"it is a long shaggy dog story — and, in its rarefied way, occasionally very funny..."

"Annie is a lively..."

"Anam’s writing is stylish and funny..."

"This selection of the gifted writer’s work is stuffed with wonders..."

"There is no doubt that McInerney is a writer of great gifts and boundless ambition..."

"gives the inner reality of blue-collar life a respect and attention it rarely gets..."

"a brooding, gothic-tinged coming-of-age tale..."

" a timely consideration of Hong Kong’s recent past..."

"As a novelist Freud hits that tricky sweet spot between commercial and literary fiction and her novels are invariably a joy to read...."

"so tense, so full of jeopardy, that it makes many thrillers feel underpowered..."

"It’s elegantly done, a portrait veiled in quiet melancholy..."

"gently humorous and always humane..."

"These neatly crafted short stories find poetry in the rituals of domesticity..."

"This is a brisk, impudent, utterly immersive novel that also wants to answer questions about Jews and history ..."

"an electrifying gothic techno-thriller..."

"Haunting and heart-wrenching, this book is reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier...."

"This college-life narrative has an eye for comedy even when the narrator is enjoying a moment of self-pity..."

" a melodrama of honour and shame..."

"Kennard is very funny, and this novel abounds in pithy, wry observations and situational comedy. ..."

"unapologetically escapist beach-read fiction,..."

"A veteran of the Spanish civil war is visited by the ghost of Franco in a deftly handled story of past trauma and deceit..."

" gripping narrative, compelling structure and vivid characters..."

"When Otto Silberman is stripped of all right to exist, he takes to the railways to dodge the Nazis in this tense, nightmarish novel of 1938..."

" a novel of complex feeling and beautiful restraint from one of the finest writers around...."

"(a) compelling account of an artist’s journey to motherhood..."

"In this savage cinematic caper about an academic fraudster, social commentary meets standup comedy..."

"There’s a melancholy seam of emotion about family life here, as well as a keen eye for the absurdities of workplace culture..."

"it is cleverly constructed..."

"a brooding, gothic-tinged coming-of-age tale..."

"so tense, so full of jeopardy, that it makes many thrillers feel underpowered..."

" a timely consideration of Hong Kong’s recent past..."

"Haunting and very dark, this is certainly worth the read..."

"a solid and well-constructed police procedural..."

" complex and occasionally convoluted, ending in a terrific set-piece legal showdown..."

"Haunting and heart-wrenching, this book is reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier...."

"Full of twists... wrongfooting the increasingly uneasy reader at every turn...."

"she skilfully adapts it to a contemporary British setting in which our obsessions with class and keeping up appearances are weaknesses ripe for exploitation...."

"his grip on the mechanics of storytelling is highly assured..."

"(A) taut, clever, thought-provoking thriller...."

"In this savage cinematic caper about an academic fraudster, social commentary meets standup comedy..."

" Fitzek’s brainy thriller is always at risk of becoming impossible to take seriously..."

"Bradby’s blend of le Carré espionage yarn with Michael Dobbs political thriller is a nifty and appealing concoction..."

"Jackson follows her brilliantly unnerving Never Have I Ever with another battle of wits between a manipulative criminal and her victim. ..."

"assured and engrossing..."

"This long-awaited epic makes superhuman strength an unsettling backdrop to family drama..."

"Thomas’s new novel displays the same high energy as his debut, Firewatching...."

"This characteristically clever novel challenges assumptions and has a sophisticated take on sexual politics...."

"begins with a hurricane... and ends with a whirlwind of hectic action and ghastly revelations ..."

"it stands comparison with the early works of Sarah Waters and Barbara Vine...."

"Jane Casey constructs an intense, action-packed mystery out of emails, court documents and newspaper articles..."

"fierce, angry energy..."

"a page-turning read, but with functional writing and a predictable plot, it’s not really one to linger over..."

"This is natural history as police procedural; and life on Earth as the scene of a crime...."

