11,630 book reviews and counting...

"A bewitching read, but be prepared for the story to darken..."

"Uplifting and relatable..."

"A bold read..."

"Tremain has long been one of our most accomplished novelists, and here is further confirmation...."

"This is Dickens in the present tense, Dickens for the 21st century...."

"Cleeves’s Northumberland novels are strong on atmosphere, combining old-fashioned detective work with a modern take on class..."

"Bullock’s story is sometimes confusing, but the voice she gives to Norris ... is a haunting one...."

"the pleasures here lie not in caring, but in an appreciation of Cline’s skilful and absorbing craft..."

"Hamza and his slow deliverance from his demons ... remain in the memory..."

"Just Like You is readable, and shot through with Hornby’s deft comic touch..."

"(a) magnificent addition to the Strike novels..."

"this is a detailed examination of a toxic marriage as well as an absorbing mystery..."

"The novelist’s musings on his life, art and loved ones are humorous, grumpy and utterly compelling on grief..."

"one wishes for greater darkness in the telling..."

"The line between obsession and addiction is as thin as rolling paper. ..."

"(a) dazzling fable about loneliness, imagination and memory..."

"This surreal, eviscerating work of fiction lays bare the drudgery of suburban marriage and delves into institutionalised gender roles..."

"Mandel grounds her interrogation of reality in tangible modernities..."

"Beautifully observed and full of swipes at the inhabitant of the White House, it is hugely entertaining...."

"Distinguished by their literary ambition and impeccably realised sense of place..."

"There are remarkable things in this book, often revealed by close, slow reading..."

"a striking portrait of contemporary working-class womanhood..."

"Kunzru is a consummate storyteller..."

"this is a detailed examination of a toxic marriage as well as an absorbing mystery..."

"The Nazis’ V2 rocket programme is seen through the eyes of a conflicted German and a female air force office in a familiar but absorbing thriller..."

"there are terrible discoveries in this clever, subtle novel..."

"Beautifully observed and full of swipes at the inhabitant of the White House, it is hugely entertaining...."

"Dark secrets lurk on every page of Foley's best-selling thriller,..."

"No Harry Hole this time, but still a sombre delight...."

"Kunzru is a consummate storyteller..."

"one of those books that explodes out of nowhere and takes the field by storm..."

"As homage, the stories are entertaining enough, and at times capture the deadpan surreality of the early 20th-century whodunnit..."

"an excellent example of the prophetic nature of speculative fiction..."

"Nicci French... has created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha..."

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

"An insightful look at the realities of motherhood and work, and competitive parenting, this is gratifyingly sinister...."

"Death in Her Hands presents yet another abhorrent character – written with wit and intrigue, and sometimes a little too much knowingness..."

"Chilling and twisted..."

"A dark and compulsive read..."

"Perfectly paced, the twists and turns are executed with precision..."

"Terrifying and heartfelt..."

"I had no idea where it was headed..."

"a clever, quirky mystery, full of twists, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best..."

"The Englishman is a cracking, finely crafted thriller...."

"A bewitching read, but be prepared for the story to darken..."

"A delightful and respectful tribute..."

"This impressive debut builds superbly, with plenty of twists and turns..."

"The Swedish novelist transports readers to a setting as remote as Australia’s wide open spaces..."

"there are terrible discoveries in this clever, subtle novel..."

"a novel that chillingly evokes the horror of living under a brutal occupation..."

"Cleeves’s Northumberland novels are strong on atmosphere, combining old-fashioned detective work with a modern take on class..."

"(a) magnificent addition to the Strike novels..."

"Mandel grounds her interrogation of reality in tangible modernities..."

"Beautifully observed and full of swipes at the inhabitant of the White House, it is hugely entertaining...."

"Dark secrets lurk on every page of Foley's best-selling thriller,..."

"Distinguished by their literary ambition and impeccably realised sense of place..."

"Kutscher’s portrayal of the ambience and moral compromises of the time is convincingly if lightly evoked..."

"No Harry Hole this time, but still a sombre delight...."

"Persis Wadia — India’s first female police detective — is clearly here to stay...."

"a rather beguiling piece of work..."

"one of those books that explodes out of nowhere and takes the field by storm..."

"As homage, the stories are entertaining enough, and at times capture the deadpan surreality of the early 20th-century whodunnit..."

"an excellent example of the prophetic nature of speculative fiction..."

"Nicci French... has created a gem of a protagonist in Tabitha..."

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

"this thriller is bucketloads of creepy fun..."

"Darkly funny, packed with action and, for all its violence, brimming with warmth..."

"A dark and compulsive read..."

"Chilling and twisted..."

