Showing results by narrator "Barnaby Edwards" in All Categories

Ghur is a realm of vast wilds and savage beasts. Few are more vicious than the herdchief, Ghroth the Rootcutter. Brutal and ruthless, he leads his warherd from one massacre to the next, slaughtering all who defy him. Yet this is not enough to sate Ghroth's bloodthirsty ambition - to become the mightiest of beastlords. When a fearsome vision promises Ghroth the power he craves, he leads a small band of warriors far across the wastes to seize the relic that will make all beastkin submit to his dominion.

News from Nowhere (1890) is the best-known prose work of William Morris. The novel describes the encounter between a visitor from the 19th century, William Guest, and a decentralized and humane socialist future. Set over a century after a revolutionary upheaval in 1952, these 'Chapters from a Utopian Romance' recount his journey across London and up the Thames to Kelmscott Manor, Morris's own country house in Oxfordshire.

First published in 1516, Utopia is a political and philosophical satire presented as a dialogue between More and the traveller Raphael Hythlodaeus. Raphael recounts his time visiting the island of Utopia, where private property ceases to exist, all citizens work, and the laws promote equality, education and religious tolerance. Through this imagined society, More indirectly challenges the injustices of European politics, and cleverly reflects on the meaning of justice, governance and what it takes to create a ‘perfect’ society.

Cambridge, 1994. Professor Don Lamb is a revered art historian at the height of his powers, consumed by the book he is writing about the skies of the Venetian master Tiepolo. However, his academic brilliance belies a deep inexperience of life and love. When an explosive piece of contemporary art is installed on the lawn of his college, it sets in motion Don's abrupt departure from Cambridge to take up a role at a south London museum. There he befriends Ben, a young artist who draws him into the anarchic 1990s British art scene and the nightlife of Soho.

In the heat of the Trojan War, the Greek army’s greatest warrior, Achilles, withdraws from battle after a bitter dispute with King Agamemnon. As the war spirals into chaos, heroes rise and fall, divine forces meddle in mortal affairs, and honor is tested on every side. But when tragedy strikes, Achilles must confront his rage—and his destiny.

The Last Great Mountain tells the story of the first ascent of Kangchenjunga the third highest but reputedly the hardest mountain in the world. It was an astonishing achievement for a British team led by Everest veteran Charles Evans. Drawing on interviews, diaries and unpublished accounts, Mick Conefrey begins his story in 1905 with the disastrous first attempt on the mountain by a team led by Aleister Crowley, explores the three dramatic German expeditions of the the late 1920s and brings it all to a climax 50 years later with the first ascent by Joe Brown and George Band.

Every Icelander knows about the Gudmundur and Geirfinnur disappearances. 1974. In two separate incidents, two men vanished into thin air. Then, out of it came six murder confessions and six convictions. Yet in the decades that followed, these too evaporated. Anthony Adeane explores the stranger-than-fiction story that has unravelled in Iceland across 45 years. He provides the first full account of the case, paints a fascinating picture of the country, and places each development in the contexts that shaped them: from the Cod Wars to the Cold War, the 2008 economic crash and beyond.

Warlords battle across Britain to become the first king of the English. After a stunning victory against the native Waelisc, Beobrand returns a hero. His valour is rewarded with wealth and land by Oswald, king of Northumbria. He retires to his new estate with his bride only to find himself surrounded by enemies old and new. With treachery and death on all sides, Beobrand fears he will lose all he holds dear. On a quest for revenge and redemption, he accepts the mantle of lord, leading his men into the darkest of nights and the bloodiest of battles.

Set in the fictional cathedral town of Barchester, the novel revolves around the power struggles following the sudden death of the archdeacon, which creates a vacancy for the prestigious position of bishop. A brilliant mix of humor, drama, and keen social insight, Barchester Towers is a timeless exploration of human nature.

1890. Lieutenant Gabriel Stokes of the British Army left behind the horrors of war in Afghanistan for a role in the Metropolitan Police. Though he rose quickly through the ranks, the squalid violence of London’s East End proved just as dark and oppressive as the battlefield. With his life falling apart, and longing for peace and meaning, Gabriel leaves the grime of London behind and heads for the wilderness and wide open spaces of the American West.

Brought to you by Puffin. Discover what happened before . . . Eight original stories written by Janet Fielding (Tegan), Ingrid Oliver (Osgood), Mark Griffiths, Steve Cole, Gary Russell, Beth Axford, Janelle McCurdy and E. L. Norry. Read by Janet Fielding, Ingrid Oliver, Barnaby Edwards, Ayesha...

We love Pig (we can't help it), but Pig loves Farmer, and he can't help it either. After all, Farmer gives Pig yummy slops and special back scratches, and calls him Sausage and seems to love him more, the fatter he gets. Just as well Pig doesn't speak any Farmer. But Duck does (Duck's clever like that), and he's determined his best friend should know the truth. This is tough for Pig. But Pig won't just sit there and weep (though we may do, on his behalf), because there's help from an unexpected quarter: the Evil Chickens have a plan....

When a young archaeologist disappears during a dig at Whitby Abbey, so begins a terrifying and sinister chain of events. As an eerie fog settles over the town and more disappearances are reported, young ghost hunters Eve, Clovis and Tom find themselves involved in a terrifying case.

Venice, 1522. Intelligence arrives from the east confirming Europe's greatest fear: the vastly rich Ottoman Sultan has all he needs to wage total war - and his sights are set on Rome. With Christendom divided, Suleyman the Magnificent has his hand on its entrails. From the palaces of Istanbul to the blood-soaked fields of Central Europe and the scorched coasts of North Africa, The Lion House pioneers a bold new style of eye-witness history to tell a true story of power at its most glittering, personal and perilous.

The Land of Mist is a novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1926. Although this is a Professor Challenger story, it centres more on his daughter Enid and her colleague. Heavily influenced by Doyle’s growing belief in Spiritualism after the death of his son, brother, and two nephews in World War I, the book focuses on Edward Malone’s at first professional, and later personal interest in Spiritualism.

Terror stalks the hills, moors and marshes of Bernicia. Livestock and men have been found ripped asunder, their bones gnawed, flesh gorged upon. People cower in their halls in fear of the monster that prowls the night. King Edwin sends his champions, Bassus, Octa and band of trusted thegns, to rid his people of this evil. Bassus leads the warriors into the chill wastes of the Northern winter, and they soon question whether they are the hunters or the prey.

In the dangerous future world of MORTAL ENGINES, huge motorized cities hunt, attack and devour each other. It is there that Anna's home was consumed by Arkangel, the great predator city. She was separated from her parents and kept as a slave in the dark belly of Arkangel — but Anna is determined to be free again.

Brought to you by Penguin. As the snow falls, the haunting begins... Get ready for the most gripping cosy murder mystery debut of the year. A grand country estate. On her last day as a Detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from hell: a ticket to take part in a haunted house...

Dementia, heart failure and cancer are now the leading causes of death in industrialised nations, where life expectancy is mostly above 80. A century ago, life expectancy was about 50 and people died mainly from infectious diseases. In the Middle Ages, death was mostly caused by famine, plague, childbirth and war. In the Palaeolithic period, where our species spent 95% of its time, we frequently died from violence and accidents.

Ebenezer Tweezer is a youthful 511-year-old. He keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion, who he feeds all manner of things (including performing monkeys, his pet cat and the occasional cactus) and in return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful. But the beast grows ever greedier, and soon only a nice, juicy child will do. So when Ebenezer encounters orphan Bethany, it seems like (everlasting) life will go on as normal. But Bethany is not your average orphan.