Alastair Macleod: 158 books

A young Muslim woman travelling to London for medical treatment is challenged by different cultural beliefs and makes a startling discovery about herself.

"A tiny dot of light grew into an ever expanding half circle as the tunnel end approached. His tension eased - soon he would be out in the sunlight. He hadn't expected her to leave, but that she had gone off with that plumber, that's what really shook him. She had even said to him, "I'm fed up with steady and reliable, if I want steady and reliable I can buy a Volvo."

This story is a sequel to "Leaving," in which Alanna, a visitor from Zarthon lands on a North Ronaldsay, a small island threatened by rising sea levels. Alanna leaves with Callum, the last remaining inhabitant, to return to her home world. They begin a relationship. But Callum soon finds life on Zarthon somewhat lacking and he misses his home on the island.

It is Pictish Orkney, before the Christian period. A Shamaness seeks  a powerful aid in her work as the spiritual guide and seer of her people.

The British have ruled India over two centuries, but as the Japanese close in through Burma, the Muslim separatist movement on the Northern Frontier is putting additional pressure on the Raj as it fights to keep its grip.

"This….," said Meg with a flourish "is the Chinese Orchestra." Jade stared in fascination as Meg took out each little parcel and laid it on the downie. She carefully unwrapped each piece. Little porcelain figures emerged of girls, their black hair up in elaborate coiffures. They...

As he spoke the young photographer reappeared. "This is the girl you wanted?" The photographer nodded. For this shot he needed someone young. She was not unattractive, even in that crazy outfit. Good bone structure, oval face, brown eyes, dark hair – that slight fragile look- all of that...

"There was a plop in the water beside the houseboat – a spent rocket stick. The fireworks continued to blaze away, magnificent bursts and showers of light, heralding in 2005. They seemed to go higher and brighter each time. "How do you end a firework display? She once asked at a party;...

It is 290 AD. The Islands of Orkney are Pictish and pagan and ruled by rival Cènels or clans grouped in certain ancient sites. One clan seeks dominance and tries to use their powerful sorceress to take control leaving the weaker clan reeling, with their queen in mortal danger. Can they...

"Along time ago there were more birds, and animals, but the few people there were, were increasing. In a mountain glen a woman was out reaping barley with a sickle. She had her baby with her but having fed it she swaddled it tight and it lay sleeping on the soft grass not far from where she bent...

A story of geese and men. In 2012 and 2013 a massive cull of wild geese was approved by the Scottish Government after pressure from a small group of farmers.This was happening in Orkney but it could be anywhere in the world where the activities and the demands of humans gain precedence. Two young men find that killing wildlife has a price, one they did not expect.

" one night the kitten heard little voices singing from the mouse hole, it crept closer. The mice were singing their Pizza Song; "We have tiny feeta, And whiskers so neata, And we like to eata, De Pizza Margherita. Our little Toni, he likes the Pepperoni, But, as much as much as you please,...

A young doctor arrives from the sea to take up post in a remote island in the Orkney Archipelago. Escaping city life, he encounters a new reality - the powerful surge of  elemental forces.

In the period after the Battle of Largs, (1263) the West Highlands of Scotland could still be a dangerous place; a patchwork of clans fought for ascendancy. Even within these clans there were smouldering tensions between family rivals. On the Isle of Mull, early in the chieftainship of the Macleans, a jealous spat finds one woman fighting for her life.