Bøger af Ian Hall

Edinburgh, October 1940... When Nazi troops march triumphantly along Princes Street, James Baird feels drawn to watch the parade. It's his punishment, for at 20 years old, and a Philosophy student at Edinburgh University, he is ashamed he has done nothing in the defense of his country. Behind him, he cannot look at the high ramparts of Edinburgh Castle, for they are festooned with garish red swastika banners. Sickened by the music and swaggering Nazis, James soon takes refuge in the Edinburgh University bar, determined to drown his sorrows before returning home. As his new role in German-controlled Edinburgh is revealed, James is determined to fight the oppressors in any way he can. When he is approached by a member of Military Intelligence (the newly formed S.O.E.), James at last finds something he can get his teeth into. But as he begins life as an undercover agent, each day brings new challenges, and increased danger. Once committed to the S.O.E., life for James Baird will never be the same again. In Avenging Steel, we follow his adventures as a nation struggles against the rule of Nazi jackboots, and begin to rebel against German rule. Thus begins Avenging Steel, a new WW2 Alternative History series set in the streets of Edinburgh, and the countryside of Scotland. "Avenging Steel: The First Collection", is the first 3 novellas in the series, all together in a bumper, budget bundle. Includes... Avenging Steel 1: The Fall of Edinburgh Avenging Steel 2: The Nuclear Option Avenging Steel 3: The Final Solution Watch out for "Avenging Steel 4: The Tree of Liberty"

Victorian London, 1845. James Rymer struggles to write Penny Dreadfuls, and not particularly good ones. His nephew, young Scot Alexander M. MacNeill, arrives in London, supposedly to take a job in his Uncle James's Publishing Empire, but Rymer has been exaggerating his position. Determined to prove himself to his distant mother, Alexander takes the job as editor of his uncle's stories, and the team bring VARNEY THE VAMPYRE successfully to the Victorian public. As the story begins to sell, his Uncle's bizarre behavior makes Alexander question the source of the material used for the Varney the Vampyre tale. Alexander assumed the Varney details were confined to the pages of the story, but all is not right in the dark streets of London Town... When his darkest suspicions mix with his romantic interests, it's time for Alexander to look into the matter... He soon finds that the dangers on the London streets are far more terrifying than fiction could ever be... The Penny Dreadful Adventures are far more than a re-hashing of an old genre, they are a vignette into the lives of the times... bold, exciting, yet full of darkness and intrigue. A true glimpse onto the streets of Victorian London. The Penny Dreadful Adventures contains pages from the original texts of penny dreadfuls such as Varney the Vampyre by James M. Rymer, The Mysteries of London, by George Reynolds, and Burke & Hare by Alexander M. Mair himself.

Star-Eater Chronicles. Volume 1. The Edge of the Galaxy. Comprising the novellas; 1. A Galaxy Too Far... 2: The Stars Are Fire... 3. Spit in the Eyes of Fools... 4. Foundation's End... The year is 2452, Seth Gingko is one of a thousand MacCollie Survey-Scouts sent out to map the galaxy. As he finally reaches the very edge of his assigned spiral arm, he finishes his contract and prepares to take ownership of the ship he's been traveling in; Seth's payment for his five years of service. But destiny has other plans for Seth and his egotistical computer, 'Ship'. An alien invasion of his home galaxy interrupts Seth's plans for retirement, throwing the small Survey-Scout into uncharted space. Suddenly stranded in Barnard's galaxy, a million light years from home, Seth has to return to Earth with a warning of invasion. But first he has to get back to his own galaxy, and getting past the invasion armada is never going to be a straight-forward mission. Belt up for action. This novella takes Seth and Ship where no man wants to go! Comprising the first 4 novellas, this is the first in a new Science Fiction trilogy by Dennis E. Smirl & Ian Hall. Both are award winning writers. Their styles are sharp, witty, and full of energy.

Edinburgh, 1698. Scotland's crops had failed again, and starvation was building in the cities. A plan was hatched to colonize Panama, ship goods overland, and hence shorten the voyage to India. Half the available cash in Scotland was raised to support the project. Five ships and three thousand souls set off on the venture to be the salvation of an ailing nation-a four thousand mile journey into the unknown. Jamie Leith, a young street-wise teenager, inadvertently stows away, and wakes, a prisoner of the venture and manacled to its success or failure. Determined to survive at all costs, Jamie faces enemies, storms, and sickness, with optimism and a 'ne'er say die' attitude. With the courage of youth, and endurance and instincts learned from the streets, he confronts all obstacles to give his all in the success of the venture. 'Opportunities' is the story of the Darién Venture seen through the eyes of this precocious youngster, and is a roller-coaster adventure set within Scotland's 'last chance' at survival. Jamie Leith embodies the positive spirit that lies in all Scots; the rampant strength of character that sailed the seven seas and drove a population to the four corners of a rapidly growing world. This book is dedicated to the Scottish people and their descendants all over the world; for their unrelenting obstinacy, their engrained character, and their endearing and sometimes prickly nature.

