By any other name …

Here at the Vulture, we raised a collective eyebrow on hearing the intriguing news that John Banville, surprise winner of this year's Booker, has decided to turn his hand to thriller writing - under the pen name Benjamin Black. Seems that someone - his publisher, perhaps? - has forgotten to explain to Banville that Booker winners are supposed to make the most of their new-found fame - but we say, good luck to him. He's obviously resisting the temptation to take himself too seriously - and by branching out into genre fiction, he'll no doubt reach a far wider audience than the largely academic crowd that currently appreciate him. Wonder how he chose his pseudonym? Read the story in full here.

‘I do give a damn’

After years of writing superior spy thrillers, author David Cornwell, aka John Le Carré, has evolved into an impassioned political commentator. The film of his novel The Constant Gardener - which opens this year's London film festival - is a searing indictment of Britain's recent record in Africa. In a rare interview, he talks to Stuart Jeffries about his 'radical period'.

Novel take on global warming

Jamie Wilson: In Michael Crichton's latest novel, State of Fear, the hero is a scientist who discovers that climate change is all a fraud. It was still something of a shock, though, to find Crichton testifying as an expert witness on global warming in front of the US Senate.

In brief: Sienna gets Factory job

Plus: Samuel L Jackson signs for Manga adaptation Afrosamurai; Richard Gere to star in sex offender thriller; 60s British comedy set for remake with Billy Bob Thornton.

Da Vinci author sweeps the board

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, in which Jesus Christ allegedly behaves like a character in EastEnders, swept away with the WH Smith book of the year title at the British Book Awards ceremony in London, beating bestsellers by Michael Palin, Bill Bryson, Mark Haddon and Bob Dylan.

Spooks on Stella

Former MI5 boss Stella Rimington publishes her first spy thriller next month. So does it shed new light on the murky world of espionage? We asked a few secret service experts to review it.

Absolute Friends by John le Carré

Who is this Ted Mundy scratching out a living as a tour guide in one of Mad King Ludwig's castles? See how he peppers his spiel with asides about Bush and Blair's imperialist war. He waits till the room empties before examining the note. What can Sasha want?

The Guardian profile: John le Carré

He is best known for his cold war thrillers in which the villains were KGB spymasters, but in his latest book the master of the spy novel hits out at the neo-conservatives behind the invasion of Iraq.