Briefcasewanker

From its early beginnings in World War II, the Special Air Service (SAS) has won renown in some of the most dramatic, dangerous and controversial military special operations of the 20th century. It is a secretive and mysterious unit, whose operations and internal structures are hidden from the public eye. Now, one of its longest-serving veterans offers a glimpse into the shadowy world of the SAS. Rusty Firmin spent an incredible 15 years with 'The Regiment' and was a key figure in the assault of the Iranian Embassy in London in May 1980.

Tasked with rescuing the daughter of one of America's richest families from the grips of a sinister cult, Nick Stone expects his latest mission to be quick and straightforward. Travelling to the frozen depths of the Norway/Russia border, the dividing line between NATO and the Kremlin's armed forces, it seems all he and his team need do is abduct the woman and deliver her home alive. But there are deadly complications—not least that Nick soon discovers himself at the heart of a chilling cyber conspiracy that threatens war with Russia and the very existence of the Western alliance.

Marine pilot Brad Austin and his carrier-based F-4 Phantom group fly into the heart of enemy territory daily without fear, but the rules of engagement hinder them nearly as much as the North Vietnamese. Restricted from attacking the enemy's MiG bases, Austin and the other American pilots are vulnerable to attack without the ability to retaliate, a weakness that tragically leads to the death of Austin's wingman. Consumed by the need to avenge his comrade, Austin goes one-on-one with the enemy in a battle that ultimately proves in war there can be no rules.

When 3 Para began their assault under cover of darkness on Mount Longdon in June 1982, nobody knew what to expect. The three platoons of B Company each approached the mountain silently, treading carefully through a series of defensive minefields. But following an explosion, fighting quickly escalated with shocking speed and severity, resulting in some of the bloodiest close hand fighting, terrible injuries and shocking loss of life experienced by British troops since the Korean war.

It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive - and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet.

We all have break points to face - at the gym, in the office, in our personal lives - those moments of self-doubt where we have to dig deep and find something within to grab hold of and push us through. Ex-Special Forces soldier Ollie Ollerton has faced his own break points, and now he tells us the lessons he has learnt along the way. From survivor of a freak childhood attack to elite fighter, Ollie's incredible story features high-speed shoot-outs, counter-terrorism and humanitarian heroics.

When a young trooper is shot in the head at the Regiment’s renowned Killing House, Nick Stone is perfectly qualified to investigate the mysterious circumstances more deeply. He has just returned from Moscow – still trying to come to terms with the fact that his girlfriend and baby son are safer there without him – so combines an unrivalled understanding of the Special Forces landscape with a detachment that should allow him to remain in cover.

The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, obsessively tends to her last surviving patient. Caravaggio, the thief, tries to reimagine who he is, now that his hands are hopelessly maimed. The Indian sapper Kip searches for hidden bombs in a landscape where nothing is safe but himself. And at the centre of his labyrinth lies the English patient, nameless and hideously burned, a man who is both a riddle and a provocation to his companions - and whose memories of suffering, rescue and betrayal illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning.

Every weekend, in basements and car parks across the country, young men with good white-collar jobs and absent fathers take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight Club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter and dark, anarchic genius. And it's only the beginning of his plans for revenge on the world.