James Bond nightclubs, vodka, aftershave: 007 writer on the spy’s future with Amazon
As the Bond franchise heads to the online giant, thriller author William Boyd foresees a slew of spin-offs and says AI is not a threat to human screenwriters
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser review – art v reality
The award-winning Australian’s deconstruction of the novel form is a rich pleasure
James by Percival Everett audiobook review – reimagining Huckleberry Finn
Dominic Hoffman narrates this satirical, Booker-nominated reworking of the children’s classic, written from the perspective of the enslaved Jim
Andrey Kurkov: ‘At 17, I got my hands on an illegal copy of The Gulag Archipelago’
The Ukrainian author on the joys of Jack London, cracking Hermann Hesse, and the soldier’s tale he can no longer reread
Dark Like Under by Alice Chadwick review – teenage kicks
This 1980s-set debut novel takes place over 24 hours as the ripple effects of a teacher’s death are explored
Carrion Crow by Heather Parry review – body horror with historical bite
The ‘mad woman in the attic’ is an archetypal force to be reckoned with in this gothic tale of metamorphosis
Gene Hackman and pianist wife Betsy Arakawa found dead at home alongside one of their dogs
The Oscar-winning star of The French Connection, The Conversation, Superman and The Poseidon Adventure has died, along with his classical musician wife
Jennifer Johnston, celebrated Irish novelist and playwright, dies aged 95
Once lauded ‘the best writer in Ireland’, Johnston began publishing in her 40s and was Booker-shortlisted for her 1977 novel set during the Troubles, Shadows on Our Skin
Don’t Make Me Laugh by Julia Raeside review – more monstrous men
The relationship between a predatory male comedian and a female producer rings true in this darkly funny debut
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie review – a tale of four women
The Nigerian-American author returns with an astute and moving exploration of female experience
Deviants by Santanu Bhattacharya; The South by Tash Aw review – love under the eye of the law
Two contrasting but equally impressive Asia-set coming-of-age novels explore gay teenagers navigating their nascent sexuality against the backdrop of personal and political upheavals
In brief: My Favourite Mistake; Homeseeking; The Meteorites: Encounters With Outer Space and Deep Time – review
Marian Keyes’s engaging tale of fresh starts and old flames; a kaleidoscopic family drama spanning six decades; and an absorbing study of ancient rocks from space
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser review – shame, desire and the ghost of Virginia Woolf
A vivid outback tale, an anguished 80s love triangle and real life are cleverly held in play in the Australian novelist’s inventive memoir-novel-essay hybrid
The Violet Hour by James Cahill review – soapy and satisfying art-world yarn
Artists, gallerists and collectors vie for power in a rollicking mystery that pokes fun while also examining desire and regret
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld review – sharp stories about the pleasure and pain of nostalgia
In the American writer’s wry, understated second short story collection, the past comes back to jolt her largely middle-aged characters