Ben Kane’s superb Spartacus ‘mini series’ takes historical Roman novel writing to heady new heights in the final, pulsating instalment of the slave rebellion that shook the mighty Roman empire... [a] bold and brutal trip to the heat and heart of an ancient legend... tough, uncompromising prose, allied to a refreshingly human and humane portrayal of the principal protagonists... an epic story conveyed with power, passion, gut-wrenching realism and enough emotion to fill the long and gruesomely historic Appian Way from Rome to Capua... Kane approaches the legendary warrior with a fresh eye, a raw and convincing realism...

Eek, this is the sequel to classic chiller, The Woman in Black. This time, the terrifying spirit is scaring the bejesus out of small kids (and us) in a creepy, creaking house in 1940.

An elegant novelisation.

Highly recommended

Stewart's books always leave me with a sense of pride for my country, and this book is no exception, but this is tempered by the individual courage and the individual loss. The personal tales that inspire and horrify in equal measure. By the time I finished the book I felt entertained and educated, which for me form the key pillars of a great Historical Fiction novel. Once again Stewart Binns has managed to create something unique, entertaining and eye-opening, I'm very much looking forward to book 2.

The whole thing is a tour de force of writing brilliance, and it's great to know that in five years' time, Stewart will have delivered a book for each of the first world war years. A totally enjoyable experience, a brilliant start to a terrific project.

Unarguably heart-warming... will leave any reader with a sense of British pride

Truly a book that educates while entertaining, a talent of this best-selling author

A sensational historical piece . . . captures the realism of the war and the people involved. Readers will finally be able to get an insider's view to the battle that happened in June 1914. Fast-paced, thrilling, and absolutely spectacular

Poignant ... stays long in the memory

I wouldn't be surprised if this was the biggest hardback debut of the year

This centenary year, so many more female writers have chosen The Great War as their central theme ...there is WAKE by Anna Hope, chronicling the lives of women battling with postwar loss ...I welcome these, and more, for their stories and the history lessons they incorporate

Poignant and powerful, it's a must-read.

Anna Hope reveals a tragic connection between three women living i 1920s London in her impressive debut

Hope weaves her three characters’ workaday narratives together, building scenes that wear their research lightly …The women’s lives come at us in a present-tense narration that keeps the book easy to read, letting the characters’ thoughts bob to the surface of the text in italics, as if in a nod towards the modernism that was brewing in that very period.

A very simple book which elicits very complicated emotions ...luscious, impressive, moving.

It's an unusual story, told well and written delicately. The women and the world they inhabit are beautifully drawn. It tells us that life can continue to be lived even after terrible loss.

Hope’s unblinking prose is reminiscent of Vera Brittain’s classic memoir “Testament of Youth” in its depiction of the social and emotional fallout, particularly on women, of the Great War.

Wake is a staggeringly good first novel, packed with soulful insight, universal emotions and those intimate small details which add more depth and meaning to a picture than the brutal sweep of a broad brush.

It’s hard for me to believe that this amazing, touching book is a debut novel. Absolutely recommend and already on the run for a spot in my top 10.

It is a powerful read; you can almost see the endless mud of the trenches, and sense the fear of those young men.

Anna Hope wove her spell and managed to conjure up an intriguing tale, quite rich with emotion that held me entranced until the last page. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Wake is a brilliant debut novel, deeply moving, well-plotted and engrossing.

This is such a brilliant book; one that is both beautifully written and emotionally involving, with a fascinating plot and wonderful characters who pluck at your heartstrings on every page.

I have no doubt that Wake is going to be included in my Top Ten books of 2014, I know that it's only January, but this is a book that has had a huge effect on me.

The only regret I have is that I didn’t read this book sooner. WAKE is luxury. Pure luxury.

She manages to capture every single detail, every emotion and every sound.

Wake is that rare and beautiful thing: a first novel that sings with such power and grace that it lifts itself effortlessly from the pack. Powerful, passionate, compassionate, it marks the rising of a new star in the literary firmament. Anna Hope is here to stay.

Intricately researched and beautifully written, with the kind of restrained yet emotional prose one expects from a seasoned author. Its characters, too, have a depth and quiet tragedy one rarely finds in debut fiction. In this centenary year commemorating the outbreak of war, there've been many novels about the conflict:Wake is without doubt one of the best.

A masterclass in historical fiction

Impressive ... A heart-breaking tale of grief and guilt

[Abrams is] good on the squirm-inducing detail of physical discomforts and injuries

Though Fobbit is a satire…its value lies more in the fact that it’s a very detailed, very informative portrait of the madness in Iraq in the early years of the American occupation. The sights and sounds are adroitly rendered, the damnable heat skilfully rendered in text. There are times when you can almost smell the gore on the concrete

An enjoyable and alternative take on war