Adam (Adam Charles) Roberts Knihy

Potměšilý britský autor sci-fi Adam Roberts, který se pod pseudonymem Robertski Brothers už otřel třeba o kultovní trilogii Matrix v parodii McAtrix Derided, 2004 (česky McAtrix Recesed, 2004), ve svém obrazoboreckém zápalu nenechal na pokoji ani Tolkiena a a jeho Silmarillion a rozhodně nemíní dostát žánrovým zvyklostem.

V jisté dílně hobloval hoblit, říkejme mu Bingo Štiplík a mějme soucit s jeho nemocnýma nohama i bařtipánstvím. Jednoho dne do nory počestného měštěnína z Hejhrb vrazí hluchý a chrchlavý čaroděj Randálf s hordou trpaslíků, kteří s hoblitem přišli uzavřít jistou dohodu… Loupeživá výprava za pokladem, během níž věhlasný koksofordský profesor láskyplně paroduje román kolegy Tolkiena Hobit, ovšem cestou čelí mnoha zmatkům a hlavně ukrutným nebezpečenstvím. Sotva si družina poradí s tlupou zlobrdů, čeká ji les snobských elfů. Jen unikne z drápů hejna skřetřevů, ohrožuje ji podivín Jöhněd obklopený od deseti do deseti nábytkem jisté značky a po desáté večer projevující sklony věru zvířecí. Jedva hoblit, trpaslíci a čaroděj uniknou z kolektivistických spárů pavoučí komuny, čeká je estrádní výstup z pivovaru. Ech! Na cestě za zlatem skrytým v Oněmělé hoře představuje však největší úskalí značně nespolehlivá Věc™, kterou Bingo ukořistil v jeskyni schizofrenního Blumy a nestačí se divit, co čaromocný předmět vytvořený Temným pánem Šauroněm vyvádí. Je však pravým cílem výpravy opravdu zlato draka Šmuka, nebo trpaslíci s Randálfem před hoblitem cosi tají? To je, oč tu běží, vy šibalové! A navíc s četnými vyobrazeními!

Humorná parafráze příběhu Matrixu. Neschopný mladík Gordon pracuje jako úředník v jedné malé londýnské společnosti. Kvůli nervózní užvaněnosti se mu ještě nikdy nepodařilo navázat vztah se ženou či dívkou. Touží po lásce a snaží se ji najít přes internet. Aby udělal na ženy dojem, dá si přezdívku Nemo a tvrdí o sobě, že je velmi dobrý hacker. A k jeho obrovskému překvapení ho jedna slečna kontaktuje: říká si Trihity; je krásná, sebejistá, moderní a prudce elegantní. Seznámí Gordona s Morčeem, vůdcem bojovníků za osvobození od nadvlády strojů. Morčeus ho vezme na palubu okřídlené ponorky Šalamoun (vlak londýnské podzemní dráhy) a oznámí svým soukmenovcům, že Nemo je vyvolený, jenž jim pomůže nenáviděný systém porazit.

Nejlepší parodie na světový bestseller. Rozmotejte s námi pětici pekelně zašmodrchaných tajemství, která otřesou veškerou vaší důvěrou v uspořádání světa! A v ryby, natožpak v rybí prsty. O moudrosti obsažené v jiných knihách ani nemluvě. Považte: AU! Velevážený správce uměleckých sbírek je nalezen mrtev ve své galerii a v krku má zaraženou téměř metrovou tresku. HM? Úžasný mladý muž a význačný anagramatolog, jaksepatří pohledný, svobodný a skvěle zaopatřený nekuřák se sice setkává s mnoha ženami, ale žádná zatím nebyla ta pravá...

Set in the picturesque Lake District, the novella intertwines historical fiction with elements of science fiction and the paranormal. Cynthia, harboring a troubled past, encounters a ghostly boy and mysterious lights over Blaswater. The arrival of astronomer Mr. Sales, who vanishes and returns with bizarre claims of an otherworldly experience, adds intrigue. Meanwhile, the presence of Eliza, a married mother, stirs unexpected emotions in Cynthia, complicating her life further. The narrative weaves themes of mystery, love, and the supernatural.

