One of my favourite books. Famous today as the crusading environmentalist author of 'Silent Spring', Carson's considerable success in her own day was based upon her writings about marine biology; indeed, she has some claim to be the pioneer of modern popular science writing. If, like me, you can't pass a beach without poking around in rock pools then you really ought to read this.

A bizarre melange of soviet satire, Carollesque absurdism and metaphysical speculation. It shouldn't work, of course, yet somehow it pulls together to constitute one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. It even inspired Mick Jagger to write Sympathy for the Devil, which is exactly what you will have upon reading it. Wonderful.

A book so thoroughly unpleasant it would almost be worth reading were it not also staggeringly long and jaw-droppingly tedious.

Fantastically funny, even for a capsy wennet.