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A bloody good read

This ultra-readable pop-historical epic is the fourth bulky instalment of a sequence about the rise of the Mongol khans.

Naivity, novelty and the writer's art

Imraan Coovadia finds the points of difference in two authors' approaches to writing.

Does a virgin have to be female?

An alternate take on the Messiah's birth brings modern women's issues into the picture.

The wild life of a mild revolutionary

Erich Rautenbach begins this wild and somewhat melancholic memoir with his arrest by two drug-squad cops.

Singular in his diversity

Jesse Clegg talks to the M&G about developing his love of music.

Old magic and future worlds

Gwen Ansell rounds up some of the latest science fiction and fantasy releases.

Multilayered but one-sided

It has much going for it, but Stephenson's ­stereotypical treatment of Muslim ­terrorists lets his latest novel down.

Son of HAL feeds on fear

The Fear Index, a financial what-if, takes place entirely on the day that the Blair-Brown years officially ended: May 6 2010, election day.

What might have been

Ivan Vladislavic plays not only with the idea of unwritten books or stories, but also with the idea of finishing itself.

Conquering the epics

The creator of the popular Conqueror and Emperor series does immaculate detail through broad strokes