Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford. The trip has been recreated many times since most recently in 2005 for the BBC. Quotes and references turn up regularly, ranging from references in Robert A. Heinlein's 1958 Have space suit will travel through to the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean.

What might a young boy living with his parents in a sleepy seaside town in 18th century England fancy? An adventure in search of buried treasure in exotic locations might seem like just the thing. But what young Jim Hawkins doesn't realise is that there is much more to this horrifying adventure when the buccaneering pirate Long John Silver and his band are involved. A gripping tale and a marvellous coming-of-age story.

War and Peace is the critically acclaimed epic novel by Leo Tolstoy. Set between 1805 - 1813, it tells of the Napoleonic wars and in particular Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Against this backdrop, Tolstoy tells the story of various Russian aristocratic families - their personal lives, fortunes, loves and dramas. Ranked No.3 on Time magazine's list of the "10 Greatest Books of all time", January 2007.

"The book is titled Blind Shrike. It's not a rotten book, I think. In fact, it's a pretty traditional fantasy quest, just one that, to me, makes sense in George W. Bush's America. The hero of the story is on a quest for his own lost ignorance and innocence. He really doesn't want to know too much because, as many of us have learned, too much information is a soul-sucking pain in the ass. In the book you'll also find magic and monsters, angels and demons, magical swords and forbidden books. And blimps. Every fantasy novel should have at least one blimp." -- Richard Kadrey

An early unpublished novel kindly made available on the web by the author. A dark novel set in a future where von Neumann probes build a growing interstellar computer network to house the uploaded minds of dead people, ruled by artificial intelligences.

Lewis Shiner is a two-time finalist for the Nebula (Frontera, Deserted Cities of the Heart), a finalist for the Philip K. Dick (Frontera), and won the World Fantasy award for Glimpses.

"No one has taken this premise to such pitiless lengths - and depths - as Watts ... In a claustrophobic setting enlivened by periodic flashes of beauty and terror, the crew of Beebe Station come across as not only believable but likeable as they fight for equilibrium against their own demons, one another, their superiors and their remorselessly hostile surroundings."

- The New York Times (Notable Book of the Year)

"The story drives like a futuristic locomotive. It's a hypnotic read, somber and compelling. Best thing I've read in a long time. Peter Watts is an author to watch for."

- Robert Sheckley