Lady MacBethad
Isabelle Schuler
Raven, £14.99, pp384
Alternative takes on Shakespeare are ubiquitous, but this origin story of the real Lady Macbeth – the debut novel by Swiss Hawaiian-American screenwriter Schuler – is distinctive. There’s genuine commitment to character and storytelling in this tale of Gruoch, the prophesied Queen of Alba, who finds herself at the mercy of heir elect Duncan’s court as she travels to take the royal seat. Lady MacBethad explores the predicament of a woman fighting for her position in life.
Inshallah United: A Story of Faith and Football
Nooruddean Choudry
HarperNorth, £16.99, pp320
At the start of Choudry’s memoir about faith and football, he equates going to see Manchester United with Friday prayers at the mosque. Not a particularly original thought – there is a banner at the Stretford End that declares “For Every Manc a Religion” – but it’s the way Choudry examines this idea of belonging to something bigger than himself that makes Inshallah United so thoughtful. It’s fun, too, as Choudry muses on growing up as a Muslim Asian Mancunian in late 20th-century Britain.
Moon Witch, Spider King
Marlon James
Penguin, £10.99, pp656 (paperback)
The second in James’s lurid Dark Star fantasy trilogy, the immense Moon Witch, Spider King sees the Booker winner doubling down on the idea of a decolonised, African Lord of the Rings. Here, Sogolon, the 177-year-old witch who clashed with Tracker in the first book, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, gets to tell her story, one full of quests, superpowers and violent clashes. All of which means Moon Witch, Spider King can stand on its own, with James’s inventive language offering an exciting, fresh and typically gory take on the genre.
• To order Lady MacBethad, Inshallah United or Moon Witch, Spider King go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply
