Penguin Books strana 57 z 487

Light and dark - this is the destiny placed upon Natasha and Clara, the birthright bestowed on them by their godfather, the mysterious sorcerer Drosselmeyer. Clara, the favourite, grows into beauty and ease, while Natasha is cursed to live in her sister's shadow. But one fateful Christmas Eve, Natasha gets her chance at revenge. For Drosselmeyer has returned and brought with him the Nutcracker, an enchanted present which offers entry to a deceptively beautiful world: the Kingdom of Sweets. In this land of snow and sugar, Natasha is presented with a power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who is also a giver of gifts . . . and a maker of dread-filled bargains. As Natasha uncovers the dark destiny laid before her birth, she must reckon with powers both earthly and magical . . . and decide to which world she truly belongs.

Part of Penguin's beautiful hardback Clothbound Classics series, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith, these delectable and collectible editions are bound in high-quality, colourful, tactile cloth with foil stamped into the design. From the planet of war they came to conquer the Earth ... The night after a shooting star is seen streaking across the sky, a cylinder is discovered on Horsell Common. Fascinated and exhilarated, the local people approach the mysterious object armed with nothing more than a white flag. But when gruesome alien creatures emerge armed with all-destroying heat-rays, their rashness turns rapidly to fear. As the rays blaze towards them, it soon becomes clear they have no choice but to flee - or die. The forces of the Earth, however, may prove harder to beat than they at first appear ...

A classic thriller from the Harlem Detective series, where love, jealousy and many-peopled mayhem abound Big Joe Pullen is dead and his wake is getting boozy. When the opium-addicted Reverend Short falls out of a window trying to see a thief fleeing the robbed store opposite, his life is saved when he lands in a bread basket, cushioned by the corpse of Valentine Haines. It’s up to detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson to find out who stabbed Valentine – though no one at the wake is keen to say much to the police. Shot through with dry, dark humour, this is Chester Himes at his hardboiled noir best.

A FORGOTTEN PAST. Kira vividly remembers the moment Cady Bennett and one of her search and rescue dogs found her as a child, living alone in the wild, with no memories of her life before. Years later, now adopted into the Bennett family, Kira has spent most of her life training in search and rescue herself. A MISSING GIRL. So, when Cady’s estranged father appears with news of a missing child out in the wilderness, Kira vows to bring the girl home. A DARK SECRET. As the search intensifies, danger mounts and long-buried secrets begin to come to light. To find one missing child, Kira will have to question everything she thinks she knows.

One of the greatest philosophical works of all time, in a new translation for the twenty-first century 'The final philosopher to perform the most profound surgery on philosophy ... concise yet exceptionally clear' Ai Weiwei Widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophical works of the twentieth century, Ludwig Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is a succinct yet wide-ranging exploration of language and logic; of science and mysticism; of what can be said, and what can only be shown. Its austere beauty - along with its famous 'picture theory' of meaning - has inspired generations of thinkers, artists, novelists and musicians. In a series of short, bold statements, Wittgenstein seeks to define the limits of meaningful expression. Originally published in the early 1920s, it is the only book-length work the renowned philosopher published in his lifetime. In this thrilling new translation, accompanied by a lively introduction by Jan Zwicky, Alexander Booth displays an extraordinary sensitivity to the subtle influence on Wittgenstein's gem-like prose - at once specialist and, often, remarkably plain-spoken - of his background in mechanical engineering, while at the same time highlighting the underlying poetry of this seminal text.

Selected and introduced by J. M. Coetzee and Alissa Valles, an essential gathering of poetry from one of the twentieth century’s pre-eminent literary voices be courageous when reason fails you be courageous in the final reckoning it is the only thing that counts Born in Poland, Zbigniew Herbert was one of the great poets of the twentieth century, moved throughout his work by a powerful sense of humanity in the darkest of times. This new selection brings together poems from across the whole of his writing life, from his first volume Chord of Light in 1956, to works published posthumously in 2024. Direct, lucid, sometimes impish in his ironic humour, and deeply informed not only by the history of his own time, but by the Classical world, here is a poet of huge imaginative range and profundity, who desires always to ‘touch the essence’: to get to the heart of life.

The final novel in the trailblazing Harlem Detective series, set in a New York City at boiling point Bawdy and tough-talking, wickedly funny and wantonly sensual, Blind Man With a Pistol is a surreal joyride through Harlem in a heatwave. Detectives Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are side-tracked from investigating a series of organised race riots when a white man with a cut throat and no trousers falls dead at their feet. Told in a thrilling chaos of impressions over the course of one day and one night, this case will take Jones and Johnson into the pounding heart of Harlem.

Killian Carson is a predator cloaked in charm. His charisma fools everyone-except Glyndon King. She sees the psychopath beneath and knows she should run. But a dark part of her craves the danger, knowing he'll chase her . . . and she might just want to be caught. Glyndon has never been anyone's favourite, always falling short of her family's expectations. But Killian? He doesn't expect anything except that she's his now. Their schools are rivals, their families lifelong enemies, but none of that matters to him. As their pasts collide in more disturbing ways than they imagined, it could either strengthen their bond or be their undoing... Can two broken souls heal each other, or will their twisted desires tear them apart? This book is a dark unconventional romance and contains themes that aren't to everyone's liking. Please check the author's note for content warnings before reading.

Dane Sinclair is on top of the world and not at all interested in settling down. With a Stanley Cup win just under his belt, he’s dead set on putting his career first. Captivated by an alluring stranger at the bar, he opts for a night of pleasure. Except this one night bleeds into Monday, when he arrives to practice and meets the new intern for the Saints. Not only is the captivating stranger from the bar the new intern, but she’s also the coach’s daughter. Josie is off-limits, a forbidden temptation that Dane knows he should resist. The consequences of their relationship being discovered could be catastrophic for both of them. Despite his best efforts, Dane finds himself unable to stay away from her, putting his standing with the Saints at risk.

The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller gives fans more of everything they loved about The Davenports-escapist romance, breathless intrigue, family relationships, and wealthy Black 1910s Chicago. Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she'll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight-until her parents decide she's to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport, she's back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin. Inspired by the real-life story of the Patterson family, More Than This is the second book in The Davenports series, following four empowered and passionate young Black women as they navigate a rapidly changing society and discover the courage to steer their own paths in life-and love.

Antarctica. The end of the world. The trip of a lifetime. Olivia and boyfriend Aaron board a ship headed south: icebergs, midnight sun, dark waters. His wildest dreams, her deepest fears. Almost immediately, Aaron vanishes. And Olivia finds herself alone. What happened to Aaron? Is someone watching her? Who can she trust? And then they find the first body . . . And the only question is: will she survive this trip of a lifetime?

Financial expert, investment advisor and New York Times bestselling author James Rickards shows how generative AI is reshaping the world of finance, explaining what smart investors can do to protect their assets. AI-powered programmes like ChatGPT have become valuable tools in the financial market, and proven to be incredibly beneficial to investors looking to identify investment opportunities and risks that might be overlooked by humans. Yet there is a darker side to these products, which we are only just beginning to fully understand. In this book, Rickards shows how models like ChatGPT work, and how they can be leveraged to capitalize on markets and avoid losses by providing accurate, up-to-date financial insights. Rickards’ guide is essential reading for anyone looking to navigate this tumultuous new climate. James Rickards breaks down the best ways you can protect your wealth in the age of the shifting financial markets, busting the myths surrounding all the usual doomsday predictions around super intelligent AI.

The most provocative philosopher of our times returns with a rousing and counterintuitive analysis of our global predicament We hear all the time that it's five minutes to global doomsday, so now is our last chance to avert disaster. But what if the only way to prevent a catastrophe is to assume that it has already happened - that we're already five minutes past zero hour? Why do we seem unable to avert our course to self-destruction? Too Late to Awaken sees Slavoj Žižek deliver his most forceful, hopeful account of our discontents yet. Surveying the interlocking crises we currently face - global warming, war, famine, disease - he points us towards the radical, emancipatory politics that we need in order to halt our drift towards disaster. Pithy, urgent and witty, Žižek's diagnosis reveals our current geopolitical nightmare in a startling new light, and shows why, in order to change our future, we must reimagine our past.

From the No.1 bestselling author of Away with the Penguins comes the heart-warming and charming final chapter of Veronica McCreedy's story. Readers have fallen in love with Gone with the Penguins 'Like a warm hug I didn't know I needed' 'A truly life affirming, beautiful read . . . I loved it!' 'A charming, wonderful romp of a book, chock full of quirky plot and characters' "Emperor penguins defy the odds, and I shall too.” Still fiery and feisty at eighty-seven, Veronica McCreedy, the very first Penguin Ambassador, is determined to prove that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it. Eileen, Veronica’s ever-patient assistant, is content taking care of other people. But when a new adventure calls, it makes her question everything... Ten-year-old, penguin-obsessed Daisy can’t wait to be reunited with Mrs McCreedy in her huge house by the sea for the school holidays. When they discover that the local Sea Life Centre is under threat, the unlikely trio are determined to save it and the penguins that live there. Inspired by the penguins and fuelled by Darjeeling tea and finger sandwiches, they embark on an epic fundraising walk. But soon, their mission becomes so much more and it might just lead each of them to a new beginning...

He'd once called her dangerous. And he had been right. She was a spy. A warrior. A weapon. Aya has returned home at last. But she is not the same person who left Tala all those months ago. And Tala isn't the same either. The threat of a war that could destroy the realm continues to grow and she is the only one who can save it. Because she is also the Second Saint. But there are those that see her as a pawn and want to use her powers for their own gain. Aya is about to learn that the real danger is closer to home than she ever could have imagined. Tropes/themes: 1. Enemies to lovers 2. Forced Proximity 3. Morally grey characters 4. He falls first 5. Slow burn

A sweeping history of and meditation on humanity's relationship with machines, showing how we got here and what happens next Faith in technological fixes for our problems is waning. Automation, which promised relief from toil, has reactivated the long-standing fear of job redundancy. Information technology, meant to liberate us from traditional authority, is placing unprecedented powers of surveillance and control in the hands of a purely secular Big Brother. And for the first time, artificial intelligence threatens anthropogenic disaster - disaster caused by our own activities. Scientists join imaginative writers in warning us of the fate of Icarus, whose wings melted because he flew too close to the sun. This book tells the story of our fractured relationship with machines from humanity's first tools down to the present and into the future. It raises the crucial question of why some parts of the world developed a 'machine civilisation' and not others, and traces the interactions between capitalism and technology, and between science and religion, in the making of the modern world. Taking in the peaks of philosophy and triumphs of science, the foundation of economics and speculations of fiction, Robert Skidelsky embarks on a bold intellectual journey through the evolution of our understanding of technology and what this means for our lives and politics. 'Unless we understand technology as a system of ideas rather than as a necessity,' he writes, 'we will be powerless to choose which technology is best suited to our needs and purposes.'