Orion Books

Five Great Novels

Philip K. Dick, 2008

This volume contains “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?” (filmed as “Bladerunner”), “Martian Time Slip”, “Ubik”, “The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch” and “A Scanner Darkly”. Taken together they represent the best of Philip K. Dick's unique imagination. In Dick's writing nothing is what it seems, our sense of the world's order is fatally undermined and mass media tells us nothing but artful lies. Films such as “The Matrix” and “The Truman Show” would not have been made but for Philip K. Dick. His work has never been more timely. Подробнее

Club Dead: A True Blood Novel

Charlaine Harris, 2009

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with — at least voluntarily — and that's Bill. But recently he's been a little distant — in another state distant. His sinister and sexy boss Eric has an idea where to find him, and next thing Sookie knows she's off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead. It's a dangerous little haunt where the elusive vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some Type O — but when Sookie finally finds Bill caught in an act of serious betrayal she's not sure whether to save him, or to sharpen some stakes. The Sookie Stackhouse books are delightful Southern Gothic supernatural mysteries, starring Sookie, the telepathic cocktail waitress, and a cast of increasingly colourful characters, including vampires, werewolves and things that really do go bump in the night. Подробнее

Dead to the World: A True Blood Novel

Charlaine Harris, 2009

Sookie comes to the rescue of a naked, amnesiac vampire — and ends up in the middle of a war between witches, werewolves and vampires! Sookie Stackhouse is a small-town cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's pretty. She does her job well. She keeps to herself — she has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie's gift: she can read minds. That's not exactly every man's idea of date bait — unless they're undead — vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that's just the kind of guy Sookie's been looking for. Maybe that's why, when she comes across a naked vampire on the way home from work, she doesn't just drive on by. He hasn't got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy — and dead — as the day she met him. But now he has amnesia, he's sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie's help — because whoever took his memory now wants his life. Sookie's investigation into what's going on leads her straight into a dangerous battle between witches, vampires and werewolves. But there could be even greater danger — to Sookie's heart, because the kinder, gentler Eric is very hard to resist. The Sookie Stackhouse books are delightful Southern Gothic supernatural mysteries, starring Sookie, the telepathic cocktail waitress, and a cast of increasingly colourful characters, including vampires, werewolves and things that really do go bump in the night. Подробнее

Baby Proof

Emily Giffin, 2007

Ever since their first date, when they discovered neither of them wanted children, Claudia and Ben's relationship seemed destined to succeed. They envisaged a life filled with freedom, possibility and exploration and their married life starts out exactly that way. But things don't always stay the same. When Ben's best friend and his wife announce they are having a baby, suddenly Ben changes his mind. He realises he does want children after all. But Claudia hasn't changed — and now she finds herself facing the most difficult decision of her life... Подробнее

Love and Devotion

Erica James, 2008

Harriet Swift thinks she has the perfect life — a satisfying career, her own flat and a new boyfriend who respects her need for her own space. But then her only sister is killed in a car crash and Harriet is forced to give up her well ordered life and to help look after her orphaned niece and nephew. Moving back to her childhood home in Maple Drive, and sacrificing so much, doesn't come easy and before long Harriet discovers things about her family she never believed possible. Meanwhile, the shabbiest house in Maple Drive has a new occupant. Will Hart also thinks he has the perfect life. Having swapped his successful career as a lawyer for that of an antiques dealer, he believes in living for the moment and is entirely happy with his lot. Then from nowhere tragedy strikes and he faces the biggest challenge of his life. Harriet and Will have no choice but to piece together a new future for themselves, but can they see it through? Подробнее

The Last Days of Henry VIII: Conspiracy, Treason and Heresy at the Court of the Dying Tyrant

Robert Hutchinson, 2006

After 35 years in power, Henry VIII was a bloated, hideously obese, black-humoured old man, rarely seen in public. He had striven all his life to ensure the survival of his dynasty by siring legitimate sons, yet his only male heir was eight-year-old Prince Edward. It was increasingly obvious that when Henry died, real power in England would be exercised by a regent. The prospect of that prize spurred the rival court factions into deadly conflict. Robert Hutchinson spent several years in original archival research. He advances a genuinely new theory of Henry's medical history and the cause of his death; he has unearthed some fabulous eyewitness material and papers from death warrants, confessions and even love letters between Katherine Parr and the Lord High Admiral. Подробнее

The Last Days of Newgate (Pyke Mystery)