"Twisted, dark and fizzing with fury, it’s a lot of fun...."

"deliciously sinister and obsessive, an immersive journey into a world where ballet is everything, with one hell of a twist...."

"In this coming-of-age story set in a near-future England, a teenager discovers life’s possibilities as climate chaos intensifies..."

"it is cleverly constructed..."

"a solid and well-constructed police procedural..."

"Haunting and very dark, this is certainly worth the read..."

"Full of twists... wrongfooting the increasingly uneasy reader at every turn...."

"It is a delight to dip into his sun-baked world..."

"A veteran of the Spanish civil war is visited by the ghost of Franco in a deftly handled story of past trauma and deceit..."

"she skilfully adapts it to a contemporary British setting in which our obsessions with class and keeping up appearances are weaknesses ripe for exploitation...."

"his grip on the mechanics of storytelling is highly assured..."

"Jackson follows her brilliantly unnerving Never Have I Ever with another battle of wits between a manipulative criminal and her victim. ..."

" Fitzek’s brainy thriller is always at risk of becoming impossible to take seriously..."

"Bradby’s blend of le Carré espionage yarn with Michael Dobbs political thriller is a nifty and appealing concoction..."

"Thomas’s new novel displays the same high energy as his debut, Firewatching...."

"This characteristically clever novel challenges assumptions and has a sophisticated take on sexual politics...."

"It’s a taut tale of secrets that won’t die..."

"it stands comparison with the early works of Sarah Waters and Barbara Vine...."

"Jane Casey constructs an intense, action-packed mystery out of emails, court documents and newspaper articles..."

"confirms Lea as a highly original and inventive writer..."

"a page-turning read, but with functional writing and a predictable plot, it’s not really one to linger over..."

"This is natural history as police procedural; and life on Earth as the scene of a crime...."

"a striking first novel, a chilling insight into an oppressive world, where bad thoughts and bad deeds ripple just below the surface..."

"deliciously sinister and obsessive, an immersive journey into a world where ballet is everything, with one hell of a twist...."

"Lighthearted, witty and effortlessly clever, just like its wonderful heroine..."

"an unusual and thoroughly enjoyable read..."

" Mir offers us a fascinating glimpse into a world rarely portrayed in fiction..."

"Flynn keeps the tension bubbling nicely..."

"Motel, money, murder, madness: it has all you need to keep you happy..."

"quietly compelling..."

"it’s tremendous fun..."

"Annie is a lively..."

"gives a twist to familiar myth by offering the perspective of the women characters..."

" highlights Macneal’s rich imagination and vivid prose..."

"As a novelist Freud hits that tricky sweet spot between commercial and literary fiction and her novels are invariably a joy to read...."

" a timely consideration of Hong Kong’s recent past..."

"(A) colourful, compelling first novel..."

" a melodrama of honour and shame..."

"A veteran of the Spanish civil war is visited by the ghost of Franco in a deftly handled story of past trauma and deceit..."

"Shipstead, who has previously written sharp, elegant novels about dinner parties and ballet, turns phrases and observes people beautifully...."

"a big, complex and utterly involving portrait of 19th-century China..."

"a detailed and convincing portrait of an extraordinary life..."

" a satisfying and emotionally powerful brew..."

"Chidgey’s novel is a fine achievement..."

"confirms Lea as a highly original and inventive writer..."

"a deft, witty debut novel..."

"a remarkable portrait of a cursed building which taints everything it touches..."

"an insightful study into a period of history often overlooked in fiction..."

"a gentle, hopeful story..."

"a celebration of multiculturalism and friendship, and a rallying cry to make the world a better, kinder place..."

" a tale abundant in humour, history and humanity, with a poignant message about time passing..."

"In the third of a cycle of novels on witness and memory, the author examines the trauma of what her characters have seen — and not seen..."

" highlights Macneal’s rich imagination and vivid prose..."

"(A) colourful, compelling first novel..."

"unapologetically escapist beach-read fiction,..."

