Most Popular Books by Stephen Hunt

This introductory text challenges current sociological thought and explores the historical and contemporary relevance of religion to social life, through an examination of practice and belief.

Targeted for their possession of a magical secret that has forced them into lives of hardship, street-wise Molly and sheltered Oliver find themselves on the run in the company of outlaws and spies who assist their efforts to counter ancient enemies of the state.

Set in the same universe as "The Court of the Air," Hunt''s third novel is a thrilling yard of perilous quests, dastardly deeds, and deadly intrigue.

Let''s face it: Everyone’s a little bit racist. So why not talk about it the only way we can, this side of warfare — via humor? In The White Guy, Stephen Hunt tries to come to grips with his whiteness in order to continue to rule the world, amass the bulk of its wealth, and generally dominate things as his people have done for the past 2,000 years, give or take a few odd moments like the rise of Attila the Hun, the rule of the 7th-century Caliphate, or the ''70s. Then again, if you’re not a white guy, this is the ultimate insider''s guide to the minds of the men responsible for everything that''s wrong with the world or your life: apartheid, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, the glass ceiling, patriarchy, serial killing, NASCAR, K-tel® Records, even the theft of rock ‘n’ roll. The White Guy humorously turns racial politics on its head, while delivering a subtle message about tolerance.

On the run after killing a guard in the Royal Breeding House, orphan Purity Drake learns from her mysterious rescuer that he is working against terrible monsters that would enslave the entire kingdom to punish its corrupt government.

The power struggle begins . . . The people of Weyland always believed the slavers raids, which destroyed families and homes like a natural disaster, were a misfortune that couldn''t be averted or stopped. But it''s not true. King Marcus struck a deal: his people in exchange for technology and a powerful alliance with the Vandian civilisation. And now everyone knows. Jacob and Carter Carnehan escaped the slavers - along with the true king of Weyland - and have returned home with both the truth, and a Vandian princess as their hostage. Their purpose was to avoid war . . . instead, the truth prompts a civil war at home - while an invasion force focused on reclaiming the captive princess starts to gather on their borders. Jacob and Carter will be separated once again - and this time they''re fighting for something bigger than their lives.

This compiled and edited collection engages with a theme which is increasingly attracting scholarly attention, namely, religion and LGBTQ sexuality. Each section of the volume provides perspectives to understanding academic discourse and wide-ranging debates around LGBTQ sexualities and religion and spirituality. The collection also draws attention to aspects of religiosity that shape the lived experiences of LGBTQ people and shows how sexual orientation forges dimensions of faith and spirituality. Taken together the essays represent an exploration of contestations around sexual diversity in the major religions; the search of sexual minorities for spiritual ’safe spaces’ in both established and new forms of religiosity; and spiritual paths formed in reconciling and expressing faith and sexual orientation. This collection, which features contributions from a number of disciplines including sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, religious studies and theology, provides an indispensable teaching resource for educators and students in an era when LGBTQ topics are increasingly finding their way onto numerous undergraduate, post-graduate and profession orientated programmes.

When Eleanor Lythe was invited to attend a charity art ball with the rest of her children’s home, she wasn’t sure what to expect – but being fed on by semi-immortal vampires, bitten and turned into a slave of their evil race, certainly wasn’t it. Luckily, for Eleanor, the Vigil – the covert branch of the U.S. Secret Service formed to fight the forces of the supernatural – is on hand to cure her and protect her. But save her for just what sort of life? As Eleanor struggles to master her new powers, she comes to realise that in humanity’s struggle against the darkness, the wrong side could have saved her. Some of her fellow agents might be ripped hot – but does that actually matter if they are also willing to feed her to an ancient evil to achieve their mission? Because when your race is fighting a secret war for survival against vampires, zombies, werewolves, dark spirits, rogue angels and almost immortal Nazis, the worrying truth is . . . there might not be any safe side to trust!