"Like the sea dweller of its title, Tess Little’s debut novel is a multi-limbed creature, befuddling at times, which camouflages its true form until ready to reveal itself...."

"A carefully nuanced complex story...."

"Tremain has long been one of our most accomplished novelists, and here is further confirmation...."

"The Swedish novelist transports readers to a setting as remote as Australia’s wide open spaces..."

"Bullock’s story is sometimes confusing, but the voice she gives to Norris ... is a haunting one...."

"Hamza and his slow deliverance from his demons ... remain in the memory..."

"Now in his mid-eighties, Keneally continues to create immensely readable fiction that reimagines the history of his native Australia..."

"Dramatic and highly evocative..."

"intriguing fictionalisation of real-life events..."

"In the third remarkable instalment of a young islander’s story, questions are asked about memory, belonging and guilt..."

"a terrifying depiction of peril at sea..."

"An imaginative depiction of a relationship forged in the earliest days of the Australian colony..."

" gripping, tender and perfectly formed..."

"The set-pieces are solidly done...."

"Fans of the series who have waited four years for Tom’s return are in for a treat..."

"Crummey does a powerfully unsettling job..."

"An original and spirited novel...."

"A Saint from Texas makes explicit what was once only hinted at, namely how potent an influence religion has been on the imagination of the quintessential gay writer of our time..."

"incredibly consuming and beautifully written..."

"her portrait of Eleanor is a compelling one..."

"Haynes offers a fresh perspective on the story of the Trojan war..."

"Uplifting and relatable..."

"A bold read..."

"A carefully nuanced complex story...."

"Just Like You is readable, and shot through with Hornby’s deft comic touch..."

"Bullock’s story is sometimes confusing, but the voice she gives to Norris ... is a haunting one...."

"Hamza and his slow deliverance from his demons ... remain in the memory..."

"Mandel grounds her interrogation of reality in tangible modernities..."

"This love story has everything we want from a classic romcom..."

"The quality of writing and the book's message of hope makes this difficult journey worthwhile..."

"A beautiful evocative read..."

"[a] fabulous and funny story..."

"a clever, quirky mystery, full of twists, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best..."

"Compassionate portrayal of grief..."

" gripping, tender and perfectly formed..."

"An original and spirited novel...."

"Intoxicating stuff..."

"In a series of lyrical short chapters Guo reflects on isolation, misunderstandings and the search for home..."

"full of beautiful prose, powerful metaphors and astute observations..."

"Straub’s book is one of those smartly observant, wryly witty, big-hearted literary-commercial American novels ..."

"for all Salam’s talent for place and description, this novel left me feeling flat..."

"Emma Gannon’s smart debut novel looks at the decision to be childfree..."

"a rarity in American fiction..."

"A carefully nuanced complex story...."

"Hamza and his slow deliverance from his demons ... remain in the memory..."

"Bullock’s story is sometimes confusing, but the voice she gives to Norris ... is a haunting one...."

"Kunzru is a consummate storyteller..."

"V for Victory is suffused with Evans’s trademark blend of wit and pathos...."

"Underdogs: Tooth and Nail is an admirably unusual book, and one that serves real purpose..."

"strangely, desperately moving..."

"The Englishman is a cracking, finely crafted thriller...."

"In the third remarkable instalment of a young islander’s story, questions are asked about memory, belonging and guilt..."

"the jigsaw of information forms a shocking picture..."

"ohnson excels at contrasting lives of privilege and poverty..."

"emotionally gripping..."

"a cat-and-mouse game played by well-matched enemies..."

"The publisher is pitching this as similar to the books of Robert Harris, but this is a more straightforward action thriller..."

"a disturbing psychological thriller ..."

"This tense novella builds to a final reckoning..."

"...witty, thoughtful medieval tales..."

"a moving tale of a family destroyed by war..."

"Smith combines the excitement of a medical thriller à la Michael Crichton with sensitive characterisation and social insight..."

"The experiences of Highland soldiers in the Second Boer War form the backbone of Angus MacDonald’s evocative saga..."

"demonstrates a broadening out of his ambition..."

"(a) powerful and poignant lament to those rendered invisible in the past..."

"Cooper offers no trite conclusions, just a welcome thoughtfulness at a time of so much noise and fury over statues..."

"... very readable; the plot races along, with plenty of surprises and red herrings...."

"Kane deftly draws a portrait of the charismatic and ruthless Richard..."

"(a) dark, disturbing novel..."

"an excellent example of the prophetic nature of speculative fiction..."

"Underdogs: Tooth and Nail is an admirably unusual book, and one that serves real purpose..."

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

"Two Tribes holds up a mirror to our fractured times..."

