Author:Anne Rice,Graeme Malcolm

When last the vampire Lestat was seen, he was rising from the dead in present-day New Orleans to walk again among Anne Rice's unforgettable undead. Now Lestat lives again, but in a twilight world of music and memory.
His charismatic friend Louis de Pointe du Lac is tortured by the memory of the child vampire, Claudia, whom he loved and lost. He calls on Merrick, young and gorgeous mixed-race by-blow of the rich New Orleans Mayfair clan. To save Louis' sanity, Merrick must use her black witchcraft to call up the ghost of Claudia - however dangerous this may be. There are other Mayfair spirits who will not lie still, and her search takes her close to the edge, through blood and terror, ritual and violence.
Sweeping from New Orleans to the Brazilian jungle and the island of Haiti, this is vampire literature at its most tantalising, sexy and irresistible.
Rice's writing is wonderfully imaginative and as creepily splendid as a hot-house orchid
—— Sunday TimesRice knows what her readers want... she has the knack of touching on our deepest fears
—— Times Literary SupplementOne of the great political novels of our age; a card-carrying Shakespearean tragedy with New Jersey dirt beneath its fingernails
—— Xan Brooks , GuardianQuintessential Philip Roth
—— Sunday TelegraphA magnificent novel of ideas, a disquisition on the fallout of the death of ideology
—— ObserverRoth explores our expedients and tragedies with a masterly, often unnerving, blend of tenderness, harshness, insight and wit...a gripping novel
—— New York Times Book ReviewRoth remains as edgy, as furious, as funny, and as dangerous as he was forty years ago
—— New York Review of BooksI Married a Communist proves that, following the success of Sabbath's Theater and American Pastoral, he remains on extraordinary form... Wonderful storytelling and characterisation
—— Guardian, Books of the YearThe McCarthy era has faded, eerily, into nostalgia, just as Capitol Hill produces its own 90s version of witch-hunt and communal obsession with enemies of the state, and perversions of justice perpetrated in democracy's name. Roth avoids nostalgia by making his narrator an active, if unwitting participant in the original drama, caught up in political currents and counter-currents he did not comprehend at the time
—— Lisa JardineRoth’s conflicted, many-layered characters give this work memorable force
—— GuardianA wonderfully risky project...an ambitious, multi-layered creation...an energising and uplifting story
—— The Daily TelegraphA moving exploration of the intricacies of the imagination, a sly teasing-out of a host of big ideas and small revelations, all hovering around a timeless quandary: how to observe, how to be
—— The New York TimesI wonder: How does she manage to so wonderfully weave in and out of time, to layer time, while creating something that feels like it was written this morning after she read today's newspaper?
—— PBS News HourPublisher's description. Autumn 2016: the UK is in pieces, divided by a historic once-in-a-generation summer. Love is won, love is lost. The seasons roll round as ever. From the imagination of the peerless Ali Smith comes a shape-shifting, light-footed, time-travelling novel. This is a story about right now, this minute; about ageing and time and love and stories themselves. Here comes Autumn.
—— PenguinTranscendental writing about art, death, political lies, trees and all the dimensions of love
—— Deborah LevyUnbearably moving, shrewd and dreamy, playful, strange [and] soulful...[An] assessment of what it means to be alive...Ali Smith has a beautiful mind and where her mind goes, you want to follow...I am struck by, and stuck on, Autumn.
—— New York TimesFantastic writing, big ideas and generosity of spirit
—— Cressida ConnollyThe first serious Brexit novel
—— Financial TimesShe is, of course, Scotland's Nobel laureate-in-waiting
—— ObserverAutumn is a beautiful, poignant symphony of memories, dreams and transient realities
—— The GuardianIt's all great fun, full of wit and invention and incident… And Hag-Seed is very funny, very often. The scenes where Felix's hard-chaw prisoners insult each other strictly through Shakespearean language are especially enjoyable.
—— Darragh McManus , Irish IndependentHag-Seed is funny and poignant, and offers much to amuse and delight.