The isolated island of Jago is the only home Hannah Conquest has ever known. But her carefree existence comes to an abrupt halt when her guardian, Archbishop Alice Grey, is brutally murdered. Someone desperately wants to suppress a secret kept by the archbishop, and if the attempts on Hannah''s own life are any indication, the killer believes that Alice passed the knowledge to her ward before her head was separated from her neck. Meanwhile, a deadly power struggle is brewing on Jago. And as Hannah digs deeper into the mystery Alice left behind, assisted by two rather different detectives, she must race to unravel a chain of ancient riddles in order to save not just her own life, but her island home itself! Secrets of the Fire Sea is a rollicking tale of high adventure and derring-do set in Stephen Hunt''s Victorian-style clockwork world filled with steammen and aliens, fantastical creatures and dastardly villains...and some remarkable heroes that steampunk fans will cheer for.

"[To grasp this subject] one needs a multifaceted, multidisciplinary approach by a variety of expert hands such as have been brought together in this book. Here one has the whole argument, from the inter-Testamental and earliest Christian periods through medieval and early modern times up to the complex overlaps with the New Age, or Pentecostalism and Neo-Pentecostalism, or Judaising movements like the Seventh-Day Adventists and the Peruvian ''Israelites.''" —from the Foreword by David Martin "Students with a serious interest in the manifestations of millennialism, and those concerned with the origins and motivations embraced by revolutionary ideologies will find this book an indispensable resource; . . . for laymen it offers a truly fascinating read." —Bryan R. Wilson This timely book examines the impact of Christian millenarian ideas in a comparative and historical perspective with a special emphasis on contemporary religious movements inspired by such ideas. The contributors are Andrew Bradstock, Eugene Gallagher, Malcolm B. Hamilton, Massimo Introvigne, Orestis Lindermeyer, Kenneth Newport, Susan J. Palmer, Mark Patterson, Martyn Percy, Margaret Poloma, Stanley E. Porter, Ian Reader, Damian Thompson, Andrew Walker, Diane Watt, and Michael York.

Weyland has been at war. Invaded by a technologically advanced enemy, the cities sacked, and what fragile peace remained torn apart by a civil war. All anyone should want is a return to peace. But Jacob Carneham still wants his revenge; and if he can lure the invaders into the mountain he can have it. He can kill them all. If he does, there may never be peace again. If he doesn''t, Weyland will never be free of the threat of invasion. The northern horse lords are planning an attack. A future Empress is fighting to save her daughter. Jacob''s son is trying to restore peace and stability to Weyland, alongside the rightful King. And behind it all is a greater struggle, which may spell the end for them all . . .

Carter has been kidnapped. Enslaved. But he''s determined to fight to the end. Jacob is a pacifist. His family destroyed. He''s about to choose the path of violence to reclaim his son. Their world has changed for ever. Between them, they''re going to avenge it. Jacob Carnehan has settled down. He''s living a comfortable, quiet life, obeying the law and minding his own business while raising his son Carter ... on those occasions when he isn''t having to bail him out of one scrape or another. His days of adventure are - thankfully - long behind him. Carter Carnehan is going out of his mind with boredom. He''s bored by his humdrum life, frustrated that his father won''t live a little, and longs for the bright lights and excitement of anywhere-but-here. He''s longing for an opportunity to escape, and test himself against whatever the world has to offer. Carter is going to get his opportunity. He''s caught up in a village fight, kidnapped by slavers and, before he knows it, is swept to another land. A lowly slave, surrounded by technology he doesn''t understand, his wish has come true: it''s him vs. the world. He can try to escape, he can try to lead his fellow slaves, or he can accept the inevitable and try to make the most of the short, brutal existence remaining to him. ... unless Jacob gets to him first and, no matter the odds, he intends to. No one kidnaps his son and gets away with it - and if it come to it, he''ll force Kings to help him on his way, he''ll fight, steal, blackmail and betray his friends in the name of bringing Carter home. Wars will be started. Empires will fall. And the Carnehan family will be reunited, one way or another ...

With the complete genomes of many organisms now available, and the first draft of the human genome imminent, there is an increasing demand from researchers in a range of disciplines for techniques that will allow them to utilize these resources in their own research. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the range of methods available for gene and protein expression profiling in a variety of systems. These include large-scale methods, such as cDNA microarrays, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) and proteomics, and also methods suitable for non-specialist laboratories, such as differential display and suppression subtraction hybridization. In all cases the chapters have been written by the developers of these methods or experienced users and include detailed protocols to facilitate the introduction of these methods to the readers'' laboratories.

