The Derelict

The Derelict is a short story by William Hope Hodgson, first published in 1912. An elderly ship's doctor recounts a strange event that happened to him some years earlier, in the context of discussing his ideas about a fundamental life force that can manifest itself in the presence of proper materials. While sailing as a passenger, a sudden storm disables the ship. In the aftermath, a derelict vessel is discovered. Excerpt: "'Seen anything of Carnacki lately?' I asked Arkright when we met in the City. 'No,' he replied. 'He's probably off on one of his jaunts. We'll be having a card one of these days inviting us to No. 472, Cheyne Walk, and then we'll hear all about it. Queer chap that.'"

The Earth had been invaded. The Invaders are gone now. The Earth is rebuilding. An ancient ship appears on the outer rim of the galaxy and no one is sure what it is. Are the aliens coming back? No one knows for sure.

Battle Group One bailed out of the Bartolian Vector with a shaky armistice and a longing for home. They did not, however, receive the welcomed familiarity of planet Earth. What they got instead were the bizarre, rotting galleries of...The Derelict

Elephants breaking down walls, a hyena sharing a fire with the night guard to keep warm, hippos fighting, armless monkeys bringing their young to be admired by the author--this book is a kaleidoscope of wild animals, strange and often eccentric tourists, the trails and tribulations of running a poorly equipped lodge in a remote wilderness area, and the laughter and tears of working with and living alongside staff from a different background and culture. Written with great compassion, this is Lesley Cripps Thomson's story of how she forges a bond with staff who do not want to be told what to do or how to do it by a woman and the hardships they have to live with, including illness and poverty. She tells of the good times they have and how, in a crisis, they all pull together. ============================ In the Derelict House, Lesley Cripps Thomson vividly conveys the fun and the frustrations of living and working in the African bush. Enlivened by the many characters who pepper the pages, her book also paints a colourful picture of the wildlife scene. for those who aspire to sample wild Africa for the first time, and for those who have already fallen under its spell, this is an excellent read. for myself, it has been a pleasure to encounter a book so evocative of the Africa I have come to love. Douglas Willis, FRGS, FRSGS (Scotland) Running a lodge in the African bush means not only exotic wildlife but also eccentric human life. A vivid and engaging read. William Saunderson-Meyer - Sunday Times, South Africa "I loved the Derelict House ... it brought back fond memories of my own time in the Luangwa Valley and the characters and wildlife really are true to form" Julie Croucher, 'Travel with Jules' UK

Adrift in an unknown sector of space, Slater and the crew of the Franklin are cut off from friendly support and surrounded by enemies on all sides. The mysterious council means to destroy him, but a derelict core is a deadly opponent, and Captain Slater will stop at nothing to get his crew home safely. It's time for Slater to go on the offensive.It's time to take the fight to the enemy. It's time to counterattack!

When Rosalen Maldonado tinkers with the derelict freighter, she's just hoping to prove she deserves a scholarship to University. She certainly doesn't count on waking the ship's damaged AI or having three stowaways, Micah Rotherwood and brothers Jem and Barre Durbin, along for the ride. They all have their private reasons for hiding aboard and lives they are seeking to escape, but if the accidental crew can't work together and learn to trust each other, they'll die together, victims of a computer that doesn't realize the war ended decades before any of them were even born. Read the story that began the five book Halcyone Space series, at a special price of $0.99

"The Derelict is really a story of two derelicts - the events on the first and their part in the creation of the second. With this story I've pretty much nailed my colours to the mast, so to speak. As the tale is intended as a tribute to stories by the likes of William Hope Hodgson or H P Lovecraft (with a passing nod to Coleridge's Ancient Mariner), where some terrible event is related in an unearthed journal or (as is the case here) by a narrator driven to near madness. The primary influence on the story was the voyage of the Demeter, from Bram Stoker's Dracula, one of the more compelling episodes of that novel. Here the crew are irrevocably doomed from the moment they set sail. There is never any hope of escape or salvation once the nature of their cargo becomes apparent. This was to be my jumping off point with The Derelict. Though I have charted a very different course from the one taken by Stoker, I have tried to remain resolutely true to the spirit of that genre of fiction and the time in which it was set." -Neil Williams

A haunting collection of images from photographer Simon Sugden revealing the beauty in decaying buildings around Britain.