Showing results by narrator "John Banks" in All Categories

A fictional biographical slice of Baudelaire's life and love with his famous Haitian muse, Jeanne Duval, Black Venus captures the artistic scene in the great French capital city, at a time when the likes of Dumas and Balzac argued literature in the cafés of the Left Bank. Among the bohemians, the young Charles Baudelaire stood out, dressed impeccably thanks to an inheritance that was quickly vanishing.

Gabriel Bell is a grumpy 44 - year old web journalist irritated by the accumulating disappointments in life. He and his girlfriend Ellie want to start a family, but Gabriel has so few sperm he can name them and knit them flippers. So it's IVF, which is expensive. Losing his job was bad enough, but getting run over and waking up to find himself in a therapy group run by angels really annoys him. In Gabriel's group are a professional killer and his last victim, as well as the woman whose car put Gabriel and herself in a coma.

The more I knew of Haffner, writes Adam Thirlwell in The Escape, the more real he became, this was true. And, simultaneously, Haffner disappeared. In a forgotten spa town snug in the Alps, at the end of the twentieth century, Haffner is seeking a cure, more women, and a villa that belonged to his late wife. But really he is trying to escape: from his family, his lovers, his history, his entire Haffnerian condition. For Haffner is 78. Haffner, in other words, is too old to be grown up.

The sharp, funny, entirely original and explosive debut novel by Adam Thirlwell – twice named one of the Best Young British Novelists by Granta magazine. In case you had not noticed, writes Adam Thirlwell in his first novel, Politics, in this book I am not interested in anything so small as the history of the USSR. I am not writing anything so limited. In this epic miniature, therefore, Politics tells the story of three kids in their twenties falling in love with each other in London.

Connor Alasdair’s parents have never lied to him; they’ve always treated him like an adult and included him in family discussions. So why won’t they tell him about the strange red-haired man who keeps visiting their home? Why is his father lying about the monster in their back garden? And why are both parents so insistent that he stops asking questions? Yesterday 1990s suburbia held no terror for a 15 year-old boy.

Doses of concentrated thrills and pure, raw excitement are delivered directly on the heels of the most explosive musical theme in radio - a crashing rendition of Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain". Produced and directed by William N. Robson, Norman MacDonnell, and Antony Ellis - and featuring stories by Rudyard Kipling, Ambrose Bierce, and more - Escape is capable of chilling spines as expertly as it accelerates heartbeats.

Three great heroes - Hamilcar Bear-eater, Neferata and Prince Maesa - each face very personal trials that could see them fall into darkness in these three tales that beautifully evoke bitter melancholy - as well as provide audio action. The gods are at war. As the Mortal Realms plunge into darkness and despair, there are an ambitious few who seek to turn these fortunes in their favour. Within the nightmarish, labyrinthine halls of Shadespire, a famed Lord-Castellant must escape the Mirrored City to cement his legend forever.

If you dream of launching your own business, but aren't sure what that business should be, microDomination has the answer. This new book from entrepreneur and communications guru Trevor Young shows you how to tap into your particular area of expertise and build a small business around what you know and love. No matter what particular subject you're knowledgeable about, from dog training to cooking to financial planning, microDomination shows you how to build a brand around yourself and turn that brand and expertise into profits even from the comfort of your own home.

On the world of Solennes, the battle between the forces of the Imperium and the heretics has become a stalemate of seemingly eternal artillery bombardments. The land is devastated, and the attempts to gain ground by either side end in disaster. Morale is low, and when Trooper Arehn is caught apparently fleeing the front lines, Commissar Selander does not hesitate in condemning him to a very public execution. When Selander starts to see Arehn after his death, he follows the apparition, wracked by doubts - but what will he find?