Short classic novels you can read in an afternoon

Why read this: One of the seminal works of the genre, H.G. Wells’s 1898 gripping alien invasion classic is an essential read for any science-fiction fan. Told by an anonymous narrator, the story begins with a mysterious cylinder landing in a field near Woking, Surrey, opening to reveal a heat-ray-wielding Martian inside. As the narrator joins a panicked population fleeing certain death, he must navigate a desolate London to reunite with his wife. Will humanity survive this interplanetary invasion?

If you're looking for: Science fiction, alien invasion, post-apocalyptic, Victorian fiction 

Great for fans of: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, Independence Day, The Three Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Lui

What the experts think: 'Wells occupies an honoured place in science fiction' – Kingsley Amis

Why read this: Thomas Mann’s most famous novel is a classic of queer fiction and a meditation on the dangers that can lie within beauty and desire. While spending a summer in Venice, aging writer Gustav von Aschenbach becomes infatuated with the youthful beauty of Tadzio, a Polish teenager who is staying at the same resort as him. Even as Venice is gripped by a deadly outbreak of disease, Gustav makes the dangerous decision to stay in the city and be consumed by his desire. 

If you're looking for: Queer fiction, modernist, tragedy 

Great for fans of: The Magician by Colm Tóibin, Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell 

Why read this: A classic espionage novel of just 152 pages, The Thirty-Nine Steps is a must-read for fans of spy stories and films. The 1915 novella that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film of the same name and launched the modern spy thriller follows Richard Hannay, an ordinary man who discovers the body of his American neighbour and gets caught up in a plot he has no business being involved in. As he tries to prevent Britain from going to war and clear his name, Hannay finds himself in a tangled web of secrets and lies.

If you're looking for: Spy novels, espionage, thriller, adventure

Great for fans of: The IPCRESS File by Len Deighton, The Bourne Trilogy, James Bond films 

What the experts think: 'Between Kipling and Fleming stands John Buchan, the father of the modern spy thriller' – Christopher Hitchens

Why read this: A masterpiece of satirical political fiction as relevant now as when it was first published in 1945, Animal Farm will change your perspective on power and politics in just 128 short pages. Inspired by the idea of a utopian society, a cast of farm animals drive out their drunken farmer, but soon realise they don’t all have the same ideals. And, when power-hungry pig Napoleon overthrows his rival Snowball and seizes control, the animals find themselves part of a totalitarian society they have no way of escaping from.

If you're looking for: Satire, political commentary, politics, dystopia

Great for fans of: 1984 by George Orwell, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Severance on Apple TV

What the experts think: 'One of the great modern political allegories' – Malcolm Bradbury 

Why read this: Dripping in Art Deco glamour and punctuated by tragedy, The Great Gatsby is a classic story of the American Dream and the heartbreak of an impossible love. Throwing lavish parties at his Long Island mansion, the mysterious Jay Gatsby waits for just one guest to arrive  – his first love, Daisy Buchanan. As his obsession threatens to sacrifice the comfortable, wealthy life he has built, Gatsby will stop at nothing to win her back, no matter the cost.

If you're looking for: Romance, tragedy, roaring twenties, doomed romance

Great for fans of: Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Midnight in Paris, Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

What the experts think: 'It's more than an American classic; it's become a defining document of the national psyche, a creation myth, the Rosetta Stone of the American dream' – Jay McInerney, The Observer

Why read this: A commentary on race, gender, and politics in interwar America, Nella Larsen's Passing opens a window into 1920s New York and the Harlem Renaissance. When childhood friends Irene and Clare reconnect, they learn how different their experiences as light-skinned African Americans have been. Irene, living a comfortable life in Harlem with her doctor husband, learns the lengths Clare has taken to ‘pass’ – keeping her heritage a secret from her racist husband and assimilating into a white neighbourhood. As their worlds reconvene and secrets emerge, tensions bubble as the pair tries to find their place in the world.

If you're looking for: Historical fiction, New York setting, Harlem Renaissance, literary fiction

Great for fans of: Beloved by Toni Morrison, NW by Zadie Smith 

Why read this: A perennial on must-read lists thanks to Muriel Spark’s razor-sharp wit and dark, comedic prose, this is the perfect place to start with one of Scotland’s best-loved writers. In the dull, grey Scottish boarding school in which she works, Miss Jean Brodie is a riot of colour. Ripping up the rulebook and creating her own curriculum, Brodie enlists a group of impressionable girls to teach her own ideas about the world to, with somewhat disastrous consequences. This unique novel offers a view into the polarising world of politics in Britain in the 1930s.

If you're looking for: Dark comedy, feminism, interwar fiction, literary fiction

Great for fans of: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, Autumn by Ali Smith

Why read this: Telling the story of one woman’s rich inner life across 24 hours, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway remains as groundbreaking today as when it was first published a century ago. As she prepares to host a party one evening, high-society Londoner Clarissa Dalloway reflects upon her life, prompted by the sights and sounds she experiences on her journey across London in midsummer. With the book’s narrative punctuated by Big Ben’s hourly chimes, Mrs. Dalloway is as much a love letter to Woolf’s London as it is a meditation on what it means to live.  

If you're looking for: Literary modernism, experimental fiction, interwar fiction

Great for fans of: To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, The Hours by Michael Cunningham, Ulysses by James Joyce

Why read this: A book you’ll return to time and again, this short volume blends ideas of Eastern and Western philosophy in a coming-of-age story of enlightenment and self-sufficiency. Dissatisfied by his life, the son of a wealthy Brahmin embarks on a journey to learn more about the world. As he travels through India, spending time with people from all walks of life, he encounters the teachings of Buddhism and Hinduism, the philosophy of ancient Chinese religion, and the lures of Western individualism.

If you're looking for: Philosophical fiction, coming-of age stories, spiritual fiction

Great for fans of: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited 

Why read this: Highly controversial when it was first published in 1892, this short story masterfully covers themes of Victorian feminism and patriarchy, coercive control and mental health in less than one hundred pages. Confined to her nursery to rest after being diagnosed by her doctor husband as having a 'slight hysterical tendency' after giving birth, the nameless narrator slowly becomes fixated by the ornate but stiffling yellow wallpaper that adorns the four walls she is imprisoned by. Asking questions about women’s health and agency that are still relevant today, this book is required reading.

If you're looking for: Feminist fiction, mental health, Victorian fiction, motherhood 

Great for fans of: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Invisible Man (2020 film)