Welcome to the incredible adventures of space traveler Ijon Tichy! In a universe filled with bizarre creatures and civilizations, Tichy encounters worlds that satirize science, rationality, theology, and other human pride icons.
Imagine a traveler constantly meeting himself through time jumps, a spy observing the world of robots, and an explorer facing strange beings and civilizations in space. Or a passenger desperately lost in a supernova forest, searching for a way out.
This entertaining novel by one of the world's greatest science fiction authors, Stanislaw Lem, playfully mocks the icons of human pride such as technology, theology, and rational thought. Whether it's curious potatoes eager for space journeys, devout robots, or robots unable to erase humanity's history of massacre from their memories, it's all here in one complete package!
When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. He found Master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character. Together, they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure.
The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventures—and strange coincidences, which were really not coincidences at all. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven.
Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind.
The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. But, oh…it should have been!
Jitterbug Perfume is an epic, which is to say, it begins in the forests of ancient Bohemia and doesn't conclude until nine o'clock tonight [Paris time]. It is a saga, as well. A saga must have a hero, and the hero of this one is a janitor with a missing bottle. The bottle is blue, very, very old, and embossed with the image of a goat-horned god. If the liquid in the bottle is actually the secret essence of the universe, as some folks seem to think, it had better be discovered soon because it is leaking and there is only a drop or two left.
The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss's classic cautionary tale, introduces readers to the important lesson of respecting differences. The Yooks and Zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups because they prefer to enjoy the tasty treat differently.
Engaged in a long-running battle, the Yooks and the Zooks develop more and more sophisticated weaponry as they attempt to outdo each other.
The timeless and topical rhyming text is an ideal way to teach young children about the issues of tolerance and respect. Whether in the home or in the classroom, The Butter Battle Book is a must-have for readers of all ages.
Few first novels have created as much popular excitement as The Pickwick Papers–-a comic masterpiece that catapulted its 24-year-old author to immediate fame. Readers were captivated by the adventures of the poet Snodgrass, the lover Tupman, the sportsman Winkle &, above all, by that quintessentially English Quixote, Mr Pickwick, & his cockney Sancho Panza, Sam Weller. From the hallowed turf of Dingley Dell Cricket Club to the unholy fracas of the Eatanswill election, via the Fleet debtor’s prison, characters & incidents sprang to life from Dickens’s pen, to form an enduringly popular work of ebullient humour & literary invention.
The Wisdom of Pooh. Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey. Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl. Romp through the enchanting world of Winnie-the-Pooh while soaking up invaluable lessons on simplicity and natural living.
T.C. Boyle's riotous first novel, now in a new edition for its 25th anniversary. Twenty five years ago, T.C. Boyle published his first novel, Water Music, a funny, bawdy, extremely entertaining novel of imaginative and stylistic fancy that announced to the world Boyle's tremendous gifts as a storyteller.
Set in the late eighteenth century, Water Music follows the wild adventures of Ned Rise, thief and whoremaster, and Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer, through London's seamy gutters and Scotland's scenic highlands to their grand meeting in the heart of darkest Africa. There they join forces and wend their hilarious way to the source of the Niger.
Do you think Cinderella married the prince and lived happily ever after, and that the three little pigs outsmarted the wolf? Think again!
Premier storyteller Roald Dahl twists the fate of six favorite fairy tales in this picture book edition. Fairy tales have never been more revolting!
Illustrated by Quentin Blake.
Last night while I lay thinking here,
Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
And pranced and partied all night long
And sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?...
Here in the attic of Shel Silverstein, you will find Backward Bill, Sour Face Ann, the Meehoo with an Exactlywatt, and the Polar Bear in the Frigidaire. You will talk with Broiled Face, and find out what happens when Somebody steals your knees, you get caught by the Quick-Digesting Gink, a Mountain snores, and They Put a Brassiere on the Camel.
From the creator of the beloved poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up, here is another wondrous book of poems and drawings.
Still Life with Woodpecker is a sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads.
Meet Oswald Hendryks Cornelius, Roald Dahl's most disgraceful and extraordinary character. Aside from being thoroughly debauched, strikingly attractive, and astonishingly wealthy, Uncle Oswald was the greatest bounder, bon vivant, and fornicator of all time.
