The Folly of the World

As the witch-pyres of the Spanish Inquisition blanket Renaissance Europe in a moral haze, a young African slave is unwillingly apprenticed to an ancient necromancer. Her tormentor has bound her with a curse forged from blood and spirit. But salvation could lie in arcane writings her tutor has hidden on the war-torn continent . . . Jesse Bullington casts his own macabre spell over the late middle ages in a work that becomes compulsive, amusing and horrifying in quick succession.Praise for Jesse Bullington's previous work includes:* 'Darkly funny, profane, erudite, bawdy, and wickedly original' Jeff VanderMeer* 'As the antithesis of conventional fantasy, this is a tour de force' Telegraph* 'A quite extraordinary piece ... one of the books of the year' SFRevu.com* 'Raucous, lewd, and grisly' Esquire

In the plague-wracked and devil-haunted darkness of Medieval Europe, an elite few enjoy opulent lives while the majority eke out a miserable existence in abject poverty. Hungry creatures stalk the deep woods and desolate mountains, and both sea and sky teem with unspeakable horrors. For those ill-fated masses not born into wealth, life is but a vicious trial to be endured before the end of days.Hegel and Manfried Grossbart could give a toss. Being of low birth means little, after all, when the riches of the mighty wait just inside the next crypt. The grave-robbing twins know enough about crusading to realise that if one is to make a living from the dead, what better destination than the fabled tomb-cities of Egypt?But the Brothers Grossbart are about to discover that all legends have their truths, and worse fates than death await those who would take the red road of villainy . . .

Both funny and insightful That'd Be Right is part memoir, part personal history of Australia over the last thirty years. It's a biographical trip told through sport, and families and William's own experiences. He weaves in and around the events that have held a fascination for Australia. Some of these events would be considered momentous, some small and personal. They range from a day at the Melbourne Cup with his mother where too many champagnes and too few winners were picked; a swimming carnival early in the morning after a gloomy and long federal election the night before; watching truly surreal Grand Final moments in a pub with a group of odd and unknown bar companions. Sailing on a massive yacht during the Sydney Olympics while listening to the conversation of an elderly lady from Texas in the cabin below. William also writes about a night at the cricket with his son, which shows how things can change and oddly come full circle.

UNDER FALSE COLOURS - Captain Drinkwater, accustomed to commanding one of His Britannic Majesty's ships of war, now finds himself as a lowly shipmaster of the Merchant Marine. The disguise may not be flattering but the mission, conceived by the Admiralty's Secret Department, is vital: to drive a wedge between two of the most powerful men on earth, the Tsar of Russia and the Emperor of France...THE FLYING SQUADRON: 1811 - Napoleon's French Empire dominates Europe from Moscow to Madrid, and as the United States emerges as a naval power to be reckoned with, the scene is set for a clash of interest.BENEATH THE AURORA: 1813 - As the Grand Army of Napoleon faces defeat on the battlefields of Germany, Captain Nathaniel Drinkwater succeeds Lord Dungarth as head of the Royal Navy's Secret Department. Before long he is caught up in a vast intrigue which leads him into the most desperate mission of his career among the forbidding fiords of Norway.

When Isabel's god-daughter, Emily, turns up after years of no contact and in need of help, she feels duty-bound to take her under her wing. To her surprise, Emily is determined to be independent and takes a job as nanny. Emily's charge turns out to be the illegitimate child of the na?ve daughter of a well-to-do couple and a ne'er-do-well conman who disappeared before the baby was born. And now he is back, intent on exploiting his parental status in return for cash. Before she knows it, Emily is caught up in his botched attempts at blackmail, trying desperately to protect her charge from harm, while also shielding Isabel from becoming entangled in the drama. But when events beyond her control force her to act instinctively, with horrendous effect, all their lives are put terribly at risk.