Across decades, humanity's first contact with an advanced alien civilization—triggered by a disillusioned scientist and a clandestine message sent into space—sparks political turmoil, scientific breakthroughs, and the unraveling of long-hidden cosmic dangers. An alien species from an unstable three-sun system intervenes, using subatomic surveillance and the threat of invasion to destabilize Earth's societies, prompting competing human factions to pursue collaboration, betrayal, and radical strategies for survival. The story develops a chilling cosmic-sociology idea known as the Dark Forest, explores the construction of interstellar deterrence and mutual-assured destruction on a galactic scale, and follows the moral, technological, and existential costs of confronting truly alien minds. It is an expansive, mind-bending examination of civilization, survival, and the terrible choices provoked by contact with a hostile cosmos.

A quartet of linked fantasy tales set in a divided kingdom, following different young protagonists whose ordinary lives are swept into political intrigue, ancient magic and quests that reveal hidden histories; through music, storytelling and craft—especially rune-like weaving and song—they awaken unexpected powers, confront oppression and tyrants, forge alliances across generations, and work to heal a fractured land while coming of age.

Set in a small town in northeastern Brazil, the novel follows the repercussions of the theft of a saint’s head from the local church: the missing relic unsettles family ties, awakens old loves and rivalries, and forces neighbors to reckon with the uneasy mix of Catholic devotion and Afro-Brazilian beliefs that shapes their lives. Told with sly humor and touches of magical realism, the story weaves together grief, desire and superstition as secrets surface and characters seek unexpected forms of redemption.

In a grim, ash-shadowed world ruled by an apparently immortal tyrant, a streetwise orphan with latent metal-based powers is drawn into a daring plot by a charismatic rebel to ignite a revolution; as she trains in Allomancy and navigates shifting loyalties, the crew’s heist and political gambits grow into a battle that upends faith, uncovers ancient forces shaping the planet, and demands profound sacrifices as individuals confront leadership, identity, and the cost of remaking society.

The Great Time War has raged for centuries, leaving colony planets overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes but his TARDIS crashes on the planet Moldox, where Dalek patrols roam the wreckage and round up the remaining civilians. Searching for answers he meets Cinder, a young Dalek hunter, and their struggles take them from Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, setting events in motion that will change everything. It features the War Doctor as played by John Hurt.

On Christmas Eve a skeptical young boy is swept aboard a mysterious train bound for the North Pole, where he and other children embark on a magical journey guided by a genial conductor; they experience snow-filled landscapes, a visit to a bustling Santa’s village, and the wonder of a single sleigh bell—heard only by those who truly believe—which ultimately rekindles the boy’s faith in the spirit of Christmas.

A rollicking medieval adventure that follows a man raised among brigands who rises to become a feared outlaw leader, then becomes entangled in high-stakes political intrigue, shifting loyalties, romance, and revenge as feudal conflicts and struggles for power in 13th-century England threaten to destroy him and those he loves.

Rowan is a second child in a society where population controls make her illegal and marked for death. Outside Eden, Earth is poisoned and most life is gone, so Aaron Al-Baz created the EcoPanopticon to seize technology and preserve a pocket of humanity until the world heals. Hidden for sixteen years, Rowan escapes for one night, finds a friend, then faces tragedy and becomes a renegade on the run.

A plucky orphan raised in an English boarding school is sent to live with distant relatives in Manaus and, on the steamer journey and in the lush Amazon, discovers the extraordinary beauty and danger of the rainforest; she makes warm friendships with locals and fellow travellers, uncovers the selfish schemes of her supposed guardians, and ultimately finds courage, belonging, and a new kind of family far from England.

A grittily realistic retelling of the Robin Hood legend narrated by the wandering minstrel Alan-a-Dale, following a skilled archer’s journey from village life to the brutality of the Crusades and back to England as the head of a band of outlaws. The story blends bloody combat, political intrigue and rough camaraderie as the group challenges Norman corruption and the scheming of Prince John, grounding familiar mythic figures in harsh social and historical detail. Themes of loyalty, justice and the making of a folk hero run throughout as personal survival and moral choice collide on the medieval road.

In Vienna in 1911 Gustav Klimt finds a woman's body in the Danube canal and, while sketching her, she coughs and proves alive. Back at his studio Klimt and his model Wally tend the nearly feral woman who cannot remember who she is, and he names her Judith. She recalls being stranded in the Arctic a century earlier, locked in a crate by Victor Frankenstein and visiting the Underworld. Many people pursue her, including Geoff, a giant croissant eating devil dog of the North.

This collection of stories is set in the same universe as The Innkeeper's Song. It includes a fish who helps a maiden escape from an arranged marriage to the king, a boy with unusually tall family members, and a magician who must teach a wicked queen all he knows. The tales range from adventurous to introspective and from humorous to suspenseful.

Murderbot volunteered to run a rescue mission and realizes it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it does not know. That includes human children, which it finds unpleasant. It braces for awkward eye contact and runs an emotion check, reacting with frustration as it faces unwanted social interaction while trying to complete the mission.

A richly detailed cultural and historical portrait of an ancient, vanished civilization, tracing its origins, language, arts, philosophy, and the development of a unique technology that links worlds; the narrative covers the society’s literary and engineering achievements, the internal conflicts and moral choices that led to its decline and catastrophic fall, and the attempts by later explorers and survivors to understand, preserve, and reckon with the legacy left behind.

At eight, Alfie discovers he can undo any moment and live it again, but he must accept the consequences of his second attempt. He uses the gift to erase embarrassments, test risky near-death experiences, and shape his love life until he falls for Gianna, but he learns one caveat: once he undoes a love, that person can never love him again. Years later, an ailing Alfie is arrested after allegedly cheating at roulette, and a detective's interrogation gradually reveals his life and its outcome.

Norsemen sail across the Channel into the realm of the great Frankish emperor and confront a massive Crusader force. Aboard a dragon ship an English monk guards a book wrapped in cloth whose true worth is known only to him. At their leader's side is Raven, with a blood spot in his eye and magic in his soul, and he and Cynethryth, the runaway daughter of an English king, plunge into an epic clash of men and faiths.