Bücher von Stuart Kells

Australia's modern history has long been full of mystery, legend and myth. But what if all the myths are true?The Hourglass Map is a captivating story of adventure, world-making and contested history.It is a story of unlikely friendships and remarkable journeys.And it is a story about the unique nature of stories and the transformative power of words. ¿¿¿¿¿¿In an alternative Australia, the Theory of Everything reigns supreme.The world's greatest minds have built the Consistency Engine - a marvellous, fractal machine - as the physical embodiment of the Theory. The Engine stores all knowledge and purges it of contradictions.Deviations from the official view of history are forbidden.But some people maintain the old beliefs: stories and superstitions that are whispered over cups of Earl Grey tea and slices of lemon-butter bread.Mary Page has always believed the old legends - the Inland Sea, the Mahogany Ship, Lasseter's Reef. She journeys to the centre of the continent to prove she is right, and the Theory is wrong. But the expedition is a disaster. Mary and her party disappear in the central desert.Mary's son, Will, vows to find out what happened to his mother. Pursued by officials and assassins, Will follows his mother's tracks to the heart of the continent. He finds a place where fantasy and reality meet, and where the truth depends on who controls the story.

Across the globe, the so-called Big Four accounting and audit firms - Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - are massively influential. Together, they earn more than US$100 billion annually and employ almost one million people. In many profound ways, they have changed how we work, how we manage, how we invest and how we are governed.Stretching back centuries, their history is a fascinating story of wealth, power and luck. But today, the Big Four face an uncertain future - thanks to their push into China; their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition; and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency.Both colourful and authoritative, this account of the past, present and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working in the industry, contemplating joining a professional services firm, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.