Tim Major

In the cavern-like darkness of the arcade, the neon phosphor-glow of the screen beckons you close. Drawn to the dancing pixels like a moth to a flame, digging deep in your pocket you pull out a shiny coin and thumb it into the slot as the electronic siren sings the fanfare that marks your arrival. One hand on the joystick, the other splayed across the control buttons, your pulse begins to quicken. Ready Player One Press StartYou've barely begun but suddenly the discordant bleeps are trumpeting your failure as your 8-bit adventure comes to an abrupt end. At least in the world of the video arcade you get a second chance. But what is the true price you pay when you make a pact with the digital demon? There's always another coin, an extra life to be earned, a second chance...Isn't there?GAME OVERA dozen stories of creeping dread and savage horror inspired by the humble amusement arcade and the classic coin-ops of yesteryear. Twelve tales to chill your blood by twelve masters of the malevolent and the macabre.Just keep reminding yourself, it's only a game...Isn't it?

The Jekyll & Hyde detective agency must solve a locked-room mystery in this festive installment of the series. A tribute to classic Golden Age crime novels which is perfect for fans of Stuart Turton and Lucy Foley.When music-hall comedy duo Rolly Daconey and Irina Matei are threatened by a mysterious blackmailer, they turn to the Jekyll & Hyde detective agency for help. But the agency is experiencing turmoil and, unbeknownst to Muriel Carew, Henry Jekyll is ever more reliant on the elixir that transforms him into the brutish Edward Hyde.Still, there’s nothing like a good case to clear the air, and the investigation soon points towards Lady Goodram’s winter artists’ retreat. But once Henry and Muriel arrive at Gaunt Manor, they’re trapped by heavy snow, and they find themselves at the centre of a group of bickering performers, stage magicians and inventors whose long-standing rifts and petty grievances threaten to turn ugly.To make matters worse, a body is discovered – and the last person with whom the murder victim was seen alive was Edward Hyde. How can the detective agency get to the bottom of the case when their very presence puts everyone at risk?A thrilling locked-room mystery featuring the most unusual detectives in the business.

Dr Jekyll and his monstrous alter-ego join forces with his ex-fiancée to solve a series of disappearances across Victorian London in this thrilling mystery, perfect for readers of Stuart Turton and James Lovegrove.When Muriel Carew attends a lavish society party, the last person she expects to bump into is her ex-fiancée Henry Jekyll, a man she’s not seen for many years. When Jekyll turns out to be investigating a series of missing persons in London, Muriel is intrigued. But Jekyll is not working alone, and if Muriel wants to aid in the investigation, she must work with both Henry and his partner, the monstrous and uncouth Mr Hyde.As their search takes a dark turn and a missing persons case becomes a murder investigation, Muriel finds herself deep in a mystery involving a nefarious group exploring their own hidden alter-egos within the beating heart of London’s high society.To solve the case and bring those responsible to justice, Muriel must find a way to place her trust in Mr Hyde, which might mean uncovering secrets about her own life she never dreamed of discovering.

Dr Jekyll and his monstrous alter-ego join forces with his ex-fiancee to solve a series of disappearances across Victorian London in this thrilling mystery, perfect for readers of Stuart Turton and James Lovegrove. When Muriel Carew attends a lavish society party, the last person she expects to bump into is her ex-fiancee Henry Jekyll, a man she's not seen for many years. When Jekyll turns out to be investigating a series of missing persons in London, Muriel is intrigued. But Jekyll is not working alone, and if Muriel wants to aid in the investigation, she must work with both Henry and his partner, the monstrous and uncouth Mr Hyde. As their search takes a dark turn and a missing persons case becomes a murder investigation, Muriel finds herself deep in a mystery involving a nefarious group exploring their own hidden alter-egos within the beating heart of London's high society. To solve the case and bring those responsible to justice, Muriel must find a way to place her trust in Mr Hyde, which might mean uncovering secrets about her own life she never dreamed of discovering.