The subject of gay and lesbian sexuality is perhaps the most vexed issue in the contemporary Christian Church. Many churches have been forced to confront the matter, both theologically and pastorally and in consequence, controversies have proved divisive within the Church, most notably between conservative and liberal orientated denominations, as well as evangelical churches. This book explores these themes from a sociological perspective, addressing not only gay and lesbian sexualities, but also bi- and transgendered sexualities. With rich empirical material being presented by a team of experts, this book constitutes the first comprehensive sociological study of ''non-hetero'' sexualities in relation to contemporary Christianity. As such, it will appeal to sociologists, scholars of religion and theology as well as readers across a range of social sciences

Jack Cloudie is a tale of high adventure and derring-do set in the same Victorian-style steampunk world as Stephen Hunt''s acclaimed The Court of the Air and The Secrets of the Fire Sea. Thanks to his father''s gambling debts, young Jack Keats finds himself on the streets and trying to survive as a pickpocket. Following a daring bank robbery gone badly awry, Jack narrowly escapes the scaffold, only to be pressed into the Royal Aerostatical Navy. Assigned to the most useless airship in the fleet, serving under a captain who is most probably mad, Jack seems to be bound for almost certain death in the faraway deserts of Cassarabia. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the slave Omar ibn Barir finds his life turned upside down when his master''s religious sect is banned. Unexpectedly freed, he joins the Caliph''s military forces—just as war is brewing. Two very similar young men prepare to face each other across a field of battle. But is Omar the enemy, or is Jack''s true nemesis the sickness at the heart of the Caliph''s court? At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The concept of "substantial differences" - far from being a dry, technical topic for a book on higher education policy - goes to the heart of how we view qualifications and education and is the key concept of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, better known as the Lisbon Recognition Convention. What do learners know and understand and what are they able to do on the basis of their qualifications? How can this be expressed and described, and how can learners carry their qualifications across borders without leaving part of their real value behind?In discussions on substantial differences, the technical meets the philosophical, the administrative meets the political. Decisions on recognition, made in considering whether a difference is substantial, have a direct influence on applicants'' future study and employment opportunities, but also reveal how those who make the decisions view themselves, their education system and their societies.

Outside the remit of traditional Christianity alternative religion is seen as controversial by many and equated with so-called cults. Stephen Hunt''s study explains what these religions are and who believes what and practises what in their numerous manifestations.

The future is beautiful ... just not for everyone! Ash must escape from his broken war-torn country, fleeing towards mythical Europe, or face murder at the hands of a brutish local warlord. The one slight problem is, few ever survive the horrifying packs of ravenous hunting machines roaming across the depopulated border zone! But his perilous odyssey might be worth it. For in this future Europe, nobody goes hungry or poor. Crime has been as good as abolished, and everyone can pursue their dreams, whatever their passions may be. But when you have the perfect utopia, just how far do the clock’s hands need to sweep to strike dystopia? Masterfully imagined and written, this haunting vision of our future questions what it means to be human, and firmly crowns Stephen Hunt at the vanguard of the science fiction genre.

La clasificación Internacional Normalizada de Educación, conocida por su acrónimo ISCED fue desarrollada en Estados Unidos en la década de los sesenta. Esta guía es una obra de referencia útil para estudiosos, profesores, investigadores de todo el mundo. Aunque la ISCED sufra cambios y modificaciones en el futuro, esta guía constituye una importante contribución a la investigación internacional sobre educación y sienta una base sólida para un futuro desarrollo.

"Over the years, bridging the gap between research and practice in education has proven to be a stubborn and persistent problem. This book examines the issue from several perspectives. First, the characteristics of educational research are examined, with particular attention given to the contrasting perspectives and professional orientations of researchers and practitioners. Second, the book provides a critical analysis of the current focus on "scientifically based" research as defined by No Child Left Behind and of the dubious relevance and uneven quality of research produced by schools of education. Third, several suggestions and resources are provided that can help practitioners improve their "research literacy" and assist researchers interested in advancing the practical relevance of their work."--BOOK JACKET.

