Julia Gray

Survival, the bi-monthly publication from The International Institute for Strategic Studies, is a leading forum for analysis and debate of international and strategic affairs. With a diverse range of authors, thoughtful reviews and review essays, Survival is scholarly in depth while vivid, well-written and policy-relevant in approach. Shaped by its editors to be both timely and forward-thinking, the publication encourages writers to challenge conventional wisdom and bring fresh, often controversial, perspectives to bear on the strategic issues of the moment.

Nominated for the Carnegie Medal Highly Commended, Young Quills Historical Fiction Award Ada Byron is rich and clever, but she longs to be free. Free to explore all the amazing ideas that come to her imagination, like flying mechanical horses and stories inspired by her travels. Free to find love and passion beyond the watchful gaze of her mother and governesses. And free to learn the full truth about her father, the notorious Lord Byron. Then Ada meets a man whose invention might just change the world – and he needs her visionary brilliance to bring it to life . . . A wonderfully witty and poignant portrayal of the young life of Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician who is hailed as the world’s first computer programmer.

Shortlisted for CrimeFest Best Crime Novel for Young Adults 2019. Nora has lied about many things. But has she told her most dangerous lie of all? There’s a new art assistant at Nora’s school, and he’s crossed a line. Nora decides to teach him a lesson he won’t forget. But not everything goes quite to plan, and Nora needs an escape. She befriends the rich and talented Bel, who longs for a part in a remake of a famous film. Bel is unpredictable, jealous and crazy, but she opens up a new world for Nora, and that makes her irresistible. As events start to spin wildly out of control, Nora must decide where her loyalties lie – and what deceits she can get away with.

This book argues that investor risk in emerging markets hinges on the company a country keeps. When a country signs on to an economic agreement with states that are widely known to be stable, it looks less risky. Conversely, when a country joins a group with more unstable members, it looks more risky. Investors use the company a country keeps as a heuristic in evaluating that country's willingness to honor its sovereign debt obligations. This has important implications for the study of international cooperation as well as of sovereign risk and credibility at the domestic level.

I always get away with it when I try stuff like this. Partly it comes down to sort of assuming that I'm going to. I've got loads of confidence. And Loki got away with everything. Well, almost everything. When troubled, quiet Ben begins at the ruthlessly competitive Cottesmore House, school to the richest, most privileged boys, he is befriended by Hobie: the wealthy class bully, product of monstrous indulgence and intense parental ambition. Hobie is drawn to Ben because he can see the Otherlife: a violent, mythic place where gods and monsters roam. Ben has unnerving visions of Thor and Odin, and of the giant beasts that will destroy them, as well as Loki, god of mischief. Hobie is desperate to be a part of it. Years later, Ben discovers someone very dear to him is dead. And he can’t help wondering if Hobie – wild, restless, dangerous Hobie, had something to do with it… Beguiling, shocking and richly imaginative, The Otherlife is about the darkest impulses within us all.

This book argues that investor risk in emerging markets hinges on the company a country keeps. When a country signs on to an economic agreement with states that are widely known to be stable, it looks less risky. Conversely, when a country joins a group with more unstable members, it looks more risky. Investors use the company a country keeps as a heuristic in evaluating that country's willingness to honor its sovereign debt obligations. This has important implications for the study of international cooperation as well as of sovereign risk and credibility at the domestic level.

Terrel travels ever onwards, hoping that each step will take him closer to his homeland of Vadanis. He finds himself in the war-torn land of Takkuk, where no one can remember a time before conflict, and discovers that a volcano among the glaciers is home to a deadly presence.

THE CRYSTAL DESERT is the third book in the Guardian Cycle, a sweeping fantasy epic from one of the best new storytellers in the genre. Terrel's destiny is far from clear. In exile from his home, he journeys through a hostile world, with only the spirits from an earlier life and his instincts to guide him. Having crossed two oceans, Terrel finds himself in Misrah. A harsh and barren desert land, survival there is a daily struggle for its nomadic tribes. But Misrah is also a place of many wonders, where superstition is as important as the constant search for water. For Terrel, his magical talents may be all that can save him. And lead him one step closer to discovering the truth of the mysterious prophecies in the Tindaya Code. For more information on this or any other Orbit book, visit the Orbit website at wwww.orbitbooks.co.uk

THE JASPER FOREST is the second book in the Guardian Cycle, a sweeping fantasy epic from one of the best new storytellers in the genre. Exiled from Vadanis, the homeland he risked his life to save, Terrel finds himself adrift on the ocean. Delirious with hunger and exhaustion, he is on the point of giving up when he realises that he has found land. Rescued from the perilous waters by two fishermen, Terrel is nursed back to health. His situation seems desperate, but at least he is not alone. The ghosts of his friends - both dead and alive - are still with him. For the time being, events on Vadanis are beyond his control. His new home, however, faces difficulties of its own, and Terrel may be in a unique position to overcome them. Leaving behind the villagers, he embarks on a remarkable quest to discover the truth - about the world and himself. For in Terrel's past is the key to his destiny. Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

The remote and wild land of Tiguafaya is on the edge of chaos. The menacing volcanoes that dominate the landscape grumble and threaten destruction. The repulsive fireworms, the marauding pirates and the ancient dragons grow bolder by the minute. The corrupt and ineffectual government is paralysed and helpless in the face of all the dangers. The country's only hope for survival lies with a group of young rebels known as the Firebrands. Led by the lovers, Andrin and Ico, and the half-mad musician, Vargo, the Firebrands are desperately fighting back. Using the once-revered but now lost arts of magic against the overwhelming odds, they are all that stand between Tiguafaya and total devastation. Rich and exciting, powerful and engrossing, ICE-MAGE marks the arrival of a thrilling new voice in fantasy adventure.