A twenty-first-century corporation invades the domain of a warlike sixteenth-century Scottish clan in this "brilliantly imagined" time-travel adventure (Philip Pullman). The miraculous invention of a Time Tube has given Great Britain's mighty FUP corporation unprecedented power, granting it unlimited access to the rich natural resources of the past. Opening a portal into sixteenth-century Scotland, the company has sent representatives back five hundred years to deal with the Sterkarms, a lawless barbarian clan that has plundered both sides of the English-Scottish border for generations. Among the first of the company's representatives to arrive from the future, young anthropologist Andrea Mitchell finds herself strangely drawn to this primitive tribe of raiders and pillagers who, not surprisingly, view her as magical. As translator and liaison, she becomes enmeshed in the personal lives of these proud, savage folk, developing an especially strong emotional bond with Per, the handsome son of the ruthless Sterkarm chieftain, Toorkild. But the Sterkarms' welcome does not extend to the FUP corporate despoilers from the future--and soon a fragile agreement between the untamable Scots and the interloping "Elves" begins to crumble. Suddenly war looms on the horizon, and when treachery on both sides ignites a firestorm of violence, Andrea will have to choose where her loyalties truly lie: with her coldhearted employers or with the barbarous kinfolk of the man she has come to love. A winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize and a finalist for the Carnegie Medal, called "enthralling" by Philip Pullman, the author of the His Dark Materials novels, Susan Price's Sterkarm Handshake is a masterful blend of historical and science fiction critics have called "dazzling," "exciting," "memorable," "thought provoking," and "a thumping good page-turner."

A twenty-first-century corporation invades the domain of a warlike sixteenth-century Scottish clan in this “brilliantly imagined” time-travel adventure (Philip Pullman). The miraculous invention of a Time Tube has given Great Britain’s mighty FUP corporation unprecedented power, granting it unlimited access to the rich natural resources of the past. Opening a portal into sixteenth-century Scotland, the company has sent representatives back five hundred years to deal with the Sterkarms, a lawless barbarian clan that has plundered both sides of the English-Scottish border for generations. Among the first of the company’s representatives to arrive from the future, young anthropologist Andrea Mitchell finds herself strangely drawn to this primitive tribe of raiders and pillagers who, not surprisingly, view her as magical. As translator and liaison, she becomes enmeshed in the personal lives of these proud, savage folk, developing an especially strong emotional bond with Per, the handsome son of the ruthless Sterkarm chieftain, Toorkild. But the Sterkarms’ welcome does not extend to the FUP corporate despoilers from the future—and soon a fragile agreement between the untamable Scots and the interloping “Elves” begins to crumble. Suddenly war looms on the horizon, and when treachery on both sides ignites a firestorm of violence, Andrea will have to choose where her loyalties truly lie: with her coldhearted employers or with the barbarous kinfolk of the man she has come to love. A winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize and a finalist for the Carnegie Medal, called “enthralling” by Philip Pullman, the author of the His Dark Materials novels, Susan Price’s Sterkarm Handshake is a masterful blend of historical and science fiction critics have called “dazzling,” “exciting,” “memorable,” “thought provoking,” and “a thumping good page-turner.”

'Read THE WALLED ORCHARD so you can tell your descendants, 'I was there when the historical novel started holding its head up with the rest of literature''. - WASHINGTON POST 'This book is a hilarious yet well-researached historical novel.' - HISTORICAL NOVEL REVIEW The hero is Eupolis, weary, cynical and believing only in comedy. The heroine is Athens, at the height of her schizophrenic glory. A startling mixture of comedy and tragedy, THE WALLED ORCHARD is the poignant, charming story of their turbulent relationship. With unforgettable characters and a powerful and moving story, THE WALLED ORCHARD is a wonderful evocation of life in Ancient Greece in the fifth century BC. Books by Tom Holt: Walled Orchard Series Goatsong The Walled Orchard J.W. Wells & Co. Series The Portable Door In Your Dreams Earth, Air, Fire and Custard You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps The Better Mousetrap May Contain Traces of Magic Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages YouSpace Series Doughnut When It's A Jar The Outsorcerer's Apprentice The Good, the Bad and the Smug Novels Expecting Someone Taller Who's Afraid of Beowulf Flying Dutch Ye Gods! Overtime Here Comes the Sun Grailblazers Faust Among Equals Odds and Gods Djinn Rummy My Hero Paint your Dragon Open Sesame Wish you Were Here Alexander at World's End Only Human Snow White and the Seven Samurai Olympiad Valhalla Nothing But Blue Skies Falling Sideways Little People Song for Nero Meadowland Barking Blonde Bombshell The Management Style of the Supreme Beings An Orc on the Wild Side

