Toby Litt Bücher

Edwin Paine und Charles Rowland haben einiges gemeinsam – beide sind britische Schuljungen, die gute Detektivgeschichten lieben, und beide enträtseln selbst gern mysteriöse Fälle. Und beide sind tot, ein Umstand, der weniger hinderlich ist, als man annehmen könnte. Das Problem, mit dem sich die beiden dieses Mal herumschlagen, ist ziemlich weitreichend, und Crystal Palace, die Geister sehen kann und die Tochter eines Rockstars und einer angesagten Künstlerin ist, macht es ihnen auch nicht gerade leichter. Charles weiß nun, dass er eine Halbschwester hat, die er nicht kannte, solange er noch unter den Lebenden weilte. Aber er will die Geheimnisse der zweiten Familie seines Vaters ergründen – Geheimnisse, die seine Mutter vielleicht das Leben gekostet haben. Die Ereignisse führen die beiden zu einem seltsamen Zwischenreich, wo sich die Geister derjenigen aufhalten, die weder tot noch lebendig sind. Doch eine düstere Macht hat die Kontrolle über das Schattenreich übernommen, und eine von Crystals besten Freundinnen sitzt in diesem stürmischen Land fest…

As editors Toby Litt and Ali Smith explain in their introduction: "newness is quite a venerable category. There's not much that's new about it. In the 1930s, when a magazine called "New Writing" was first published, it had to compete with "New Signatures," "New Country," "New Verse," the "New Statesman" "and Nation" and "New Theatre," and what with the "New Woman" of the 1890s and new everything else, even then, new wasn't the new new. . . If we've achieved diversity, it's because our submissions were themselves diverse; and the final selection is representative of the proportion of short stories to novel extracts, poems and essays that were submitted. Originality is only proven over time, paradoxically. We are confident that some of the names here you've never heard before will become very familiar. They may even disgrace themselves by winning prizes, becoming established, etc. But they'll be the kinds of writer, like the known names published here, for whom everything they write is a renewal - of language, of place, of the senses and of the contemporary."

Set in a world beyond the grave, two boys, Edwin Paine and Charles Rowland, embrace their love for adventure and mysteries as exceptional detectives. Their unique perspective as deceased boys adds an intriguing twist to their escapades. As they navigate the afterlife, they explore themes of curiosity and friendship, engaging in thrilling investigations that blend the ordinary with the extraordinary.

This anthology presents 32 science fiction short stories inspired by the prophetic dystopias of J. G. Ballard, a titan of 20th-century literature. Featuring contributions from notable authors like Will Self, Iain Sinclair, Christopher Fowler, Chris Beckett, and a new Jerry Cornelius story by Michael Moorcock, it pays homage to Ballard’s unique vision of a bewildering and alienating world. Ballard’s works, including Empire of the Sun, Crash, and Cocaine Nights, explore the disjointed nature of contemporary reality and classic dystopias such as The Drowned World and High Rise, leaving an indelible mark on literature. This groundbreaking collection, edited by Maxim Jakubowski and Rick McGrath, showcases the uncanny and uneasy relationship between humanity and the future, reflecting Ballard’s influence on literary and science fiction. The anthology includes stories from a diverse array of authors, such as Jeff Noon, Preston Grassmann, Toby Litt, Christine Poulson, and many more, each offering their interpretation of the themes that Ballard so masterfully explored. Through this compilation, readers are invited to engage with the unsettling visions that define our empires of concrete, seen through the warped lens of Ballard's legacy.

This novel explores the dark side of boyhood as four boys engage in wargames in the English countryside. After one of them dies, their games intensify, turning against the adults they blame for their friend's death.

Edwin Paine and Charles Roland have a lot in common - they re both English schoolboys who love a good detective story, and they ve been known to dabble in mystery-solving themselves. They re also both dead, a condition which has proven to be less of a hindrance than one might think.

Written by the author of Adventures In Capitalism, this title features twists 'n' turns, sex 'n' violence, and glitz 'n' glamour.

"For the first time, the two-issue miniseries THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE, written by Neil Gaiman, Alisa Kwitney and Jamie Delano, are collected - and with them, a new chapter written by Toby Litt that completes the tale as Gaiman originally envisioned it. When several children go missing in a small English town, the Dead Boy Detectives are on the case. A series of strange and unexpected twists take them to Free Country, a place that dates back a millennia, where children never grow old and are free from the abuse and tyranny of adults. But Free Country is failing, and what it needs is the strength of five innately powerful children - including the young sorcerer Timothy Hunter - to restore their uncanny world to what it once was. This hardcover collects THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #1 and THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #2, written by Gaiman with cowriters Alisa Kwitney and Jamie Delano. A brand-new middle chapter written by DEAD BOY DETECTIVES writer Toby Litt and drawn artist Peter Gross (THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, THE UNWRITTEN) completes this compelling tale of ancient history, stolen dreams and lost children. Also featuring a new introduction by Gaiman, plus new cover art by DEAD BOY DETECTIVES artist Mark Buckingham"--

The end of the world doesn't come with a bang or a whimper, but with the chukka-chukka of a helicopter coming into land WELCOME TO HOSPITAL! Hospital is about blue murder and saving lives, having sex and surgery, falling in love and falling from a great height, crazy voodoo and hypnotic surveillance ; it's about the last days and the first days. And the Rubber Nurse knows you've been very naughty and is going to teach you a well-deserved lesson. It's the story of a lost boy wandering the corridors of a strange, antiseptic building, looking and hoping for a chance to get home. And also of a man who won't wake up despite the best efforts of the hospital staff ; and while he sleeps, a threatening darkness settles over everything...