TRANSFERENCE STATION (Book two in the ''Sliding Void'' series) DESCRIPTION Are things finally looking up for Captain Lana Fiveworlds? She''s managed to reach what passes for civilisation in the wild border systems of the Edge - Transference Station - the largest trading hub in the free worlds. With her ramshackle starship, the Gravity Rose, safely docked, she''s now desperately searching for a cargo to stave off bankruptcy. Lana''s crew needs paying - including the amorous barbarian prince she rescued from a failed colony world. But her crew have other priorities: the ship''s android, Zeno, is distracted by terrible secrets from his past, while her alien navigator, Polter, runs into trouble indulging his religious fervour. If that wasn''t enough, there''s a deal available... but only from the dodgiest broker in a thousand planets. With rival starship captains looking to sabotage Lana for good, and a dangerous mission to a mysterious planet which is far more than the lies she''s been spun, things can only get worse from here on in. Lana Fiveworlds and her crew of misfits are still sliding void, just, but for how much longer? Sometimes, the brown stuff piles up so high you need antigravity thrusters to fly over it. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved ''Far-called'' fantasy series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the ''Jackelian'' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other best-selling fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist and C.S. Lewis. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e REVIEWS Praise for Stephen Hunt''s novels: ‘Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.’ — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Hunt''s imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.’ - TOM HOLT ‘All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.’ - DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive reading for all ages.’ - GUARDIAN ‘Studded with invention.’ -THE INDEPENDENT ‘To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement… a wonderful escapist yarn!’ - INTERZONE ‘Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks… affecting and original.’ - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.’ —RT BOOK REVIEWS ‘A curious part-future blend.’ - KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.’ - THE TIMES ‘Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.’ - TIME OUT ‘A ripping yarn … the story pounds along… constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked… the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.’ - SFX MAGAZINE ‘Put on your seatbelts for a frenetic cat and mouse encounter... an exciting tale.’ - SF REVU ''Readers will be entertained and captivated.'' - BOOKLIST u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e FORMAT Novella - part 2 of a continuing, linked series. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e THE SERIES SO FAR... Part 1 - Sliding Void. Part 2 - Transference Station. Part 3 - Red Sun Bleeding. Also available as a combined omnibus edition: ''Void All The Way Down''. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e AGE ADVISORY Age 13+ - mild violence and language. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE THESE AUTHORS... Douglas Adams Neal Asher Iain M. Banks Jack Campbell David Drake Orson Scott Card James S.A. Corey Evan Currie Peter F. Hamilton Ric Locke Dan Simmons Charles Stross David Weber u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e GENRES Science fiction (space opera) Adventure (scifi) u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e

THE DARKNESS OF THE VIGIL (Book 1 of The Vigil series) u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e DESCRIPTION When Eleanor Lythe was invited to attend a charity art ball with the rest of her children’s home, she wasn’t sure what to expect – but being fed on by semi-immortal vampires, bitten and turned into a slave of their evil race, certainly wasn’t it. Luckily, for Eleanor, the Vigil – the covert branch of the U.S. Secret Service formed to fight the forces of the supernatural – is on hand to cure her and protect her. But save her for just what sort of life? As Eleanor struggles to master her new powers, she comes to realise that in humanity’s struggle against the darkness, the wrong side could have saved her. Some of her fellow agents might be ripped hot – but does that actually matter if they are also willing to feed her to an ancient evil to achieve their mission? Because when your race is fighting a secret war for survival against vampires, zombies, werewolves, dark spirits, rogue angels and almost immortal Nazis, the worrying truth is . . . there might not be any safe side to trust! u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e REVIEWS Praise for Stephen Hunt''s novels: ‘Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.’ — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Hunt''s imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.’ - TOM HOLT ‘All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.’ - DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive reading for all ages.’ - GUARDIAN ‘Studded with invention.’ -THE INDEPENDENT ‘To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement… a wonderful escapist yarn!’ - INTERZONE ‘Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks… affecting and original.’ - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.’ —RT BOOK REVIEWS ‘A curious part-future blend.’ - KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.’ - THE TIMES ‘Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.’ - TIME OUT ‘A ripping yarn … the story pounds along… constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked… the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.’ - SFX MAGAZINE ‘Put on your seatbelts for a frenetic cat and mouse encounter... an exciting tale.’ - SF REVU u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e FORMAT Novella - part 1 of a continuing, linked series. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e THE SERIES SO FAR... Part 1 - The Darkness of the Vigil. Part 2 - Burning Angels (publication date: October 2015) Part 3 - TBA (publication date: January 2016) u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE THESE AUTHORS... Amanda Hocking Anne Rice Blake Crouch Clive Barker Dean Koontz Derek Landy Guillermo del Toro Jim Butcher Joe Hill Max Brooks Stephen King Stephenie Meyer Tim Lebbon u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e GENRES Horror (adventure) Adventure (horror) Young Adult (horror)

