Three narrative strands – spanning far-future space opera, contemporary unease and virtual-reality pastiche – are braided together for a breathtaking metaphysical voyage in pursuit of the mystery at the heart of reality. One of the most underrated prose writers demonstrates the literary firepower of science fiction at its best. The result is both sharp and dreamy, sliding in and out of different phases of Dylan’s career but rooted in his earliest days as a Woody Guthrie wannabe in New York City. Read the review 95 Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan (2004)ĭylan’s reticence about his personal life is a central part of the singer-songwriter’s brand, so the gaps and omissions in this memoir come as no surprise. Some readers wept all night, some condemned it as titillating and exploitative, but no one could deny its power.

One man’s life is blighted by abuse and its aftermath, but also illuminated by love and friendship. This operatically harrowing American gay melodrama became an unlikely bestseller, and one of the most divisive novels of the century so far. Read the review 96 A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (2015) The Triwizard Tournament provides pace and tension, and Rowling makes her boy wizard look death in the eye for the first time. Book four, the first of the doorstoppers, marks the point where the series really takes off.

Read the review 97 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (2000)Ī generation grew up on Rowling’s all-conquering magical fantasies, but countless adults have also been enthralled by her immersive world. The high-level intrigue beguiled millions of readers, brought “Scandi noir” to prominence and inspired innumerable copycats. Radical journalist Mikael Blomkvist forms an unlikely alliance with troubled young hacker Lisbeth Salander as they follow a trail of murder and malfeasance connected with one of Sweden’s most powerful families in the first novel of the bestselling Millennium trilogy. Photograph: Allstar/Sony Pictures Releasing/Sportsphoto Ltd 98 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005), translated by Steven T Murray (2008)

Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the 2011 film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Dogsbody novel