"Emotionally complex and intellectually satisfying..."

"liberty and creative endeavour are compromised by political and socioeconomic reality..."

"ohnson excels at contrasting lives of privilege and poverty..."

"emotionally gripping..."

"a feminist space opera..."

"low on incident but richly textured..."

"Touching on issues of prejudice and xenophobia along the way, Axiom’s End is the engaging first volume of a projected series...."

"the only novel I have ever read that made my ears tingle..."

"What killed the dinosaurs? Cixin Liu blames their intelligence..."

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

"Silicon Valley biochemist Stivers writes with a calm, technical authority..."

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

"it is structurally elegant, with entire sections made up of whole sentences, then a break..."

"a high-octane, galaxy-spanning cyberpunk military space opera with an original premise and a breakneck plot that never lets up..."

"Johnston manages to make the world of “runtime executables” and “rootkits” thrilling — no mean feat..."

"Providence is such a blast you almost overlook just how clever it is. ..."

"Told in an enchanting, confessional first-person..."

"In a leisurely, discursive narrative Hao spins a fascinating and even-handed examination of two very different possible futures..."

"a spirited space opera that combines all the required ingredients of the subgenre..."

"subtle and stomach-churning, anticlimactic and eerily satisfying..."

"McAuley is a damnably odd writer..."

"Read each exacting page as closely as a poem, and it will read you..."

"Raw, emotional and wistful..."

"These ardent poems will delight and disappoint..."

"intimate, electric and defiant..."

"A fascinating act of cartography..."

"The Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford may be 86 but he writes with the zingy verve of a teenager..."

"moving, witty and agile..."

" shows great sensitivity to language and detail and is at its witty best on domestic matters..."

"both challenging and rewarding..."

"James’s slim but dazzling collection shows that poetry can be the antidote to the numbness many of us feel..."

"We learn from him that memory cannot authenticate, or sustain, an identity: it can only call it into question..."

"His work has a lovely shapeliness..."

"The letters are worth reading not merely for what they tell us about Hardwick and Lowell but also because they are the direct source of many of the poems in Lowell’s book The Dolphin,..."

"rich, masked musings on midlife crisis..."

"Paul Muldoon’s ability to sing with feeling ... deserves the highest praise..."

"what a joy to read and re-read..."

" It is a compliment to its power that I longed to break free..."

"Bird’s poetry is so consistently, effortlessly fun..."

"Nature does not go out of fashion and we need poetry of this quality more than ever..."

"It’s a thrilling hint at things to come...."

" It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end to read a poet engaging so directly with how her language came to be hers..."

"forensic reflections as fiction laureate..."

"this new book brings her back to us..."

"There is writing of a glancing brilliance here, and an emotional and sensory acuity well matched to the terrain..."

"(a) dazzling fable about loneliness, imagination and memory..."

"one wishes for greater darkness in the telling..."

"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..."

"entrancing..."

"A great option if you’re a lover of fantasy and mythology..."

"(an) impressive and highly ambitious epic fantasy debut..."

"Teintze excels at building a fantasy world governed by an original system of magic, and thrills the reader with an enjoyable, breakneck plot...."

"Running through all of The City We Became is Jemisin’s fizzing, vivid energy..."

"Nyquist has to stick to the rules to win the game. ..."

" you might find this offbeat ghost story haunting or even poetic ..."

"It’s safe to say the intent is as much ironic as iconoclastic..."

"super-readable..."

"MacInnes’s intriguing second novel deserves to cement his reputation as a bold and curious writer...."

"Natasha Pulley’s novel is full of paranormal mystery, but it’s the characters — including a clockwork octopus — that keep you reading..."

"To spin a speculative novel out of erotica is a hell of an undertaking, and Szpara carries it off..."

"Highfire is deliciously funny at times. In a sea of forgettable modern fantasy titles, it offers moments of genuine originality..."

"What shines through is the author’s unbridled passion for classic literature, particularly its brooding anti-heroes..."

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

"Death in Her Hands presents yet another abhorrent character – written with wit and intrigue, and sometimes a little too much knowingness..."

"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..."

"Nyquist has to stick to the rules to win the game. ..."

"a balm to the soul in these restricted times and her complicated mystery a welcome diversion from reality..."

" you might find this offbeat ghost story haunting or even poetic ..."

"a stodgy read, by no means as compelling as its predecessor..."

"Pine wraps folk-horror trappings around a tale of grief and loneliness set in the Scottish Highlands..."

"As desire turns to aversion, details that at first seemed inconsequential take on a menacing significance..."

"This twisted gothic novel is a winner..."

"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..."

"a sweet romance that explores autism..."

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