Originally published in German, the English translation of this macabre novel was an international smash. Set in 18th century France, a man who is born with no bodily odour has a tough time in life. As a result he uses his remarkable sense of smell to enter the perfume trade. He becomes obsessed with commonplace smells, ending in a trail of murder and depravity.
McCammon's first conscious attempt to break out of the horror mould is a quality first step towards starting to write more serious stories. Basically a coming-of-age mystery with elements of horror and fantasy, Boy's Life is set in small-town Alabama in 1964. An 11-year-old and his father witness a car plunging into a lake. On attempting rescue the father discovers a brutal murder.
Imajica by Clive Barker (1991)
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Barker's epic metaphysical fantasy is set in the five dimensions of the great system called Imajica. A sensualist and master art forger, a woman with the power to influence the destinies of men and an alien assassin are at the centre of a trail of crimes and intimate betrayal. Dimensional reality will never be the same again. One of Barker's best.
Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith (1994)
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Genre-bending novel that is something of a mix between Douglas Adams and Neal Stephenson. Stark lives in a world where surreal colour-coded neighbourhoods compete for ascendency. When he is hired to investigate the disappearance of a scientist, things really start to get bizarre. Funny, surreal and wildly inventive.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher (2000)
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Gumshoe Harry Dresden has the distinction of being the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, so when the police have a case that goes beyond the realms they have little choice. Good thing too, as the PI business hasn't been so good for Harry. The first instalment in a series that is proving delightfully successful, with a TV series expected to kick-off early in 2007.
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (2001)
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Sold into indentured servitude as a child, Phèdre nó Delauney comes into the care of a nobleman who educates her in the ways of the world. A beautiful courtesan and topnotch spy, Delauney uncovers a plot that threatens her homeland. So begins Carey's popular series set in an imagined early-renaissance world full of sex and political intrigue.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (2002)
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The success of this novel prompted the Thursday Next series, but this is a great place to start exploring. In an alternative mid-80s Britain time travel is commonplace, cloned dodos are popular pets and literary homicide is a serious crime. Literary detective Thursday Next enters a Bronte novel to stop an arch-villain from knocking Jane Eyre off the pages. Side-splittingly funny.
Something From the Nightside by Simon R Green (2003)
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Dark City meets Neverwhere… sort of. John Taylor is a 'finder' who is reluctantly drawn back to the Nightside, an otherworldly place in the heart of London where it is always 3am. The first in the Nightside series is a mystery yarn populated with bizarre underbelly characters. The job at hand is the search for a missing girl, but questions surrounding the meaning of existence are never far away.
