I’ll Be the Monster by Sean Gilbert review – are they fantasists or psychopaths?
The dark past of a seemingly perfect couple is gradually revealed in this observant debut of obsession and control
Old Songs by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns review – ancient tales of murder, maidens and magic
These interconnected short stories of love and death, inspired by traditional ballads from the British Isles, are narrated with immediacy and warmth
Bird Deity by John Morrissey review – darkly satirical science fiction about the cost of empire
In his debut novel, the Kalkadoon writer uses the cosmic distance of an alien planet to illuminate our own
Trip to the Moon by John Yorke review – a storytelling handbook in dire need of an edit
A producer shares his tips for tight storylines, but they’re marred by verbal incontinence and hyperbole
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara review – into Tibet’s ‘Forbidden Kingdom’
The follow-up to Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line explores the history of colonial exploration through a perilous 19th-century odyssey
Peter Ransley obituary
Screenwriter and novelist who co-founded a charity to support those affected by avoidable harm in healthcare
The Disappearing Act by Maria Stepanova review – a poetic exploration of Russian guilt
Written from exile after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this autofictional blend of memory and fable tracks a changing sense of self
Our Better Natures by Sophie Ward review – reimagining Andrea Dworkin
Three women, two real and one fictional, seek social justice in an ambitious novel that explores power in 1970s America
More heartache than Hamnet?: Maggie O’Farrell’s best books – ranked!
As her Women’s prize-winning novel heads to the Oscars, we rate the author’s best work – from tales of new motherhood to a life-affirming memoir of mortality
Frogs for Watchdogs by Seán Farrell review – about a boy
A charming child’s-eye view of rural Ireland
‘There’s only one bed’, ‘fake dating’ and ‘opposites attract’: how tropes took over romance
They’re all over blurbs and social media, but do these bite-size labels lead to formulaic fiction? Plus the classics reimagined for a modern reader
The bristling wit and melancholy of Cees Nooteboom came to me when I needed it most
The great Dutch travel writer, who died this week, found history inscribed in every place he visited, all while remaining accountable to the present
Good People by Patmeena Sabit review – addictive mystery caters to modern attention spans
Who killed Zorah? Snippets of gossip expose the divisions in a migrant community in this polyphonic portrait of contemporary America
Soft Serve by George Kemp review – moving coming-of-age debut set in a regional McDonald’s
Climate carnage is a metaphor for the pain of loss, as an encroaching bushfire traps four people under the golden arches
From Brontë to Ballard, Orwell to Okri: the best songs inspired by literature – ranked!
As Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights gets a boost from a new film adaptation, we survey the surprising, seditious and sensual ways in which prose has influenced pop