As the first two parts of Hilary Mantel's Tudor trilogy continue to command the heights of the bestseller charts, we look at some of the other forms of historical fiction that are coming up behind her.
Rebecca Miller takes a fly's eye view of Judaism through the centuries in the story of Jacob, a Jewish pedlar from pre-revolutionary France who is reincarnated as an insect in 21st-century America.
In a rare opportunity to interview half a novelist, two members of the Italian collective Wu Ming explain to Lindesay Irvine the unusual working methods feeding into their latest novel, Altai – which continues the saga begun in 1999 with their cult novel Q, published when they were called Luther Blissett.
And we return to France with the SF author turned historical novelist Jonathan Grimwood. He explores the enduring fascination of the French revolution, the backdrop of his latest novel, The Last Banquet.
Reading list
Jacob's Folly by Rebecca Miller (Canongate)
Altai by Wu Ming (Verso)
The Last Banquet by Jonathan Grimwood (Canongate)
