FORTY-FIVE years ago, my favourite books included story collections by M John Harrison and Christopher Priest and it's a testament to their craft and vision that both writers feature in my “best of” list for 2020.

Harrison’s The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again (Gollancz) is a novel of quiet revelation. It dabbles with literary realism, sf and horror and transcends the limitations of all three. Crammed with conundrums, conspiracies and fleeting illuminations from the unconscious, it centres on a faltering relationship.

Shaw is living in London and recovering from a breakdown. Despite his aimless existence and inability to form lasting relationships, he begins an affair with Victoria, who has “bleak red hair” and works in a morgue.