1976: the long hot summer. Four friends pool their limited resources to buy a fell farm in Eskdale, a Lakeland valley. With four children under three they embark on an adventure into shared living, combining incomes, efforts and skills to try to make a success of their fragile enterprise. In their early years at Fisherground they pursue a dream... and make it fail, whilst succeeding on oh so many far more important other counts. Join them as they meet an array of Cumbrian characters in the valley and explore the world of auctions, shows and valley life. Find out what it means to 'travel t'entire'! Journey with the author as he 'travels t'entire' spectrum of emotions; laughter to tears, love to estrangement, birth to death, with a warmth that reflects the complex relationships at Fisherground. This is much more than simply a book about a Lakeland farm. The author becomes a part-time priest, helping the hard-pressed vicar with services, weddings, baptisms and funerals. Join him on his first ill-fated funeral when he finds himself 'dancing with a girl with a hole in her stocking'. Share his experience when he and his wife Jennifer host the BBC programme 'This is the day'. Join him on the side of a mountain learning to paraglide, and share the exhilaration of a mile-high glide along his beloved Eskdale Valley. Inevitably, over a quarter of a century, there are dark times too. There is no flinching from the tensions involved when two couples and their children share a house, a farm and their future. One couple, Anne-Marie and Geoff, have to cope with cancer just as the Lake District is coping with the ravages of Foot and Mouth disease. As farmer, priest and campsite owner Ian meets the complex issues the disease raises head on. Share the dream!

21st century vampire Richard DeVere never intended to become a time traveler. When he is mysteriously catapulted back five hundred years into the dawn of the Tudor age, he suddenly finds himself in the reign of King Henry the Seventh. It's safe to say that he's abruptly shaken out of his comfort zone. Despite the physical advantages afforded a vampire, he feels strangely vulnerable in a medieval world where wooden stakes and arrows are the norm. He knows he must adapt if he is to survive the turbulent and barbaric times. Posing as tutor in remote Ludlow Castle, Richard DeVere is swept along in the tide of events as young crown Prince Arthur prepares to ascend the throne with his bride-to-be Catherine of Aragon. Richard's knowledge of Tudor England is sketchy at best but he remembers enough to realize that it's Arthur's brother Henry who is destined to become an infamous king. With the influence of beguiling Lady Jane Winterbrooke and the spirited support of Sir Gruffydd Rhys in Arthur's court, Richard begins to wonder if history should be changed... If it could be changed... "A Connecticut Vampire in King Arthur's Court" is the first in the "Connecticut Vampire" series.

Okay, we've out-done ourselves this time. Nearly 1000 one hit Wonders of the 70's and 80's brought to your in one cuddly fun-filled package. Facts, chart positions, and crazy trivia of the songs we all have come to love and hate. Every one holds its own unique story, some sad, some inspiring, and some include as much drama as a Hollywood adventure movie. The complete trivia for the One Hit Wonders from the 70's & 80's (nearly 1000 of them!) will make you listen to your favorite songs in a whole new light. Why accept lesser volumes that just offer you the top 100 songs of all time? The 'Usual Suspects'. We all know about Nena's 99 Balloons, and Carl Douglas' Kung Fu Fighting! This series brings you way much more in every way. With information taken from Official Music Charts all over the world, we give a global overview of the one hit wonders of this special decade. With details from the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada, the UK Charts, hits from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and many European charts, we think this is the most detailed list ever researched. Indexed and cross-referenced for ease of use, whether you are a music buff or just want the answers for your local trivia night, this book is for you. With close to 1000 songs, nearly 300 pages of information, chart positions, sales figures, trivia facts and much more will provide you with hours of fun and nostalgia.

Was principled gentleman Winston Churchill also the master of nasty tactics? You bet he was! Winston Churchill had done it all. In the British Army, he had fought in India and Egypt, been under fire, and returned it; he'd killed the enemy. Churchill was captured, put in a PoW camp, and escaped, surviving behind enemy lines for weeks. He'd invented tanks, floating harbors, grenade launchers; turns out Germans did the worst thing possible... they'd attacked Britain and made Churchill mad. With his back to the wall in 1940, & Nazi invasion imminent, not only did Churchill use every trick in the book... with the uncovering of new WW2 secrets, it turns out he actually wrote the book! Literally! But Churchill's Secret Armies is not a biography of the famous leader; it is a look at the fruits of his labor, the book discloses the plethora of special forces, units, and departments, Churchill formed to "get the job done". This was not a gentleman's war; this was back-to-the-wall fighting dirty, and Churchill was a master. From the birth of the well-known British Commandoes to the obscure Cichociemni (Polish Special Forces)... From the code breakers at Bletchley Park to the men of the 712th Survey Flotilla (who surveyed the Normandy beaches)... Churchill's Secret Armies is a page-turner for the history buff, and an absolute must-read for anyone who 'thinks' they know 'all' about World War Two.

