Audiobooks narrated by Kris Dyer

From the historical roots of the concept of risk to the latest digital anxieties, each chapter unfolds a captivating narrative, weaving together major historical incidents and topical news events. Explore the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and witness the transformative power of risk perception. Travel to Fukushima and learn how a nuclear disaster shapes our approach to designing critical infrastructure. Dive into the digital realm with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, revealing a new era of digital risk and anxiety. This exploration of risk is not just an expose; it’s a guide to building resilience, making informed choices, and ultimately leading safer, happier lives in a world defined by constant change.

David Burrett Reid (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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A Very British Cult: Rogue Priests and the Abode of Love

This is the almost-forgotten story of Victorian Britain's strangest religious sect and its wealthy, mostly female, followers who believed they could ascend directly to heaven. Henry James Prince was a rogue Anglican Priest with a flare for the dramatic, and the founder of the Agapemone, or 'Abode of Love'. He also claimed to be the immortal conduit of The Holy Spirit and purportedly engaged in free love and ceremonial sex with his mostly female followers. But Prince's eventual death didn't mark the end of this strange set... he was promptly replaced by another. John Hugh Smyth-Pigott - otherwise known as the Clapton Messiah. The Abode transformed a sleepy, rural corner of Somerset into one of England's most notorious locations. While the followers shut themselves away and waited patiently for the end of the world, outrage grew - the word 'Agapemone' because a byword for licentiousness or idleness, used by Charles Dickens and Ford Maddox Ford. The reclusive Clapton Messiah became a fixture in the nation's papers, with frenzied efforts to discredit the organisation and undermine its leader. And still the cult grew. Expertly drawing on primary sources to tell the story of the Agapemonites in details for the first time, Stuart Flinders shines a light on the people drawn to the cult - the forced marriages; the swindled fortunes; the women condemned to asylums; and those who managed to escape from the Abode. It is also the story of two extraordinary men, whose claims of divinity were at the heart of this very British cult.

Stuart Flinders (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Who Owns The Moon?: In Defence of Humanity's Common Interests in Space

Silicon for microchips; manganese for batteries; titanium for missiles. The moon contains a wealth of natural resources. So, as the Earth's supplies have begun to dwindle, it is no surprise that the world's superpowers and wealthiest corporations have turned their eyes to the stars. As this new Space Race begins, A.C. Grayling asks: who, if anyone, owns the moon? Or Mars? Or other bodies in near space? And what do those superpowers and corporations owe to Planet Earth and its inhabitants as a whole? From feudal common land, through the rules of the sea, to the vast, nationless expanse of Antarctica, Grayling explores the history of the places which no one, and therefore everyone, owns. Examining the many ways this so-called terra nullius has fallen victim to ‘the tragedy of the commons' – the tendency for communal resources to be exploited by a few individuals for personal gain at the expense of everyone else – Who Owns the Moon? puts forward a compelling argument for a bold new global consensus, one which recognises and defends the rights of everyone who lives on this planet.

A.C. Grayling (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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My My!: ABBA Through the Ages

On the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo - the song, not the battle - one super-fan sits down to listen to the ABBA Gold album from start to finish, attempting to unlock the secrets of its hold on him - and on all of us. Partly a highly personal work of musical criticism, partly a history ABBA told through colourful vignettes, and partly the record of Giles' time spent trampling around damply in Sweden, braving the hardcore fans on ABBA Day in the Netherlands and somewhat reluctantly attending a sing-along screening Mamma Mia, this is Giles' mission to get to the very heart of ABBA. Nineteen tracks yield nineteen chapters, from 'Dancing Queen' to 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', to 'Take A Chance on Me', and onwards, eventually circling back (as all roads from ABBA eventually do) to 'Waterloo', the album's final track. Listening to each song gives rise to thoughts on pop music, autobiographical reflections on the times, and ruminations on ABBA themselves - their story, their phenomenon, and the evolution of their presence in our lives. It's a book about growing old, and the things that never do. And it's a book about fashion, snobbery, authenticity, critical judgement, the passage of time - and the triumphant ability of truly great pop music to transcend all of those things forever. But it's also a book about the development of one of pop's greatest and best-loved albums, and an unabashed tribute to the power of a major-to-minor modulation and a well-placed glissando.

