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In this first part of the dark materials trilogy, lyra’s friend roger disappears. she and her daemon, pantalaimon, determine to find him. their quest leads them to the bleak splendour of the north where a team of scientists are conducting unspeakably horrible experiments.

‘it is no accident that we see green almost wherever we look. it is no accident that we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life; no accident that we are surrounded by millions of other species, eating, growing, rotting, swimming, walking, flying, burrowing, stalking, chasing, fleeing, outpacing, outwitting a we are surrounded by endless forms, most beautiful and most wonderful, and it is no accident, but the direct consequence of evolution by non-random natural selection – the only game in town, the greatest show on earth.’ charles darwin’s masterpiece on the origin of species shook society to its core on publication in 1859. darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke. but he would surely have raised an incredulous eyebrow at the controversy still raging a century and a half later. evolution is accepted as scientific fact by all reputable scientists and indeed theologians, yet millions of people continue to question its veracity. in the greatest show on earth richard dawkins takes on creationists, including followers of ‘intelligent design’ and all those who question the fact of evolution through natural selection. in this brilliant tour de force he pulls together the incontrovertible evidence that underpins it. like a detective arriving on the scene of a crime, he sifts through fascinating layers of scientific facts and disciplines to build a cast-iron case: from the living examples of natural selection around us in birds and insects; the ‘time clocks’ of trees and radioactive dating that calibrate a timescale for evolution; the fossil record and the traces of our earliest ancestors; to confirmation from molecular biology and genetics. all of this, and much more, bears witness to the truth of evolution. the greatest show on earth comes at a critical time: systematic opposition to the truth of evolution is now flourishing as never before, especially in america. in britain and elsewhere in the world teachers witness insidious attempts to undermine the status of science in their classrooms. richard dawkins provides unequivocal evidence that boldly and comprehensively rebuts such nonsense. at the same time he shares with us his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation. written with elegance, wit and passion, it is hard-hitting, absorbing and totally convincing.

Before the name became a legend before the boy became the man meet james bond the dark waters around a remote scottish castle hold a sinister secret. one man with a thirst for power will use it – whatever the cost. silverfin is dangerous silverfin is the future silverfin must be destroyed

Over the years, cherub has put plenty of criminals behind bars. now, for the first time ever, they’ve got to break one out … under american law, kids convicted of serious crimes can be sentenced as adults. two hundred and eighty of these child criminals live in the sunbaked desert prison of arizona max. in one of the most dangerous cherub missions ever, james adams has to go undercover inside arizona max, befriend an inmate and then bust him out. cherub kids are trained professionals, working in everyday situations. their essential advantage: adults never suspect that children are spying on them. for official purposes, these children do not exist. and now: a new cover look for this number one bestselling series!

There’s only one vampire sookie stackhouse is involved with – at least voluntarily – and that’s bill. but recently he’s been a little distant – in another state distant. his sinister and sexy boss eric has an idea where to find him, and next thing sookie knows she’s off to jackson, mississippi, to mingle with the underworld at club dead. it’s a dangerous little haunt where the elusive vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type o – but when sookie finally finds bill caught in an act of serious betrayal she’s not sure whether to save him, or to sharpen some stakes. the sookie stackhouse books are delightful southern gothic supernatural mysteries, starring sookie, the telepathic cocktail waitress, and a cast of increasingly colourful characters, including vampires, werewolves and things that really do go bump in the night.

Jane harris’s third novel is both a heart-breaking trip into our troubled colonial past, and a stunning act of literary ventriloquism.

Once upon a time, in the haunted city of derry (site of stephen king’s it and insomnia), four young boys stood together and did a brave thing; something that changed them in ways they hardly understand. a quarter-century later, the boys are men who have gone their separate ways although they still get together once a year, to go hunting in the north woods of maine. but this time a man comes stumbling into their camp, lost, disoriented and muttering about lights in the sky. before long, these old friends will be plunged into the most remarkable events of their lives and a terrible struggle with a creature from another world. their only chance of survival is locked in their past and in the boy they once rescued as a child.