Life in the monastery is simple for Edwin & Luke two young boys who are training to be monks. It seems that nothing will disrupt the peace & order. Then news arrives that the Vikings have invaded & they are forced to run for their lives. If the Vikings catch them they will be taken away & become slaves. But with the elders in danger will they turn back to help them? A Viking story blending Norse mythology with historical fact & Terry Dearys vividly imagined characters. ...

In the RSPCBs most dangerous mission to date Ulf the werewolf visits a haunted castle to investigate some very spooky goings-on. But little does he know that hes heading into a trap: the evil Baron Marackai is lying in wait with a beastly plan
- & this time hes got help from the dead! Can Ulf unravel the ghostly mystery or will he end up as zombie food? The future of the RSPCB depends on him...
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Koushun Takamis notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of 42 junior high school students are taken to a deserted island where as part of a ruthless authoritarian program they are electronically collared provided with weapons of varying potency & sent out onto the isl&. If they are in the wrong part of the island at the wrong time their collars will explode. If they band together to save themselves a collar will explode at random. If they try to escape from the island they will be blown up. Their only chance for survival lies in killing their classmates. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan
- where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller
- Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century & a potent story of politics & survival in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic & is now available for the first time to the UK mainstream.

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The Battle of Loos saw a change in Allied strategy which up until then had been a series of small-scale assaults that achieved little or no ground gained. Loos was to be different Kitcheners Army was deployed in strength for the first time & an ambitious plan aimed to take ground over a 20-mile front. As the fog of war descended the first days gains were lost over subsequent days fighting & in the end the Big Push saw little achieved with Allied losses of about 50 000 men. Through"es & maps the text explores the unfolding action of the battle & puts the reader on the frontline. If you truly want to understand what happened & why
- read Battle Story.
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The Fall of Singapore remains a crushing defeat that sent shockwaves around the British Empire during the Second World War. Singapore had always been seen as an impenetrable fortress that would protect the British Empires stake in the Far East
- a legacy of the great days of global dominion. The British Army were aware of the threat to Singapore & Malaya from the first days after Pearl Harbor but they viewed the Japanese Army as an inferior fighting force incapable of standing up to the defences & trained troops of the British. Yet in December 1941 the Japanese launched a swift attack on the Singapore airfields nearly wiping out the entire fleet of RAF frontline aeroplanes. On 10 December the Japanese also destroyed two of the Royal Navys premier battleships off the Malay coast. Suddenly the fate of Singapore rested solely in the hands of the Army. Despite having 90 000 British soldiers posted in Singapore they were quickly overwhelmed by the speed & ferocity of the invading Japanese forces numbering 75 000 men. The brutality of the Japanese tactics & their sheer ferocity shocked the British & they were soon forced to retreat. By January/ February 1942 the British last stand melted away & the Japanese swept into the city slaughtering those who stood in their way. Over 100 000 men were taken prisoner & many thousands (possibly up to 50 000) residents of the city were massacred. To understand what happened & why read Battle Story.
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The Battle of Goose Green was the first & longest land conflict of the Falklands War which was fought between British & Argentine forces in 1982. The British forces attacking over featureless wind-swept & boggy ground were heavily outnumbered & lacked fire support but brilliantly defeated the Argentine garrison in a fourteen-hour struggle. If you want to understand what happened & why
- read Battle Story. Detailed profiles examine the personalities of the British & Argentine commanders including that of Victoria Cross winner Lt Col H Jones First-hand accounts offer an insight into this remarkable fourteen-hour struggle against the odds Detailed maps explore the area of Darwin Hill & Goose Green & the advance of the British forces Photographs place you at the centre of this pivotal battle Orders of battle show the composition of the opposing forces armies Packed with fact boxes this short introduction is the perfect way to explore this crucial battle.
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Operation Zitadelle
- the attempt to eliminate the Kursk salient
- was the last German offensive on the Eastern Front & the

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By the end of January 1968 the American people thought their armed forces were winning in South Vietnam after three years of escalating confl ict. Then the North Vietnamese Army & Viet Cong struck back hitting military & political targets across the country. While the NVA & Viet Cong suffered a military defeat they dealt a huge blow to US support for the war. If you want to understand what happened & why
- read Battle Story. Detailed profi les examine the background of the opposing commanders as well as the contrasting tactics & equipment of their fighting forces Contemporary accounts reveal the true story of this pivotal battle & its consequences for the Vietnam War Specially commissioned maps analyse the key developments during the battle Excellent photographs place the reader at the centre of the fighting Orders of battle show the composition of the opposing forces armies
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El Alamein 1942 heralded a great victory for the Allied forces in the Second World War & marked a major turning point in the Western Desert campaign. If you truly want to understand what happened & why
- read Battle Story. Key profiles explore the tactics & personalities pitted against each other: Montgomery & Rommel Diary extracts "es offer a real insight into what it was like to fight in this unforgiving desert Maps highlight the adversities of terrain & minefields that dominated the fighting Photographs place you on the frontline of the unfolding action Orders of Battle detail the composition of the opposing forces armies Packed with fact boxes this short introduction is the perfect way to start exploring this important battle
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' Fire as she bears. Rake her lads.' Winter 1793. Newly promoted Master & Commander Charles Hayden's orders are to deliver the frigate HMS Themis to Lord Admiral Hood whose fleet is sheltering in the Mediterranean. Only hours out of port however & the Themis is engaging with the French navy. Hayden's destination is Toulon a French port under Lord Hood's protection. But there Hayden's captaincy & seamanship are stretched to their limits. For Toulon holds a deadly surprise for the unwary.. .A Battle Won" is the brilliant second instalment in the epic maritime adventures of Charles Hayden. This is a masterpiece in the tradition of Bernard Cornwell & Patrick O' Brian." ...