In this installment of his scorchingly frank memoirs, he tells of his early career and erotic education at the hands of a number of enthusiastic teachers, of discovering the invigorating properties of the Sudanese Blister Beetle, and of the gorgeous Yasmin Howcomely, his electrifying partner in a most unusual series of thefts.
Join Uncle Oswald on his audacious adventures as he seduces the most famous men in Europe for his own wicked, irreverent reasons. It's a delightful and cheeky tale that combines historical figures with outrageous escapades.
Catch-22 is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944, and follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. The narrative primarily takes place while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy.
The book delves into Yossarian's experiences and those of his fellow airmen as they strive to maintain their sanity amidst the chaos of war, with the overarching goal of fulfilling their service requirements to return home.
Catch-22 is renowned for its unique blend of hilarity and horror, its originality, and its powerful vitality. It presents a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as perceived by someone dangerously sane, offering both outrageous humor and a poignant reflection on the human condition.
The World According to Garp is a novel that chronicles the life and times of T. S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields—a feminist leader ahead of her times. This story delves into the world of sexual extremes and even sexual assassinations. Despite the dark and violent events that unfold, the tale maintains a comedic tone that is both ribald and robust.
Translated into more than thirty languages and available in over forty countries, this novel has sold more than ten million copies worldwide. It offers almost cheerful, even hilarious evidence of its famous last line: "In the world according to Garp, we are all terminal cases."
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! is a delightful tale by Dr. Seuss that introduces a host of crazy and crackpot creatures! From wockets in pockets to waskets in baskets, this hilarious book helps young children embark on the road to reading.
This delightful book is part of the second stage in HarperCollins’ major Dr. Seuss rebrand programme. It includes bright new covers and offers much-needed guidance on reading levels. Blue Back Books are for parents to share with young children, Green Back Books are for budding readers to tackle on their own, and Yellow Back Books are for older, more fluent readers to enjoy.
There's a Wocket in My Pocket! belongs to the Blue Back Book range, perfect for young readers starting their reading journey.
The cult classic that can still change your life... Let the dice decide! This is the philosophy that changes the life of bored psychiatrist Luke Rhinehart - and in some ways changes the world as well.
Because once you hand over your life to the dice, anything can happen. Entertaining, humorous, scary, shocking, subversive, The Dice Man is one of the cult bestsellers of our time.
Greeneland has been described often as a land bleak and severe. A whisky priest dies in one village, a self-hunted man lives with lepers in another. But Greeneland has its summer regions, and in the sunlight everything looks a bit different.
Here Aunt Augusta travels with her black lover, Wordsworth, Curran, the founder of a doggie's church, the CIA, a man obsessed by statistics and his hippie daughter; and old Mr. Visconti, who has been wanted by Interpol for twenty years.
Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, unexpectedly caught up with them, describes their activities at first with shock and bewilderment and finally with the tenderness of a fellow traveler going their way.
Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly, these superb stories share Vonnegut’s audacious sense of humor and extraordinary range of creative vision.
Includes the following stories:
Coward, scoundrel, lover, and cheat, but there is no better man to go into the jungle with. Join Flashman in his adventures as he survives fearful ordeals and outlandish perils across the four corners of the world.
Can a man be all bad? When Harry Flashman’s adventures as the reluctant secret agent in Afghanistan lead him to join the exclusive company of Lord Cardigan’s Hussars and play a part in the disastrous Retreat from Kabul, it culminates in the rascal’s finest – and most dishonest – turn.
Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it. Dr Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding 'fathers' of the atomic bomb, has left a deadly legacy to the world. For he's the inventor of 'ice-nine', a lethal chemical capable of freezing the entire planet.
The search for its whereabouts leads to Hoenikker's three eccentric children, to a crazed dictator in the Caribbean, to madness. Felix Hoenikker's Death Wish comes true when his last, fatal gift to humankind brings about the end, that for all of us, is nigh...
El amor turbulento de Oliveira y La Maga, los amigos del Club de la Serpiente, las caminatas por París en busca del cielo y el infierno, tienen su reverso en la aventura simétrica de Oliveira, Talita y Traveler en un Buenos Aires teñido por el recuerdo.
