Cirrus@Austlit

'The Holy Land, 1099: Jerusalem has fallen. As the Christian factions vie for power, Godefroi de Bouillon and his companions unearth markers to the Keystone, a mystical artefact with the power to shape history. Yet progress has its price: Godefroi’s bodyguard lies gravely wounded; the Arabic cabal guiding Hugues is broken; and the forces of Severity are gathering to claim the Keystone.

'France, 1307: Bertrand de Châtillon-sur-Seine was a knight for a single day before fleeing with the mysterious Salome. After a pitched battle that claims most of his brethren, Bertrand agrees to become Salome’s new Shroud, binding his fate to hers. A refuge lies across the English Channel, but will they reach it in time? And when will Salome finally reveal her secrets?

'The Keystone awaits, but is it meant for mortal hands?' (Publication summary)

'July 1099: sweltering in the merciless heat, Godefroi de Bouillon’s desperate army finally breach the walls of Jerusalem. Concealed within their ranks are members of a secret fraternity. The Salt Lines seek a mystical artefact called the Keystone, and they’ re willing to sacrifice everything Godefroi values to possess it: the lives of his closest confidants, the only woman he has ever loved, even his very soul. October 1307: when Bertrand joined the Brotherhood of the Temple of Solomon, no one anticipated the brutal suppression of the Order that followed. Forced to flee for his life, Bertrand unwittingly becomes the only person who can lay the Keystone to rest. But can he resist its temptations whilst evading the forces of the French throne? With the veil of secrecy in tatters, truth has become the most dangerous possession of all.' (Publication summary)

'Humanity: are we really capable of change? Or are we doomed to play out the same Acts over and again, where only the props and backdrops vary?

'In this collection, you'll encounter stories set in the near future where neuroscience and technology are used to rehabilitate convicted criminals with unexpected results. In the icy winter of a distant Transylvania, a struggle for freedom from Ottoman oppression unfolds. In the present, one man struggles to accept his failed marriage. A pair of cursed lovers live out multiple incarnations, doomed to always find one another, yet never be together. And when a mythical figure walks amongst us, his notes in the margins of history take shape.

'The past, present and future blur when we consider what it is to be Almost Human.' (Publication summary) 

'What if we got it wrong?

'What if the first five chapters of the Bible weren't about good and evil at all?

'What if they contained a hidden meaning, evidence of a divine grand plan? Throughout history, a select few have been entrusted with the knowledge that the future of human civilisation boils down to a single test. A test that's conducted every second century and just happens to coincide with major turning points in human history.

'What if the choices you made determined the outcome?

'Five ordinary people from London who stumble across a hidden set of ruins are about to find out.' (Publisher's blurb)

A man takes a drastic step to destroy painful memories.