Embers - Sandor Marais
After 40 years of waiting an Austro-Hungarian nobleman dines with his ex-best friend and talks over the events leading to their estrangement. Beautifully written, under-stated and very moving.
Old Filth - Jane Gardam
A novel about childhood, old-age and memory. A superb book, Jane Gardam's masterpiece.
The Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
Semi-autobiographical novel about a steam-boat captain travelling up the River Congo at the turn of the 20th century to collect ivory and bring home the crazed District Officer, Mr. Kurtz. Conrad witnessed the appalling excesses of the Belgian colonial admistration at first hand but his treatment is detached and ironic. An extraordinary book.
Word From Wormingford - Ronald Blythe
Lovingly describes a Parish year in a village on the Essex-Suffolk border. Blythe is a highly underated writer and this is his finest work.
A Landing on the Sun - Michael Frayn
A gentle satire of Civil Service life, an unusual love story and a mystery unravelled.
A Scientic Romance - Ronald Wright
A modern - and thoroughly convincincing - take on H.G. Wells 'The Time Machine'.
The City and the Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
A billion years into the future and mankind has retreated to the enclosed city world of Diaspar, the only remaining city on the planet. Living long and unchallenging lives the citizens of Diaspar have no interest in anything outside the city walls - except for one, who finds a way out and discovers far more about the nature of humanity than he expected. Classic sci-fi by one of the greatest sci-fi thinkers and writers.
Excession - Iain M. Banks
Big, bold and quite bonkers space epic set in the A.I. controlled civilzation that is The Culture. Forget the plot, just sit back and enjoy the ride...
The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward - H.P. Lovecraft
A
weird but very readable novella by the doyen of weird horror writers.
Black magic, antiquarianism, and alien gods all wrapped up in a very
convincing, very creepy story of obsession, demonic possession and
reincarnation. Lovecraft was more than a little crazy but when he put
his mind to it, he could write. And this is one of his best.
Collected Short Stories - Vladimir Nabokov
Arguably the finest short story writer of the 20th century.
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
I
first read this book when I was 10 years old and almost 50 years later
it's still one of my favourites. Ships, pirates and buried treasure -
does it get any better than that? Garrrrrrrrr... I don't think so, me
hearties.
Miss Smillas Feeling For Snow - Peter Hoeg
A
wonderful and most unusual crime thriller. Featuring the sassiest
heroine you are ever likely to meet, Miss Smilla investigates the death
of a neighbours child and attempts to keep her head above water in what
she regards as an alien culture.
The Emmigrants - W.G. Sebald.
A magnificent book about exile, alienation and memory by the supremely gifted - but tragically deceased - Sebald.