Xiaolu Guo's remarkable feminist reimagining of Moby-Dick is, among other things, a rollicking adventure novel. Here's my review of Call Me Ishmaelle in the Literary Review

And we have a winner! Congratulations to Gäelle Béllem & Bullaun Press for winning the 2025 Republic of Consciousness Prize with the outstanding tragi-comic tour-de-force There's A Monster Behind the Door. Read the Guardian coverage here

Thanks to my fellow judges Alice Jolly & Houman Barekat. Also thanks to Neil Griffiths of Weatherglass Books for hosting the winner's announcement event at Foyles on April 1st, and for founding this unique prize for small presses a decade ago.

I very much admired Anthony Shapland's taut, lyrical & political debut novel, A Room Above A Shop. Here's my review in the Guardian

In a Deep Blue Hour by Peter Stamm (translated by Michael Hofmann) is a very good novel about a novelist. Read my review in the TLS here

Last call for this: The Republic of Consciousness 2025 shortlist readings at the Deptford Lounge 6.45-8.30pm tonight, 13th March. I'll be there with fellow judges Alice Jolly & Houman Barekat & writers, translators & publishers inc Les Fugitives, Peninsula, CB Editions, Divided & Bullaun Press. Tickets here

I reviewed Hugh Thomson's wonderful counterfactual Byron novel, Viva Byron!, which imagines what would have happened if Lord Byron had gone to fight for Simon Bolivar and not for the Greek War of Independence. It you know your Romantics, this one's for you. Read my Spectator piece here 

For February's Substack I wrote about the perennial problem of how to start. Read Beginning: Conquering the Blank Page for free here