Sylvia Bishop

Sci fi dystopias are often, paradoxically, hopeful: they show oppressive systems, but they also show resistance. Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky picks out five titles that deserve more readers, ranging from near-futures to space operas, but all featuring complex humans responding to dire circumstances.

Mythological beings were ever-present in the world for ancient Egyptians. Author Garry J. Shaw introduces his five best books to get started, from guides to source texts to lavish illustrations. He tells us why the worst parts were never written down, where to look for ghosts and magical spells, why the north is less well understood than the south, and why life is less well understood than the elaborate rituals of death.

Stonehenge does not stand alone: it is surrounded by earlier monuments, it was built alongside a settlement and other sites, and it presides over graves and shrines from people who lived centuries and even millennia later. In modern history, it has inspired a Druidry movement, hosted a military airbase, drawn festival crowds and seen police brutality. Susan Greaney pulls out five books that tell the many stories of Stonehenge, the astonishing monument that continues to surprise us with each new excavation.

The Arthur C Clarke award highlights six outstanding science fiction books every year. This year’s field shows the breadth of contemporary science fiction, says chair of judges Andrew M. Butler. From antimemetics to royal rewilding, this year’s list offers something for everyone – and will be won, however the votes fall, by somebody who has never received the award before.

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.

Addiction is fundamentally a multi-faceted phenomenon, says addiction psychiatrist and author Carl Erik Fisher. He recommends five books that shine light on different aspects of addiction, and talks to us about how society repeats itself – but how, at the community and individual level, there is wisdom and hope.

Overthinking might present as rumination about the past or worry about the future, and it comes in many different guises. But, as Dr Jessamy Hibberd explains, it’s dangerous in any form – inhibiting our problem-solving, trapping our mood, and causing mental and physical health problems. She talks us through five books for overthinkers, from classic research to books on compassion, mindfulness and acceptance.

Fairies have long stood for the numinous other, and since the twentieth century authors have put fairy tradition to a variety of uses. Award-winning author Jo Walton introduces us to five landmark stories of fairies – wide-ranging in setting and themes, but always at once alluring and discomfiting.

Epic fantasies offer rich worlds and stories to get lost inside. Multi-million bestseller Christopher Paolini recommends five key examples of the genre, each offering something different – their own guiding philosophy, their own delight in language, and their own ‘wonkiness’ that makes them memorable and meaningful.

Cosmic horror explores the sublime, and so has the power to terrify and exhilarate us, says horror writer John Langan. He takes us through forests, cities, sewers and even beach holidays, introducing five books that will confront you with the unknown – and the unknowable.