Fiction
An actor’s story is a late career marvel
Cleverness is a virtue in itself but is never sterile or without purpose
Foul play
David Peace’s new novel is about much more than football
Iain Banks: a double life
His disturbing debut, The Wasp Factory, is being reissued this year
Rosemary Sutcliff
A writer of genius, capable of conveying the feelings and lives of those who lived in the distant past
A “lost” novel better left unfound
We’re a long way from touchstones One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera
Murders for April
April is the cruellest month, breeding detective fiction out of the dry land
Three novelists pushing the bloat out
Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld — without universal success
You can’t judge a book by its cover
All novels should be like this: stripped of the necessary but boring connective tissue
Murders for the New Year
From Oxford to Italy, the murders continue in 2024
Satire, sci-fi and a sting in the tale
It’s time for our annual guide to the best new fiction of the year
There is more to ethics than “#BeKind”
It is not cruel to fear the consequences of legalising assisted dying
Why Twitter needs the libs
Strange as it sounds, we will miss them if they go
Eric Fogey
Dr Fogey genuinely does believe that virtually every enlightened measure of the past 200 years was a mistake
Action Tom
Can Tom Tugendhat MP resolve his vibes problem?
Oasis: the good boys of rock and roll
For guitar bands since punk, there’s been a tension between credibility and success
Back in the arena
If you liked Gladiator, you’ll like Gladiator II
Is the law going coconuts?
The acquittal of a pro-Palestine protestor on free speech grounds should not be a one-off
More than just noise
Berg, Schoenberg, Webern: Piano works (Warner)
Ozi the Orangutan is no Winnie-the-Pooh
A misguided attack on palm oil production is enough to make you facepalm
The Democratic Party deserves Donald Trump
Its arrogance and complacency have been exposed
The effects of Brexit are still being misreported
A new paper has received a lot of attention — all of it undeserved