La aparición de Rayuela en 1963 fue una verdadera revolución dentro de la novelística en lengua castellana: por primera vez, un escritor llevaba hasta las últimas consecuencias la voluntad de transgredir el orden tradicional de una historia y el lenguaje para contarla.
El resultado es este libro único, abierto a multiples lecturas, lleno de humor, de riesgo y de una originalidad sin precedentes.
La maîtresse est inquiète, le photographe s'éponge le front, le Bouillon devient tout rouge, les mamans ont mauvaise mine, les papas font les guignols, le directeur part à la retraite, quant à l'inspecteur, il est reparti aussi vite qu'il était venu.
Pourtant, à l'école ou en famille, Geoffroy, Agnan, Eudes, Rufus, Clotaire, Maixent, Alceste, Joachim... et le Petit Nicolas sont - presque - toujours sages.
Graham Greene's classic Cuban spy story, now with a new package and a new introduction. First published in 1959, Our Man in Havana is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a political satire that still resonates to this day.
Conceived as one of Graham Greene's 'entertainments,' it tells of MI6's man in Havana, Wormold, a former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent out of economic necessity. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs.
Then his stories start coming disturbingly true...
The riotously funny follow-up to The Cat in the Hat! The Cat is back—along with some surprise friends—in this beloved Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. Dick and Sally have no time to play. It's winter and they have mountains of snow to shovel. So when the Cat comes to visit, he decides to go inside and to take a bath. No problem, right? Wrong! The pink ring he leaves in the tub creates a very BIG pink problem when he transfers the stubborn stain from the bath onto Mother's white dress, Dad's shoes, the floors, the walls, and ultimately, over the entire yard full of snow!
Will the kids EVER clean up the mess? You bet they will, with some help from the Cat and his helpers: 26 miniature cats (AKA Little Cats A-Z) who live inside the Cat's hat! This classic Dr. Seuss story is the perfect choice for beginning readers and read-alouds, especially on snow days! Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.
"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason." Dr. Seuss's small-hearted Grinch ranks right up there with Scrooge when it comes to the crankiest, scowling holiday grumps of all time.
For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His "wonderful, awful" idea is to don a Santa outfit, strap heavy antlers on his poor, quivering dog Max, construct a makeshift sleigh, head down to Whoville, and strip the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all.
Looking quite out of place and very disturbing in his makeshift Santa get-up, the Grinch slithers down chimneys with empty bags and steals the Whos' presents, their food, even the logs from their humble Who-fires. He takes the ramshackle sleigh to Mt. Crumpit to dump it and waits to hear the sobs of the Whos when they wake up and discover the trappings of Christmas have disappeared. Imagine the Whos' dismay when they discover the evil-doings of Grinch in his anti-Santa guise. But what is that sound? It's not sobbing, but singing!
Children simultaneously adore and fear this triumphant, twisted Seussian testimonial to the undaunted cheerfulness of the Whos, the transcendent nature of joy, and of course, the growth potential of a heart that's two sizes too small. This holiday classic is perfect for reading aloud to your favorite little Whos.
Have a ball with Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat in this classic picture book... but don't forget to clean up your mess!
A dreary day turns into a wild romp when this beloved story introduces readers to the Cat in the Hat and his troublemaking friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2 – And don't forget Fish! A favorite among kids, parents, and teachers, this story uses simple words and basic rhyme to encourage and delight beginning readers.
Originally created by Dr. Seuss himself, Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read. These unjacketed hardcover early readers encourage children to read all on their own, using simple words and illustrations. Smaller than the classic large format Seuss picture books like The Lorax and Oh, The Places You'll Go!, these portable packages are perfect for practicing readers ages 3-7, and lucky parents too!
When the redoubtable Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on business, he leaves his only daughter, Sophy, with his sister, Elizabeth Rivenhall, in Berkeley Square. Newly arrived from her tour of the Continent, Sophy invites herself into the circle of her relatives. When Lady Ombersley agrees to take in her young niece, no one expects Sophy, who sweeps in and immediately takes the town by storm.
