The 18^th century, an age of naval powers and expanding colonial empires, was marked by dramatic uprisings, revolutions and technological breakthroughs. We asked Francesca de Tores, author of Saltblood and Cast Away, to recommend five brilliant historical novels set in the 1700s—and how she balances factual accuracy with the demands of fiction.

Every year, members of the World Science Fiction Society vote on the best novel of the year across fantasy and science fiction. We asked our fantasy and sci fi editor Sylvia Bishop to give us a round-up of the 2026 finalists. This year’s list features award-winning names, and spans the breadth of the genre: from murder mysteries to literary fiction, from medieval knights to alien contact - this is a year of variety.

Governments that default on their debts don’t simply shut down. They still have to run schools, pay public servants, and keep the state functioning, all while battling with creditors and financial markets. Sovereign default is messy, political, and hugely consequential. Here Gregory Makoff recommends the best books for understanding how it works.

The Women's Prize was set up to highlight the very best of women's writing, whatever their subject matter. We spoke to Salma El-Wardany, one of this year's judges, about this year's winner—Virginia Evan's heartwarming epistolary novel The Correspondent—plus the five books that made it onto their fiction shortlist, all skillfully told novels that should appeal to a wide audience.

Environmental history is the study of the relationship between society and the natural world—both in terms of human impacts on the environment, and the constraints placed upon cultures by the landscapes they live in. Here, John R. McNeill, a pioneer of the field, recommends five of the best environmental history books with ambition, engaging prose, and heft.

With hindsight, it seems inevitable that the Allies would eventually defeat the Axis powers in World War II, but at the time it seemed anything but. Tim Bouverie, author of the prize-winning Allies at War: The Politics of Defeating Hitler, talks us through some of the best nonfiction books about the war and the alliances that led to Allied victory.

Many classic fantasies revolve around mythical creatures – slaying them, bonding with them, or even transforming into them. Bestselling author Katherine Arden talks us through her five favourites, from childhood classics to modern innovations, and the rich worlds these legendary creatures open up.

The best biographies combine original research with accessible writing and a strong narrative drive, explains the historian Roy Foster, chair of the judges for the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography. Here, he introduces us to the five "extraordinarily accomplished" books on their 2026 shortlist, including a reassessment of Austrian empress Maria Theresa and a portrait of the molecular biologist Francis Crick in the swinging 1960s.

The Nebula Awards finalists for best novel are an annual must for fantasy and sci fi fans. We asked our fantasy and sci fi editor Sylvia Bishop to give us a round-up of the seven titles in the running - a particularly hot contest this year, packed with award-winning names and fresh ideas. The winner will be announced on June 6th.

"Politics, in its widest sense, courses through all these books. The eight finalists...have thought long and hard about abortion, contraception, gay rights, geopolitics, corruption, religious dogma, regulating technology and treating mental illness. Though these books are all quite different, they are united in showing how much a life of political engagement is a life of purpose and connection with humanity," says Fiammetta Rocca, chair of the judging panel of this year's Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.