An incriminating love-letter from the Queen of Ruritania to Rudolph Rassendyll, the hero of The Prisoner of Zenda, is intercepted by the dastardly villain Rupert of Hentzau, who is intent on causing trouble for the Royal Family. Rassendyll is forced to return to save the day and again assume his impersonation of King Rudolph. Once more he is embroiled in a world of deception, intrigue, deadly swordfights and strained loyalties, but will he be able to restore peace to Ruritania a second tim...

An insider look at the Large Language Models (LLMs) that are revolutionizing our relationship to technology, exploring their surprising history, what they can and should do for us today, and where they will go in the future—from an AI pioneer and neuroscientistIn this accessible, up-to-date, and authoritative examination of the world’s most radical technology, neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explores what it really takes to build a brain fr...

**Brought to you by Penguin.A sweeping, original history of the Cold War, from an acclaimed historian of the USSR**Why did the Cold War erupt so soon after the Second World War? How did it escalate so rapidly, spanning five continents over six decades? And what led to the spectacular collapse of the Soviet Union?In this comprehensive guide to the most widespread conflict in contemporary history, Vladislav Zubok traces the origins of the Cold War in post-war...

In the heat-soaked summer of 1970, twenty-year-old Keith Nearing, a literature-obsessed student, navigates the confusing new freedoms of love and lust during a holiday in an Italian castle. Surrounded by beautiful women, political awakenings, and shifting gender roles, Keith becomes both participant in and bewildered observer of a cultural revolution whose consequences he—and the novel—are still reckoning with decades later.With his characteristic wit, Martin Amis examines the pers...

An engrossing, expansive historical fantasy drama, inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of EgyptTumanbay: the wealthiest city on earth. The beating heart of a vast empire. A city of dreams, where those who once arrived as slaves now hold power, and merchants, artists and warriors live side-by-side in peace. But this magnificent city is under threat. A rebellion in a far-off province, led by 'Queen' Maya, is gathering strength - and a mysterious force is devouring t...

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík. This program features multicast narration as well as sound design and special effects to enhance your enjoyment**. Listen out for the click and hiss of the tape recorder, and fully immerse yourself in the interview recordings.**One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing....

In this swashbuckling novel set in fifteenth-century England, young Richard Shelton discovers that he has been betrayed by the guardian who raised him—a man involved in the murder of his father. Seventeen-year-old Richard joins the fellowship of the Black Arrow to avenge the death, rescue the woman he loves, and participate in the struggle between the Yorks and Lancasters in the War of the Roses.Though history records two sides fighting for control of England, The Black Arrow

Narrated by Frances McDormandInspiration for the Netflix Limited Series, Tales of the CityThe third novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s best-selling San Francisco saga.The calamity-prone residents of 28 Barbary Lane are at it again in this deliciously dark novel of romance and betrayal. While Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchorwoman in her basement, Michael Tolliver look...

Narrated by Armistead Maupin""Remarkable. . . delectable, addictive."" —New York Times Book ReviewThe second novel in the beloved Tales of the City series, Armistead Maupin’s bestselling San Francisco saga.The tenants of 28 Barbary Lane have fled their cozy nest for adventures far afield. Mary Ann Singleton finds love at sea with a forgetful stranger, Mona Ramsey discovers her doppelgänger in a des...

Jasper Detchard is a disgraced British officer, now selling his blade to the highest bidder. Currently that's Michael Elphberg, half-brother to the King of Ruritania. Michael wants the throne for himself, and Jasper is one of the scoundrels he hires to help him take it. But when Michael makes his move, things don’t go entirely to plan—and the penalty for treason is death.Rupert of Hentzau is Michael's newest addition to his sinister band of henchmen. Charming, lethal, and intolerab...

One of the first spy novels ever written, The Riddle of the Sands had an enormous impact upon its publication in 1903. Author Erskine Childers-a Boer War veteran and expert yachtsman-crafted a riveting tale of two men who sail close to the German coast and observe secret preparations for an invasion of England. The novel sparked intense concern over British preparedness for war, and one critic accused Childers of almost single-handedly plunging Europe into a conflagration.

A picture is worth a thousand words … but the photograph art historian Vicky Bliss has just received in the mail gives rise to a thousand questions instead. At first glance it appears to be the famous portrait of Frau Schliemann adorned in the gold of Troy. But closer study reveals the picture to be contemporary—which is odd since Vicky knows the Trojan gold vanished sometime around the end of World War Two. And if she needed further proof that something here is terribly amiss, a quick loo...