It is the far future. The artificial intelligences created by humanity are now gods, and mankind mere ants who scrabble in their shadows across a million worlds. The Lords of the Great Houses on the ever-night Moon of Hexator are suspected of the murder of one of their own. And merchant William Roxley, once a magistrate-priest, is unwillingly coopted to uncover the truth behind the killings. With only the help of his naive young assistant and a brutish robot bodyguard, the man they call ''Sweet William'' digs into the Moon''s eerie existence. A collapsing society where many strange, terrible things are happening under night''s unsettling cover. Hexator is a place where nothing is what it seems, perhaps not even William Roxley himself! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved ''Far-called'' series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the ''Jackelian'' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other science fiction authors, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick and Ray Bradbury. REVIEWS Praise for Stephen Hunt''s novels: ‘Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.’ — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Hunt''s imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.’ - TOM HOLT ‘All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.’ - DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive reading for all ages.’ - GUARDIAN ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.’ - THE TIMES ‘Studded with invention.’ -THE INDEPENDENT ‘To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement… a wonderful escapist yarn!’ - INTERZONE ‘Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks… affecting and original.’ - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.’ —RT BOOK REVIEWS ‘A curious part-future blend.’ - KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.’ - TIME OUT ‘A ripping yarn … the story pounds along… constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked… the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.’ - SFX MAGAZINE

Captain Lana Fiveworlds might be flying with the same motley crew of misfits, but her problems are all-new. Lana believes that a demanding and difficult client on board her beloved starship - the Gravity Rose - is the sum of her woes. But that was until she has to emergency ditch inside a star system which holds a full range of deadly secrets. There are the murderous intentions of the local government with its slave-owning aristocracy to contend with, not to mention the ruthless rebels trying to overthrow the regime. And then there''s the moon-sized unknown alien vessel that jumps into the system every few centuries, along with the chance to claim untold riches. Or the chance to die, well, really quite horribly. With Calder, Zeno, Skrat, Polter and the chief still helping Lana, there''s the smallest of chances the crew might survive. But as every spacer knows, it''s not where you jump into hyperspace that counts. It''s only ever where you end up! ABOUT THE BOOK ''Anomalous Thrust'' is the 4th book in Sliding Void series. It''s a completely stand-alone adventure, not directly linked to the first three books (although ''Anomalous Thrust'' is set chronologically a year after the end of the previous books).

Seline Templar hasn''t experienced an easy life. First, her father died for reasons that have been shockingly concealed from her. Then Seline''s mother, Molly, went missing in suspicious circumstances. So she''s been raised as a ward of King Steam in the Steamman Free State, far away from the potential perils of her home in the Jackelian Kingdom. Raised in relative solitude among the machine race . . . until an old friend of the family, the steamman scientist Coppertracks, turns up in the capital with news of the most amazing discovery. It will set Seline and her companions off on a dangerous adventure to the mysterious and distant Mightadore. There''s only one problem with Seline''s destination. Many are those brave souls who have set out to reach the legendary city. But, nobody has ever come back alive from the trip to describe what they found! JACKELIAN SERIES 7th novel of the Jackelian fantasy series. Each book is a standalone adventure set in the same world with some of the same characters, so you don''t need to read it in sequential order (although purists often do).