Andrew Pepper, 2007

St Giles, London, 1829: three people have been brutally murdered and the city simmers with anger and political unrest. Pyke, sometime Bow Street Runner, sometime crook, finds himself accidentally embroiled in the murder investigation but quickly realises that he has stumbled into something more sinister and far-reaching. In his pursuit of the murderer, Pyke ruffles the feathers of some powerful people, and, falsely accused of murder himself, he soon faces a death sentence, and the gallows of Old Bailey. Imprisoned, and with only his uncle and the headstrong, aristocratic daughter of his greatest enemy who believe in him, Pyke must engineer his escape, find the real killer and untangle the web of politics that has been spun around him. From the gutters of Seven Dials, to the cells of Newgate prison; from the turmoil of 1800s Belfast to the highest levels of murky, pre-Victorian politics, The Last Days of Newgate is a gripping, darkly atmospheric story with a fantastic, pragmatic — and reluctantly heroic — hero. Подробнее

Around the World in Eighty Days

Michael Palin, 2009

'The pace of this kind of travel has not much changed since Fogg set out in 1872. Trains may be a little faster, but there are certainly no high-speed rail links yet across India, China or the USA. Passenger services have practically disappeared from the world's shipping lanes ... Recourse to air travel, even as a convenient means of escape, was not allowed'. Following the route taken by Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club to circumnavigate the world. The rules were simple, but nothing else about the trip was straightforward... From a tour of Venice on a rubbish barge to ship spotting at the Suez Canal and the bicycle rush hour and snake snacks in China, this is an unparalleled tribute to man's ability to make life difficult for himself. Подробнее

Putin and the Rise of Russia

Michael Stuermer, 2009

When the Soviet Union collapsed, the world was left wondering about its destiny. Russia is still an enormous power with a population exceeding 140 million, immense military resources and giant energy reserves — in short, a vast land full of promise and opportunity. Russia has the potential to be a force of stability or a force of turmoil, but when it comes to global affairs, can she be persuaded to join the world order? Will yesterday's revolutionary power become tomorrow's stabilizer? Professor Stuermer's authoritative and timely account considers a Russia going through a defining phase after the departure of Vladimir Putin. History is on the move: we face an open and challenging future in which Russia, for better or for worse, will play a key role. Подробнее

Special Assignments

Boris Akunin, 2009

Boris Akunin's well-loved, inimitable hero faces two very different adversaries: one, a deft, comedic swindler and master of disguise, whose machinations send ripples spreading through the carefully maintained calm of Moscow in 1886, and the other a brutal serial killer, driven by an insane, maniacal obsession, who strikes terror into the heart of the Moscow slums in 1889 — and who may have more in common with London's own Jack the Ripper than simply a taste for women of easy virtue. Peopled by a cast of eccentric characters, and with plots that are as surprising as they are inventive, Fandorin's 'Special Assignments' will delight Akunin's many thousands of fans, while testing their gentleman sleuth's powers of detection to the limit. Подробнее

The Revenge Of Captain Paine (Pyke Mystery)

Andrew Pepper, 2008

It is 1835, and with the birth of the Industrial Revolution, railway fever sweeps the country. Pyke is uneasy with the luxury his aristocratic marriage has brought him, and when he is unofficially asked to investigate a decapitation, he can not resist the chance to resuscitate the old skills he learned on the streets. But with the industrial world comes a new and faceless enemy: men who have money and power, and who will stop at nothing in their pursuit of both. For Pyke, with his young wife and child and an elevated place in society to protect, the stakes have suddenly become alarmingly high. From the sweat shops of the east end to the palace of the Queen-in-waiting; from the elegant drawing rooms of the newly rich, to the blood-spattered backrooms of London's taverns, Pyke's investigation stirs up a hornets' nest of trouble. As the death toll rises, an alluring woman from his past returns, Pyke must draw on all of his resources if he is to protect his family, and survive. Подробнее

The Turnaround

George Pelecanos, 2009

On a hot summer afternoon in Washington DC 1972, three white teenagers, stoned and fearless, drive a stolen car into a rough, black neighbourhood. Taunting local black kids through the car window, they speed off to what they think is safety. They find themselves trapped in a dead-end street whilst an angry mob gathers. In the ensuing chaos, two of the white boys manage to escape, but Billy — the third friend — is shot dead. Thirty-five years later, one of these men reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. However, another survivor of that day is now out of prison, and is looking for reparation in any form he can find it... Подробнее

Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler

Philipp Von Boeselager, 2009

'It was not the question of an isolated assassination, but rather of beginning a complete overthrow of the regime' July 20 1944. A fearless group of German officers attempted to act against the horrors of Nazism and put an end to the war by killing Adolf Hitler. But Operation Valkyrie failed, and one by one the plotters were found out, tortured and executed. Philipp von Boeselager — who supplied the explosives that would rip through the Führer's bunker — miraculously escaped death. In this unique memoir Philipp tells his extraordinary life story and the part he played in this, and three other dramatic attempts on Hitler's life. He recounts how a small band of resisters dared to stop evil and prevent profound loss of lives. Ultimately they failed but the legacy of their courage endures. Подробнее