Beautiful, gay, impulsive, shockingly direct, Sophy sweeps into elegant London society and scatters conventions and traditions before her like wisps in a windstorm. Resourceful, adventurous and utterly indefatigable, Sophy is hardly the mild-mannered girl that the Rivenhalls expect when they agree to take her in. Kind-hearted Aunt Lizzy is shocked, and her arrogant stern cousin Charles Rivenhall, the Ombersley heir, vows to rid his family of her meddlesome ways by marrying her off.
But vibrant and irrepressible Sophy was no stranger to managing delicate situations. After all, she'd been keeping opportunistic females away from her widowed father for years. Staying with her relatives could be her biggest challenge yet. But Sophy discovers that her aunt's family is in desperate need of her talent for setting everything right: her aunt's husband is of no use at all, her ruthlessly handsome cousin Charles has tyrannical tendencies that are being aggravated by his pedantic bluestocking fiancée Eugenia Wraxton; her lovely cousin Cecelia is smitten with an utterly unsuitable suitor, a beautiful but feather-brained poet; her cousin Herbert is in dire financial straits and has fallen foul of a money-lender; and the younger children are in desperate need of some fun and freedom, and Sophy's arrived just in time to save them all.
With her inimitable mixture of exuberance and grace, Sophy becomes the mainstay of her hilariously bedeviled family, as a horsewoman, social leader and above all, as an ingenious match-maker. Using her signature unorthodox methods, Sophy sets out to solve all of their problems. By the time she's done, Sophy has commandeered household and Charles's horses, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to her eldest cousin. Could it be that the Grand Sophy had finally met her match? Can she really be falling in love with him, and he with her? And what of his betrothal to grim Eugenia?
Adapted into two classic motion pictures, this bestselling memoir is the unforgettable story of two parents, twelve kids, and a world of laughter and love. Translated into more than fifty languages, Cheaper by the Dozen is the unforgettable story of the Gilbreth clan as told by two of its members. In this endearing, amusing memoir, siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine capture the hilarity and heart of growing up in an oversized family.
Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have cranked out twelve kids, and Dad is out to prove that efficiency principles can apply to family as well as the workplace. The heartwarming and comic stories of the jumbo-size Gilbreth clan have delighted generations of readers, and will keep you and yours laughing for years.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to "Our Father Below."
At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.
Widely hailed as one of the finest humorists of the twentieth century, James Thurber looks back at his own life growing up in Columbus, Ohio, with the same humor and sharp wit that defined his famous sketches and writings.
In My Life and Hard Times, first published in 1933, he recounts the delightful chaos and frustrations of family, boyhood, youth, odd dogs, recalcitrant machinery, and the foibles of human nature.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy collects five of Douglas Adams's classic science fiction works in one volume. This series takes readers on a hilarious journey through space and time with Arthur Dent, a man who finds himself an unwitting adventurer in the cosmos after the Earth is destroyed to make way for a galactic freeway.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Arthur Dent discovers the meaning of life (or lack thereof) with the help of Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and the depressed robot Marvin.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Arthur and company search for a decent meal, leading to encounters with bizarre beings and escapades across the galaxy.
Life, the Universe and Everything: Our heroes confront the sinister inhabitants of planet Krikkit who, tired of gazing upon the universe, decide it's high time to destroy it.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Arthur Dent returns to Earth, questioning his past interstellar adventures, but a cryptic gift reminds him that reality is often stranger than fiction.
Mostly Harmless: Just as Arthur starts to settle into a semblance of normal life, chaos ensues, and he must navigate further cosmic conundrums.
Also included is the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe", which offers more of Adams's trademark wit and insight into the human condition—albeit from the perspective of extraterrestrial beings and the odd, often perplexing universe they inhabit.
Twelfth Night, named for the twelfth night after Christmas, marks the end of the festive season and sets the stage for a romantic comedy of love and power. The play introduces us to the Countess Olivia, an independent woman in charge of her own household, who captures the attention of Duke Orsino. Her other suitors include her pompous steward, Malvolio, and the foppish Sir Andrew Aguecheek.
Amidst this tangled web of unrequited love arrives the shipwrecked twins, Viola and Sebastian, each believing the other to be dead. Viola, disguised as a boy, enters the service of the Duke, becoming his emissary to Olivia—and unexpectedly becoming the object of Olivia's affection. As the story unfolds, the play delves into the complexity of love and the joyful resolution of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements.