Giles Smith (Author), Kris Dyer, TBD (Narrator)

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The Air War Through German Eyes: How the Luftwaffe Lost the Skies Over the Reich

Starting with leaflet drops in 1940, the aerial offensive against the Nazis' homeland grew into a huge armada that pulverised much of Germany, seriously damaging her ability to make war and killing hundreds of thousands. By day, the Flying Fortresses of the Mighty Eighth US Airforce confronted the day fighters of Luftflotte Reich, and then it was the turn of Bomber Command's Lancasters to fight off the deadly predators of the Nachtjagd (night hunters). The tactics and technology of Allied escort fighters evolved quickly though the war years, as they did for the defending German fighters. For the Allied airmen who fought this war the price was frighteningly high, for those who opposed them – in the air and on the ground – it was even higher. As the bombing increased, Nazi high command was forced to devote more and more resources to try and defeat the Allied campaign, just when those same resources were desperately needed elsewhere, both on the Russian Front and, after D-Day on 6 June 1944, on the new Western Front. Written from the ‘other side' and told as much as possible through the words of the veterans, this is an important book on one of the most controversial campaigns of the Second World War.

Jonathan Trigg (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age

Berlin, 1945. Following the fall of the Third Reich, drug use - long kept under control by the Nazis' strict anti-drug laws - is rampant throughout the city. In the American sector, Arthur J. Giuliani of the nascent Federal Bureau of Narcotics is tasked with learning about the Nazis' drug policies and bringing home anything that might prove 'useful'. Five years later, Harvard professor Dr Henry Beecher begins work with the US government to uncover the research behind the Nazis' psychedelics programme. Originally created for medical purposes by Dr Albert Hofmann, the Nazis coopted LSD to experiment with mind control and find a 'truth serum' - research that the US, particularly the CIA, is desperate to acquire. Based on extensive archival research, Tripped is a wild, unconventional post-war history, a spiritual sequel to Norman Ohler's bestselling Blitzed. Revealing the hidden connections between the Nazis and the CIA's notorious brainwashing experimentation programme, MKUltra, Ohler shares how this secret history held back the therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs for decades as the West sought to turn LSD into a weapon.

Norman Ohler (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Eyes in the Sky: Space Telescopes from Hubble to Webb

Over 50 years ago, astronomers launched the world's first orbiting telescope. This allowed them to gaze further into outer space and examine anything that appears in the sky above our heads, from comets and planets to galaxy clusters and stars. Since then, almost 100 space telescopes have been launched from Earth and are orbiting our planet, with 26 still active and relaying information back to us. As a result of these space-based instruments, such as NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope, we know much more about the universe than we did half a century ago. But why is Hubble, orbiting just 540 kilometres above the Earth, so much more effective than a ground-based telescope? How can a glorified camera tell us not only what distant objects look like, but their detailed chemical composition and three-dimensional structure as well? In Eyes in the Sky, science writer Andrew May takes us on a journey into space to answer these questions and more. Looking at the development of revolutionary instruments, such as Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, May explores how such technology has helped us understand the evolution of the Universe.

Andrew May (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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The Perennials: Unleashing the Power of our Postgenerational Society

