Books by M. John Harrison
“This mysterious, haunting novel is set in post-apocalyptic Britain after an alien invasion, where no-one knows what’s going on. It’s full of intriguing, counter-intuitive turns of phrase that upend our usual understanding of language and captures a general sense of confusion and loss, a deep melancholia and uncertainty about a viable future, that feels very true to contemporary England.” Read more...
The Best Novels of 2026: The Booker Prize Shortlist
Rebecca Liu, Journalist
“I think M. John Harrison is one of our best living writers. He’s underrated because he works in genre fiction. And this is the highest quality volume of stories he’s ever produced. They’re not explicitly about ghosts; they’re often just ideas – sometimes sketches, sometimes a paragraph, sometimes a page – which have this kernel of bitter humour and unknowability in them. Then in the midst of them there’s this almost-straight ghost story, ‘Animals,’ which is probably my favourite.” Read more...
Will Maclean, Novelist
Interviews where books by M. John Harrison were recommended
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1
'The Same Dog' in Cold Hand in Mine
by Robert Aickman -
2
'Home' in Dark Tales
by Shirley Jackson -
3
'Animals' in You Should Come With Me Now
by M. John Harrison -
4
'The Book' in The Virago Book of Ghost Stories
by Margaret Irwin -
5
'Blind Man's Buff' in The Oxford Book of 20th-Century Ghost Stories
by H. Russell Wakefield
The Best Ghost Stories, recommended by Will Maclean
The Best Ghost Stories, recommended by Will Maclean
If you love to get scared silly then we have reading recommendations for you. Will Maclean, author of the unsettling new novel The Apparition Phase, selects the best ghost stories, including writing from the queen of screams Shirley Jackson, and a four-page, pitch-black nightmare that might just be the perfect ghost story.
The Best Novels of 2026: The Booker Prize Shortlist, recommended by Rebecca Liu
Each year, judges for the Booker Prize whittle their longlist down to a five- or six-book shortlist for the title of the best new novel of the previous twelve months. This year, the finalists include two previous Booker winners– Douglas Stuart and Marlon James – and a previous shortlistee in Elizabeth Strout. We asked Rebecca Liu, 2026 judge and Guardian journalist, to talk us through the shortlisted novels.
