Contemporary Fiction

Roger Ellory is a bestselling author whose recommendations include Annie Proulx, Stephen King and Truman Capote. There are, he says, no rules to great writing

2010 Man Booker Judge selects Tom Connolly’s The Spider Truces and Amy Sackville’s The Still Point among her five choices; she says they are "old-fashioned books" about the way in which our families define us

British novelist James Miller recommends his choice of the best apocalyptic novels. See Also: Post Apocalyptic Books

Every year, the Booker Prize judges whittle a year's worth of fiction down to a shortlist of six books, each competing for the title of the best novel of the year. Margaret Busby, chair of this year's judging panel, discusses the six books that made the cut in 2020. See the Booker Prize shortlist 2024.

Historical fiction is experiencing something of a golden age at present: there's never been a better time to immerse oneself in the past. The acclaimed novelist Katharine Grant—chair of the judges for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction—talks us through their 2020 shortlist.