"made me laugh out loud in recognition..."

"an insightful study into a period of history often overlooked in fiction..."

"Ferociously funny..."

"Beth is quite rightly earning her title as 'Queen of Uplit'..."

"Fans of David Nicholls will adore this..."

"Gailey’s main concern is showing how people are shaped by others ... but the novel doesn’t rise above the banal...."

"Buchanan offers astute social observation..."

"A promising but flawed Troubles tale..."

"an exciting, ambitious debut..."

"In a narrative that brims over with colour and invention, Jago summons up Jacobean London with enormous persuasiveness..."

"fuses race, sexuality and grief into a tale of dissolving love..."

"Maine reworks the conventions of historical romance in a narrative that regularly undercuts expectations of what is to come...."

"the collection feels fully coherent by the end..."

"hits you right in the feels..."

"bursting with vibrant characters and utter charm..."

"This will make you laugh and cry..."

"what a joy..."

"Warm and funny..."

"this dazzling and accomplished collection..."

"This is natural history as police procedural; and life on Earth as the scene of a crime...."

"(a) dazzling and accomplished collection from the South Korean writer Kim Bo-young..."

"the book delivers on the huge, mind-bending promise made in its first few pages...."

"In this coming-of-age story set in a near-future England, a teenager discovers life’s possibilities as climate chaos intensifies..."

"a beautifully written, emotionally gripping book..."

"All these stories are brilliant, but with few exceptions they are bleak..."

"wonderfully surreal and weirdly uplifting ..."

"There’s real cleverness at work here..."

"Ouloo’s restaurant at the back-end of the universe has acquired some charming guests, but strip away their backstories and boy, do this lot need a plot..."

"This is first-class space opera, with added spycraft, diplomatic intrigue and scary aliens..."

"a tale as sincerely thought out in human terms as it’s technically well researched..."

"a contemporary visit to one of science fiction’s favourite futures..."

"a powerful literary exploration of loneliness, redundancy and the relentless processes of change..."

" Genetic winners and losers fight for their interests in this thoughtful take on our genetically engineered future..."

"Given the alternative facts and fake news swilling through social media at the moment, it’s hard to say what in this scenario feels particularly far-fetched..."

"Stanislaw Lem’s lively, sardonic satire asks what we really want from exploration (beyond a mirror for our own vanity)..."

" It all makes for a funny, whimsical caper, laced with lightly philosophical insights into storytelling and human frailty..."

"a cool, classy cyberpunk riff on the cold war spy thriller..."

"(A) smart and thought-provoking piece of work..."

"In a field thick with medieval despots and fairytale atmosphere, it stands out for its uniquely different and complex setting..."

"Adam Roberts is one of the most intellectually daring British science fiction writers, trying something different in every book..."

"a richly imagined eco-gothic tale..."

"It’s welcome escapist fare in these stressful times..."

"Smartly choreographed as it moves between opposing forces on two planets, this is a rousing good read..."

"diehard fans of Ready Player One might find this retread satisfying, but readers new to Cline will wonder what all the fuss is about..."

"scalpel-sharp and oddly moving..."

"it’s tremendous fun..."

"As a novelist Freud hits that tricky sweet spot between commercial and literary fiction and her novels are invariably a joy to read...."

"When Otto Silberman is stripped of all right to exist, he takes to the railways to dodge the Nazis in this tense, nightmarish novel of 1938..."

"Shipstead, who has previously written sharp, elegant novels about dinner parties and ballet, turns phrases and observes people beautifully...."

"Merryn Glover’s new novel takes in 300 years of Highland history, and asks us what we can learn from it..."

"In the third of a cycle of novels on witness and memory, the author examines the trauma of what her characters have seen — and not seen..."

"Scarrow, turning away from his previous Roman adventures, has produced a gripping thriller..."

"colourful and punchy..."

"This first instalment in Matthew Harffy’s new series is a gory treat..."

"The violence in The Sunken Road is unceasing..."