Through readings of key figures like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, this Element argues that changes in publishing and distribution were crucial to the expansion of science fiction. Suitable for anybody interested in the reasons why science fiction went from being a niche variety of fantastical adventure into the global culture it is today.

This is a title about Soweto from inside and out. It is an effort to mark a century since the first forced removals of black Africans from central Johannesburg to the banks of the Klipspruit River. It is also in recognition of the limited books available on a world-famous city. Soweto's huge growth came in the post-war decades. One famous resident Walter Sisulu believed that the country's modern history is impossible to separate from that of its most famous township. 'The history of South Africa cannot be understood outside the history of Soweto the development of the township, and the trials and tribulations of its people are a microcosm of the history of this country.' The township became a focus of world attention in 1976 during bloody repression of student protests, and again during the violence of the Eighties.

This special issue blends elements of science fiction and fairy tales, exploring how these genres intersect and influence each other. It features a collection of imaginative stories that challenge traditional narratives, showcasing innovative world-building and unique character arcs. Contributors delve into themes of technology, magic, and the human experience, offering fresh perspectives on familiar tropes. Readers can expect a thought-provoking journey that redefines the boundaries of storytelling through a captivating mix of fantasy and speculative fiction.

Today, India stands on the threshold of global dominance. And as it faces the road ahead, attention focuses on one man: its Prime Minister, Nahrendra Modi. A controversial figure in his own country and abroad, he has garnered unprecedented political support while facing criticism for his nationalism, his record in government and his economic policies. -- EconomistDrawing on years of on-the-ground research, and interviews with everyone from wayside fortune-tellers to Modi himself, Superfast Primetime Ultimate Nation is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what the future holds for the world's greatest nation.

Journalists Heidi Holland and Adam Roberts approached about 80 journalists and writers based in Johannesburg and asked them to write short pieces about the city in which they work and live. They did not specify form or style - the contributors were free to express themselves how ever they wanted to. Out of this has emerged 50-odd pieces of writing that reflect aspects of the city, idiosyncratic reactions to living and working here, appreciations of small and big things, some poems, some criticisms - all will find resonance with Joburg/Jozi residents and all will be enlightening and entertaining to visitors hoping to learn something about our metropolis. Amazingly, many of the contributors expressed how much they enjoy being in Joburg/Jozi - good news for a city that consistently suffers from bad press.

A trailblazing and highly topical look at how - and why - we imagine the world is going to end.

The best stories of the year: here is a collection of the best science fiction prose written in 2006, by some of the genre's greatest authors, and selected by Rich Horton, a contributing reviewer to many of the field's most respected magazines.

Event Horizon meets Brave New World in this extraordinary new science fictional thriller from Adam Roberts

Widely recognised as one of today's most important cultural critics, Adam Roberts offers an engaging introduction to this crucial figure, which will convince any student of contemporary theory that Jameson must be read. schovat popis

The new novel from 'the king of high concept SF' (The Guardian)

Includes a history of science fiction, and the ways in, which the genre has been used and defined. This book provides explanations of key concepts in science fiction criticism and theory. It introduces the reader to nineteenth- century, Pulp, Golden Age, New Wave, Feminist, and Cyberpunk science fictions.

A gothic tale of murder and corruption set in the world imagined by our most famous 19th century writers.

The This is the new social media platform everyone is talking about. Allow it to be injected into the roof of your mouth and it will grow into your brain, allow you to connect with others without even picking up your phone. Its followers are growing. Its detractors say it is a cult. But for one journalist, hired to do a puff-piece interview with their CEO, it will change the world forever. Adan just wants to stay at home with his smart-companion Elegy - phone, friend, confidante, sex toy. But when his mother flees to Europe and joins a cult, leaving him penniless, he has to enlist in the army. Sentient robots are invading America, but it seems Adan has a surprising ability to survive their attacks. He has a purpose, even if he doesn't know what it is. And in the far future, war between a hivemind of Ais and the remnants of humanity is coming to its inevitable end. But one woman has developed a weapon which might change the course of the war. It's just a pity she's trapped in an inescapable prison on a hivemind ship.

