Purgatory Mount

Purgatory Mount

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

An interstellar craft is decelerating after its century-long voyage. Its destination is V538 Aurigae ?, a now-empty planet dominated by one gigantic megastructure, a conical mountain of such height that its summit is high above the atmosphere. The ship's crew of five hope to discover how the long-departed builders made such a colossal thing, and why: a space elevator? a temple? a work of art? Its resemblance to the mountain of purgatory lead the crew to call this world Dante. In our near future, the United States is falling apart. A neurotoxin has interfered with the memory function of many of the population, leaving them reliant on their phones as makeshift memory prostheses. But life goes on. For Ottoline Barragão, a regular kid juggling school and her friends and her beehives in the back garden, things are about to get very dangerous, chased across the north-east by competing groups, each willing to do whatever it takes to get inside Ottoline's private network and recover the secret inside. Purgatory Mount, Adam Roberts's first SF novel for three years, combines wry space opera and a fast-paced thriller in equal measure. It is a novel about memory and atonement, about exploration and passion, and like all of Roberts's novels it's not quite like anything else.
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The Black Prince

The Black Prince

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

'I'm working on a novel intended to express the feel of England in Edward III's time ... The fourteenth century of my novel will be mainly evoked in terms of smell and visceral feelings, and it will carry an undertone of general disgust rather than hey-nonny nostalgia' – Anthony Burgess, Paris Review, 1973 The Black Prince is a brutal historical tale of chivalry, religious belief, obsession, siege and bloody warfare. From disorientating depictions of medieval battles to court intrigues and betrayals, the campaigns of Edward II, the Black Prince, are brought to vivid life by an author in complete control of the novel as a way of making us look at history with fresh eyes, all while staying true to the linguistic pyrotechnics and narrative verve of Burgess's best work.
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The This

The This

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

The This is the new social media platform everyone is talking about. Allow it to be injected into the roof of your mouth and it will grow into your brain, allow you to connect with others without even picking up your phone. Its followers are growing. Its detractors say it is a cult. But for one journalist, hired to do a puff-piece interview with their CEO, it will change the world forever. Adan just wants to stay at home with his smart-companion Elegy - phone, friend, confidante, sex toy. But when his mother flees to Europe and joins a cult, leaving him penniless, he has to enlist in the army. Sentient robots are invading America, but it seems Adan has a surprising ability to survive their attacks. He has a purpose, even if he doesn’t know what it is. And in the far future, war between a hivemind of Ais and the remnants of humanity is coming to its inevitable end. But one woman has developed a weapon which might change the course of the war. It’s just a pity she’s trapped in an inescapable prison on a hivemind ship.
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Splinter

Splinter

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

Hector travels across America to visit his father on a ranch. He discovers that he has constructed a cult who await the impact of an asteroid. However, Hector is amazed when the section of Earth that the ranch is on suddenly breaks free from the rest of the planet during the collision. He struggles with his skepticism and acceptance of the fact that he is part of the remnants of the human race, on a splinter from the Earth.**About the AuthorAdam Roberts is 36 and a Senior Reader in English at London University. His first novel, Salt, was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Aside from his numerous novels, he has also published a number of academic works on both 19th century poetry and SF. He currently resides in London (UK), south of the river.
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Shoreline of Infinity 32

Shoreline of Infinity 32

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

Science Fiction and Fairy Tales Special Edition Adam Roberts – Lad and the Devil Woody Dismukes – A Good Morsel of Clay Mary Berman – Cassandra Takes the Plunge Edmund Fines – The Golden Circle Tour Rhys Hughes – A Gorgon Reversed e rathke – Last Life in the Universe Laura Scotland – Such is the Pathway to the Stars Dave Weaver – The Space Apostle Sofia Samatar – Fairy Tales for RobotsMultiverse - poems from: Cat Hellisen, Bethany Davis and Jane YolenBook ReviewsNeom by Lavie Tidhar, review by Iain MaloneyCast Long Shadows by Cat Hellisen, review by Veronika GrokeTo Catch a Moon by Rym Kechacha, review by Callum McSorleyScience Communication Through Poetry bySam Illingworth, review by Ken MacLeodInterview: Adam RobertsEven More Science Fiction Fairy Tales... Teika Marija SmitsGuest Editor: Teika Marija SmitsCover artwork: Fangorn
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The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo

The Dragon with the Girl Tattoo

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

Lizbreath Salamander is young and beautiful. Her scales have an iridescent sheen, her wings arch proudly, her breath has a tang of sulfur. And on her back a tattoo of a mythical creature: a girl. But when Lizbreath is drawn into a dark conspiracy she will have to rely on more than her beauty and her vicious claws the size of sabres... A dragon has disappeared, one of a secretive clan. As Lizbreath delves deeper into their history she realises that these dragons will do anything to defend their secrets. Welcome to the world of The Dragon With The Girl Tattoo. A world of gloomy Nordic dragons leading lives uncannily like our own (despite their size, despite the need for extensive fireproofing of home furnishings), a world of money hoarded, a world of darkness and corruption. A world where people are the fantasy. A parody (with dragons) of Stieg Larsson's global bestseller, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.
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The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate

The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

A gothic tale of murder and corruption set in 1840s Victorian London, taking inspiration from our most famous 19th century writers.The 1840s. Railway Baron Sir Martin Malprelate has been laying waste to the warren of Camden; buying up houses and clearing streets for his new railway line linking King’s Cross with the prosperous town of Middlemarch. He stands to make his fortune ever more vast and to earn the loathing of all who attempt to stand up to him. Little wonder, then, that he meets a violent end on a foggy street after walking out of a particularly bitter meeting with outraged residents facing eviction. But the cause of his death causes more wonder. How could he have possibly fallen beneath the wells of a speeding spectral train running on tracks not yet even built?Sir Martin’s death is investigated by the police, but the company employ one of its senior engineers, Mr Bryde, to pursue his own investigation. Bryde uncovers a network of...
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Lost Worlds Short Stories

Lost Worlds Short Stories

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

New Authors and collections. Following the great success of our Gothic Fantasy, deluxe edition short story compilations, Ghosts, Horror, Science Fiction, Murder Mayhem and Crime & Mystery this latest title is packed with dark valleys, high mountain passes, dinosaurs and endless dark creations. Contains a fabulous mix of classic and brand new writing, with authors from the US, Canada, and the UK. Classic authors include: Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, H. Rider Haggard, Robert E. Howard, Rudyard Kipling, H.P. Lovecraft, A. Merritt, James De Mille, Fitz-James O'Brien, Jonathan Swift, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells.
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Bête

Bête

Adam Roberts

Science Fiction / Mystery / Fiction

A man is about to kill a cow. He discusses life and death and his right to kill with the compliant animal. He begins to suspect he may be about to commit murder. But kills anyway... It began when the animal rights movement injected domestic animals with artificial intelligences in bid to have the status of animals realigned by the international court of human rights. But what is an animal that can talk? Where does its intelligence end at its machine intelligence begin? And where might its soul reside? As we place more and more pressure on the natural world and become more and more divorced, Adam Roberts' new novel posits a world where nature can talk back, and can question us and our beliefs. Adam Roberts is an award-winning author at the peak of his powers and each new novel charts an exciting new direction while maintaining a uniformly high level of literary achievement.
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