Drawing on observations by eminent biologists, from Thomas Huxley to Charles Darwin to Richard Dawkins, Ricky Steve and Karl offer their usual benighted summation.Areas of discussion include: The heuristic potential of flora and fauna; Karl is impressed by a new motoring accessory; Seashores to semiconductors; Gene genius; Monkey thumping; Karl's instinct for extinction; Self-improvement a la Frankenstein; Dodos - a dead delicacy?; Aurally challenged alligators, hedonistic rodents and horse-biting ranidae; Genital aesthetics - Karl talks bollocks.

    In three groupings, "Expedition to the Earth," "Tales from the White Hart," and "Reach for Tomorrow," the selections include such memorable tales as "Encounter at Dawn," "The Sentinel," "Armaments Race," "Jupiter Five" and "Time's Arrow."

    Far from the front lines, Space Marines of the Brazen Minotaurs infiltrate an ancient temple-tomb, seeking an artefact sacred to their Chapter... one that could turn the tide of battle in the Imperium’s favour. But they are not the first to enter the tomb – as the Space Marines race to seize their prize, they are watched from the shadows. Are the mysterious Raven Guard there to help the Brazen Minotaurs, or to destroy them?

    

    Thirteen-year-old Franklin Robertson is trying to survive adolescence. His parents don't understand him, his brother torments him, he has no friends, and he's more interested in the high school quarterback than any girl. The one bright spot in his life is the glow of the black-and-white TV in his parents' basement. Here, he worships at the altar of the Saturday Night Horror Movie, hosted by the eerie Dr. Cerberus. Before long, Franklin is convinced that only by going on the show will his life be redeemed - by Dr. Cerberus himself! A L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance starring Simon Helberg as Franklin Robertson, Jamison Jones as Doctor Cerberus, Steven Culp as Lawrence Robertson, Pamela J. Gray as Lydia Robertson and Jarrett Sleeper as Rodney Robertson, with original music by Steven Cahill.

    So often, we take our bodies for granted. We’re rarely curious about how they work and what we can do to make them work better. In The Body, Bill Bryson takes you on a tour inside your body so you can gain a better understanding of how it functions and its amazing ability to heal itself. At the times you doubt yourself, or think of yourself as less than wonderful, this summary of The Body will remind you of the miracle you truly are.

    Trooper Blake, the hero of “Alaska Justice,” comes alive as a character with wisdom, compassion, excitement, and gentle humor. Author Mike Kincaid weaves the story of Blake’s life with engrossing action, exciting adventure, and sweet romance.

    A group called the Free Merioneth Forces have claimed responsibility but there had to be an individual at the end of that missile launcher and Paula is determined to find out who it was.This short story is taken from Manhattan in Reverse, the first short story collection in thirteen years from the master of space opera. Peter F. Hamilton takes us on a journey from a murder mystery in an alternative Oxford in the 1800s to a brand new story featuring Paula Mayo, Deputy Director of the Intersolar Commonwealth's Serious Crimes Directorate. Dealing with intricate themes and topical subjects this top ten bestselling author is at the top of his game.The cover image for The Demon Trap was designed by Andrew Parkes as part of a competition run by Pan Macmillan in association with SFX magazine.

    A farce with a hilarious drunk scene for two stylish comediennes.

    

    But his new bride isn't the stepmother they have in mind. Charlene "Charlie" Hendricks is his vivacious, thirty-five-year-old personal trainer, the single-mother of a teen-age daughter. To Steven's midlife children, she is nothing but a gold digger…Days before her wedding, Charlie, training for a triathlon, decides to go for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Out of nowhere, a mysterious figure on a speeding Jet Ski shows up, making an attempt on her life. The children head the list of suspects--but which one plotted her death? Then, after the wedding, a second attack backfires and mistakenly kills her husband, making Charlie a wealthy heiress. Now it is the children who accuse her of murdering their father. Is Charlie a ruthless fortune hunter, or the innocent victim of her husband's greedy heirs?

    But he came from London's East End and settled in the north, a mean, dark, secretive man who was interested only in lining his pockets at the expense of those around him - most especially his wife and daughters. Ellen, his wife, bore with him for years, until she found her children threatened. Then she was prepared to fight like a tigress to protect the four girls, give them a chance of a new and better life, a chance to escape from the evil and oppressive legacy of Billy London. There was Abigail, clever, ambitious, and with an outer shell of steel that life had taught her was necessary if she was to survive. Tishy, overwhelmingly lovely, who lived in a world all her own. Marie, brisk, capable, and nearly strong enough to defy her father on her own. And Theresa, more wounded, more vulnerable, more damaged by Billy than any of them. As the sirens of 1939 heralded the advent of war, so Billy London's girls began their own battle for new, triumphant, and fulfilling lives.

    For when Makani touches others, their darkest thoughts and secret deeds are revealed to her. But her exile from the world at large comes to an end when she meets a “gifted” man with a talent of his own—a talent guided by a twisted soul. In a war of wills, only one will survive.“Final Hour”Makani saves a stranger from an accident in the park and experiences a most disturbing vision. With her friend Pogo, her dog Bob, and mere traces of information to guide her, Makani must track down two mysterious sisters—one of them innocent, one not.“Troubled Times”A friend reveals that he is under attack from a man with supernatural talents—a malevolent man with the power to manipulate time. The power was meant for good—to save humanity—but it was usurped by this man of insatiable greed and lust. Makani must use her gift, yet again, not only to save her friend, but the world as well. Has Makani finally met her match? Can her good heart stand up to such evil? Someone’s time is up and only time will tell whose time that is.

    Novak's One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories is an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut collection that signals the arrival of a welcome new voice in American fiction.Across a dazzling range of subjects, themes, tones, and narrative voices, Novak's assured prose and expansive imagination introduce readers to people, places, and premises that are hilarious, insightful, provocative, and moving-often at the same time.In One More Thing, a boy wins a $100,000 prize in a box of Frosted Flakes - only to discover that claiming the winnings may unravel his family. A woman sets out to seduce motivational speaker Tony Robbins - turning for help to the famed motivator himself. A school principal unveils a bold plan to permanently abolish arithmetic. An acclaimed ambulance driver seeks the courage to follow his heart and throw it all away to be a singer-songwriter. Author John Grisham contemplates a monumental typo. A new arrival in heaven, overwhelmed by infinite options, procrastinates over his long-ago promise to visit his grandmother. We meet a vengeance-minded hare, obsessed with scoring a rematch against the tortoise who ruined his life; and post-college friends who debate how to stage an intervention in the era of Facebook. We learn why wearing a red t-shirt every day is the key to finding love; how February got its name; and why the stock market is sometimes just... down.Finding inspiration in questions from the nature of perfection to the icing on carrot cake, from the deeply familiar to the intoxicatingly imaginative, One More Thing finds its heart in the most human of phenomena: love, fear, family, ambition, and the inner stirring for the one elusive element that might make a person complete. The stories in this collection are like nothing else, but they have one thing in common: they share the playful humor, deep heart, inquisitive mind, and altogether electrifying spirit of a writer with a fierce devotion to the entertainment of the reader.

    Falsely, he swears. Now his life and career hang in the balance. But why would she lie? The darkest thriller of the year has an only-in-Hollywood twist you'll never see coming. BookShotsLIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JAMES PATTERSON Novels you can devour in a few hours Impossible to stop reading All original content from James Patterson