The Best Fiction Books
Last updated: October 12, 2025
The Best Solarpunk Books, recommended by Sarena Ulibarri
Solarpunk fiction is a form of climate fiction, but by focusing on the changes we could make, it can move us past climate anxiety, says author and editor Sarena Ulibarri. She introduces us to five favourites: ranging from near-future to far-future, they present a collection of thought experiments in the ways humanity might yet choose to live.
The Best 19th-Century Books
The 19th century was a golden age for books, with the flourishing of great realist novels, as well as epic adventure stories and what would turn out to be distinct genres, including sci-fi, horror, and mystery. It was also an important time for the history of ideas, with the publication of key books that would change the world, and how we view it, forever.
The Best Thomas Hardy Books, recommended by Mark Chutter
Thomas Hardy, author of many classic novels including Tess of the d’Ubervilles and Far From the Madding Crowd, is best known for his books that explore the social mores and class divides of rural life in 19th-century England. Here, Mark Chutter—chair of the Thomas Hardy Society—talks us through five key texts by Hardy, and explains why they have stood the test of time.
Five Contemporary Chinese Fiction Books, published by Sinoist Books
China has long fascinated Western imagination. A country once seen as a distant empire, so culturally and geographically far from what we’re used to, is now more accessible than ever before. From the Opium Wars to open markets, our understanding of this country has continuously evolved over the years, fueled by fascination, uncertainty and exoticism.
The Best Post-Apocalyptic Novels
Do you take perverse pleasure in reading about the end of the world as we know it? Us too. Here, we’ve gathered together a selection of the best post-apocalyptic novels ever to appear on Five Books to help you choose your next horrifying, exhilarating literary parlay into armageddon.
The Best Hades and Persephone Retellings, recommended by Melinda Salisbury
The Greek myth of Persephone and Hades has inspired numerous retellings. Bestselling author Melinda Salisbury introduces five books that feature these two beloved characters in all their complexity: stories that explore the peculiar predicament of Persephone, and the strange but powerful allure of the King of the Dead.
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1
Grendel
by John C. Gardner -
2
Three Kingdoms: A Historical Novel
by Luo Guanzhong & Moss Roberts (translator) -
3
The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma
translated by Melanie Magidow -
4
Grettir's Saga
by Jesse Byock (translator) -
5
The Kushnameh: The Persian Epic of Kush the Tusked
by Iranshah ibn Abu'l-Khayr & translated by Kaveh L. Hemmat
Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling, recommended by Tuva Kahrs
Five Timeless Books Rooted in Oral Storytelling, recommended by Tuva Kahrs
Long before we published books, tales were told around the campfire, or recited by a professional one episode at a time. So why not go straight to the wellspring of literature, and read stories so good they have been told and re-told for centuries? Here, Five Books contributing editor Tuva Kahrs recommends timeless books that began life in oral storytelling traditions from around the world, whose themes have resonated through the ages.
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1
The Real Story of Ah-Q
by Lu Xun & translated by Julia Lovell -
2
Fortress Besieged
by Qian Zhongshu & translated by Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao -
3
Red Sorghum
by Mo Yan & translated by Howard Goldblatt -
4
To Live
Yu Hua, translated by Michael Berry -
5
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie & translated by Ina Rilke
The Best 20th Century Chinese Fiction, recommended by Lijia Zhang
The Best 20th Century Chinese Fiction, recommended by Lijia Zhang
While rooted in specific Chinese contexts, these books transcend cultural boundaries and speak to universal questions about dignity, freedom, identity, and the longing to be seen, says novelist and writer Lijia Zhang. She talks us through five of the best works of fiction to come out of mainland China in the twentieth century.
The Best Weird Fiction Books, recommended by Michael Cisco
Weird fiction uses the supernatural to throw all our experience into doubt, says author and academic Michael Cisco. He introduces us to five favourites, featuring everything from ghosts to fairies to cults – all subtly constructed, infused with real human feeling, and calculated to perturb.
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1
Whale
by Cheon Myeong-kwan & translated by Chi-Young Kim -
2
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster
by Mirinae Lee -
3
Concerning My Daughter
by Kim Hye-jin & translated by Jamie Chang -
4
Love in the Big City
by Sang Young Park & translated by Anton Hur -
5
The Plotters
Un-Su Kim, translated by Sora Kim-Russell
Five of the Best 21st Century Korean Novels, recommended by Kim Ho-Yeon
Five of the Best 21st Century Korean Novels, recommended by Kim Ho-Yeon
From K-pop bands to webtoons, from award-winning cinema to blockbuster dramas such as Squid Game, Korean culture has taken the world by storm in recent years. But how about Korean literature? We asked Kim Ho-Yeon, author of bestselling novel The Second Chance Convenience Store, to introduce us to five unmissable 21st-century Korean novels.