Are aliens visiting Earth, right now, even as you’re reading this? For a long-time, best-selling science fiction author Stephen Hunt believed - as you might do - that UFOs and the chance extraterrestrials are presently calling on Earth was a load of... (let’s keep this family-friendly), complete old nonsense! What was it that changed his mind? Interestingly, not his encounter with an alien probe in 2001. He wrote that off as a council pollution-monitoring drone - even though the first commercial drone wasn’t used until 2006. No, it was the New York Times’s article revealing that the Pentagon had been running, and denying the existence of, a top-secret alien-hunting program so covert it had to change the word ‘UFO’ to ‘UAP’ just to escape the stigma created by the CIA around the term. This feature came with confirmed videos of the latest U.S. navy fighter jets being made to look like paper planes by anti-gravity effect vehicles. Craft racing at mind-boggling speeds that would turn human pilots into meat-paste. Since then, Stephen has been exploring deep down this rabbit hole. Now, in his very first non-fiction book, he brings you the results of his strange voyage of exploration, seeking the answers to such eye-opening questions as... - Has the U.S. government (a) lost its mind, or (b) are they really trying to back-engineer crashed alien craft wreckage? - What is the connection between UFOs/UAPs and high strangeness (portals, ghosts, Bigfoot)? - Given there are between 100 and 400 billion star systems in our Milky Way Galaxy, where the heck is everyone else? Is humanity truly that unique? The only machine-using species? - What does the U.S. government know that we don’t? - Are UFO witnesses and whistle-blowers influenced by popular science fiction entertainment, or are our media companies dropping approved UFO/alien bread-crumbs? - Is this new wave of official U.S.-sanctioned UFO openness a prelude to something shocking coming our planet’s way? Revelations so improbable, they’ll change humanity forever? Stephen Hunt examines this fascinating and astonishing universe through the eyes of a science fiction author, drawing the parallels between our sci-fictions, and what just might be a bizarre classified reality of actual alien-derived sci-facts.

It is the final years of the 18th century, but a world which few would recognise. The people of Europe shelter in small islands of safety, havens from the enchanted wilderness - the strange boundless forests people call the Tumble. It is across this demon-haunted landscape that the low-born officer Taliesin must lead his men, caught up in the deadliest of intrigues while fighting wars for a noble class which despises him. With vicious murderers from the worst gutters in the Realm marching behind him, and the forces of the most powerful nations of the mainland arrayed against him, the odds are stacked against Taliesin. Heavily. Yet he will fight on, battling armies, sorcerers, assassins, beastmen and cross into the face of hell itself. Not for loyalty, or grudging respect for his scheming monarch - not even for the small mountain of silver the Island Queen has promised him if he succeeds. But because fighting is all he and his pressed band of cut-throats and thieves have ever known.

As the self-proclaimed biggest coward in the galaxy, Horatio has it easy on what passes for 40th century America. A much-favoured sycophant in the court of the King of Earth, Horatio lives in a genetically engineered paradise where there''s a vat-grown slave waiting around every marble column with a bunch of grapes to drop into his oh-so-perfectly designed mouth. Unfortunately for Horatio, the artificial intelligence that rules the great mass of humanity spread across the stars has other plans for this feckless seducer. So, if you ever wonder how the galaxy''s biggest coward finds himself actually trying to save it, you''re not alone... but then, unfortunately, neither is our hero! His misadventures are abetted by a psychotic Martian warrior, a robot who thinks it''s related to Sherlock Holmes, a beautiful genetically enhanced assassin, a scientist with a computer for a brain, and a millennia-old clone who was alive when the last U.S. President was executed by a firing squad. It''s six against the galaxy. Six against the stars. They''ll save the universe... but they might damage it first.

