Item category 1: Science Fiction

Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, 'The Fourth Consort' asks an important question: how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?

Dying isn't any fun - but at least it's a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there's a mission that's too dangerous - even suicidal - the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is rege...

As human colonies are obliterated by the dark pathogen and hideous monstrosities proliferate, a family of scavengers find an amnesiac who may hold the secrets to the forces tearing apart the galaxy. Life amongst the stars is brutal. Human colonies are being obliterated by a dark pathogen launched...

War ranged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. The Idirans fought for their faith, The Culture for its moral right to exist. There could be no surrender.

Set in the Culture universe, this is Iain M. Banks' latest novel, following the success of Feersum Endjinn. The Culture ships strive to retrieve an ancient, powerful artefact before it falls into the hands of their rivals.

It is the end for the Gzilt. They've made the decision to follow the well-trodden path to Sublime, elevating themselves to a new rich and complex existence. Amidst preparations, though, High Command is destroyed. Lieutenant Commander (reserve) Vyr Cossont appears to have been involved and she is ...

In the winter palace, the King's new physician has more enemies than she at first realises. In another palace across the mountains, the chief bodyguard of the Protector General also has his enemies.

When the Chelgrian Ziller, a composer of galactic renown, living in self-imposed exile, learns that an emissary from his home world is being sent to the Orbital, he fears that they want him to return.

There was nobody of her own kind within several thousand light years of where Djan Seriy Anaplian sat. However, news from her home world of Sursamen would still reach her. But would the news be good or bad?

Bored with success, Gurgeh - The Player of Games - travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game. This is a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor.