The literary sleeper hit of the summer…Part-mystery, part-coming-of-age story with elements of Lord Of The Flies and The Lovely Bones, it’s becoming one of those word-of-mouth titles that will suddenly be everywhere…It’s brave and unusual and warm and funny and heartening and heartbreaking.

[Boo] brims with vitality…Original, wickedly funny and avoiding overt sentimentality, Smith’s writing is consistently assured.

The novel is alive from the outset. Town is a captivating landscape, far away from Hollywood notions of heaven…Magical in its setting and plot, there is also a strong element of fable to the book.

[A] funny, dark, disarming novel.

Affecting and thought provoking…Boo is an unusual and surprising novel that should spark plenty of debate.

Instantly charming, never predictable, quietly profound—Boo is both literarily and literally haunting and, in the end, devastating.

[A] darkly whimsical debut.

Part murder mystery, part existential adventure, Boo is an utter charm-bomb of a novel. Neil Smith’s version of the sweet hereafter shows not only that heaven can be hell, but answers the eternal question of whether it’s better to be dumber with friends or smarter without.

Neil Smith has created a heaven where the sadness and triumph of life aren’t flattened or diminished but heightened and intensified. Just like you always suspected it would be. Boo is sad, beautiful, heartbreaking and impossible to put down.

[A] touching, whimsical novel.

Boo is an astoundingly original novel and Neil Smith's take on the afterlife is convincing, moving, and often funny as hell. A vision equal parts Murakami and South Park.

Who knew heaven could be so funny, so perilous, so exquisitely alive? Boo is a work of singular genius: an adventure story, a mystery and a profound meditation on childhood, lost innocence and the power of friendship to save our lives—and afterlives. I believe in Neil Smith’s heaven, with all my heart.

I have not experienced the kind of satisfaction that I felt on finishing Boo in a long, long time. Here, thought I, is a perfectly constructed tale that is expertly paced, filled with authentic characters.

A heartwarming story about reconciliation and acceptance…Boo is a charming novel that takes a devastating event and turns it into a memorable and thought-provoking journey towards forgiveness, understanding and friendship.

It’s devastating but heartwarming at the same time…I would highly recommend Boo to anyone who is looking for a story about teens told in an adult fashion… The characters are very genuine and relatable and the plot is perfect for anyone who wants a story that is simultaneously tragic and uplifting.

A very sweet, touching novel about growing up, owning up to your actions, and learning to forgive, told in an extremely original setting. .. Boo's unique voice and views on life had me laughing at some points, and deeply moved at others. Half Lord of the Flies, half old-fashioned mystery thriller, one could easily imagine this book becoming ingrained in American culture in the future. Definitely worth a read.

[I have] fallen in love with its charm, fun and subtle eloquence.

compellingly original…it’s a dark premise but there’s also plenty of wit and humour

Boldly imaginative … Smith has a sure touch and in Boo he has succeeded in creating a memorably offbeat and drily witty protagonist.

An imaginative and engaging novel.

A great idea for a mystery story, superbly done

Like great American writers before him, he taps into the energy of a moment and makes you wish you had witnessed it … The verdict: believe the hype around City on Fire. Five stars.

Looks as if it might be the most propulsive New York novel since Bonfire of the Vanities.

His New York City is ablaze, with fireworks, trashcan infernos and the burning Bronx.

A fantastic achievement; mesmerising, addictive in a way that a book this long really shouldn’t be, and full of intrigue. Hallberg’s writing is clear, insightful, and accessible; for all that it runs to almost 1,000 pages, each sentence has been crafted just so.

An epic of New York…a kind of punk Bleak House.

This magnificent first novel is full to bursting with plot, character, and emotion, all set within the exquisitely grungy 1970s New York City...Graceful in execution, hugely entertaining, and most concerned with the longing for connection, a theme that reaches full realization during the blackout of 1977, this epic is both a compelling mystery and a literary tour de force.

The very-damn-good American novel.

A vivid immersive novel.

Clocks in at a cool 944 pages, but we breezed through it in no time. It’s the story of a shooting in Central Park and its effect on ‘70s New York – the city’s scuzzy, punky peak.

Glitzy, gritty storytelling.

An outstanding novel… what an accomplishment.

Ambitious and assured – and stunningly good.

An American epic…But don’t wait for the movie. There’s writing here that’s too good to miss.

The biggest and boldest novel of this generation

Approach as you would a box set or a Shirley Conran novel - in stages. It's glitzy, gritty storytelling that is worth sticking with.

A fantastic achievement; mesmerising, addictive in a way that a book this long really shouldn't be, and full of intrigue. Hallberg's writing is clear, insightful, and accessible; for all that it runs to almost 1,000 pages, each sentence has been crafted just so.

This year’s most exciting fiction debut is a wild ride through the grimy, glorious city of the 1970s...a book that is truly that great, rare thing: a wholly inhabitable universe, reflecting back our lives while also offering an exhilarating escape from them

Expert storytelling, lyricism and authenticity…Fans of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch: you’re going to love this book

The hype is justified: this is the year’s must-read book

A gripping, atmospheric and authentic take on the decade when the Big Apple seemed almost rotten to the core

For almost a thousand pages, he swirls around a single tragedy — the shooting of a college student in Central Park — sweeping up tangential characters and making every one of them thrum with real life until the lightning strikes, the electric grid overloads and the city goes mad on that dark summer night in 1977.

The grit of the city provides an equal lure. As garbage blows, graffiti scrawls, and street fashions strut through Vinyl and City on Fire, who wouldn't swoon?

A vast cast of characters and intricate sub-plots, City on Fire has been compared to everything from Bleak House to the early work of Jonathan Franzen. Not to mention nods to Don DeLillo and Tom Wolfe.

Despite being a debut, it shows a technical maturity matched to a playful, sexy wit… A thriller, albeit an extremely clever and stylish one.

Imaginative debut… His eyes for the tiny things that make up life suggests better is to come.

This is one of those enormous books that might, if you’re luck, grab you and keep hold for days and days.