Hammer and Tickle: A History Of Communism Told Through Communist Jokes

Ben Lewis, 2009

Q: Why, despite all the shortages, was the toilet paper in East Germany always 2-ply? A: Because they had to send a copy of everything they did to Moscow. Communist jokes are the strangest, funniest, most enchanting and meaningful legacy of the 80 years of political experimentation in Russia and Eastern Europe, known as Communism. The valiant and sardonic citizens of the former Communist countries — surrounded by an invisible network of secret police, threatened with arrest, imprisonment and forced labour, confronted by an economic system that left shops empty, and bombarded with ludicrous state propaganda — turned joke-telling into an art form. They used jokes as a coded way of speaking the truth. «Hammer and Tickle» takes us on a unique journey through the Communist era (1917-1989), and tells its real history through subversive jokes and joke-tellers, many of whom ended up in the gulags. It is also illustrated with a combination of rare and previously unpublished archive material, political cartoons, caricatures, photographs and state-sponsored propaganda. Humorous, culturally poignant and historically revealing, this is the story of a political system that was (almost) laughed out of existence. Подробнее

A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East

Lawrence Freedman, 2009

e United States is locked into three prolonged conflicts without much hope of early resolution. Iran is pursuing a nuclear programme; the aftermath of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has seen unrelenting intercommunal violence; and the Taliban have got back into Afghanistan. Lawrence Freedman teases out the roots of each engagement over the last thirty years and demonstrates with clarity and scholarship the influence of these conflicts upon each other. The story is complex and often marked by great drama. First, the countries in dispute with America are not themselves natural allies; second, their enmity was not, at first, America's choice. Third, the region's problems cannot all be traced to the Arab-Israeli dispute. Unique in its focus, this book will offer not only new revelations but also remind us of what has been forgotten or has never been put in context. Подробнее

Instructions for Living Someone Else's Life

Mil Millington, 2009

Chris is 25. He has a job in advertising he despises — despite being naturally brilliant at creating shamelessly successful campaigns — an 'artistic' girlfriend, and his two best mates from university, who spend a lot of time playing pool, drinking Grolsch and quoting lines from Robocop at each other. But Chris's life is about to change. The eighties are coming to an end and he must take decisive action if he is to fulfil what he suspects is his true potential. So, after pre-emptively celebrating the fact he is about to hand in his resignation, Chris goes to bed drunk in 1988 but very unexpectedly wakes up in 2006, with an unbelievable hangover, a long-suffering (and worryingly 'old'-looking) stranger for a wife, a life that hasn't turned out the way he had hoped for at all, and an unnerving amount of new body hair... Подробнее

Horrid Henry Robs the Bank

Francesca Simon, 2008

Horrid Henry helps himself to all the money he needs to win his favourite board game, comes up with another spectacular money-making scheme for launching a newspaper with all the school gossip, vows vengeance on Perfect Peter when Peter nicks his birthday party theme and has his own Pirate Party — and gets it by taking over as Head Teacher when Peter plays school with his goody-goody friends. Подробнее

Brilliant Brits: Henry VIII

Richard Brassey, 2003

The life of Henry VIII is a wonderful subject for Richard Brassey to interpret through his comic, colourful pictures and funny captions. All the essential information is there, concisely and wittily put. With its small paperback format, its 24 pages packed with pictures, it is lots of fun to read and look at and makes the perfect introduction to one of the most famous characters in British history. Подробнее

The Story of London (illustr: )

Richard Brassey, 2004

Roman Londinium, Saxon Lundenwic, the medieval City of London, the great metropolis that has survived the Plague, the Fire and the Blitz — it's all here, along with the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Madam Tussaud's, the London Eye and all the famous landmarks. Richard Brassey has a gift for focussing on just the colourful details children will enjoy, and on each page the narrative breaks out into stories, anecdotes, jokes, fascinating facts and accounts of famous Londoners. With excitingly busy pages packed with lively pictures and witty captions, this is a brilliant introduction to London past and present. Подробнее

Brilliant Brits: Elizabeth I

Richard Brassey, 2006

She said she'd rather die than marry; she had terrible toothache from eating too many sweets; she consulted a wizard before making big decisions; she drank beer for breakfast and astonished onlookers with her energetic dancing. This is a dazzling little pictorial biography, crammed with fascinating information. Подробнее

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