Dan is a man for whom life has lost all meaning. Now nothing more than an unwanted burden, it is empty, shorn of love and full of sour thoughts. But a chance meeting with a stranger offers him hope to find a new purpose for his life; a purpose that will take him on a unique odyssey. With the help of others, Dan embarks on a journey that takes him into the very heart of Africa to a place that is only rarely visited and largely unspoiled. His journey is guaranteed to test his resolve and endurance, exposing him to a whole series of challenges he has never had to face before. Can Dan overcome the darkness and find his longed-for release?

Alex and Debbie's first voyage to the Antarctic looked to be plain sailing in every sense. The sea and the weather were both perfect for their passage to the Falklands and then South Georgia, and the forecast for their onward journey looked equally benign.Then the news began to trickle through that something was amiss in China. Soon the news was much worse. On the other side of the world a calamity was overtaking the human race and whatever had started in China was now rapidly racing across the whole of Asia, scything down millions in its path.There seemed to be nothing to stop it. It seemed impossible that the virus would not eventually arrive on the MS Sea Sprite. Was there anything they could do to avoid their dismal fate? Was there anywhere they could hide from the inevitable onslaught? Could they survive? Or would they simply be amongst the very last to succumb?'

Absolutely Galápagos provides an insight into every feature of that famous archipelago – warts and all – and a further insight into the unique and confused mind of Brian. And, of course, he is more 'at sea' in this book than in any of those that have gone before... It has to be admitted that Brian's interest in the place that inspired Charles Darwin's ground-breaking On the Origin of Species was first inspired not by the islands themselves but by the image of a boat. He was simply enthralled at the prospect of sharing a two-week voyage at sea with fourteen other like-minded souls – and with Sandra, of course. So, off they both went – to discover that not only was the boat all they'd hoped it would be but also that the Galápagos Archipelago really was like nowhere else on Earth. His fourteen new companions hadn't, of course, expected Brian – and his thoughts on matters as diverse as the mystery of how classic literature was produced before the days of creative writing courses. Oh,...

In Ticklers, Renton Tenting relives the excitement of his unplanned mission by joining a band of professional adventurers who make their living by providing security services throughout the universe, but he discovers that all is not well within this elite force and there is something very wrong at its top. Joined by his friends, he launches on a quest to identify the problem and encounters a whole slew of strange and humorous situations. The adventure grows to a more demanding level as a new and potentially devastating threat is unveiled...

Brian on the Brahmaputra is a day-by-day account of an actual wildlife expedition to Assam, by means of a boat trip down the Brahmaputra, and the extension to this expedition in the form of an excursion to the Sundarbans – the mangrove-covered islands in the mouth of the Ganges, south of Kolkata. However, it is a great deal more than this. It is the tale of two dozen middle-aged amateur naturalists from England and their encounter with a very unusual world, as seen through the eyes of one of the group. This fairly insecure, misanthropic member of the party, Brian, records his thoughts and his feelings about not just the unfamiliar parts of India through which he travels, but also about those with whom he is travelling. In this way, a picture is painted of a largely unknown area of the world and of a largely unknown pastime, namely that of an organised 'nature trip' – and of course, of the sort of people who participate in such trips. The account is...

Renton set outs on a new life as a detective in Lollipop. His first role takes him onboard SS Lollipop, a gigantic spaceship offering every form of sexual gratification which is operated by a mysterious band of asexual humans called Lagooners. His quest is to locate a particular woman, but it's more difficult than anticipated. Renton is gradually drawn into some sinister goings-on, and he and his colleagues are obliged to engage with a new adversary and solve the Lagooner puzzle. Its resolution constitutes the culmination of this trilogy – in a non-sexual climax!

Strip Pan Wrinkle (in Namibia and Botswana) is an account of a five-week expedition made by Brian (of Brahmaputra fame) and his wife, Sandra, as they drive their Land Cruiser in an extended loop through Namibia, Botswana and a little bit of Zambia. As with all of the other books in David Fletcher's 'Brian's World' series, the account is rather more than a day-by-day diary of their trip. It is also an insight into each of the countries visited, an exploration of what wildlife one might encounter in these countries and, above all else, an exercise in humour. It isn't, therefore, a standard travelogue. Instead, with Brian's experiences – and his contemplations – chronicled in a manner which is more wry than comprehensive, it is very much an amusing travelogue. It contains a consideration of how much our own Royal Mail is subsiding the Botswanan Post Office, an evaluation of the ugliness of the human form when compared to that of a leopard and a...

Crystal Balls and Moroccan Walls is another irreverent and provocative account of an expedition made by Brian and his wife, this time to that part of Morocco that lies to the south of the Atlas Mountains. However, it is also a prognostication... Southern Morocco doesn't live up to Brian's expectations. So, to brighten the dismal prospect of a dismal trip through the desert, Brian refers to a series of 'crystal balls', balls from which he is able to forecast the state of Britain in just forty years' time. This means that there is still a consideration of the merits of tajines, a description of 'fat sand rats', and a thorough assessment of all those Moroccan walls, but there is also so much more. For example, there is an explanation of how Scotland, by mid-century, has changed its name to Trumpland and how its southern neighbour, by this same time, has begun to sell itself to potential visitors from the Far East as 'Ye Olde Solde-Offe England'. There is even a review of some of the...

Renton Tenting is the protagonist of Dumpiter and the ultimate unlikely hero – who, early into the story, is plucked from a carefully planned life and cast into a challenging and disturbing adventure, played out against a backdrop of space travel and distant worlds. In the future, mankind has populated much of the universe and is well on its way to screwing it all up. Renton is exposed to all manner of ridiculous oddities – the inside of a giant milking machine, a cult whose members live their lives on their hands and knees – and ultimately Dumpiter itself. This is where the real mess is, and where there are real problems for Renton...