Tired of feeling as though you’re in some kind of suburban purgatory? Take a one way ticket out of this timeline when you read one of the below novels; our chosen books are a mix of both fantasy, mythology & science fiction, and particularly immersive historical fiction.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case.

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Born from a long line of female warriors and crusaders, yet too coarse, too wild, too rough-hewn for 12th-century courtly life, Marie de France is cast from the royal court. To her dismay, she is sent to the muddy fields of Angleterre to take up her new duty as the prioress of an impoverished abbey.

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

The war is lost, the winners are declared, and the spoils – including the women from both sides – have been divided among the victors. The captured slave Briseis has been married off to protect Achilles’ unborn child, but her new status rests uneasily on her shoulders. To the Greeks she’s nothing more than an incubator, and to her fellow female captives she’s a traitor.

The Beasts of Little Land by Juhea Kim

In 1917 occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In the north of Korea, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school in the glamorous city of Pyongyang. A novel where lives intertwine in unusual circumstance, friends become enemies, enemies become saviours, and beasts take many shapes.

I’m Waiting for You by Kim Bo-Young

Through two pairs of interlinked stories stories, Kim explores the driving forces of humanity - love, hope, creation, destruction, and the very meaning of existence. A stunning collection of short fiction by one of South Korea’s most treasured writers.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Malini spends her days in isolation in the Hirana. Priya is a maidservant who journeys to the top of the Hirana every night to attend Malini’s chambers. When Malini accidentally bears witness to Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a vengeful princess seeking to depose her brother from his throne. The other is a priestess searching for her family. Together, they will change the fate of an empire.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novak

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered. There are no teachers, no holidays, friendships are purely strategic, and the odds of survival are never equal. Once you’re inside, there are only two ways out – you graduate or you die.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, the boys develop a tender friendship, a bond which blossoms into something deeper as they grow into young men. But when Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, Achilles is dispatched to distant Troy to fulfil his destiny.