John Birmingham

Dive into the hilarious, chaotic world of Australian share houses with John Birmingham's cult classic, "He Died With a Felafel in His Hand" - now celebrating its 30th anniversary with this special edition Birmingham's raw, unfiltered account of his decade-long odyssey through the underbelly of communal living has captivated readers worldwide for three decades. This isn't just a book; it's a rite of passage, a time capsule of youth culture, and a mirror reflecting the universal experiences of anyone who's ever shared a roof with strangers.From Brisbane to Melbourne, Sydney to Perth, Birmingham introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters: the albino moon-tanner, the fridge-stealing Baldy, Crazy Nina with her lists, and the infamous Lizard Man. Each page crackles with energy, humor, and the kind of absurd situations that could only happen in real life.But "Felafel" is more than just a collection of outrageous anecdotes. It's a keen observation of human nature, a snapshot of a generation, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit (and stomach) in the face of questionable hygiene, dubious financial decisions, and an ever-present cloud of marijuana smoke.Whether you're reliving your own share house days or marveling at a world you never knew existed, Birmingham's wit and insight will keep you laughing, cringing, and turning pages late into the night. This 30th anniversary edition includes new footnotes from the author, providing fresh perspective and hilarious commentary on his youthful adventures."He Died With a Felafel in His Hand" isn't just a book - it's an experience. It's a passport to a time and place where the rules were different, the nights were long, and the stories were unforgettable. Don't miss your chance to join the millions of readers who have made this Australian classic a global phenomenon.Grab your copy today and prepare for a wild ride through the best worst times of your life

With sheer weight of numbers, the Sturm's Combined Fleet of the (self-proclaimed) Human Republic are driving ever deeper into the network of worlds they were exiled from over three centuries ago. At a horrendous cost, Commander Lucinda Hardy, Admiral Fraser McLennan, Sephina L'trel, Booker3 and Princess Alessia lead the only resistance to the Sturm's overwhelming forces. Amid the ruins of a civilisation utterly corrupted by the Sturm's horrific darkcode malware, they must gather allies and weapons where they can. Old enmities must be overcome and unlikely partnerships forged. Surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned, the resistance cannot hold out. By strategy and deception, they must force a decisive confrontation with the Sturm. A final stand that will demand the ultimate sacrifice... and extreme violence.

In the town of Gainesville, Cooper Fox has a special place in people's hearts. Since the car accident that wiped his memories, Cooper has been...a little foggy. Cooper doesn't know how to do much, but one thing he instinctively seems to know about is strength training, and with his help, Gainesville High's football team has just won the Mid-States final. With Cooper the hero of the hour, the whole town is getting ready to celebrate in style. When three strangers crash the party and decide to pick on the harmless-looking guy carrying a cooler full of sodas, they trigger something inside Cooper. Afterwards, the folks in Gainesville can never look at him in quite the same way. Is he really just a regular guy who suffered a brain injury in a car crash, or is he someone else? Or something else? As Cooper tries to come to terms with baffling new memories, he's about to be plunged into a terrifying world of secret experiments and covert assassins that will test his new-found abilities to the limit.

WORLD WAR 3.1The year is 1954. A decade has passed since Berlin and Tokyo were consumed by nuclear fire, but war claws its way back to a world forever altered. The ailing Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin, strikes NATO with a colossal orbital assault, propelling waves of tanks and over a million soldiers westward - all armed with 21st-century tech plundered from a future they never knew.Admiral Kolhammer, Prince Harry, and Charlotte Francois are compelled to once again take arms. They're fighting not only to save the world but history itself. Yet, in this complex web of time and conflict, not everybody wants to be saved.Brimming with the raw combat intensity and high-octane alternate history that fans adored in "Weapons of Choice," this fresh instalment revitalizes the groundbreaking Axis of Time series for both returning readers and newcomers.Praise for the Axis of Time."Insanely clever alt-history mash-up of WWII and the twenty-first century war on terror isn't your typical time-travelling technothriller." - Wired magazine."Birmingham is exemplary. The descriptions of combat - both from an executive remove and a close - are terrifyingly gruesome and detailed... Birmingham succeeds in restaging World War II in a manner as gripping as, say, Herman Wouk's The Winds of War and War and Remembrance." - Sci-fi Weekly."Weapons-grade military techno-thriller... It's like a Clive Cussler novel fell into a transporter beam with a Stephen Ambrose hisotry and they came out all fused together." Time magazine."Birmingham's enthralling battleground mixes provocative historical fiction with socially, conscious futurism." Entertainment Weekly.

On Zero Day of the first and last cyberwar in human history, the internet went dark, transport and power grids collapsed, and cities began to starve. Ten days later, millions have died from thirst and starvation, from violence and from the simple failure of the world's machines to keep them alive. This second instalment of John Birmingham's End of Days trilogy finds James O'Donnell and his friends Rick, Michelle and Melissa hunkered down in the wilderness, where they know a horde of starving, desperate exiles from the graveyard of the US East Coast is heading their way. On the far side of the continent, in the Pacific Northwest, Jonas Murdoch helps lead the good folk of Silverton in defending themselves from waves of starving and desperate refugees pouring out of Seattle. And slowly, cautiously navigating the inland waterways of California, Jodi Sarjanan and Ellie Jabbarah negotiate an apocalyptic landscape of burning skyscrapers and marauding gangs. All of them are seeking sanctuary. A safe place where the madness hasn't penetrated. But does such a place exist? And what if they need to sacrifice their very humanity in the struggle to reach it?Praise for John Birmingham's novels."Birmingham displays an exuberance and virtuosity that is positively Clancyesque." Time"Plenty of grist and humour." Sunday Times "Mesmeric readability." Weekend Australian "Birmingham's status as a leading action-adventure novelist continues to grow." The Age "If there was a Booker for explosive alternative history techno-thrillers with guts and brains, it would be a cinch." Sydney Morning Herald

Centuries after they were defeated and exiled to dark space, The Sturm have returned.The Sturm, an empire of species purists, have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack on the galaxy-spinning networks, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity's defenses, blasting dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm's victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back.Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy's final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics, this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc Corporation and perhaps Earth's only remaining senator.Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful – and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space...

