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Aftershock Liz McSkeane
ISBN 9781913598594 Forthcoming, October 2025
Now available for pre-order. Order your copy now and it will be posted out to you on October 1st.
Lisbon, All Souls' Day, November 1st 1755.
In less than ten minutes, a massive earthquake reduces the city to rubble. An hour later, a tsunami floods the city, followed by a firestorm that rages for five days. Assailed by earth, water and flames, thousands of people die.
From the ruins of the devastated city emerges one man who resolves to deliver the country from disaster, promising to 'heal the sick and bury the dead': Dom Sebastião José Carvalho e Melo, who will later become the Marquis of Pombal. Facing down contempt and opposition from a decadent aristocracy, obstructed by the powerful Jesuit order, Dom Sebastião, with the support of the king, reconstructs the capital, rebuilds the economy and overhauls every arm of government, restoring order from chaos.
But at what cost?
Aftershock is the story of a nation in crisis, and the unprecedented actions of one leader determined to protect the foundations of society.
But how far can he go to protect the social order, without destroying it? And is the price ever too high?
What to Put in a Suitcase Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Short fiction 148 pages
ISBN 9781913598372
These sixteen stories follow a cast of characters destined to navigate a rich variety of situations that are by turns perplexing, stimulating, threatening: a suburban dinner party whose hosts harbour a troubling secret; a childhood prank in 1940s Dublin with tragic consequences; a family fleeing environmental disaster in a Dublin of the near future. Engaged with both the minutiae of thought processes and the impulse to action, these stories grapple with individual psychology and with wider themes of justice and the place of individual in contemporary society, at times seasoned with a sly humour. An intriguing and compelling collection.
Learning to Tango Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Poetry 62 pages
ISBN: 9781913598181
This collection is an exuberant, playful, sometimes intense reflection on navigating the challenges of movement, the dynamics of the dance floor and the
world beyond it. The poet makes many discoveries along the way – about the dance, about the quest for the ideal and the necessary acceptance of imperfection. Throughout the collection, the mischievous use of traditional and non traditional poetic forms conveys the variety and skill of tango itself. And at the heart of the endeavour is a passion to imbue every step, however basic, with balance and grace, for 'in tango the walk is simple/and therefore takes a lifetime to learn.'
In The Dark Anamaría Crowe Serrano
Paperback: Novel 309 pages
ISBN: 9781913598167
Teruel, north-east Spain, winter, 1937. The civil war is raging, pitting neighbour against neighbour, tearing families apart. Franco’s Nationalist rebels have surrounded the devastated, Republican-held city. This is the story of a house, of the people who take refuge there – and a dangerous secret
within. María and her sister Julita mourn their lost loved ones and try to bury their differences. But only one person knows the secret of the house, hidden deep in the dark– a deserter from the conflict, a soldier who has dared to leave the fighting to come home – and the woman who dares to protect him.
Canticle Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Novel 311 pages
ISBN 9780995791633
Fray Juan de la Cruz (John of the Cross) renowned poet, mystic and, with his friend Teresa of Ávila, co-founder of the Discalced Carmelite Order – has been dead for twenty-five years.
Fray Martín de Sepúlveda, Dominican friar and former professor at the University of Salamanca, receives a secret commission: to investigate the life and work of the long dead Fray Juan. As Fray Martín grapples with his investigation and the attentions of the Inquisition, he becomes embroiled in a quest to separate fact from fiction, reality from propaganda. Canticle is a historical detective story that delves into a 400-year old tale of power struggles, political manoeuvring and misinformation.
Crunch Anamaría Crowe Serrano
Paperback: Poetry 52 pages
ISBN 9780995791626
Anamaría Crowe Serrano's intriguing experimental work pushes the boundaries of the poetic form in ways that invigorate and challenge readers to accompany her as she guides us through this garden of delights. With alternating pitch-perfect insight, deadpan humour and wit, Crunch revives old myths and breathes new life into deeply philosophical themes – the dynamics of knowledge and power, the nature of the self. In 2018, María Reimóndez translated Crunch into Galician. Ñam, published by Malinche Books, was launched at the Poema Ria Festival, Vigo that year. A daring and exciting work.
Northly David Toms
Paperback: poetry 74 pages
ISBN: 9780995791688
Northly gifts the reader a haunting evocation of the culture and spirit of northern lands, especially Ireland and of Norway, the poet's adopted home.
The language is stark, precise and unexpectedly poignant, as the poet traces the ancient and contemporary pathways of the wanderer. Out of many strands of history, family and the contemporary world, the poet creates a beautiful tapestry of images and impressions that is both mysterious and intriguing.
Quarantena Nina Karacosta
Paperback: Poetry 60 pages
ISBN 9781913598143
Quarantena is an intriguing meditation on the fifty days of the Paris lockdown during the COVID 19 pandemic, from March – May 2020. The collection is composed of fifty poems, one for every day, and reflect the practical, emotional and psychological journey of the writer through that strange time, as well as the wider social roots and impact of the experience. Quarantena explores the nuances of interpersonal communication, and the ways in which isolation and connection with the deepest recess of identity echo different facets of the self. A profound reflection on the strangest of times.
bind Christine Murray
Paperback: poetry 58 pages
ISBN: 9780995791640
bind is a daring, experimental meditation on the natural world, traversing the course of the day, from daybreak to dusk, in different seasons. The poet's magical, mysterious vision draws the reader into an interior world conveyed by delicate, startling images. These are not separate poems but rather, a single, book-length poem set out in fragments that are bound together by the poet's unique sensibility and her intriguing use of space and punctuation. The skilfully wrought poetic fragments which make up the fabric of this remarkable tapestry of light and shade, plant life and human, find their way into the reader's consciousness like a haunting melody.
Gold Friend Chris Murray
Paperback: poetry 70 pages
ISBN: 9781913598105
"At a time of environmental crisis, Gold Friend speaks powerfully of the ties that bind our living world. Chris Murray illuminates the relationship between
dependence and freedom, and meditates on the creative necessity for close observation.
These oblique poems can suddenly dazzle with their play of substance and light, as they move from the hidden intricacy of root systems to the beetle's reflective sheen. As well as bearing witness to the strange beauty of the natural world, these innovative poems testify to the remarkable intensity of human perception. They deserve our closest attention."
Lucy Collins
Alchemy Fiona Perry
Paperback Poetry 62 pages
ISBN 9781913598129
Alchemy is an intriguing and compelling début collection from a poet who is already strikingly in command of her craft. Mingling daily life with the numinous, these poems reflect on love and loss, on the milestones of lived experience.
Travelling through time and space, this collection evokes the magic of ancient birds in a New Zealand landscape, the intensive care ward where a loved one lies dying; the daily round of household tasks and the dreamworlds where memory, imagination and reality merge.
Alchemy was runner up in the 2021 Poetry Book Awards and also, shortlisted in the 2022 Rubery Award.
So Long, Calypso Liz McSkeane
Paperback: Poetry 62 pages
ISBN 9780995791602
The conversational tone of many of the poems in this collection belies the subtle craft that underlies and unifies disparate themes. So Long, Calypso is peopled by a cast of characters recognisable from ancient history and myth, from recent history and from contemporary culture. The musings of these various personae are by turns reflective and urgent, their concerns social and political, as well as deeply engaged with navigating the challenges of different stages of life.