Young Forktongue Davy has visions; epilepsy, his Ma calls it. He's barely able to help around the family farm. But something about the lad is attracting attention: the menacing stranger who might be the angel of death himself; the women-only community at Wycombe; Daniel, sent by the mysterious Guz.

An ISLAND OF DR MOREAU for the 21st century. An SF novel that draws in the never more timely issues of Artificial Intelligence and our relationship with the natural world.

Tighe lives on the wall. It towers above his village and falls away below it. It is vast and unforgiving and it is everything he knows. Life is hard on the wall, little more than a clinging on for dear life—and then one day Tighe falls off the wall. On is at once a vertiginous concept novel, a coming of age saga, a picaresque journey across a changed world, and an epic adventure in the very best traditions of science fiction.

Learn to cook from the best chefs in America Some people say you can only learn to cook by doing. So Adam Roberts, creator of the award-winning blog The Amateur Gourmet, set out to cook in 50 of America's best kitchens to figure out how any average Joe or Jane can cook like a seasoned pro. From Alice Waters's garden to José Andrés's home kitchen, it was a journey peppered with rock-star chefs and dedicated home cooks unified by a common passion, one that Roberts understands deeply and transfers to the reader with flair, thoughtfulness, and good humor: a love and appreciation of cooking. Roberts adapts recipes from Hugh Acheson, Lidia Bastianich, Roy Choi, Harold Dieterle, Sara Moulton, and more. The culmination of that journey is a cookbook filled with lessons, tips, and tricks from the most admired chefs in America, including how to properly dress a salad, bake a no-fail piecrust, make light and airy pasta, and stir-fry in a wok, plus how to improve your knife skills, eliminate wasteful food practices, and create recipes of your very own. Most important, Roberts has adapted 150 of the chefs' signature recipes into totally doable dishes for the home cook. Now anyone can learn to cook like a pro!

An impossible murder. A ticking deadline. A political coup. A Hitchcockian thriller set in a chilling near future.

The first new SF novel from leading author Adam Roberts in over three years, combining space opera with fast paced near-future thriller!

Adam Roberts' fourth novel is his most ambitious yet. In a feat of extraordinary world building he creates a universe where a breathable atmosphere extends out between the planets, where aristocrats cruise interstellar space in biplanes and skywhals make mysterious distant orbits. Then, with bravura plotting, he undermines our own notions of reality and leaves the reader unsure which universe to believe in. Gaining a reputation as one of the UK's leading SF stylists and masters of the high-concept, Roberts, shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award with his debut novel SALT, confirms his extraordinary potential with POLYSTOM.

The author of The Soddit, The McAtrix Derided, and the Sellamillion and other parodies offers an hilarious sendup of the Star Wars universe timed for the release of the sixth film.

The best novel yet from 'the king of high concept SF' (GUARDIAN)

In a world where we have been genetically engineered so that we can photosynthesise sunlight with our hair, hunger is a thing of the past, food an indulgence. The poor grow their hair, the rich affect baldness and flaunt their wealth by still eating. But other hungers remain ... The young daughter of an affluent New York family is kidnapped. The ransom demands are refused. A year later a young woman arrives at the family home claiming to be their long lost daughter. She has changed so much, she has lived on light, can anyone be sure that she has come home? Adam Roberts' new novel is yet another amazing melding of startling ideas and beautiful prose. Set in a New York of the future it nevertheless has echoes of a Fitzgeraldesque affluence and art-deco style. It charts his further progress as one of the most important writers of his generation.

Something fishy is going on in the world of artistic scholarship. How can there possibly be a link between the hidden cod of Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings and the over fishing of the North Atlantic fish stocks? Could it be that Leonardo Da Vinci, the greatest genius of his age and inventor of the photocopier and mouse mat, had a chilling insight into European Union Fishing policies. Only one man can find out. Robert Hangdog, international scholar, master spy and action hero. Oh and Bezu Fish.

