Promethea Unbound
A fine piece looking at the difficulties experienced by a child genius, including a financial benefactor trying to kill her mother.
The Gambler Who Cracked the Horse-Racing Code
A gambler made a fortune betting on the trickiest of markets – horses. This piece tells the story of how he made close to a billion dollars betting on Hong Kong races.
Fishing in Guantanamo Bay
The recent history of Caimanera, the fishing town immediately adjacent to the US military base and prison at Guantanamo Bay.
The Dark, Dangerous World of Illegal Mining
The horrendously dangerous existence of illegal miners in South Africa working outside the law.
Saddam’s cake
A crackling piece from 2000, recounting the author’s experience attending the birthday party of a “global pariah”. Sample guest – a Bulgarian MP who has brought him a sniper rifle as a present. The 17 subsequent years of Iraq’s history make for a dark prism through which to read the story.
Scaling the World’s Most Lethal Mountain, in the Dead of Winter
A profile of a group of Polish climbers planning to summit the deadly giant K2 in winter, following in the footsteps of a celebrated older generation.
Cloak and Dagger
The story of Gertrude Sanford, a socialite who fought against Germany in the Second World War and was taken prisoner in enemy territory.
Speak, Memory
When Belarusian entrepreneur Roman Mazurenko died, his friend built a memorial to him – a chatbot that uses an archive of his text messages to recreate his voice and identity.