Once Were Warriors


Book Description

This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision- 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.' Ground-breaking. Original. Heart-rending. Most talked about book in New Zealand, ever. Adapted into a blockbuster movie. Still in print three decades later.




When We Were Warriors


Book Description

An irresistible return to World War Two for the Queen of Historical Fiction.




Jake's Long Shadow


Book Description

The third volume in the hard-hitting, best-selling Once Were Warriors trilogy. The millennium has changed but have the Hekes? Where are they now, Beth, Jake, and what of their other children? Son Abe who has rejected violence but violence finds him. Polly, as beautiful as her sister Grace, who committed suicide; is that a Heke running around with the wealthy polo-playing set and growing rich herself? And the gang leader, Apeman, who killed Tania, what's prison like, does it change a man, grow him or not? We meet another tragic female figure, Sharneeta. And Alistair Trambert, a middle-class white boy sunk into the same welfare dependency trap as the Maoris his class criticises. Meet Charlie Bennett, Beth's husband, a fine man, and yet . . . And yet there's Jake Heke, casting his long shadow over everyone. Has he really grown up?




We Were Warriors


Book Description

'An adrenalin-fuelled, gritty story of heroism on the frontline in Afghanistan' - Andy McNab Unflinching and laced with wry humour, Johnny Mercer's We Were Warriors is an action-packed account of his journey from young commando to a captain with one of the most pressurized and skilled jobs in the army. A captain in 29 Commando, Johnny Mercer served in the army for twelve years. On his third tour of Afghanistan he was a Joint Fires Controller, with the pressurized job of bringing down artillery and air strikes in close proximity to his own troops. Based in an area of northern Helmand that was riddled with Taliban leaders, he walked into danger with every patrol, determined to protect them. Then one morning, in brutal close quarter combat, everything changed . . . In We Were Warriors Johnny takes us from his commando training to the heat, blood and chaos of battle. With brutal honesty, he describes what it is like to risk your life every day, pushing through the fear that follows watching your friends die. He took the fight back to the enemy with a relentless efficiency that came at a high personal cost. Back in the UK, seeing the inadequate care available for veterans and their families, he was inspired to run for Parliament in the hope he could improve their plight. 'This is NOT the stereotypical account of war, it's without doubt the best first hand account in a war zone I've ever read.' – Tom Marcus, ex MI5 Surveillance Officer, author of Soldier, Spy




The Warriors


Book Description

The basis for the cult-classic film and the inspiration for a concept album written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, executive produced by Nas, releasing from Atlantic Records on October 18 Every gang in the city meets on a sweltering July 4 night in a Bronx park for a peace rally. The crowd of miscreants turns violent after a prominent gang leader is killed, and chaos prevails over attempts at order. The Warriors follows the Dominators as they make their nocturnal journey to their home territory without being killed. The police are prowling the city in search of anyone involved in the mayhem. An exhilarating novel that examines New York City teenagers left behind by society, who form identity and personal strength through their affiliation with their "family," The Warriors weaves together social commentary with ancient legends for a classic coming-of-age tale. This edition includes a new introduction by the author.




Monday's Warriors


Book Description

Based on fact, this tells of Kimball Bent, a Yankee who blundered into the British army in the mid-19th century, and was sent to fight in New Zealand. He deserted across battle lines to the Maori side in possibly the most ferocious colonial war ever fought.




The Warrior Ethos


Book Description

WARS CHANGE, WARRIORS DON'T We are all warriors. Each of us struggles every day to define and defend our sense of purpose and integrity, to justify our existence on the planet and to understand, if only within our own hearts, who we are and what we believe in. Do we fight by a code? If so, what is it? What is the Warrior Ethos? Where did it come from? What form does it take today? How do we (and how can we) use it and be true to it in our internal and external lives? The Warrior Ethos is intended not only for men and women in uniform, but artists, entrepreneurs and other warriors in other walks of life. The book examines the evolution of the warrior code of honor and "mental toughness." It goes back to the ancient Spartans and Athenians, to Caesar's Romans, Alexander's Macedonians and the Persians of Cyrus the Great (not excluding the Garden of Eden and the primitive hunting band). Sources include Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Xenophon, Vegetius, Arrian and Curtius--and on down to Gen. George Patton, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, and Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan.




Frost Hollow Hall


Book Description

From the queen of historical fiction, a ghostly tale about love, loss and forgiveness with an instant classic feel.The gates to Frost Hollow Hall loomed before us. They were great tall things, the ironwork all twisted leaves and queer-looking flowers. And they were very definitely shut.Tilly's heart sinks. Will's at the door of their cottage, daring her to come ice-skating up at Frost Hollow Hall. No one goes near the place these days. Rumour has it that the house is haunted . . . Ten years ago the young heir, Kit Barrington, drowned there in the lake. But Tilly never turns down a dare. Then it goes horribly wrong. The ice breaks, Tilly falls through and almost drowns. At the point of death, a beautiful angel appears in the water and saves her. Kit Barrington's ghost. Kit needs Tilly to solve the mystery of his death, so that his spirit can rest in peace. In order to discover all she can, Tilly gets work as a maid at Frost Hollow Hall. But the place makes her flesh crawl. It's all about the dead here, she's told, and in the heart of the house she soon discovers all manner of dark secrets . . .Frost Hollow Hall is a thrilling historical fiction debut. Told in Tilly's unique voice, it is a tale of love and loss, and how forgiveness is the key to recovery.'Believable, moving and just the right sort of frightening.' Daily Telegraph'A perfect ghostly mystery for fans of Eva Ibbotson, Ellen Renner and Marie-Louise Jense.' We Love This Book'The perfect wintry ghost story.' The Sunday Express




We Were Warriors


Book Description

"In 2010 Captain Johnny Mercer was on his third tour of Afghanistan in an area of Helmand that was seeing some of the heaviest fighting of the campaign. A Joint Fires Controller, with the pressurized job of bringing down artillery and air strikes in close proximity to his own troops, he walked into danger with every patrol, determined to protect them. Then one morning, in brutal close-quarter combat, everything changed ... In We were warriors Johnny describes what it is like to risk your life every day, to push through the fear that follows watching your friends die. He took the fight back to the enemy at huge personal cost. Back in the UK, seeing the inadequate care available for his men, he ran for Parliament in the hope he could improve their plight"--Back cover




We Were Warriors


Book Description

We Were Warriors is a stunning glimpse into the bloody, raw world of Johnny No Bueno. Drafted into conflict at an early age, No Bueno's first siege takes place in his violently broken home. In adolescence, he becomes a soldier of the streets, a mercenary imprisoned by addiction and fighting a losing battle for identity with fists and syringes. As an adult, finally freed from shackles of substance, he finds himself at ground zero waging a brand-new war, this time as a crusader for divine revolution. No Bueno takes us to the front lines with his weaponized words. We travel to every dark place he's been; places that most of us will never go. He is both vulnerable and vitriolic, and although the stories may be different, it is the sameness that is most striking, the humanness that connects us. We see ourselves through his distorted lens. We relate to his struggle to become more than the sum of his parts. We cheer, we cringe, we are at times collateral damage. We bear witness. We are moved. We are changed. We are made warriors too.




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