So, dear reader, you thought Spiderman and Iron Man was the ultimate team-up? Or Captain America and the Hulk, perhaps? No! Such paltry partnerships were long before authors Charles Dickens and Stephen Hunt teamed up together to bring the world the steampunk adaptation of A Christmas Carol. This tome imaginatively entitled ‘A STEAMPUNK Christmas Carol … the fantastical adaptation no-one asked for, yet everyone somehow desperately needed. Yes, this – spoilers – classic tale of a grumpy miser’s Xmas-related redemption has been recast in the Jackelian Kingdom, a far-future steampunk Earth where Great Britain has rejoined the European mainland through continental drift (Brexiteer trigger warning). The original tale has surely been vastly improved by the addition of airships, steam-driven computers and a robot called Boffin. Forget the Muppet version. Forget that TV one with Captain Picard as Scrooge. ‘A Steampunk Christmas Carol’ is surely the comical and light-hearted definitive version that will be remembered millions of years in the future, after humanity has risen and fallen countless times across the endless cycle of history. And if it isn’t? Well, failing some great technological advancements in immortality treatments or cryogenic suspension, you, dear reader are not going to be around to know about it. Or, are you…? Now with extra cogs and a SHOCK!!! ending thrown in for no extra cost.

Sliding Void (Book 1 of the Sliding Void science fiction series) DESCRIPTION Captain Lana Fiveworlds has a hell of a lot of problems. She''s sliding void in an ageing seven-hundred-year-old space ship, scrabbling around the edges of civilised space trying to find a cargo lucrative enough to pay her bills without proving so risky that it''ll kill her. She''s got an alien religious freak for a navigator, an untrustworthy android for a first mate, a disgraced lizard for a trade negotiator and a deserter from the fleet acting as her chief engineer. And that was well before an ex-crewman turns up wanting Lana to rescue a barbarian prince from a long-failed colony world. Unfortunately for Lana, the problems she doesn''t know about are even more dangerous. In fact, they just might be enough to destroy Lana''s rickety but much-loved vessel, the Gravity Rose, and jettison her and her crew into the void without a spacesuit. But there''s one thing you can never tell an independent space trader. That''s the odds... u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Hunt is the creator of the much-loved ''Far-called'' fantasy series (Gollancz/Hachette), as well as the ''Jackelian'' series, published across the world via HarperCollins alongside their other best-selling fantasy authors, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Raymond E. Feist and C.S. Lewis. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e REVIEWS Praise for Stephen Hunt''s novels: ‘Mr. Hunt takes off at racing speed.’ — THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Hunt''s imagination is probably visible from space. He scatters concepts that other writers would mine for a trilogy like chocolate-bar wrappers.’ - TOM HOLT ‘All manner of bizarre and fantastical extravagance.’ - DAILY MAIL ‘Compulsive reading for all ages.’ - GUARDIAN ‘Studded with invention.’ -THE INDEPENDENT ‘To say this book is action packed is almost an understatement… a wonderful escapist yarn!’ - INTERZONE ‘Hunt has packed the story full of intriguing gimmicks… affecting and original.’ - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘A rip-roaring Indiana Jones-style adventure.’ —RT BOOK REVIEWS ‘A curious part-future blend.’ - KIRKUS REVIEWS ‘An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.’ - THE TIMES ‘Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension.’ - TIME OUT ‘A ripping yarn … the story pounds along… constant inventiveness keeps the reader hooked… the finale is a cracking succession of cliffhangers and surprise comebacks. Great fun.’ - SFX MAGAZINE ‘Put on your seatbelts for a frenetic cat and mouse encounter... an exciting tale.’ - SF REVU ''Readers will be entertained and captivated.'' - BOOKLIST u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e FORMAT Novella - part 1 of a continuing, linked series. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e THE SERIES SO FAR... Part 1 - Sliding Void. Part 2 - Transference Station. Part 3 - Red Sun Bleeding. Also available as a combined omnibus edition: ''Void All The Way Down''. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e AGE ADVISORY Age 13+ - mild violence and language. u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e READ THIS BOOK IF YOU LIKE THESE AUTHORS... Douglas Adams Neal Asher Iain M. Banks Jack Campbell David Drake Orson Scott Card James S.A. Corey Evan Currie Peter F. Hamilton Ric Locke Dan Simmons Charles Stross David Weber u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e GENRES Science fiction (space opera) Adventure (scifi) u003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003eu003e