Sherlock Holmes is led into a thrilling, seasonal-themed chase by Irene Adler in this stunningly packaged mystery. Sherlock Holmes’s discovery of a mysterious musical score initiates a devious Christmas challenge set by Irene Adler, with clues that are all variations on the theme of ‘theft without theft', such as a statue missing from a museum found hidden in the room it was taken from. In the snowy London lead-up to Christmas, Holmes’s preoccupation with the "Adler Variations" risks him neglecting the case of his new client, Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received a series of threats in the form of animal carcasses left on his doorstep. Could they really be gifts from a strange spirit that has pursued Nansen since the completion of his expedition to cross Greenland? And might this case somehow be related to Irene Adler’s great game?

A thrilling chase as Sherlock Holmes is set a fiendish puzzle by Irene Adler over a snowy London Christmas, in this stunningly packaged mystery. Sherlock Holmes's discovery of a mysterious musical score initiates a devious Christmas challenge set by Irene Adler, with clues that are all variations on the theme of 'theft without theft', such as a statue missing from a museum found hidden in the room it was taken from. In the snowy London lead-up to Christmas, Holmes's preoccupation with the "Adler Variations" risks him neglecting the case of his new client, Norwegian arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who has received a series of threats in the form of animal carcasses left on his doorstep. Could they really be gifts from a strange spirit that has pursued Nansen since the completion of his expedition to cross Greenland? And might this case somehow be related to Irene Adler's great game?

Sherlock Holmes delves into the world of early cinema as motion picture groundbreaker Eadweard Muybridge begs him to solve a mystery that will keep you up all night... It is 1896. A new client at Baker Street claims he's being threatened via the new art of the moving image... Eadweard Muybridge, pioneer of motion picture projection, believes his life is in danger. Twice he has been almost run down in the street by the same mysterious carriage, and moreover, disturbing alterations have been made to his lecture slides. These are closely guarded, yet just before each lecture an unknown hand has defaced images depicting Muybridge himself, which he has discovered, to his horror, only as he projects them to his audience. As Holmes and Watson investigate, a bewildering trail of clues only deepens the mystery, and meanwhile, newspaper speculation reaches fever pitch. The great detective's reputation is on the line, and may be ruined for good unless he can pick apart a mystery centred the capturing, for the first time, of figures in motion, and the wonders of the new cinematograph.

"It's fair to say that parenthood has dominated my thoughts - and certainly my identity - for the last nine years. While I love my children unconditionally, I'm morbidly fascinated by the idea of parenthood lacking an instinctive bond to counter the difficulties and sacrifices of such a period of life. And I'm afraid of any possible future in which that bond might be weaker. Identity is a slippery thing. More than anything, I'm scared of losing it - my own, and those of the people I love. Several of my novels and stories have related to this fear. In Shade of Stillthorpe, it's quite literal: how would you react if your child was unrecognisable, suddenly, in all respects?"-Tim Major

'Heads up – here’s how to run like a pro' - The Times'A fascinating book' - Adharanand Finn, author of Running With the Kenyans'I'm convinced that Shane's insights were were instrumental in me winning the Marathon des Sables for a second time' - Elisabet Barnes, coach and athlete'Shane is the Indiana Jones of the running world' - Damian Hall, ultra marathon runner'You can't but help go out the door for your next run and try to put it all into practice' - Nicky Spinks, endurance runnerThe Lost Art of Running is an opportunity to join running technique analyst coach and movement guru Shane Benzie on his journey across five continents as he trains with and analyses the running style of some of the most gifted athletes on the planet.Part narrative, part practical, this adventure takes you to the foothills of Ethiopia and the ‘town of runners’; to the training grounds of world-record-holding marathon runners in Kenya; racing across the Arctic Circle and the mountains of Europe, through the sweltering sands of the Sahara and the hostility of a winter traverse of the Pennine Way, to witness the incredible natural movement of runners in these environments.Along the way, you will learn how to incorporate natural movement techniques into your own running and hear from some of the top athletes that Shane has coached over the years. Whether experienced or just tackling your first few miles, this groundbreaking book will help you discover the lost art of running.