Slang has been in use for as long as men have used a spoken language.In using slang, Britain is no different, but perhaps the isolation of our Island Fortress has allowed us to accumulate more than its fair share.So... ...whether you are researching a novel...or perhaps just want to understand British television better...or maybe you're just a trivia junkieThe source of your motivation doesn't matter... this book is for you!English slang, Scottish slang, Regional slang, Cockney Rhyming slang.We've got it all covered.And no useless filler either!With almost 200 pages of definitions we get straight to the point... slang.So don't be a plonker, stop fannying around, and get yourself a copy.

Details of nearly 700 One Hit Wonders. From the birth of Rock 'n' Roll, and the Billboard Charts, (in 1955) through the swinging sixties, we bring the most detailed list of one hit wonders ever! Why settle for the Top 100 of all time, when we go much further... Each entry has details of chart positions, artists and the craziest trivia. Taken from The Billboard and UK Chart, with references to Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, we bring those memories back to you. "Who Wrote the Book of Love?" We tell you! Are you going to "San Francisco"? We'll tell you what to wear in your hair! Exactly who chased the "Elusive Butterfly"? Hundreds of pages of memories, and a song index to assist you find your favorites. You can't do without it for trivia night, or just to be the life and soul of the party! Buy today. Available in the following eBook and paperback formats.... Double-Decade volume... One Hit Wonders of the 50's and 60's Double-Decade volume... One Hit Wonders of the 60's and 70's Double-Decade volume... One Hit Wonders of the 70's and 80's HUGE Bumper volume... One Hit Wonders of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's

Okay, we've out-done ourselves this time. Nearly 500 one hit Wonders of the 1980's brought to your Kindle. Facts, chart positions, and crazy trivia of the songs we love and hate. Every one holds its own unique story, and some have as much drama as a Hollywood adventure movie. The complete trivia for the One Hit Wonders from the 80's (nearly 500 of them!) will make you listen to your favorite songs in a whole new light. Why accept lesser volumes that just list the top 100 songs of all time? The 'Usual Suspects'. With information taken from Official Music Charts all over the world, we give a global overview of the one hit wonders of this special decade. With details from the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada, the UK Charts, hits from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and many European charts, this is the most detailed list ever researched. Indexed and cross-referenced for ease of use, whether you are a music buff or just want the answers for your local trivia night, this book is for you. With nearly 500 songs, over 120 pages of information, their chart positions, sales figures, trivia facts and more will provide you with hours of fun and nostalgia. Buy it now... a must for any music lover of that magical age, the 70's! Series includes... One Hit Wonders of the 70's One Hit Wonders of the 80's One Hit Wonders of the 70's AND 80's

This is the BUMPER edition, One Hit Wonders of the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's together in one volume. Over 1600 One Hit Wonders of those choice decades brought direct to you in eBook format. YES! We said SIXTEEN HUNDRED! Facts, chart positions, and crazy trivia of the songs we love and hate. Every one holds its own unique story, and some have as much drama as a Hollywood adventure movie. The complete stats/trivia for the One Hit Wonders will make you listen to your favorite songs in a whole new light. Why accept lesser volumes that just list the top 100 songs? With information taken from Official Music Charts all over the world, we give a global overview of the one hit wonders of this special decade. With details from the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada, the UK Charts, hits from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and many European charts, we believe this is the most detailed list ever researched. Indexed and cross-referenced for ease of use, whether you are a music buff or just want the answers for your local trivia night, this book is for you. With over 1600 songs, and 500 pages of information, their chart positions, sales figures, trivia facts and more will provide you with hours of fun and nostalgia. Buy it now... a must for any music lover.

Love them or hate them, One Hit Wonders stick in our brains... like melted cheese on a porcupine! But every one holds its own unique story, and some have as much drama as a Hollywood adventure movie. Did you know that Dave Edmunds' hit "Cruel to be Kind", stalled at number 12 of every major chart? Did you know that rock legends Led Zeppelin are a One Hit Wonder in the UK? Did you know that Minnie Ripperton and Van McCoy (both one Hit Wonders in '75) both died in July '79? One Hit Wonders from the 70's (over 400 of them!) will make you listen to your favorite songs in a whole new light. With information taken from Official Music Charts all over the world, we give a global overview of the one hit wonders of this special decade. With details from the Billboard Hot 100 and Canada, the UK Charts, hits from Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and many European charts, this is the most detailed list ever researched. Indexed and cross-referenced for ease of use, whether you are a music buff or just want the answers for your local trivia night, this book is for you. With over 400 songs, over 100 pages of information, their chart positions, sales figures, trivia facts and more will provide you with hours of fun and nostalgia. Buy it now... a must for any music lover of that magical age, the 70's!

