Andersen’s English
Through an encounter between Hans Christian Andersen and Dickens, Sebastian Barry's play explores the selfishness of genius, says Susannah Clapp
The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
Tim Adams is moved by a painful tale of postwar Sierra Leone
The Future History of the Arctic by Charles Emmerson; After the Ice by Alun Anderson; True North by Gavin Francis
The Arctic's future is vital to the human race, as a clutch of new books suggests, says Robin McKie
Mr Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomons
Natasha Solomons's debut novel is a subtle and moving portrait of the dilemma of identity faced by immigrants to Britain, says Edmund Gordon
Is God Still an Englishman? by Cole Moreton
An absorbing and witty examination of Britain's spiritual health finds a strong pulse in the body religious, despite the decline of traditional Christianity, writes Peter Stanford
The Big Short by Michael Lewis; The Devil’s Casino by Vicky Ward
Two superb books take a keen look at the players involved in the financial crisis, writes William Leith
The Selfish Society by Sue Gerhardt
Can the latest scientific thinking about child development help fix Britain's 'broken society'? asks Phil Hogan
Death and the Virgin: Elizabeth, Dudley and the Mysterious Fate of Amy Robsart by Chris Skidmore
There is much to admire in a fresh examination of an enduring conundrum says Sarah Gristwood
Popcorn: Fifty Years of Rock’n’Roll Movies by Garry Mulholland
This light-hearted riff on 100 rock'n'roll movies is at its best when not demanding to be taken seriously, says Sarfraz Manzoor
The World That Never Was by Alex Butterworth
Europe's early anarchists may have been ineffectual, but their spiritual descendants are still at work today, says Peter Preston
Defending the Guilty by Alex McBride
An attempt to shed light on the workings of the criminal justice system offers surprisingly little insight, says Gudrun Young
Debut fiction
A revenge fantasy, a little boy lost and an impressive first novel from an actress-turned-writer enthrall Mary Fitzgerald
Mortlock by Jon Mayhew
Told at a breakneck pace, Mortlock is a terrific horror story filled with demon aunts, the living dead and deaths aplenty, says Geraldine Brennan
Polar Bears; Spring Storm; Beyond the Horizon
Mark Haddon's first play about manic depression veers unevenly while a lost drama by Tennessee Williams achieves tragedy through comic writing
Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon
Comic books, crime fiction, ghost stories… In a series of essays, novelist Michael Chabon argues that entertainment should be the primary role of fiction, writes Olivia Laing