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HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

WHAT TO READ AFTER GAME OF THRONES Anna Thayer, author of fantasy series The Knight of Eldaran, gives her suggestions for what to read now HBO's "Game of Thrones" is finished. The inevitable has come to pass - season four of "Game of Thrones" has come to an end. To add insult to injury, there’s still no sign of the next book. So... what next? Fantasy is an umbrella term for an enormous spectrum of work, reflecting the myriad tastes and ages of its readers.  Any Top Five list is going to make what, to some, are glaring omissions – Anne McCaffrey, Stephen Lawhead, David Eddings, Karen Hancock, Lloyd Alexander, Robert Zelazny, Marion Zimmer-Bradley, Robin Hobb, Jonathan Stroud, Katherine Kurtz, Robert E. Howard, Neil Gaiman, Susan Cooper, Robert Jordan, Lord Dunsany...  Even this cunning list tactic can’t cover them all. So, if the books included in this Top Five list don’t seem like they are for you, don’t despair: for broad are the gates of faerie, and many are the realms to explore therein. READ MORE >

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STEPHEN BAXTER'S TOP FIVE INTERPLANETARY NOVELS The author of The Long Mars, the third book  in the Lord Earth series written with Terry Pratchett, picks his favourite stories in space. MORE >

JEMMA WAYNE ON WRITING ABOUT GENOCIDE IN FICTION Jemma is the author of After Before, a novel about three women living in London, one of whom is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide.  MORE >

	BOOK OF THE WEEK

A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY by Carys Bray Carys Bray’s sparkling debut A Song for Issy Bradley heralds the arrival of a great new literary voice. Original, moving, astute and warm-hearted, it tackles the subjects of family, faith and hope. The Bradley family are a model of Mormon life, shepherded earnestly by father Ian, the local bishop. But when youngest daughter Issy tragically and unexpectedly dies, cracks inevitably begin to appear as the family has to cope with one of the worst experiences possible. For a book that deals with one of the most difficult and heartbreaking of subjects, the subject matter is handled brilliantly by Bray. She manages to keep mawkishness at bay, even injecting moments of light and humour, partly through delivering the narrative from the perspectives of each of the family members. Indeed, one of the great strengths of this novel is the authenticity and astuteness of the diverse characters' various voices. MORE >