"Shroud" is a first-contact novel by one of our best science fiction writers - and it's one of the best first-contact stories I've ever read. It evokes a world almost intolerably different from ours, with beings unlike any we imagined. At first they seem as mindless as bacteria, but time does tell. I have all my fingers crossed for a sequel, because the book leaves us wondering (and worried).
'Thrilling, terrifying and fascinating' - Tim Peake, British ESA astronaut
They looked into darkness. The darkness looked back . . .
An utterly gripping story of survival and first contact on a hostile planet from Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.
A commercial expedition to a distant star system discovers a pitch-black moon alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is deadly to human life, but ripe for exploitation. They named it Shroud.
Under no circumstances can a human survive Shroud's inhospitable surface - but a catastrophic accident forces Juna Ceelander and…
Aud Torvingen is not easy to like, and she doesn't like many people. She is also not easy to kill. A sexy, scary, immersive story about love and death. I re-read this terrific novel for the third time this year and enjoyed it even more for knowing Aud a little better.
Aud Torvingen is a rangy six-footer with eyes the colour of cement and a tendency to hurt people who get in her way. Born in Norway, she now lives in the sticky heat of Atlanta-a security consultant gliding between the city's elegant elite and its sleazy underbelly.
One night during a thunderstorm Aud collides with a running woman, and to survive the deadly mix of forgery, drugs, and murder that follows, she must risk losing herself to that cool blue place where violence is bliss . . .
The author has spent most of his life learning to read the language and behavior of birds. He is an excellent teacher for the rest of us. I listen to birds differently now, and every once in a while, realize that I have a sense of what that robin, that house finch, that song sparrow, may be saying.
Award-winning naturalist and author Jon Young's What the Robin Knows reveals how understanding bird language and behavior can help us to see more wildlife.
A lifelong birder, tracker, and naturalist, Jon Young is guided by three basic premises: the robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest; by tuning in to their vocalizations and behavior, we can acquire much of this wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit; and the birds’ companion calls and warning alarms are just as important as their songs.
Deep bird language is an ancient discipline, perfected by…
In a world of fake news and rampant conspiracy theories, the nature of truth has increasingly blurry borders. In this clever and timely cultural commentary, award-winning author Sallie Tisdale tackles this issue by framing it in a familiar way-reality TV, particularly the long-running CBS show Survivor.
With humor and in-depth superfan analysis, Tisdale explores the distinction between suspended disbelief and true authenticity both in how we watch shows like Survivor, and in how we perceive the world around us. With her "bold and wise, galvanizing and grounding" (Chloe Caldwell, author of I'll Tell You in Person) writing, Tisdale has created an unputdownable, thoroughly entertaining, and groundbreaking book that we will be talking about for years to come.