When Thorneythwaite was sold in separate lots on 9th August, 2016 roughly a thousand years of discernible history of its existence as an independent fell farm came to an abrupt halt. A surprising amount of that history has been recorded. It is there in the Norman documents of the 12th century, when it belonged to Alice de Rumilly of Skipton Castle; there in the chartularies of Fountains and Furness Abbeys to whom she gave all Borrowdale, Keswick and Crosthwaite Church, which she founded. It is there in the Great Deed of Borrowdale (1614); in the records of the German copper miners later that century; and as home also to many who toiled in the Graphite mines of Seathwaite and in the later development of Honister quarry and mine. Ian Hall was a teenager there in the 1960s and has sought here to put flesh on the skeleton provided by those records, mixing the ongoing saga of the forty generations who have called Thorneythwaite home with his memories of his own parents' struggle to make a living on this harsh little fell farm. He is also the author of 'Fisherground - Living the Dream', a memoir of the last quarter of the 20th Century, when he and his wife Jennifer shared a fell farm with their good friends Geoff and Anne-Marie Wake.

Have you ever wondered quite where God might be found? These days most of us cannot imagine any physical seat for God, and so retreat into some sort of 'spiritual' realm for God and religion. C G Jung, the celebrated 20th Century psychiatrist, thought differently. He claimed we all share a 'collective unconscious', passed on in our DNA, which contains many shared 'Archetypes' which in fact form the basis of all mankind's images of God - from the earliest cavemen, through the various gods of Greek, Roman and Norse legends, and on to the world's religions today; Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and so on. Each of us, in effect, carries God within us; the same God, with myriad names, physically existing in the neurones and synapses of our unconscious brains. Since Jung's thesis and life's work our DNA and genome have been thoroughly investigated, showing how such a collective unconscious could indeed be transmitted generation to generation. In the 1990s a startling mathematical correspondence was noted between the newly recognised codons by which DNA creates and maintains all life and an ancient Chinese book of wisdom - the I Ching. The Unknown Knowns explores all these connections.

This book examines the motivations and impact of Narendra Modi's attempt to reinvent Indian foreign policy to align with Hindu nationalist ideology.

Originally intended as a trainer, the Anglo-French Sepecat jet, equipped with the very latest in weapon-aiming and navigational equipment, eventually became the backbone of the RAF's tactical strike-attack and recce forces for a decade from the mid-1970s.

Personal insights from the cockpit of the Hunter, Phantom, Jaguar, and Tornado.

A comprehensive history of one of the most dynamic RAF Squadrons to have seen action over the last one hundred years. The book acquaints the reader with the Squadron's combat operations in both the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and beyond.

Tornado Boys is the latest in the ever-popular 'Boys' series, and differs from earlier titles. With the introduction of female pilots to the RAF in 1994, the Tornado was the first aircraft to be flown by both men and women. This is acknowledged in the book with a chapter written by one female pilot. Another aspect that makes this book different from the rest of the series is that it covers an aircraft which is still in active service, especially as a key player in current Middle East operations. With focus on the GR1/GR4 versions of the Tornado, readers will enjoy fascinating insights on what it is like to operate this bomber/reconnaissance aircraft against the backdrop of modern-day scenarios. The book starts in the 1970s with stories from operators and ground crew of the Tornado as a Cold War nuclear deterrent and with tales of later 'hot' wars as seen by operational leaders in both Gulf conflicts and in Kosovo. There are also stories of Scud hunting in Iraq and Red Flag exercises in the US, as well as of a stunning competition victory over the USAF's Strategic Air Command in their own backyard. The short-lived anti-shipping role is not neglected. With the transformation of the Tornado to the GR4 standard, the book continues with chapters covering active service in support of Britain's increasingly complex international commitments and the employment of new weaponry and sensors. All in all, through the eyes of men and women who have operated this extraordinary aircraft, the volume presents an entertaining and illuminating series of tales and anecdotes. These light and informative stories come from those who were proud to serve on and loved to operate the impressively versatile Tornado.

In just three decades, Great Britain's place in world politics was transformed. In 1945, it was the world's preeminent imperial power with global interests. This book assesses their responses to this predicament and explores the different ways British thinkers came to understand the international relations of the postwar period.