'Will open your mind to your own future and show you a new world of adventure.' - ARTHUR C. BROOKS For the first time in human history, eight defined generations live together side by side, from Alphas to the Greatest Generation by way of Boomers, Xennials, Millennials and more. However, these definitions have so often been used to pigeonhole us into rigid categories, all underpinned by the restrictive 'four stages of life' model - of play, study, work, retirement. This means that potential is left untapped on a societal level; also individuals are tied into a trajectory that minimises opportunity and fulfilment. In The Perennials, Mauro Guillén unpacks the megatrends - such as increasing longevity and the explosion of technology, among others - that are transforming life as we know it. How, within this milieu, a new group of 'perennials' must emerge: individuals who cannot be so easily defined by the pervasive metrics of age and experience or by simple inter-generational conflict. These post-generational perennials offer the promise of liberating us from the constraints of the accepted four stages of life model, therefore allowing everyone the chance of living a much more rewarding and fulfilling life. Guillén proceeds to unveil how this revolution will impact young people just entering the world of work, as well as those who are living and working longer. This multigenerational revolution is already happening and Mauro Guillén identifies how we can usher in a new era of innovation in almost every facet of life and work - powered by the perennials.

Mauro Guillen (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Go Do!: For People Who Have Always Wanted to Start a Business

A refreshingly simple, accessible guide to getting started in business If you've ever dreamed of starting your own business, this book will give you the information, inspiration, and reassurance you need to get started. It encourages budding entrepreneurs to take the leap into the dark, while shining a bright light on the first six months of a successful start-up. It breaks down what appears to be an Everest-size challenge into a series of small hills for you to conquer. Written by successful entrepreneur Jeremy Harbour, Go Do! argues that the skills and tactics of successful entrepreneurship can't be learnt except by doing. So this book offers the guidance and the confidence you need to just go do it.

Jeremy Harbour (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Footmarks: A Journey Into our Restless Past

Archaeologist Jim Leary reanimates the past with this riveting 'archaeology of movement' All too often we think of the past as static, 'frozen in time', and indeed movement is not always easy to decipher from the archaeological record. With Jim Leary's expert eye we explore the tangible remains, from fossilised footprint tracks to prehistoric wooden trackways, ridgeways, holloways, droveways, green ways, corpse roads, and Roman roads. Isotope studies and archaeogenetics now allow us see the arduous journeys that people made across continents and oceans, proving that migration has been continuous throughout our past, an endless ebb and flow of populations. This new story of our past shows that history was warm and full of life, and no doubt at times cold, dark and miserable - but it was never motionless. Footmarks will make you look at the landscape around you with fresh eyes.

Jim Leary (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Conspiracy - Legends: Murders, Lies and Cover-Ups

The greatest cover-ups and unsolved mysteries in the world of celebrity In Conspiracy: Legends, David Gardner delves into the world of celebrity to investigate legendary stories that continue to fascinate and intrigue to this day. If people famously remember where they were when JFK was assassinated, many also recall where they were and what they were doing when Elvis, Princess Diana and John Lennon died. As for Marilyn Monroe, the candle flickered out long ago, but only now can the truth be told about how and why she died. After combing through thousands of recently declassified FBI files, interviewing key witnesses, crime analysts and forensic experts during years of research, investigative writer David Gardner has unearthed new information that will transform the way we look at these iconic tragedies as well as include new insights on the conspiracy theories that surround the deaths of Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain and even the Queen. For the first time, Conspiracy: Legends provides many of the answers that have been so elusive for so long, while explaining what it was about these enduring legends that made them so memorable.

David Gardner (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Goshawk Summer: The Diary of an Extraordinary Season in the Forest

In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of Goshawks in the New Forest, his childhood home. He began to plan a treetop hide in a remote site that would allow him to film the Gos nest, the newly hatched chicks and the lives of these elusive and enchanting birds. Then lockdown. And as the world retreated, something remarkable happened. The noise of our everyday stilled. No more cars, no more off-roaders, no more airplanes roaring in the skies, no one in the Goshawk woods - except James. At this unique moment, James was granted a once in a lifetime opportunity to keep filming. And so, over Spring and into Summer, he began to record his experiences in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life. Amidst the fragility and the fear, there was silver moonlight, tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring Goshawks - shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A Goshawk summer unlike any other. 'A great read: incredible adventures and a dramatic new perspective.' CHRIS PACKHAM on The Man Who Climbs Trees

James Aldred (Author), Kris Dyer (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Kris Dyer