We are in a new age of terror, with self-radicalising, hard-to-categorise individuals planning violence. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, more than 40 terror attacks have been foiled by the security services. 'Plotters' by journalist Lizzie Dearden is an eye-opening account of the British terror attacks you’ve never heard of—because the perpetrators were caught in time.

In this episode, listen to Lizzie in conversation with fellow journalist and writer Tam Hussein to discuss the changing face of modern terrorism, the common factors that led to the would-be attackers being stopped and what each one caught tells us about British society.

To buy the book and for more information, visit hurstpublishers.com

As floods and fires rage across the planet, more people are embracing nonviolent action to achieve political change. Can it work?

In ‘Sorry for the Inconvenience But This Is an Emergency’ doctor and aid worker Lynne Jones offers a compelling, ground-level account of the last five years of UK protests, exploring how and why ordinary citizens have adopted extraordinary methods to confront the climate and nature crises.

In this episode, listen to Lynne in conversation with Fiona Godlee, doctor, and former Editor-in-Chief of the British Medical Journal, about Lynne’s experiences, from Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp to her involvement in movements like Extinction Rebellion today. They will also discuss the most effective kinds of protest, and what compels people to break the law in the name of justice.

For more, visit hurstpublishers.com

From Brazilian favelas and campgrounds in Nigeria to megachurches in Ukraine and South Korea, Pentecostal Christianity is taking over the world.

‘Beyond Belief’ by writer and journalist Elle Hardy exposes the Pentecostal agenda and its sway over politics and society around the world.

In this episode listen to Elle in conversation with journalist and author Katherine Stewart about how Pentecostalism evolved into a multi-million megachurch industry, why it’s attracting so many people, and what the movement’s explosion means for the world.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Volodymyr Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation he embodies: what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian.

‘The Zelensky Effect’ by Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale tells the story of Ukraine through the journey of the man who has come to symbolise his country.

In this episode, listen to Henry in conversation with Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s Central and Eastern Europe correspondent and writer, as they discuss how its now-iconic president reflects the hopes and frustrations of Ukraine’s first ‘independence generation’.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

Please note that this episode contains graphic depictions of violence, racism, and sexual assault, which listeners may find disturbing.

Rohingya men, women and children have been fleeing their homes for forty years and are now almost entirely in exile.

‘I Feel No Peace’ by Guardian journalist Kaamil Ahmed is the first book-length exploration of Rohingya lives abroad, drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews and long-standing relationships within the diaspora.

In this episode, listen to Kaamil in conversation with his fellow Guardian journalist and writer Amelia Gentleman about the complex and heart-breaking lives of the individuals who shared their stories with Kaamil, the lesser-known experiences of the Rohingya before the 2017 atrocities, and the complicity of the UN, international NGOs and the Bangladeshi state in the refugees’ plight.

This episode was recorded in March 2023. For more visit hurstpublishers.com

Has any war in history gone according to plan? Monarchs, dictators and elected leaders alike have a dismal record on military decision-making, from over-ambitious goals to disregarding intelligence, terrain, or enemy capabilities.

‘How to Fight a War’ by former army officer and author Mike Martin is a crisp indispensable guide to understanding modern warfare.

In this episode, listen to Mike in conversation with The Times’ Diplomatic Editor and foreign affairs columnist Roger Boyes about the fundamentals of warfare, from infantry to information, and from strategy to tactics, in order to better understand today’s wars, and be more prepared for the coming decades of conflict.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s Sikh Empire stretched throughout north-western India into Afghanistan and Tibet. But how did one royal family come to achieve such pre-eminence over this entire region?

Historian Priya Atwal’s dazzling book ‘Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire’ blasts through centuries of Orientalist and misogynist history to shed new light on the forgotten royals who aided the spectacular rise and eventual demise of this long-lost kingdom.

In this episode listen to Priya in conversation with historian, screenwriter and author Alex von Tunzelmann as they explore how this kingdom came into being, how it operated, but also how and why it fell after just fifty years of existence.

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Over Britain’s first century of mass democracy, politics has lurched from crisis to crisis. A Times Book of the Year, ‘The Death of Consensus’ by writer and documentary-maker Phil Tinline brings to life those times, past and present, when the consensus—or the great compromise holding democracy together—has come apart, and the political class has been forced to make a choice of nightmares.

In this episode, listen to Phil in conversation with historian Dominic Sandbrook about whether consensus has ever existed in British politics, how politics is transformed through fear, and the way in which apparent catastrophes can clear the path to a new era.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

AfterWords returns on 20th October 2023. In this series, listen to lively discussions between Hurst authors, journalists and leading experts as they interrogate the stories behind thought-provoking books. You’ll hear about how Pentecostal Christianity is taking over the world; the rise and fall of the Sikh empire; a hundred years of British political nightmares; whether any war in history has gone to plan; a vivid, powerful account of the Rohingya in exile; and how ordinary Ukrainians saved their nation.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com