—— Anne Sexton , Hot PressGreat fun, full of wit and invention and incident
—— Irish IndependentInspired and witty
—— Woman & HomeGenuinely moving ... The tender way in which Atwood handles [Felix's] story really gives Hag-Seed its power
—— Samantha Ellis , Literary ReviewAtwood on mischievous form
—— RedWitty and clever
—— Good HousekeepingStella Loves: Taking on a re-write of Shakespeare's The Tempest is a tall order. But Margaret Atwood is well up to the task with her new novel Hag-Seed
—— Stella MagazineBlows layers of dust off the play while asking clever questions about the relationship between power, delusion and creativity
—— MetroA delight... not only an unputdownable tale of revenge, it is also a masterclass in how to teach Shakespeare to those who think they won't like it
—— Alice O'Keefe , BooksellerAtwood’s canny remix offers multiple pleasures: seeing the inmates’ takes on their characters, watching Felix make use of the limited resources the prison affords (legal and less so), and marveling at the ways she changes, updates, and parallels the play’s magic, grief, vengeance, and showmanship
—— Publishers WeeklySo inventive, heartfelt, and swiftly rendered... Highly recommended.
—— Library JournalFellow fans, I am thrilled to report: Atwood is just as brilliant as ever. I would suggest scheduling some cozy armchair time with her book in the weeks to come
—— Yahoo, Top Reads this AutumnThe new novels promise an intriguing opportunity to revisit the tales we know so well and see them in a new light.
—— The Culture TripAtwood joins the roll call of literary stars retelling Shakespeare's plays... masterful... My favourite retelling so far
—— BooksellerAn ingenious construction.
—— Metro , Claire AllfreeShe merely understands that fiction can be a powerful weapon of
persuasion… A woman with inexhaustible talents
[A] triumphant reworking of The Tempest.
—— Sunday TimesAtwood’s take on The Tempest is intense and extravagant… Atwood beautifully reimagine Shakespeare’s The Tempest… She writes with gusto and brilliance.
—— UK Press SyndicationHag-Seed enchants, endears and empowers. Seeing The Tempest through the cast of characters Atwood creates and the author's own overarching narrative gives the original play new life.
—— Morning StarAtwood beautifully reimagines Shakespeare's The Tempest as Felix's personal and professional stories so aptly mirror the plot of the mystical and magical play. She writes with gusto and brilliance, making her the dream author to be part of the Shakespeare series.
—— Irish NewsThe most successful 'retelling' of Shakespeare yet in Hogarth's anniversary series [...] us a thrilling revenge drama ... [It] rattles along with Atwood nimbly reworking the classic
—— Donal O'Donoghue , RTE[Atwood's] unique take on vengeance, enchantment and second chances is sure to delight old and new fans alike
—— Image MagazineA novel of great humour and creativity
—— Socialist ReviewA fitting tribute to a play built on magic and illusion. It’s a celebration of theatre, yes, but just as much a celebration of learning and teaching. Atwood’s spellbinding adaptation is a testament to Shakespeare’s lasting relevance.
—— Grace Beard , Culture TripAtwood’s novel reflects the play’s multifaceted nature… A fun and imaginative novel.
—— Brad Davies , i, Book of the YearAtwood unrolls a dazzling remake of The Tempest… Ebullient comedy and keen perceptiveness combine in a bravura fictional tribute to Shakespeare.
—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, Book of the YearA passionately original, heady, often musical modern remix.
—— A.M. Holmes , Observer, Book of the YearI’d love to wake up on Christmas morning with Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed nestled in my stocking.
—— Rohan Silva , Observer, Book of the Year[A] highlight.
—— Justine Jordan , Guardian, Book of the Year[Hag-Seed is] particularly clever and witty, with layer upon layer of correspondences with the original text waiting to be teased out by readers.
—— Suzi Feay , TabletWhat’s impressive here is not just 77-year-old Atwood’s undimmed brilliance but the sheer effort she puts into the project… An absorbing read but also an erudite examination and explanation of the play’s themes. Not to be missed.
—— John Harding , Daily Mail, Book of the Year[It] would make an amazing Christmas present.
—— Starburst, Book of the YearAtwood brings forth a cast of characters that comfortably inhabit their own world but often burst out of the page in song and rhyme. It is a playful piece of writing, tempered by grief and revenge and the bitterness that can consume, but ultimately this is a book full of the joys of redemption and hope. Wonderful.
—— Carina Buckley , Times Higher EducationCleverly done… Very complex, like a set of Russian dolls. But it works amazingly well.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardDelightfully crazy.
—— Daily TelegraphRich and inventive… The play-within-a-play tripe is audaciously Shakespearean, and so is Atwood’s free-ranging imagination and witty way with language.
—— Simon Shaw , Mail on SundayMasterful… Clever, funny and tender
—— Woman & HomeShe casts The Tempest adrift in a prison and makes a magisterial case for the timeless, classless relevance of Shakespeare’s plays.
—— Jim Crace , New StatesmanI am in awe of Atwood
—— AM Homes , GuardianA real must read
—— Elizabeth Mansfield , Yorkshire Post