Set in St Ives, the Cornish boutique holiday resort, this fast-paced, page-turning adventure fantasy draws on the locality, traditions, religions, and myths for its themes. Starring Alexander Crowley, a smart-arsed, shoot-from-the-hip trickster (supposedly the bastard Great Grandson of Aleister Crowley, the 20th Century Occultist) who is on the run from his recent escapades. He decides to lay low in a holiday home borrowed from a dubious benefactor, and his swashbuckling adventures throughout the summer draw on supernatural foundations and circumstances that are well researched and contain a modicum of reality.
From the minute he enters the town, our hero is pitched at odds with the local mobsters, demons, and deities. There is an intriguing and exciting cast of supporting characters who are a delight; Booby De-Faux - a needy “Sidekick,” The Spirit Saint who acts as “Minder,” supported by her mysterious cat “The Black Manilishi,” A Vampire assassin, and a Killer King are also along for the ride, and even romance is on the cards as our character, a renowned and successful womaniser, seems this time to be looking for a meaningful relationship amongst all the chaos. Strap in!
Beware of Chicken is a delightful tale penned by the talented Casualfarmer. This whimsical story takes readers on a journey of unexpected adventure and humor.
Set in a world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, the narrative twists and turns in the most amusing ways, ensuring that readers are both entertained and engaged.
Prepare yourself for a unique experience that blends fantasy and reality in a seamless and enchanting way.
This book is perfect for those who love a good laugh and a light-hearted story that still packs a punch of creativity and imagination.
My goal, my life’s ambition if you like, is to give direction to comedy, purpose to satire. And this is probably why I write the way I do, in order to use self-deprecating, piss-taking humour to bring to the fore situations that just don’t stack up. To demonstrate that serious issues can be approached with humour.
Hardly any subject is taboo to the Englishman when he’s laughing, and this often seems insensitive to other cultures, but the bedrock of the British sense of humour is a strong sense of sarcasm and self-deprecation. The British can be very passionate – and if you doubt that try going to a football match - but that passion is often hidden deep in our humour so that other nationals fail to not only recognise the deadpan delivery and are never too sure if they’ve been involved in a serious conversation or just a little bit of friendly banter.
Having said that, my style of writing is now appealing more and more to the American market. This book is not a novel, and if you’re looking for a book that is all sweetness and light, please give this one a miss. It’s not for you. I won’t be offended and I honestly wish you a great life. If everyone likes me, then I’m not being controversial enough.
If you’re looking for Humorous books about Life, Comedy Writing or even Humorous Books for Adults then take a chance on this book. If a chapter doesn’t suit, just move on.
Crop circles magically appear in Farmer Johnson’s field. A mysterious light sweeps over the night sky and awakens Farmer Johnson and Gilbert, the boy next door.
Curious, Gilbert ventures out to discover the source of the light and stumbles into a beautiful Martian girl sitting in a crop circle. Farmer Johnson also investigates the strange light, and thinking that Gilbert and Aoléon are vandals, he chases them. But they sprint to Aoléon’s saucer and escape only to be pursued by the U.S. Air Force.
Gilbert has never been attacked by swarms of giant killer robots. Never met strange aliens from other worlds. Never skyboarded across a megalopolis hidden deep inside an extinct volcano. Never trekked across a vast Martian desert. And never been eaten alive by a gigantic slor (well, almost never, unless you count Billy the fat bully at school).
And luckily, he has never ever confronted an evil ruler of Mars bent on conquering the Earth to steal its cows. Never...until now! This may be the adventure Gilbert always wished for. If only he can survive.
Join Gilbert and Aoleon in this exciting middle-grade science fiction and fantasy adventure!
Mike Hepp is an L.A. millennial post-grad, who dreams of making it big in the TV & film industry. He auditions by day and tends bar at night to satiate his massive student debt, credit card payments, and rent.
Until one knuckle-busting, full moon Saturday night launches his life into complete upheaval, suddenly placing him in the middle of an international drug smuggling operation and an undercover police sting, consequently ruining his reputation in Hollywood.
Can Mike survive his unsolicited undercover work and cleanse his sullied reputation? Or will he end up as shark bait for double-crossing the wrong people?
