Author:Graeme Wood
'Gripping ... revelatory ... unrivalled' Tom Holland, New Statesman
'From Mosul to Melbourne, from Cairo to Tokyo, from London to Oslo, from Connecticut to California: Graeme Wood's quest to understand the Islamic State is a round-the-world journey to the end of the night' Niall Ferguson
'A hugely important book ... Indispensable' David Aaronovitch, The Times
A radical rethinking of what ISIS is and what it really wants
From Graeme Wood, author of the explosive Atlantic cover story "What ISIS Really Wants," comes the definitive book on the history, psychology, character, and aims of the Islamic State. Based on Wood's unprecedented access to supporters, recruiters, and high-ranking members of the most infamous jihadist group in the world, The Way of the Strangers is a riveting, fast-paced deep dive into the apocalyptic dogma that informs the group's worldview, from the ideas that motivate it, to the "fatwa factory" that produces its laws, to its very specific plans for the future. By accepting that ISIS truly believes the end is nigh, we can understand its strategy-and predict what it will do next.
Gripping, sobering and revelatory ... Unrivalled
—— Tom Holland , New Statesman[A] hugely important book ... Indispensable
—— David Aaronovitch , The TimesFascinating ... Highly readable ... The western military with its superior firepower can bomb Isis out of existence in Raqqa and Mosul as much as it likes, but we won't destroy the ideology if we don't understand what it is. This book goes a long way towards filling that gap
—— Christina Lamb , Sunday TimesIndispensable and gripping .... Wood's quest to understand the Islamic State is a round-the-world journey to the end of the night. As individuals, the men he encounters are misfits, even losers. But their millenarian Islamist ideology makes them the most dangerous people on the planet.
—— Niall FergusonRosamund Zander is the best companion to walk you through your next passage. Her words radiate possibility as she leads readers out of the darkness of an old story, showing us how to change it, open up, and move into the lightness of love and gratitude.
—— Gail Sheehy, author of Passages and Daring: My PassagesIn this eloquent and elegant book, Rosamund Stone Zander offers us a visionary and practical guide to living fuller, more compassionate lives for ourselves and others.
—— Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element and Creative SchoolsRosamund Zander is a miracle. Her generous voice will resonate with you, change you and help you create work that matters. She is helping each of us grow up to become better versions of ourselves.
—— Seth Godin, author of The Icarus DeceptionYou must read Pathways to Possibility for it is an extraordinary, unique book. Rosamund Zander helps us to see the connection between our inner selves and the nature of the natural world and the universe. In her gentle and compassionate but powerful voice she shares stories revealing the consciousness and inter connectedness of all living things, from butterflies to dogs, water crystals to ourselves. By the end we have a new understanding of who we are and our individual human responsibilities.
—— Jane Goodall, award-winning primatologist and authorPathways to Possibility is a great stepping stone from Rosamund Zander's previous book, The Art of Possibility. I saw myself in this book: my relationship to my childhood, to the past, and to Nature, and the struggle and delight of helping a new self emerge. Zander has a shrewd understanding of human nature and a dispassionate compassion for all the troubled things we do as we get through our lives. She's teaching us all how to be architects of the spirit.
—— Richard Preston, author of The Hot ZoneLively, humorous and intimate, this retelling has real charm
—— The GuardianFry takes us from Zeus to Athena with humour. The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture, modern literature and music are woven throughout. Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy
—— GuardianFresh revivals of the myths of ancient Greece. In his own imitable style, Fry takes an erudite look at the doings of gods, goddesses, kings, queens and ordinary mortals
—— The BayI quite like Mythos, Stephen Fry's book on the Greek myths - he makes them amusing. I like people that illuminate the past with humour
—— Jools HollandMythos has the gripping nature that one would hope for from a modern blockbuster. Filled with a sharp and delightful sense of humour, Stephen Fry's many witticisms making it an even more enjoyable read. I would recommend it for so many reasons
—— The NationalBrilliant . . . Stephen Fry's writing style makes it appealing to all. There's something for everyone
—— The HeraldReimagines the lives of ancient Greek gods and goddesses through a humorous lens, using casual language and making valuable comparisons to modern characters or events. It's also just really, really funny
—— American Express EssentialsA brilliant translation by Lorin Stein…It is a captivating read (perhaps thanks to the translator, who is plainly equally at home in English and French, and who is so good that you hardly ever remember that you are reading something originally written in a language utterly different from English)…A highly plausible political thriller.
—— Peter Hitchens , Daily MailSubmission is an intelligent, misanthropic satire that addresses questions crucial to multicultural societies.
—— Mail on SundayThe publication of Houellebecq's controversial novel...was a political event in itself. The book is brilliant, funny and deliberately offensive...and offers a sharp insight into the troubles of modern France
—— Financial TimesThe year’s most prophetic and provocative novel.
—— Mark Lawson , GuardianThe most talked about, and most topical, novel.
—— Daily TelegraphIf you only read one book this summer, read this one … Please read this book. It says more about where we stand and what might happen than anything else I have read in the past few years.
—— The Birmingham Jewis RecorderA fascinating book, and, as always with Houellebecq, horribly readable.
—— NigenessBrilliant novel.
—— A. W. Purdue , Times Higher Education SupplementUncomfortable and satirical – it shows one of France’s great controversialists at his best.
—— Nick Sidwell , GuardianA timely, caustic, often funny novel… It has the cleverest, most satisfying ending I’ve read all year.
—— Peter Brookes , The Times, Book of the YearSubmission is the latest Houellebecq novel and perhaps his most bitingly funny in parts, but it’s also a reminder of how European nations may succumb to foreign domination and “submit”.
—— Tina Faulk , SpectatorWhat a visionary!... You must read it this summer, you’ll love it. It’s so incredible they published that a year before everything happened… He has a vision and it’s incredible… Incredible!
—— Carla Bruni , QuietusThe literary chronicler of Western decadence
—— Ross Douthat , New Statesman