Fresh, fast-paced, compulsive and clever

A gripping adventure, and a fascinating jigsaw

A white-knuckle ride into the heart of darkness

Lord of the Flies and The Magus lurk at the roots of this novel, but Garland reshapes them with panache into something terrifyingly new

A mesmerising, knuckle-clenching read

Winningly compulsive, brilliantly conceived

Garland's prose is stunningly lucid. Addictive and compelling

A highly confident debut...this incisive novel may well come to be regarded as a defining text in the history of imaginative travel writing

Alex Garland is writing a brand new kind of adventure novel. His style is dangerously simple yet altogether captivating

An exceptional first novel...An action novel that provokes subtle responses, The Beach takes in ideas about man's inevitable progress from noble savage to social breakdown (and) the related tradition of nature versus art

Garland has written a powerful and frighteningly believable novel

Precise and speedy prose, with good old-fashioned romantic adventure spiced up with deadpan authorial irony

Fast-paced and chock-full of twists, Last Seen Alive is both absorbing and gripping. After reading it you'll never dream of a house swap again

Thrilling . . . superb plotting. I could hardly catch my breath between twists!

It's so twisty, turning and grippy. Highly recommend it!

I love stories where you're not quite sure who is telling the truth! This one kept me guessing