The sequel to Susan Price's imaginative tour de force, The Sterkarm Handshake. The Time Tube is up and running again and this time FUP have a new plan - the Sterkarms who destroyed all their plans and invaded the twenty-first century last time will not get the better of them. This time they are the peacemakers with the ultimate weapon: love. But just how much faith can you put in a Sterkarm kiss? This is a brilliantly imagined novel that has everything: adventure, treachery, violence, intrigue and love. The Bookseller

A first book for middle school readers by the author of Little Troll finds young Mouse's privileged and carefree life shattered by his relocation at the hands of the villainous Mr. Button to grim Murstone Hall school, where Mouse receives help from an eclectic cast of characters while struggling to return to his family. Reprint.

In the darkest hour of a freezing Midwinter, a night-walking witch adopts a newborn baby and carries her off in her house on chicken legs. She names her Chingis and teaches her the Three Magics. She grows into such a powerful witch that she rouses the jealousy of Kuzma, the bear-shaman. The Czar of this cold realm fears his newborn son, Safa, will out do him, and so imprisons the baby at the top of a tall tower, to live and die there without ever glimpsing the real world. Loneliness and confinement drive him to rage and despair until Chingis hears the crying of his trapped spirit and frees him. But now their enemies unite against them, with steel and deadly magic. Chingis and Safa's fight for freedom will take them even through the Ghost World into the Land of the Dead. A timeless and atmospheric tale of fierce magic.

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the globally bestselling Old Kingdom series with a special edition of Sabriel, featuring exclusive content from master of fantasy Garth Nix and original cover artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon. Enter the Old Kingdom, a world of dark secrets and dangerous magic. As a child, Sabriel was sent across the Wall to Ancelstierre to safety. Now eighteen years old, she receives a cryptic and desperate message from her father, the Abhorsen--the magical protector whose task it is to bind and send back to Death those who won't stay Dead. Fiercely determined to help her father, who is perilously trapped in Death, and save him from the sinister Free Magic entity that has somehow ensnared him, Sabriel must prepare to enter Death herself--and find her destiny. To preserve life, the Abhorsen must enter death. Exclusive content including an original short story set in Sabriel's school days and other extras complete this special edition. "There is no joy like returning to the Old Kingdom. Nix sets the standard for fantasy." --Leigh Bardugo "One of the greatest living fantasy writers. I will never get enough of the Old Kingdom." --Sarah J. Maas "Sabriel is a winner, a fantasy that reads like realism, created with invention, clarity and intelligence." --Philip Pullman

Skara Brae, Orkney, during the Neolithic period. The sun is dying, crops are failing and the local inhabitants fear that the end of the world is near. When a strange boy appears from nowhere, dressed in an odd silver suit - his 'silver skin' - the community is thrown into confusion. Who is he, where is he from, and why has he come? Is he a selkie or seal person, a mythical being believed to have magical powers? For Cait, herself an outsider in the community, the boy, Rab, arouses a strange fascination as she finds herself strangely drawn towards him. For Voy, the Old Woman, Rab represents the only hope for the sun's regeneration, but only if his silver skin is burnt in a huge sacrificial blaze. As the pyre is built, Rab must fight for his life if he is ever to be able to return to his own time. And if he succeeds, what will be the fate of the islanders he will leave behind?

Ami lives on Culion, an island for people who have leprosy. Her mother is infected. She loves her home - but then islanders untouched by sickness are forced to leave. Ami's desperate to return before her mother's death. She finds a strange and fragile hope in a colony of butterflies. Can they lead her home before it's too late?

A childless old couple love their kitten so much, they decide to have him educated.They pay their vicar to teach Thomas his letters.But the vicar is a cruel man. He takes their money but he kills their kitten.Year after year he makes them work to pay Thomas' 'school-fees.'When he leaves for London, the vicar plays one last, cruel trick. He tells the old pair that their Thomas has run away to sea -- but that they will find him in London, at the Miching Mouse Inn. The vicar laughs to think of the old couple travelling to London to search for a man and an inn that don't exist.But when the old pair reach London, they have strange good luck...Based on an old folk-tale, this is a heart-warming tale by Susan Price, the award winning writer of 'The Wolf's Footprint' and 'The Ghost Drum.'(Originally published by A&C Black.)