Arguably all works of fiction are also works of the imagination, but some books just seem more, well, imaginative than others. The authors in this category create dreamscapes, fantastical lands, magical realist sagas, and sci-fi thrill rides, transporting us while also grounding us in a vision of life that somehow seems truer for how unreal it is.
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Black Leopard, Red Wolf
By Marlon James
Welcome to the first installment of Marlon James’s Dark Star trilogy! If you or a loved one is a fan of Marvel, this is the book for you. The story is of Tracker, a famous hunter, charged with the task of finding a boy who has been missing for three years. Tracker usually works alone, but for this mission, he enlists the help of a ragtag crew. Together, they explore ancient cities and deep forests in search of the child. James takes inspiration from African mythology and history. Fans of Helen Oyeyemi and N.K Jeminsin will love this page-turning read!
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Dead Astronauts
By Jeff Vandermeer
Award winning author Jeff Vandermeer pens possibly his best novel yet, an apocalyptic science fiction story set in a nameless City in the shadow of an all powerful Company. As beautifully written as it is horrific, you will not be able to put it down.
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Ducks, Newburyport
By Lucy Ellmann
You’ve heard that it’s an indundation of facts, you’ve seen that it’s quite long, but have you heard about the people weeping through the last fifteen pages? Stylistically brilliant, Ellmann’s Booker-finalist novel is nothing to shake a stick at and it is not for the faint of heart. It’s the perfect gift for that friend that thinks DFW’s Infinite Jest is a masterwork and isn’t afraid of of a big book.
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Quichotte
By Salman Rushdie
Sometimes nothing beats a good Rushdie book. His sensibility is so distinctive, his writing so imaginative. Quichotte is one of his best books in ages, a novel that reimagines Don Quixote as a salesman addicted to reality television. He goes on a wild quest to find his dream girl from TV, exploring America in all its weirdness. Rushdie, never satisfied, adds a fresh, satirical novel to his already essential bibliography. A madcap farce for fiction lovers who yearn to laugh.
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The Testaments
By Margaret Atwood
What do we need to say about this one? Atwood, one of our greatest storytellers, returns to the world of one of her greatest inventions, The Handmaid’s Tale, to create a dystopic, feminist, Booker Prize-winning sequel as bracing and thrilling as the original.This feels like Atwood’s moment in the firmament of popular culture, so don’t miss out. Everyone’s still talking about The Testaments, and will be for some time.
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They Will Drown in Their Mothers' Tears
By Johannes Anyuru
Translated by Saskia Vogel
Fantastical and incredibly pertinent, this book skillfully confronts nationalism, islamophobia, and philosophical morality with a page turning tale of time travel that commands your full attention. With echoes of Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, and the Charlie Hebdo tragedy, this highly anticipated release is set to make waves in 2020. Fell in love with the galley and have since recommended this to everyone I know!
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The Water Dancer
By Ta-Nehisi Coates
This totally mesmerizing story about the Underground in mid-1800s Virginia confirms Coates as a literary force to be reckoned with. With an epic feel for the history of slavery and the way it affected individuals and their families, and how one young man transformed his grief into magic.