Humanity's last surviving heroes must protect a shattered civilization from an all-conquering enemy in this thrilling sequel to The Cruel Stars. " The Shattered Skies] is a delightful military space adventure that runs at full tilt."--Booklist The Sturm, an empire of "species purists," have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity's defenses, blasting vicious malware across galaxy-spanning networks, dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm's victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back. Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy's final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics--and support from drunken, grief-ravaged pirate Sephina L'trel and treasonous battle-rig operator Booker--this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc ul Haq Corporation and perhaps Earth's only remaining senator. Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful--and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space.

Humanity's last surviving heroes must protect a shattered civilization from an all-conquering enemy in this thrilling sequel to The Cruel Stars. " The Shattered Skies] is a delightful military space adventure that runs at full tilt."--Booklist The Sturm, an empire of "species purists," have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity's defenses, blasting vicious malware across galaxy-spanning networks, dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm's victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back. Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy's final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics--and support from drunken, grief-ravaged pirate Sephina L'trel and treasonous battle-rig operator Booker--this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc ul Haq Corporation and perhaps Earth's only remaining senator. Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful--and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space.

With a ruthless sect of humanity intent on wiping out their species, five intrepid heroes must think like their enemies in this epic SF adventure.They thought the Sturm were dead. They were wrong.Centuries after their defeat, the enemy has returned with an overwhelming attack on the fringes of human space. On the brink of annihilation, humankind's only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial onslaught: Commander Lucinda Hardy, commander of the Royal Armadalen Navy's only surviving warship; Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason; Alessia, a young royal forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed; Sephina L'trel, the leader of an outlaw band. And, finally, retired Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all – or die trying. These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed.

In this epic sci-fi adventure for fans of The Expanse and Battlestar Galactica, five intrepid heroes must unite to save civilization after a long-dormant enemy awakens and strikes a devastating blow "This jarring, engrossing story of a species-wide fight for survival is recommended for all science fiction readers."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) The galaxy was once terrorized by the Sturm, a group of "species purists" intent on destroying any human with genetic or cybernetic enhancements. Fashioning themselves as the one true "Human Republic," the Sturm cut a bloody swath across the stars, killing billions before finally being defeated and driven into the far reaches of Dark Space. Centuries of peace bred complacency. Everyone believed the Sturm had died out in the Dark. They were wrong. The enemy has returned and, with a brutal and decisive attack, knocks out almost all of humanity's defenses. Now on the brink of annihilation, humankind's only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial attack: Commander Lucinda Hardy, thrust into uncertain command of the Royal Armadalen Navy's only surviving warship. Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason, whose time on death row is cut short when the Sturm attack his prison compound. Princess Alessia, a young royal of the Montanblanc Corporation, forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed. Sephina L'trel, the leader of an outlaw band who must call on all of her criminal skills to resist the invasion. And, finally, Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm hundreds of years ago, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all--or die trying. These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed. "Frenetic action viewed in a black fun-house mirror."--Kirkus Reviews

John Birmingham is a master of good writing and funny lines. He has written a thousand stories, some true, some not so much. These are the best ones and they’re so good, and so funny, there has been no barrel-scraping involved. Really, this book could have been much longer.The pieces contained within these pages run the gamut from the early felafel days to the shiny age we live in where Donald Trump is the President of the USA. And it does not shy away from the greatest controversy of our age: potato cake vs potato scallop.These hilarious pieces cover a wide range of topics from food to fitness and politics to pork, in all its glories. And, of course, fashion. Ever the equal opportunist, John Birmingham skewers them all. Sales PointsJohn Birmingham has 60,000 twitter followers and a devoted blog following.Local and International fans of John Birmingham’s blog will jump on this hilarious collection.Extraordinarily diverse collection of pieces ends up being more than a sum of its parts. He can be politically-charged one minute and make observations about home life that will make readers grimace and guffaw at once.The book will appeal to Gen-X readers as well as those – older and younger – who are into Richard Glover, Benjamin Law, David Sedaris, Amy Schumer.Pieces are both timeless (yes to a ’90s revival) and timely (imagine Paul Keating on the phone to Donald Trump).Quite a few of them will make you snort coffee through your nose from laughter. Really.The title ‘Stranger Thingies’ is inspired by the popular TV series Stranger Things, binge-watched by millions, but stands on its own.

This gonzo guide isn’t for the faint-hearted. In high-octane style, best-selling author John Birmingham provides tried-and-tested tips for writing well – and getting paid. Topics covered include ‘how to slay writer’s block’, ‘what the hell is workflow’, ‘how to write 10,000 words in a day’ and ‘the best apps for writers’. How to Be a Writer is a writing guide with a toughlove approach, written for the internet generation. John Birmingham is lauded as a prolific writer working across multiple genres. Here he shares his secrets.