Chris Morton

In a world of virtual utopia, a lemon tree supervisor gazes at the stars, dreaming of adventure. Then one day his request for a transfer is accepted. Becoming a test pilot on space station Atlantis, it appears the Gods have been looking on him kindly. But all is not it seems upon the station and soon our hero must ask himself the true reason for his selection. A fun sci-fi adventure told in classic hard-boiled style.

From a cryogenic surgery to a two man mission to Mercury. An astronomer's search for immortality and a super-villain's encounter with his long forgotten arch nemesis. From hard-boiled melodrama to full scale Mecha war - tales of human spirit, inevitable fate and loss that will take you to the extremes of space and time, yet are grounded firmly in the grit of true experience.

I raised the pistol at my dead friend's double. It was blocking our path. I'd blow its head off too - then I thought of the paradox that might have created. Paradoxes, I was losing count." You ... killed me?" it blurted." Move aside or you die again." Motionless, it reminded me of the complications that would cause. Kill it now, blow its head off, and how could I then do the same in the future I'd run from? Staring at its headless double, the android remained still." Mr Sun, what will happen to you?""Already has," I sneered. "I'm a time bomb you don't want to mess with.""That," the android replied, "is clearly obvious to us all."

"Just be available," she answered, still looking at her monitor. "And please," she said, narrowing her eyes again. "No more hesitations. Your last two cases.""Two?" She looked up." Mr Oscar and his partner. Lane 32. Don't tell me you've forgotten?""Of course not," I stuttered. Two people in an alleyway. Running and I killed them." Because if you have, Mr Sun ..." Frowning, she turned her head at the window. "Reports of amnesia coming in left right and centre ... last thing I need ... you do remember, don't you?"

There's no record of any such occurrence ever taking place. Superstitions tell us it can't. That it would mean the end of the universe. A rip in the space time continuum. That it would be too much for reality itself to handle. But it must have happened somewhere, some time. Since travelling back became possible, there must have been instances ... but as I stood there watching me and our eyes suddenly met, it was like a thunderous bolt had hit me for six.

There was that fresh early morning feel outside the van. The wet grass scuffed under our ankles. I took her hand and led the way, even though I had no idea where we were going." You ever think about aliens?" she asked." Can't say that I do.""If I were an alien, I'd land here ... or somewhere like here.""Yeah, it is pretty beautiful," I offered, scanning the expanse of farmers fields around us, deciding she most likely lived in the village so taking the path through the wood and not asking for directions just yet would be the cooler thing to do." But it's not only that," she continued, staring ahead as she talked. "It's not just the beauty. It's everything. Everything " Letting go of my hand, she twirled theatrically, smiled, then grabbed my arms and stared right at me. She felt warm, sexy and wild: it was difficult to know if she were serious or making fun.

With forty chapters and over a hundred tried and tested activities, this is the ultimate collection of flashcard games for the TEFL classroom, and a handy reference for new and experienced teachers alike. The guide has clearly explained step by step instructions with examples of set-up and use. Flick through the pages to find a game that might work with your class. Try it out, and then return to the book for more ideas. Chris Morton has been an English language teacher for over ten years. His debut novel, English Slacker, was shortlisted for The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize award in 2011.

Archaeologist Laura Shepherd is working late one night when she finds her colleague Ron Smith dead clutching a mysterious crystal skull. With police unable to answer key questions about his death, Laura's boss orders her to investigate the mystery. The skull leads Laura to its eccentric previous owner, an old woman whose shock revelation blows Laura's orderly world apart. When a laser test on the skull etches out the cryptic code 1221201212212012 Laura's scientist husband thinks he has stumbled upon the next generation of computer technology. Wanting to know more, he visits the old woman only to find chilling evidence she was involved in Ron's death and now has designs on Laura. Yet when Laura narrowly avoids a fatal accident she is convinced it was the old lady's words that saved her - but returns only to find the old woman dead. With no other leads to go on, Laura sets out on a dangerous mission - to an ancient Mayan temple surrounded by armed guards - determined to unlock the skull's secret, whatever the cost.

The crystal skulls are a mystery as profound as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Nazca Lines of Peru, or Stonehenge. Many indigenous people speak of their remarkable magical and healing properties, but nobody really knows where they came from or what they were used for. Were they left behind after the destruction of a previous world, such as Atlantis? Are they simply ingenious modern fakes or can they really enable us to see deeply into the past and predict the future? Searching for the answers takes the authors on a fantastic odyssey through both the physical and the spiritual world. After hearing stories of an old native American legend that describes the existence of thirteen ancient crystal skulls, that are said to speak or sing and hold important information about the origins, purpose and destiny of mankind. The authors set out on their own quest to find the truth about the skulls. They encounter psychics, UFO hunters, shamans, mystics and medicine men on a journey of discovery that takes them from the British Museum in London to the deserts of the United States, from the science labs of Hewlett Packard to the cold snows of Canada and the tropical jungles of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. At sacred gatherings of native elders they learn of ancient wisdom kept secret for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They hear of startling prophecies concerning events that will happen on this Earth in the immediate future, prophecies that question the very survival of the human species on this small island we call home. This is the story of their remarkable discoveries.