Cafe Britannica

Cafe Britannica is a new collection of short stories from Stephen Cardew.

It's a collection of ten short stories and it comes with subtitle: "Ten Tea With Tea and Cake."

Each of them is carefully crafted to last a quarter of an hour. Enough time, Stephen Cardew figures, for the story and a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake.

The stories all have a common theme, they feature different cafes from all over the UK and even some from further afield.

There's opportunities for nostalgia, learning about justice and judging, spiritual matters and cafes, coffee, tea, cakes and much more, besides.

There's even a story aimed at children, too.

It's published by The Book Guild and costs £7.99.

Podric Moon and the Corsican Tyrant

Podric Moon and the Corsican Tyrant is a novel from highly experienced and esteemed screenwriter and director, Barney Broom.

It tells the story of Podric Moon who is not only a computer game playing champion, he is the inventor of the Ultimate Virtual Reality programme.

He and his group of friends roam through the magnificent realms of today and of yesterday, playing games and enjoying a multiplicity of adventures.

In this, the first of the series of novels about Podric Moon, he and his friends take on the might power of Napoleon, the Corsican Tyrant of the title.

However, it's not all fun and adventure for Podric, because he is dealt a terrible and tragic blow when his father, a Wing Commander in the RAF, is killed in what was classified as a "freak accident."

Podric makes friends, and enemies, and he meets up with Archie Light, one of the top game designers in the world, having been knocked down by a hit and run driver outside Archie's house.

And that's only the beginning of this truly amazing novel that is aimed at young adults. Although older adults will also find much to commend this book.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

10 Days of Freedom

10 Days of Freedom is a new science fiction novel from Maurice Powell.

It is set in the year 2209, and the population of the world is now a staggering 5 billion.

11 men make an escape form a "Work Zone", previously known as a prison. Although the men were held as prisoners, they had committed no crime and had not had a trial. They were the result of a programme to genetically engineer worker humans, designed to undertake manual work for their supporters.

Over the years the 11 had been able to collect bits and pieces of information about the world outside the "Work Zone" until one day, they managed to escape from the Work Zone, escaping to the countrside just ot the south of Birmingham.

They are being trailed by guards from the Work Zone, senior government officials and a husband and wife team who are leading academics form Oxford University, experts in the field of psychoanalysis.

The fugitives cannot be allowed to remain at large. They must be stopped no matter the cost. Because the British public must never learn the truth about the Work Zones and what happens within them.

Can the 11 outwit the authorities? Can they evade their pursuers and continue to live free and outside the Work Zone?

What would happen if the public found out about the truth of the Work Zones? Because a lot more than the freedom of the 11 rests on this.

It is a though provoking novel which raises many interesting questions on ethics and morality.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

   

Pickles' Purrfect Plan

Pickles' Purrfect Plan is a wonderful book from author Carolyn Young.

Pickles is a lovely little kitty who is also very clever.

Pickles lives with Winnie the Witch and Willie the Wizard in a lovely little cottage in the heart of a wood.

However, after a really, really nasty storm their cottage is left in a terrible state of disrepair. Unfortunately Winnie and Willie are without any funds, so they cannot afford ot have the cottage repaired.

They retire to bed, sad. However! Pickles is an extraordinary little cat and he comes up with a very clever plan to ask his animal kingdom friends to come together and help repair the cottage.

The incredibly good story is very well illustrated by pictures from Jo Blakeley and the book is ideal for parents and children, it is aimed at children ages 5 to 7.

It is published by Matador at £6.99

Appearance and Inference

Appearance and Inference is a new philosophical work from Edward Allbless.

He argues that in a world now cast adrift on a sea of 'fake news' where concepts like  'post truth' is now holding sway.

Allbless points out in his work that we must seriously think about what we know, what we think we know and how it is that we acquired such information and knowledge in the first place.

He argues, cogently, that when we analyse truth that such an analyse must be centred on an unbiased perspective.

He also points out that we must be critical of the various shibboleths that we might tend to take to heart.

In his book he aims to identify and "call out" the nonsense that is at the heart of many "knowledge-related platitudes" and false assumptions.

The book is short, under 100 pages, and although it is a scholarly work it is eminently readable for both philosophers, students and the general public.

It is published by Matador at £8.99 and deserves to be in the libraries of every university in the world.

Within the Water

Within the Water is a science fiction fantasy adventure novel from Kelly Fallows.

Captain Benjamin Daniels was once a leading light in the Republic's Naval Service, but that was in his past. Now he is a disgraced former officer, a pirate.

He becomes the leader of a group of fellow exiles. They are at the mercies of not only the Republic but also the Guild, a criminal organisation.

Captain Daniels and his crew must employ their varied skills to work for the Guild, whilst always trying to remain out of the clutches of the ruthless troops of the Republic.

Trapped between these two dangerous factions, he must take his crew on a very dangerous mission that will risk their lives as they battle against all sides as they try to work to save the fractured remnants of society already damaged by the wars that left the world a water-covered ruin.

The stakes are very high, for if they fail, the future of all citizens will be at risk.

This is an exciting and adventurous debut novel and Kelly Fallows is a name to keep an eye open for.

The book is published by Matador and costs £7.99

Sorak Returns

Sorak Returns is a science fiction novel with a difference, for it is also a romantic tale that details the story of Sorak and Nasa, after they escaped from the city of their birth, removing their son, Lenar, with them.

Their life, however, has become increasingly troubled, and they find that they are struggling to survive.

They need to move on to establish a place of refuge for themselves and their son.

However, life in their former city has changed in ways that they could not have conceived, after a series of brutal regimes it has now controlled by two warring fiefdoms.

Their search for a new home for their family is interrupted when they meet up with a group of rebel soldiers. A woman with the group attracts the attention of Lenar.

What they learn from the rebels makes them reevaluate their future plans and they decide to return to the very city that they escaped from all those years ago.

What will happen when they return to the city? Can they help to bring about a peaceful resolution to decades of internal warfare and fighting?

This book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.