All Detective Eckerly wanted to do that day was place a bet on a horse. He didn't expect Darlene Johnson to walk into his office with her chocolate box. And certainly didn't expect what followed.
Book One of the Detectives That Don't Fit Series.
Heretical Fishing is a delightful exploration of unconventional fishing techniques that challenge traditional norms.
Join Haylock Jobson on a whimsical journey through the waters less traveled, where creativity meets courage. Discover how breaking the rules can lead to unexpected and thrilling catches.
Perfect for those who love a good laugh and an adventurous twist on a classic pastime!
Lost in the Crowd is an engaging, humorous, and sometimes poignant autobiographical story that will have you feeling as though you are right there with the author - laughing, crying, and stumbling through all the ups and downs of his amazing, hard-to-believe, often hilarious, crazy, heartwarming journey through life - a journey that recurrently seems to be influenced by mysterious forces beyond his control and understanding.
The book is defined by events that occurred in the author's life during the two years it was being written. These events bring the book to life and give it a whole new meaning - a meaning that could never have been envisaged when the writing started in October 2015.
It has been described as a brilliantly compelling quirky book of inspiration, coincidence, love, luck, loss, life, chance, opportunism, emotion, comedy, stupidity, amazement, danger, worry, survival, happiness, laughter, and WTF!
See www.litcbook.com to learn more.
Contains original artwork by chrisriversart.com.
Shadow Team is the third book in the Starbirth series. Lock Harford, a teleporter who can move his body through a dark matter dimension using the power of his mind, knows that the only way to release Britain from the grip of marauding teleporter criminals is to fight like with like.
His employers want him to head a team of enhanced-ability operatives whose special powers will be created by controlled procedures—rather than substance abuse of the illegal drug Starbirth. The dubious quality of candidates delays the process. Among them is Jimmy Mackenzie, the SAS trooper Harford knows well, who is joined by rookies Postie and Dave.
The fledgling team’s unique and memorable characters develop with likeability despite their flaws. Together, with Harford, they enter an uncertain future in which ‘defending the realm’ becomes a personal fight for their lives.
At the same time, Harford is under personal attack and he has to protect his family as well as his country against dark threats emerging from the madness of Starbirth addiction, hindered by devastating treachery closer to home.
Shadow Team GB is the third book in the Starbirth series and each book can be read as a stand-alone. The set of characters in Harford, Jimmy, Dave and Postie combine in a tale of brotherhood and humour. They take the rules, break the rules and they become so four-dimensional that the reader will miss their cohesion when the book is finished.
If you’re a history or philosophy buff, this book should be as irresistible as a kebab to a pisshead. So what’s it all about then? History, that’s what.
“Errgghhh boring boring bollocks boring, I had enough of that crap when I was at school. History just went on and on and on and on and on ….. and on and on. Nothing different ever happened.”
Well, that’s where you’re wrong, because I’m going to bring it alive. Not all history books, or even books about teaching history, have to be tedious. I’ve looked under every rock, in every nook and cranny. I’ve searched all over the place and dug up some really interesting little titbits. Stuff not a lot of people know. So stay with me on this one.
I’ve chosen to look at past events from the birth of the planet to the birth of Christ. That’s enough for one book, isn’t it? Well, not really, because I’ve gone off track a little bit from time to time, but I do tend to do that, so don’t worry about it.
If you’ve got a teenager who’s studying the history of this period, download a copy for them now because it’s all laid out nice and clear. But let me warn you, I have in the past been accused of having an inappropriate sense of humour, so if you want a little bit of a chuckle watching me make fun out of everyone I meet down the years, then this is the book for you - and if your offspring is in their early teens, then it probably isn’t the book for them.
As I say, I do tend to stray into the modern day from time to time to bring things into focus, but I promise you this book will surprise you, inform you, keep you interested and put a smile on your face from time to time. I discuss philosophers and philosophy a lot, including ancient Greek philosophers, Chinese beliefs, and philosophy from around the world, but if you think it’s all Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, there’s a lot more here to be discovered.
You’ll be surprised, for instance, at the similarities between the Celts and the Native Americans. The Rosicrucians will fascinate you, as will some of the secrets held by Alexander the Great! It’s high time we had some history books for adults!
