The Best Fiction Books

Marcel Proust's 3000-page masterpiece In Search of Lost Time might intimidate, but it also enthrals, argues Joshua Landy, Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. We asked him to introduce us to the most rewarding of the seven volumes that make up this classic novel, as a helpful guide for the general reader.

A short novel can be the perfect way to occupy the mind during an empty evening or a long journey. One can also appreciate a well-written book's true complexity when it can be read and digested in a single, immersive sitting. Here, we've pulled together a list of short literary novels—most of them fewer than 200 pages in length—that have been recommended on Five Books over the years.

If you like your novels long, Spanish literature has some gems to lose yourself in. Richard Village, translator and publisher of Spanish Beauty, recommends five of his favourites, from the chaos of 17th-century Spain to the traumas of the 20th century, and also including a classic detective novel.

Stephen King—widely dubbed "the king of horror"—has published dozens of books since Carrie, his 1974 debut. We asked Hans-Åke Lilja, who has run a website devoted to King's output for decades, to recommend five of the best Stephen King novels, offering new readers a place to start.

From The Lord of the Rings to A Game of Thrones and Marvel’s Thor, the Old Norse myths still resonate. Oxford academic Carolyne Larrington introduces her favourite Norse mythology books, and explains how the powerful old stories increasingly inspire modern retellings.

Quick Reads, published every year by the Reading Agency, are short books designed to help struggling readers, particularly those who find a longer text challenging. The books are often written by bestselling authors and are designed to encourage reading for pleasure.

If you're planning a trip to the City of Lights—or in the mood for a bit of armchair travel—then you might like to get yourself in the mood by picking up a novel set in Paris. From the Francophone masterpieces of Victor Hugo to more modern classics by Hemingway and Mantel, you're sure to find a book to suit your tastes among our expert recommendations.

There's nothing in modern works of fiction that wasn't already there in the great novels of the 18th century, argues Sophie Gee, a professor of English at Princeton University and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She talks us through five of her favourites, from the irrepressible Moll Flanders to the melancholic beauty of Sense and Sensibility.

Every year, the £50,000 Booker Prize is awarded to a work of fiction newly published in English. We spoke to the composer Nitin Sawhney, one of this year's judges, about their search for a shortlist, and why these six books—including the winning title, Samantha Harvey's space station novel Orbital—are the best novels of 2024.

Mythological retellings bring us stories with timeless resonance, viewed through the lens of modern concerns, explains Francesca Simon. The bestselling author tells us about her five favourite retellings, and introduces her first adult novel and the rich world of folklore and legend that inspires it.