Showing results by author "Michael" in All Categories

Australia has forgotten what keeps it safe. So argues Michael Wesley in this sharp and compelling essay about our place in the world. Southeast Asia is the key to our national security and prosperity. If China dominates the region, as it plans to, Australia will be very vulnerable. So why are we following an American strategy that isolates and alienates us from our neighbours? Wesley argues that the focus on AUKUS and sticking with Trump is a dangerous distraction. Whereas the United States has little at stake in Southeast Asia, Australia has everything to lose.

Len steps out of Kreni Hall without Rick or the other Titans, Daniela, and Dennis. King Eardin, whose death sparked the Plynthia Civil War in his last life, is alive and well, summoning Rick to a ball in Eskon City. A ball where he aims to reassert his dominion as King of Plynthia. An outcome that neither his sons nor their supporters desire. Rick is needed, and Len will go. Now is not the time Goran wants to be drawing the attention of others. Not when their focus is on Harmonia's growing threat.

Twenty-five years ago, a killer dubbed the Richmond Ripper terrorised London, claiming four victims before vanishing without a trace. Now, with her mother dying, Holly is running out of time to deliver the answers she desperately craves. But as she digs deeper into the past, someone is watching, and when Holly is targeted, it becomes clear that the killer is back, and he doesn't want to be found. Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Holly can trust no one - because someone in her inner circle is hiding the darkest secret of all.

Arrogant. Scornful. Full of pride. Darnuir, prince of dragons, cares nothing for the damage he's doing to the faltering alliance against the Shadow. He thinks himself invincible - right up till a mortal wound forces him to undergo a dangerous rebirthing spell, leaving him a helpless babe in human hands.

“Bears like Paddington are very rare,” says Mrs Bird, “and a good thing too, or it would cost us a small fortune in marmalade.” Stephen Fry returns to tell us the continuing saga of Paddington and the Browns. READ BY STEPHEN FRY. The Brown Family first met Paddington on a railway station...

If you’re a fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events, Edward Scissorhands, or the darkest bits of Roald Dahl, the Weirdie triplets - Barnacle, Garlic, and Melancholy - will feel like old friends. After being left behind when the entire estate of Deadeye Manor is packed up for a doomed vacation cruise, the triplets have to learn how to fend for themselves.

France, 1969. When a rare gap opens in barrister Charles Holborne's court diary, he and Sally seize the chance for their long-postponed honeymoon. With baby Leia in tow, they seek peace in a friend's farmhouse deep in the rural heart of Gascony — a picturesque land of vineyards, sleepy village squares and distant Pyrenean peaks.

The classic story of Paddington, the bear from Darkest Peru, who was found lost on Paddington Station. “A bear on Paddington Station?” said Mrs Brown in amazement. “Don’t be silly – there can’t be.” The Browns first met Paddington on a railway station – Paddington station, in...

How the Earth Works takes you on an astonishing journey through time and space. In 48 lectures, you will look at what went into making our planet - from the big bang, to the formation of the solar system, to the subsequent evolution of Earth.

Kelvin Wiltshire lives the life of a simple cook in a remote village on the far side of Trendham. The townsfolk think little of the man and his son and believe him to be just another refugee from the Terabinian war. On cold winter nights, they share rumors of the bloody conflict and the mysterious death of Will Cartwright, the mighty mage who had the power to command storms. They like the new cook. They fear the fallen king. But the two men are one and the same.

The ancient magic of wizards was anything but dark. It was the enlightenment that lifted humanity from the squalor of superstition, and the worship of fell spirits and capricious gods, but those days are gone. The shining glory of the sorcerers burned away the subtlety of wisdom, replacing it with easy power, held only in the hands of the elite—a new age built upon the elemental supremacy of aristocrats and the ignorance of the masses.

The alliance of humans and renegade Fhrey is fragile — and about to be tested as never before. Persephone keeps the human clans from turning on one another through her iron will and a compassionate heart. The arrogant Fhrey are barely held in check by their leader, Nyphron, who seeks to advance his own nefarious agenda through a loveless marriage that will result in the betrayal of the person Persephone loves most: Raithe, the God Killer.          

The Weirdie Triplets and Miss Emily are settling into Deadeye Manor when, against all logic, their parents return from the dead! Even worse, they want Barnacle, Melancholy and Garlic back, sparking a truly unusual effort to prove that Miss Emily is the best parent for them. Will the family get justice? Will the triplets succeed in their ridiculous fundraisers to pay for the lawyer? Why are there so many raccoons in the courtroom?

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only one loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient - and the biggest lie of his life.

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life—a beautiful wife, a loving daughter and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only a loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient and the biggest lie of his life. Caught in a complex web of deceit and haunted by images of the slain girl, he embarks upon a search that will take him from London to Liverpool and into the darkest recesses of the human mind.

Now a student at Wurthaven, Will is confronted with the truth of the present. The powerful magic embodied by wizards like his grandfather is but a distant memory. Though the practice of the current day is timid and uninspired, Will needs the knowledge that’s preserved and managed by the college. At every turn he finds that sorcery is supreme, while wizards are trained merely to assist and support those who hold the real power—a power based on an evil so deep that few who are living know the truth of its foundation.

Join the Octonauts in this fourth collection of exciting underwater adventures adapted from the popular children's television series! The Octonauts are a team of quirky and courageous undersea adventurers who are always ready to dive into action. The Octonauts' mission is to explore new underwater worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures and protect our oceans.

The irresistible Paddington Bear, who was found on Paddington station, returns in this reissued novel, with a brand new cover design. “Oh dear!” said Paddington, “I’m in trouble again.” Somehow trouble always comes naturally to Paddington. What other bear could catch a fish in his hat...