Kirjahaku

TIME It goes forward. Only ever forward, never backward, sideways or any other bloody direction. It's a universal fact. So, if this is the truth and time only goes forward, then why do we all spend most of our lives living in the past? It's a quandary for sure.Meet Violet Black, a woman of dubious character with a talent for murder and an ability to manifest entities to wreak vengeance upon those who seek to control, manipulate and do her harm.Marcus Kyrk is a Police Officer in an unnamed city in the 25th Century with a hidden past that he doesn't quite remember, specialising in the "really weird stuff" seeking redemption for crimes past and present.When an ancient enemy resurfaces, battle lines are drawn and morality becomes blurred. Both damaged and seeking revenge Violet and Marcus are forced to join forces as they take a bloody ride through a dystopian future city leaving the evil around them dead in their wake. Even if they succeed in saving both the future and the past there will be a price to pay. Isn't there always?

Millionaire war veteran Art Schitthelm has lived through two wars, he’s determined not to see another. To ensure everyone keeps the peace he uses a bogus charity to inflict his own brand of twisted philanthropy on humankind. Although the application is barbaric, Schitthelm deems his remedies entirely necessary for the long-term good of the species. The arrogant Schitthelm is long used to getting his own way, but meets his nemesis in the shape of an unflappable, wine-swigging ignoramus called Lenny Plant. Plant, along with a corrupt priest and a murderous Cliff Richard fan, unwittingly play-out a sequence of bizarre events triggered by an accident with a lawn-mower. In and around a sleepy North Yorkshire village, Plant and his cronies create havoc with Schitthelm’s carefully thought out plans for the future, to the extent that the ageing war-dog is left with no choice but to send out an assassination squad. The boozy Plant continues with his day to day domestics, oblivious, both to the trail of mayhem he leaves in his wake, and the danger that stalks the shadows.

A sailor crossing the Atlantic in a small yacht would want to minimize excess baggage. But it would be unthinkable not to carry more fresh water than seemed necessary, to survive unexpected calms or storms. Yet the imperative of profit, especially over the last century, has driven modernity towards 'lean, mean' strategies in every area of life; squeezing waste out of commercial, technological and environmental systems may make money in the short term, but is our highly geared, highly strung way of life sustainable? Andrew Price, sailor, explorer and environmental scientist at the University of Warwick argues that in the long-term, spare capacity actually pays. From the destruction of New Orleans to the loss of the world's fish-stocks and intractable problems such as MRSA, Slow-Tech demonstrates how the reckless pursuit of efficiency and cost-effectiveness frequently backfires. It makes the case for robustness as an equally important measure of performance in fields as diverse as healthcare, military operations and engineering.Unexpected and counter-intuitive yet convincing and timely, Slow-Tech offers an alternative vision for life in the twenty-first century - a rounded vision of balance and robustness that would be healthier for the planet - and healthier for us.

A sailor crossing the Atlantic in a small yacht would want to minimize excess baggage. But it would be unthinkable not to carry more fresh water than seemed necessary, to survive unexpected calms or storms. Yet the imperative of profit, especially over the last century, has driven modernity towards 'lean, mean' strategies in every area of life; squeezing waste out of commercial, technological and environmental systems may make money in the short term, but is our highly geared, highly strung way of life sustainable? Andrew Price, sailor, explorer and environmental scientist at the University of Warwick argues that in the long-term, spare capacity actually pays. From the destruction of New Orleans to the loss of the world's fish-stocks and intractable problems such as MRSA, Slow-Tech demonstrates how the reckless pursuit of efficiency and cost-effectiveness frequently backfires. It makes the case for robustness as an equally important measure of performance in fields as diverse as healthcare, military operations and engineering. Unexpected and counter-intuitive yet convincing and timely, Slow-Tech offers an alternative vision for life in the twenty-first century - a rounded vision of balance and robustness that would be healthier for the planet - and healthier for us.