StoriesAdriana Weinert - The LibrarianBeatrice Alder - City of Corporate-Sanctioned DelightsBeth Faulds - A Flight of BirdsCallum McSorley - Great NothingJack Schouten - Requiem Played on a DecastringLouise Hughes - RelayMaya Chhabra - The AnchoressRichard Gregson - The Cactus FarmersTim Major - The Living MuseumFlash-fiction Competition Science Fiction Ghost StoriesBen Blow - How the Orchard Became HauntedIda Keogh - The ReminderLeigh Loveday - Dvina's DaughterInterview: Ken MacLeodSF PoetryRhoda NevilleSarah BricaultWilliam StephensonAlex Storer - The Museum of Classic Sci-FiRuth EJ Booth - Noise and SparksBook reviews

May 1898. A new client arrives at Baker Street - Abigail Moone, a wealthy, independent writer of successful mystery stories under a male pseudonym. She presents an unusual problem. Abigail claims that she devised a man's death that was reported in that morning's newspaper: that is, she planned his murder as an event to be included in one of her mystery stories. Following real people and imagining how she might murder them and get away with it is how Abigail comes up with her plots, but this "victim" has actually died, apparently of the poison method she meticulously planned in her notebook. Someone is trying to frame Abigail for his death, but with the evidence stacking up against her, she turns to Holmes to prove her innocence.

Tim Major delivers an intriguing murder mystery that pays homage to Asimov's seminal robot stories and also to the classic detective tale. Investigator Abbey Oma is dispatched to a remote and failing Martian colony tasked with solving the murder of scientist Jerem Ferrer. The killing took place in an airlock-sealed lab, and the only possible culprit is a robot incapable of harming humans... The more Abbey learns the more she comes to realise that the case is by no means as open and shut as she might have hoped, with political and commercial interests at stake and local resentments threatening both her work and her very life.

In the idyllic village of Touchstone, the birds are singing and everyone is happy. But Ethan knows it's not real. England may be ruined and plagued with riots, but Touchstone is more dangerous still.

A gripping supernatural mystery for fans of John Whyndam's The Midwich Cuckoos from the author of Snakeskins. Workaholic TV news producer Nina Scaife is determined to fight for her daughter, Laurie, after her partner Rob walks out on her. She takes Laurie to visit Rob's parents on the beautiful but remote Hope Island, to prove to her that they are still a family. But Rob's parents are wary of Nina, and the islanders are acting strangely. And as Nina struggles to reconnect with Laurie, the silent island children begin to lure her daughter away. Meanwhile, Nina tries to resist the scoop as she is drawn to a local artists' commune, the recently unearthed archaeological site on their land, and the dead body on the beach...

Strange stories about houses, homes and familiesA sentient house is overprotective of its occupants, a husband and wife cope with loneliness on a lengthy space flight, a Greenland shark mounts a supernatural attack on a mother and son, two sisters live in fear of the destroyed world beyond their walls, an engineer sabotages a post-apocalyptic holiday village, a camping trip turns a family feral, a man defragments his mind and another splices a rival's brain patterns onto his own. Includes the novella Carus & Mitch."More The Road than The Hunger Games, blending a John Wyndham-esque melancholy with a dose of existential despair, Carus & Mitch is a compelling, unconventional page-turner. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I reached the end." Lynda Rucker"Carus & Mitch is punchy and scary and tense and genuinely moving. The central portrait of the book's sibling relationship captures its mixture of friction and love spot on, with heartbreaking precision. Tim Major is an exceptional writer." Adam Roberts

An SF thriller examining the repercussions of rejuvenation and cloning on individuals' sense of identity and on wider society. Caitlin Hext's first shedding ceremony is imminent, but she's far from prepared to produce a Snakeskin clone. When her Skin fails to turn to dust as expected, she must decide whether she wishes the newcomer alive or dead. Worse still, it transpires that the Hext family may be of central importance to the survival of Charmers, a group of people with the inexplicable power to produce duplicates every seven years and, in the process, rejuvenate. In parallel with reporter Gerry Chafik and government aide Russell Handler, Caitlin must prevent the Great British Prosperity Party from establishing a corrupt new world order. Snakeskins is an SF thriller examining the repercussions of rejuvenation and cloning on individuals' sense of identity and on wider society, with the tone of classic John Wyndham stories and the multi-strand storytelling style of modern TV series such as Channel 4's Humans.