Originally self-published, Alexander Darwin’s (out now, Orbit) is set in a world where the fate of empires is determined by warriors trained to compete in (out now, Titan), which we’re told should appeal to fans of Tom Clancy and his ilk. A siren assassin’s investigations into a blackmailer threatening her sister lead her to become personal bodyguard to the Crown Prince in Gabi Burton’s YA fantasy (Hodder, 27 June). The latest /Puffin Classics crossover (after stories featuring King Arthur, Oz and Robin Hood) is (22 June, BBC Children’s Books). Bali Rai’s adventure sees the Eleventh Doctor and Clara investigating a theft from the Crown of King George. Long John Silver and River Song are both along for the ride… Turning to continuing series: there’s a follow-up to , Juno Dawson’s book about a covert government department: (HarperVoyager, out now). Insert political joke here. Finally, Robert Jackson Bennett’s inventive Founders trilogy – set in a world where criminals use a sciencey magic called “scriving” to fool objects into acting contrary to the usual rules of physics – ends with third volume (out now, Jo Fletcher Books).