It is 1958 and France's first nuclear submarine, Plongeur, leaves port for the first of its sea trials. On board, gathered together for the first time, one of the navy's most experienced captains and a tiny skeleton crew of sailors, engineers and scientists. The Plongeur makes her first dive and goes down, and down and down... Out of control, the submarine plummets to a depth where the pressure will crush her hull, killing everyone on board, and beyond. The pressure builds, the hull protests, the crew prepare for death, the boat reaches the bottom of the sea and finds...nothing. Her final dive continues, the pressure begins to relent, but the depth gauge is useless. They have gone miles down. Hundreds of miles, thousands... And so it goes on. And on board the crew succumb to madness, betrayal, religious mania and murder. Has the Plongeur left the limits of our world and gone elsewhere? TWENTY TRILLION LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA contains 33 full page pen and ink illustrations by acclaimed artist Mahendra Singh, who previously illustrated an edition of THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK. Mahendra Singh and Adam Roberts have revisited Jules Verne's classic SF novel, and together they have come up with a unique vision.

Casaubon's intense fixation on complex allusions and epigraphs serves as both a cautionary tale and an invitation to explore George Eliot's deeper literary techniques. Adam Roberts delves into Eliot's use of these elements, aiming to illuminate their significance and impact within the narrative. This exploration offers readers a fresh perspective on the intricacies of Eliot's work, encouraging a deeper appreciation of her literary artistry.

Exploring the imaginative realm of speculative fiction, this book delves into the visionary tales crafted by writers who envisioned life beyond Earth long before space exploration became a reality. It highlights the creativity and foresight of these authors as they pondered the mysteries of the universe and the potential futures awaiting humanity among the stars.

"Often referred to as the 'father of science fiction, ' H.G. Wells' tales of time travel and alien invasion have enthralled generations. His 1898 novel, The War of the Worlds, tells the story of an invasion from Mars and the ensuing conflict between the Martians and mankind. This tribute to Wells' most famous novel contains the full, original text, expertly brought to life through a series of illustrations by artist Adam Rufino. Also included are features on the life and works of H.G. Wells and an interview with Adam Rufino, showcasing his concept sketches from the book's development"--Back cover

Eine neue Heimat Nebel-2 ist alles andere als ein Paradies, und dennoch brechen Kolonisten von der Erde zu diesem weit entfernten Planeten auf, um ihn zu besiedeln. Zunächst verläuft alles glatt, und während der Reise ist anfangs Euphorie vorherrschend. Doch schon bald spalten sich die Siedler in zwei Lager, die sich mit allen nur erdenklichen Mitteln bekämpfen – ein Kampf, der auf Nebel-2 fortgesetzt wird und die Existenz der neuen Heimat gefährdet ...

Die ultimative "Hobbit"-Parodie Zauberer sind ja wohl voll nervig! Wie gut, dass der Hobbnix Bingo Beutelgrapscher nichts mit solchen Typen zu tun hat - bis eines Tages der vertatterte Zauberer Ganzalt und eine Horde von haarigen Zwergen vor seiner Tür stehen und ihn so mir nichts, dir nichts auf eine Abenteuerfahrt mitnehmen. Auf ihrer Reise begegnen sie so krassen Typen wie dem griesgrämigen Philosophen Schmollmund, Lord Halbelf und Björn dem Tier, und obwohl am Ende das eine oder andere rausspringt, steht für Bingo Beutelgrapscher fest: Zauberer sind ja wohl voll nervig.

Die ultimative Parodie zum Kinoereignis 2013 In den Monaten seiner Abenteuerfahrt konnte Bingo Beutelgrapscher tiefe Einblicke in die Abgründe der zwergischen, elbischen und zauberischen Seele gewinnen. Und was er dort gesehen hat, ist definitiv zu viel für die geistige Gesundheit eines unschuldigen Hobbnix. Wieder zu Hause tut Bingo das, was jeder in seiner Situation tun würde: Er beginnt eine Schreibtherapie und stürmt mit seinem Erfahrungsbericht die Bestsellerlisten in ganz Mittelerde! Der Titel: Fifty Shades of Gandalf the Grey