"a fabulous fun read..."

"Francis Spufford’s generous writing style combines a close-up view of events with a distant perspective. ..."

"The second volume of Mosse’s wars of religion trilogy vividly depicts persecution and how politics can upturn ordinary lives..."

"Light the blue touch paper and retire to a comfortable chair...."

"Julia Copus captures the hard times and brilliance of an impoverished, independent woman who was ‘the greatest poetess’ Hardy ever knew..."

"...deep, subtle grace...A Blood Condition has a dignity that honours the past without indulging in any overflow of personal feeling. ..."

"as riddling and enjoyable as the old sonnets on which it riffs..."

"a work of rare integrity..."

"Waldrep’s poetry is excellent, from its startling images to its percussive music..."

"Many Different Kinds of Love paints a harrowing picture of being hospitalised with Covid-19..."

"Fathers, mothers and grownup children reflect on leaving home and the ‘dance between closeness and distance’ in an outstanding anthology..."

"chronicles experiences of landlords, desire, porridge and emotional labour with impressive formal guile..."

"This translation of Beowulf into muscular urban slang is electric..."

"In many ways it feels as if Cannibal has paved the way for itself..."

"unsettling reflections on displacement..."

"(a) supremely vivid evocation of the times and places of Violette’s brief life ..."

"Landmark work highlights poet’s misogyny but fans and scholars will find riches among letters..."

"a heartwarming collection in which older-and-wiser poet and child converge – in sun and shade...."

"canters from Gilgamesh and Homer to Mary Oliver and Les Murray in three hundred pages with a breezy sense of mission..."

"You've really never read a book quite like this one..."

"Published posthumously, the last of three Dante translations reveals Gray’s powers of insight and invention..."

"Atwood’s first poetry collection in over a decade is intimate..."

"Ann Pasternak Slater has written a partial account of the life of Vivien Eliot in which her famous husband’s behaviour is always tip-top..."

"[a] brave and affirming collection..."

"Rankine sketches her clearest vision of a just future..."

"A fierce and clear-eyed debut that finds a fresh way to explore humankind’s role in environmental chaos..."

"Instagram star Rupi Kaur has been savaged by critics in the past – but even fans will be disappointed by her new offering..."

"This largely faithful retelling of Trojan myth is genial enough, but has unsavoury aspects for the modern reader..."

"a fine anthology by any measure, especially a literary one..."

"In Grimoire, Robert Robertson mixes Scots, English and Gaelic to mesmerising effect..."

"From postwar London and empty afternoons to a perfect love affair, this masterly new collection is rich in beautiful phrases..."

"a rich and satisfying novel..."

"read slowly and absorb every detail of the world Knox conjures..."

"fantastic and colourful, but lacking depth..."

"Contemporary fantasy, at its best, is both escapist and urgent: this does both admirably..."

"the ride is stretch-limousine smooth and the evocation of the Hollywood Hills of the Seventies affecting..."

"What saves the book from being just a retread of rather familiar material is McDonnell’s blisteringly comic-caustic tone..."

"In a field thick with medieval despots and fairytale atmosphere, it stands out for its uniquely different and complex setting..."

"Weighty questions underlie the wackiness and misadventures of a temp’s 23 jobs and 18 boyfriends in this surreal fable..."

"a brilliantly varied assortment of tales..."

"By turns gripping and poignant, Hall of Smoke is a compelling debut..."

"Gong’s vivid Shanghai is a place to get enjoyably lost in..."

"Michel Faber’s fantasy novel is seamless and sure-footed throughout..."

"Susanna Clarke’s enchanting, extravagant fusion of magic and memory..."

"Human-sized bunnies roam Britain in a dystopian satire on middle-class complacency..."

"a harsh, improbable world that blends some of the tropes of young-adult fiction with both grim realism..."

"It’s sad and satisfying..."

"plenty of spark and impetus to make up for its not wholly original premise..."

"deliciously horrid horror..."

