Colonial Fiction

It is 1914, and the storm clouds of war are building on the horizon. In Sydney, Josiah Steele is the new head of the family and grappling with his two very different sons - David, upstanding, decent and heir to the family enterprises; and Benjamin, wayward, restless and a magnet for trouble. To...

In the shadow of the London Blitz, artist Elsie Turner clings fiercely to her canvases, refusing to let war dim the colors that define her. The bombs test her nerve, but the struggle also stirs memories of her golden youth in India and of the long-lost love of her life.

Unfairly convicted and force into indentured servitude, young Highland Scot Duncan McCallum finds himself aboard a prisoner ship bound for the New World. A series of mysterious deaths plagues the passengers and claims the life of Duncan’s dear friend Adam Munroe. Enlisted by his captors to investigate, a strange trail of clues leads Duncan into the New World and eventually thrusts him into the bloody maw of the French and Indian War.

For thousands of years, we have set out sailing for all kinds of reasons - for battle, for infinite wealth, for the excitement of exploring the unknown, and for escape from the mundane. We have always had a primal relationship with the sea - even those who have never been to sea remain fascinated by the seafaring life and tales of salty adventure. Now in a brand–new series collection, The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together such diverse authors as Charles Dickens, Jack London, John Masefield, Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, and dozens more.

The demons who once ran amok down there, torturing lost souls, were easy enough to subdue. The damned, left without their tormentors, have been put to work on cotton and tobacco plantations. As for the colonists, it takes all sorts to give up the comforts of home and make new lives on the infernal frontier.

Bloomsbury presents Twist, written and read by Colum McCann A darkly epic novel about connection, disconnection and destruction – from the New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-winning, Booker Prize-longlisted author of Let the Great World Spin **Named a 2025 book to look out for by...

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain comes the story of an Irish-Chinese family over four generations in Australia. ‘They said you were a murdering bushranger.’ It’s the winter of 2049 and Daniel is elderly and long isolated. Soon after yet another...

Lawyer James Kinney isn’t looking for love, and laundress Sara O’Connor doesn’t want to be found. When their paths cross in a British colony on the brink of rebellion, a marriage of convenience may be their best hope of survival. Canada, 1837. Widower James Kinney knows his precocious...

Despite what seems like the unending war between French and British, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum has begun to settle into a new life on the fringes of colonial America, traveling the woodlands with his companion Conawago, even joining the old Indian on his quest to find the last surviving members of his tribe. But the joy they feel on reaching the little settlement of Christian Indians is shattered when they find its residents ritually murdered. As terrible as the deaths may be, Conawago perceives something even darker and more alarming.

Travel back in time to the days of the American colonies with Nathaniel Hawthorne's "In Colonial Days". This collection of stories paints a vivid picture of life in early America, complete with historical details, richly drawn characters, and Hawthorne's signature blend of wit and insight. From tales of Puritan punishment to humorous anecdotes about colonial life, these stories offer a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era. Immerse yourself in Hawthorne's timeless prose and discover the world of the American colonies like never before.

A Most Anticipated Book of the Year from The New York Times, Literary Hub, Stylist and many more 'Takes all the expected stories about growing up Indian American, slices them open with razor-sharp wit, and turns them inside out' CELESTE NG, author of OUR MISSING HEARTS 'Droll, caustic . . . and...

A new war has broken out.... Indian ships have invaded three British-held systems, and Indian troops have occupied British colonies, forcing Britain to choose between war and shame. The Royal Navy, battered by the fires of the First Interstellar War and desperately trying to recover from the terrifying casualties, must launch a counterattack and recover the colonies. For HMS Warspite - and a task force of British warships - the stakes have never been so high.

Brought to you by Penguin. When Funke’s mother dies in a tragic accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Traumatised by grief and against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, conformist Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them...

A tale of resilience and redemption. Caitlin Blackwell’s life has been shaped by the whims of men—the cruel landlord who evicted her family when she was a child; the dirty grinders who bought her favors in the alleyways of Cork; and the uncaring husband who was forced upon her when she arrived as a convict in Australia twenty years ago. But at last, she’s a widow. She’s inherited a farm of her own, and she’s determined to seize control of her destiny. There’s only one thing stopping her from becoming the prosperous, independent woman she’s always dreamed she could be: she’s illiterate.

An exciting new voice in Australian crime, A. L. Booth brings you a tale of secrets and deception, and one man’s search for the truth. Two days before Jack O'Rourke's embarkment to the Western Front in 1916, he leaps into Sydney Harbour to save an elderly Russian man, named Samuel Lomond, from...

This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. A man denied his birthright. A society built on prejudice. A love that defies every barrier. In the lush paradise of Mauritius, Georges Munier returns from France a wealthy, educated gentleman—only to discover that in the eyes of the island's white...

Virginia, 1813. Isaac and Nathaniel know every hidden channel, oyster reef, and treacherous mudflat along their home creek. Enslaved since birth, they have spent their lives feeding the plantation that holds them captive. Now British warships have entered the Chesapeake, and word is spreading...

A bold, inventive, and fiercely original debut novel that begins with an uncle dead and his tween niece’s private confession to the reader—she and her sister killed him, and they blame the British. "I have been waiting for Nina McConigley's debut novel for years and it's even better than I...

Over the years, thousands of tales both true and fantastic have been told about the dastardly thievery of pirates. Their rum-drunk exploits and high-seas violence never fail to delight. Now in a brand new series collection, The Best Pirate Stories Ever Told includes many of the very best pirate yarns ever created on history’s most debaucherous scalawags. Anyone who loves a good story full of excitement, adventure, thrills, and laughs will find this collection irresistible.

Brought to you by Penguin. Max didn’t believe in an afterlife. Until he died. As a reluctant ghost trying to work out why he remains, Max watches his girlfriend Hannah lost in grief in the flat they shared and begins to realise how much of her life was invisible to him. In the weeks and months...