The Crusades: The War for the Holy LandOne of the world's foremost authorities on the subject, Thomas Asbridge offers a vivid and penetrating history of the crusades. Drawing upon painstaking original research and an intimate knowledge of the Near East, he uncovers what drove Muslims and Christians alike to embrace the ideals of jihad and crusade, revealing how these holy wars reshaped the medieval world and why they continue to echo in human memory to this day.

the future looks bleak

fresh receptivity to learning about the ego mind (which wants to live forever) and the nature of reality

Or have we failed to appreciate progress and the ideals that make it possible

no infrastructure and a whole lot more ocean than there used to be

the cop plagued by guilt

Wordsworth to Van Gogh

When Z's mission went catastrophically wrong

And that something makes them very dangerous indeed

which means they're officially a long-distance couple - and it's tough

Each of these companions is stranger and more dangerous than the last

This is the eve of the Fall of Singapore

Jem - Monisha embarks on an unforgettable seven-month-long adventure that will take her from London's St Pancras station to the vast expanses of Russia and Mongolia