Meet Professor Alfred Jules Ayer, a famous philosopher noted for his atheism, his disdain of all things metaphysical, and his reverence for logic, in “The Candidate.” After suffering a heart attack, he finds himself in the Greek Underworld. He never expected an afterlife, and the fabled abode is nothing like the fable, which never mentioned a salmon with human arms and legs, or a flying saucer captained by lizard man.
In “Harold,” you’ll meet a homunculus who is certain he is a one of a kind, a freak of nature. Imagine his surprise when he discovers an island populated by thousands of his kind. There he finds adventure, love, and danger. He must face thugs his size, sinister large people, a dangerous house cat, and a plethora of perplexing situations.
Irresolute poets find their plush postmortem refuge is anything but when it soon becomes a type of Hell in “Between Life and Oblivion.”
Discover the true story of Helen, the famous face that launched a thousand ships, in the tale “A More Likely Odyssey.”
Within these pages you’ll be taken on journeys beyond imagining. You’ll meet characters and explore familiar worlds through different eyes. Look beyond the hedge…
The U-10 is a survival kit you might not survive using. Activated by unreadable cards, it could create a can of soup — or an explosive grenade that looks like a can of soup. The U-10 is a guessing game of life or death.
A top-secret paramilitary agency wants the U-10 and its gadgets, the guy who has the U-10 wants to keep it, and the alien who lost the U-10 wants it back. A death squad is dispatched to retrieve the U-10 and will stop at nothing, including the destruction of Earth, to accomplish their mission.
Using the U-10 to heal battle wounds produces unexpected results. What good is a U-10 survival kit that has just three options? (A) Saves you. (B) Kills you. (C) Turns you into an alien?
Milan’s notorious playboy, Prince Tittoni, seems to have everything—Lamborghinis, exotic women, palaces throughout Europe, and business success. Ramping up his fabric company to go global with a new apparel brand, he ruthlessly stops supplying fabrics to the American client who inspired the collection. But once they meet, what’s he willing to give to get her in his bed?
Upper East Side designer Lex Easton has already endured her fair share of hard knocks. She’ll be damned if she’ll let an Italian stud muffin knock her down. So what if she named her favorite vibrator after him? With Fashion Week approaching, she’ll do whatever it takes to secure the fabrics she needs to make her clothing line an international success—even sleep with her rival.
Lex’s Louboutins are dug in deep to win this war. All’s fair in love and fashion!
Inside Scoop: Though the hero and heroine remain monogamous, their Prada-wearing friends indulge in fashionable sexual fun and games.
A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora's Cave
This Sunday Times bestseller is a miscellany of hilarious and peculiar bookshop moments:
"Can books conduct electricity?"
"My children are just climbing your bookshelves: that's ok... isn't it?"
A John Cleese Twitter question first sparked the 'Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops' blog, which grew over three years into one bookseller's collection of ridiculous conversations on the shop floor.
From "Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about dinosaurs?" to the hunt for a paperback which could forecast the next year's weather; and from "I've forgotten my glasses, please read me the first chapter" to "Excuse me... is this book edible?"
Here is a book for heroic booksellers and booklovers everywhere. This full-length collection illustrated by the Brothers McLeod also includes top 'Weird Things' from bookshops around the world.
Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD, a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language, which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has 600,000 to a million page hits daily. Every now and then, Munroe would get emails asking him to arbitrate a science debate. "My friend and I were arguing about what would happen if a bullet got struck by lightning, and we agreed that you should resolve it . . . " He liked these questions so much that he started up What If. If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive? How dangerous is it, really, to be in a swimming pool in a thunderstorm? If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce? What if everyone only had one soulmate? When (if ever) did the sun go down on the British empire? How fast can you hit a speed bump while driving and live? What would happen if the moon went away?
In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators. His responses are masterpieces of clarity and hilarity, studded with memorable cartoons and infographics. They often predict the complete annihilation of humankind, or at least a really big explosion. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much the smarter for having read.
Sit-down comedy? A phenom that should never be a phenomenon. Late great comedians Robin Williams, Charlie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Greg Giraldo, Don Rickles are turning over in their graves with a thorn in their side. Take my word: Share & salvage the little wit being reserved by the only true /real comedian to have ever graced the stage. Otherwise you ought'a be ashamed of yourselves!