John Birmingham – författare

With a ruthless sect of humanity intent on wiping out their species, five intrepid heroes must think like their enemies in this epic SF adventure.They thought the Sturm were dead. They were wrong.Centuries after their defeat, the enemy has returned with an overwhelming attack on the fringes of human space. On the brink of annihilation, humankind's only hope is a few brave souls who survived the initial onslaught: Commander Lucinda Hardy, commander of the Royal Armadalen Navy's only surviving warship; Booker3, a soldier of Earth, sentenced to die for treason; Alessia, a young royal forced to flee when her home planet is overrun and her entire family executed; Sephina L'trel, the leader of an outlaw band. And, finally, retired Admiral Frazer McLennan, the infamous hero of the first war with the Sturm, who hopes to rout his old foes once and for all – or die trying. These five flawed, reluctant heroes must band together to prevail against a relentless enemy and near-impossible odds. For if they fail, the future itself is doomed.

The Second World War was turned on its head at the moment Admiral Kolhammer’s ultra-modern stealth warships were hurled back through time from 2021. But no one could have predicted just how much of a nightmare would ensue . . . Only months after the Transition, the great powers scramble to develop the weapons of tomorrow. The year 1942 is now a world of crude jet fighters, monstrous attack helicopters, and unholy dirty bombs — a mongrel technology, born decades prematurely. Then, in a radical rewriting of history, Japanese forces sweep into Australia, foreign agents begin a campaign of terror in the USA, and Germany prepares for an all-out attack on Britain. The twenty-first-century forces must resort to the most extreme measures yet and face a future rife with possibilities — all of them apocalyptic . . . Picking up from where he left off with Weapons of Choice, John Birmingham shocks and awes us with this gripping second instalment in the Axis of Time trilogy.

This gonzo guide isn’t for the faint-hearted. In high-octane style, best-selling author John Birmingham provides tried-and-tested tips for writing well – and getting paid. Topics covered include ‘how to slay writer’s block’, ‘what the hell is workflow’, ‘how to write 10,000 words in a day’ and ‘the best apps for writers’. How to Be a Writer is a writing guide with a toughlove approach, written for the internet generation. John Birmingham is lauded as a prolific writer working across multiple genres. Here he shares his secrets.

John Birmingham is a master of good writing and funny lines. He has written a thousand stories, some true, some not so much. These are the best ones and they’re so good, and so funny, there has been no barrel-scraping involved. Really, this book could have been much longer.The pieces contained within these pages run the gamut from the early felafel days to the shiny age we live in where Donald Trump is the President of the USA. And it does not shy away from the greatest controversy of our age: potato cake vs potato scallop.These hilarious pieces cover a wide range of topics from food to fitness and politics to pork, in all its glories. And, of course, fashion. Ever the equal opportunist, John Birmingham skewers them all. Sales PointsJohn Birmingham has 60,000 twitter followers and a devoted blog following.Local and International fans of John Birmingham’s blog will jump on this hilarious collection.Extraordinarily diverse collection of pieces ends up being more than a sum of its parts. He can be politically-charged one minute and make observations about home life that will make readers grimace and guffaw at once.The book will appeal to Gen-X readers as well as those – older and younger – who are into Richard Glover, Benjamin Law, David Sedaris, Amy Schumer.Pieces are both timeless (yes to a ’90s revival) and timely (imagine Paul Keating on the phone to Donald Trump).Quite a few of them will make you snort coffee through your nose from laughter. Really.The title ‘Stranger Thingies’ is inspired by the popular TV series Stranger Things, binge-watched by millions, but stands on its own.

When an oil rig off the Gulf of Mexico digs too deep, a torrent of nightmares is unleashed - the creatures of legend, always thought to be figments of our imagination, are now a very real threat to the survival of humankind. Safety worker Dave Hooper has the hangover from hell, and the last thing he needs is an explosion on his oil rig. But this is no accident, and despite the news reports, terrorists aren't to blame for the carnage. The rig is swarming with monsters. As he fights to save his co-workers from the ravenous demon horde while holding down last night's tequila, Dave is suddenly transformed from a foul-mouthed, overweight, booze-soaked slacker into something else entirely. An honest-to-goddamn monster slayer.

When a dragon brings down the Vice President's plane and fresh demons emerge across the United States, monster slayer Dave Hooper realises that the Battle of New Orleans was just the beginning. Holed up in a swanky Las Vegas hotel, Dave is enjoying the perks of his newfound celebrity. But deep in the UnderRealms, the monsters are regrouping, and it isn't long before Dave and his splitting maul are hauled into action once more. While his agent fields offers for movies and merchandise, Dave is tasked with ending a demon siege in Omaha, protecting the skies from a dragon horde and deciphering the UnderRealms' plans to take over the earth. As an ancient and legion evil threatens to destroy mankind, Dave may not be the hero humanity deserves, but he's the only one we've got.

New York is on fire, the streets are overrun, and the Demon Horde is feasting. With the city in chaos, all eyes are on Dave Hooper, the monster slayer destined to save mankind. But hero or not, Dave is just one man and he's short of allies. He soon finds himself relying on Karen Warat: art dealer and Russian spy. Smart, dangerous and armed with a magic sword, Dave knows not to trust her. He also knows that without her, New York will fall. While the United States military try desperately to hold off the Horde, Dave and Karen realise that the monsters have a powerful new weapon. And when the legions of hell reach the small seaside town his kids call home, Dave has to make a call. Save the world? Or save his family?

Centuries after they were defeated and exiled to dark space, The Sturm have returned.The Sturm, an empire of species purists, have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack on the galaxy-spinning networks, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity's defenses, blasting dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm's victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back.Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy's final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics, this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc Corporation and perhaps Earth's only remaining senator.Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful – and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space...

With sheer weight of numbers, the Sturm's Combined Fleet of the (self-proclaimed) Human Republic are driving ever deeper into the network of worlds they were exiled from over three centuries ago.At a horrendous cost, Commander Lucinda Hardy, Admiral Fraser McLennan, Sephina L'trel, Booker3 and Princess Alessia lead the only resistance to the Sturm's overwhelming forces. Amid the ruins of a civilisation utterly corrupted by the Sturm's horrific darkcode malware, they must gather allies and weapons where they can. Old enmities must be overcome and unlikely partnerships forged.Surrounded, outnumbered and outgunned, the resistance cannot hold out. By strategy and deception, they must force a decisive confrontation with the Sturm.A final stand that will demand the ultimate sacrifice... and extreme violence.