"her storytelling ability and sympathetic characterisation win the reader over..."

"To get a feel for The Loop, imagine if the TV series Stranger Things lost its sense of humour. ..."

"This eerie tale of twins in an apocalyptic commune conjures a rich dystopian spell..."

"this glorious doorstep of super-queer terror is presided over by the ghost of Shirley Jackson..."

"Four family tales about escape and revenge crackle with dark forces..."

"Death in Her Hands, like all Moshfegh’s novels, is a mystery, as well as a portrait of a broken mind...."

"one never tires of her cynicism and bleakness, even over 600 pages..."

"combines crime fiction with elements of gothic horror, set in and around a creepy village churchyard in Sussex..."

"Perhaps winning this year’s Goldsmiths Prize for innovation in fiction might bring the astonishing oeuvre of M John Harrison to a wider audience..."

"B Catling’s Munky might be called MR James with a soupcon of PG Wodehouse and a dash of Viz..."

" It is the most magical of books about the magic of books..."

"There are chills galore in this enjoyable 70s-set debut about disturbed teenagers and malevolent spirits..."

"represents one of King’s most obscure and impressive accomplishments..."

"The zombie-meister’s epic about a virus destroying human civilisation is everything you could have hoped for..."

"I’m not sure whether this is a case of very good or very unfortunate timing..."

"Jones is excellent at depicting the anxiety of Native Americans in contemporary society..."

"written with skill and a zealous intensity..."

"plenty of spark and impetus to make up for its not wholly original premise..."

"Devolution deftly incorporates “real-world” history..."

"It’s a grim ride, by turns moving and harrowing, and not for the faint-hearted...."

"Lebbon excels at portraying the phantasmagorical proliferation of nature within Eden..."

"In the space available to me here, I cannot hope to capture all that this extraordinarily generous and roomy book contains..."

"a book I began to think of as a classic even before I’d finished it..."

"If you like comics, and you’re also in need of some serious, escapist fun... I suggest that you dive straight into The Grande Odalisque..."

"This funny story of a student’s trip abroad with her new anarchist friend will resonate with anyone who has been a fresher..."

"Although some books on grief can be prescriptive and preachy, this one is neither..."

"the most astonishing blend of narrative, meta-narratives and visuals..."

"every page of this luscious collection is delightful..."

"He has an incredible ability to capture universal fears in a handful of minimal panels..."

"witty graphic novel unleashes hipster hell..."

"a powerful piece of work..."

"A funny, thought-provoking treat..."

"The idea of a graphic history of medicine seems almost an impertinence right now. ..."

"Year of the Rabbit movingly depicts the rising terror of the Khmer Rouge years...."

"South Korea’s reputation for comic art continues to blossom in this feline tale of feasts and filial duty..."

"this soapy, spiky book is a compelling read..."

"Funny, sweet and emotionally true, it doesn’t so much tiptoe on to fraught cultural territory as dance wildly across it..."

"Come for the consumer satire; stay for the heartache...."

"With her pithy put-downs and her easy way with half-truths, it’s impossible not to warm to Little Lulu..."

" a beloved genius of storytelling and illustration..."

"Rusty Brown is a human document of rare richness..."

"a restrained, poignant graphic novel..."

"This affecting account of family life features dreams of monsters, classroom japes – and a father hooked on heroin..."

"a huge year for the Wimpy Kid comes to a close with Greg's 14th adventure...."

"a masterpiece..."

" There is...real daring here, as well as empathy and imagination..."

"this flawless performance is captivating..."

"it certainly is a wild ride..."

"devilishly good..."

"Bear is a bizarre but strangely uplifting book about a woman’s quest for freedom..."

"Melissa Broder’s prose is witty..."

"Buchanan offers astute social observation..."

"A legendary recording is at the core of this metafictional novel set between St Petersburg and St Andrews..."

"a sweet romance that explores autism..."

"One admires Slimani's bravery in creating a deeply unsympathetic character ..."