throw of the dice to make... An audacious plan is hatched to save the Fatherland and beat off the oncoming apocalypse. All it will take is a hodge-podge squadron of escort fighters, a captured US bomber and one suicidally brave pilot to fly it over the Atlantic into the beating heart of America. Half a century later, a rusting plane is discovered, sunk with its crew, off the coast of New York — a relic from a bygone age. Chris Roland, a brilliant young photographer, is sent to take photos of this time capsule. But it is only when he discovers that the fragments of Nazi uniforms on the decaying corpses that he realises that he has come across a secret so terrible that even fifty years later it could still kill him...