Serpent's Tail

Pre-order a copy of The End of Everything by M. John Harrison from Bookshop.org between 13-17 May and save 20% with the code: PREORDER20 Every sale supports real independent bookshops across the UK!

It’s been years since the crisis changed everything. Government barely functions, the seas are full of new creatures, Europe has been mislaid. It feels like the end. A slyly satirical and unsettling post-apocalyptic adventure into the limits of human understanding from a master of fiction, #TheEndOfEverything by M. John Harrison is out 18th June. 🐚 ‘Surreal, seductive, shrewdly funny and wholly terrifying’ Julia Armfield 🐚 ‘Disturbing and yet revelatory – it feels beyond reading’ Ben Pester 🐚 ‘Harrison is without peer as a chronicler of the fraught, unsteady state we’re in’ Olivia Laing Pre-order from Blackwell’s or Foyles for a signed special edition with sprayed edges and an exclusive short story.

A mysterious invitation to drink the oldest bottle of wine in the world - who could resist? ☀️ #Lush by Rochelle Dowden-Lord is out now in paperback! A wine influencer, a rising star sommelier, a caustic food critic and an ingenuous American millionaire gather at a sprawling French vineyard estate at the request of a renowned Grand Sommelier. Each arrives at a crucial point in their lives, and each has something to prove. As glasses are emptied, rivalries fermented and secrets spilled, the guests and their host must confront hard truths that could change their lives forever. Heady and subtly powerful, Lush is a bittersweet reckoning with class, beauty, hedonism and desire. 🍷 ‘A sumptuous treat’ Bolu Babalola 🍷 ‘Breathtaking ... dare I say, intoxicating’ Okechukwu Nzelu

📣 P R O O F G I V E A W A Y 📣 The author of International Booker Prize-longlisted #Eurotrash returns, this time with #Air, a speculative, literary masterpiece perfect for fans of Solvej Balle, Kazuo Ishiguro or Hari Kunzru. Two men venture through strange landscapes towards unknowable destinations. Paul, a feted designer, wanders the echoing corridors of a server farm in Norway – before, in a sudden blackout, he seems to vanish. In another time and space, a wounded stranger wakes in a forest, watched over by a young girl who helps him flee to an icebound settlement where perhaps he will find safety… To celebrate our August publication, we’re giving five lucky people the chance to win a proof copy of Air by Christian Kracht. To enter, simply: ❄️ Like this post ❄️ Follow @serpentstail ❄️ Tag a friend in the comments below ❄️ For an extra entry, share this post to your stories UK only. Competition ends midnight, Monday 27th April. Are you ready to open the door to strange new worlds? #ChristianKracht #InternationalFiction #InternationalBooker

We’re incredibly proud that Gurnaik Johal’s debut novel #Saraswati has been longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2026. The prize recognises distinguished works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, evoking the spirit of a place; Gurnaik’s novel takes us on a global journey, from the UK to India, via Kenya, Singapore, Canada, Mauritius and Pakistan. Congratulations to Gurnaik and his fellow longlistees! The shortlist will be announced on 11th May. Read more about #Saraswati via the linktree in our bio 🧡🌊 #GurnaikJohal #Fiction #RSLOndaatjePrize

Eurotrash is hitting the London stage 💶 We are incredibly excited that #Eurotrash by Christian Kracht is coming to the Young Vic this November, starring Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter. The international bestseller has been adapted for stage by Colin Teevan and we cannot wait to see it! General sale for tickets opens Thursday 23rd April. Don’t miss out! #ChristianKracht #BenWhishaw #LondonTheatre #YoungVic

We are delighted to announce a very special edition of M John Harrison’s latest novel, The End of Everything. Our edition is signed, and has beautiful sprayed edges. Also included is an exclusive short story called English Heritage. Pre-order your copy now! /bookshop/product/9781806491872 We are further delighted to announce two very special events with M John Harrison, one in Oxford 👇 /e/m-john-harrison-the-end-of-everything-tickets-1986436873161?aff=oddtdtcreator and one in Edinburgh! 👇 /e/m-john-harrison-the-end-of-everything-tickets-1987401907605?aff=oddtdtcreator

Is a criminal born or made? What turns them towards violence? A young man stabs an elderly woman ten times for the sake of a 450 euro debt. But why would he commit such a brutal murder over a petty sum, when he has a girlfriend and a child at home? How much could he lose when there is already so little to start with? Centring on a perpetrator and a victim who remain nameless - who are nobodies but could be anybody - Offenses unfolds as a contemporary parable exploring the biases and barriers built into the legal system. Blending expertise in criminal law with her signature knife-edge prose, Constance Debré probes the intricacies of crime, punishment and accountability in this propulsive tale. #Offences by Constance Debré is out now

Nancy Foley’s debut novel #IAmAgatha is out today 🐔 Agatha and Alice are in love. Agatha, a celebrated painter and famous recluse, finally wants to settle down. But Alice has dementia, and a lingering fixation on her late daughter, who’s buried in her backyard. In an ideal world, Agatha would move Alice into her isolated house above their New Mexico town. But Alice’s son wants her safely shut up in an assisted living facility and her property deeds in his pocket. As unlikely allies come to her aid and secrets are unearthed that should have stayed below ground, Agatha engages in a ferocious battle of wills with the townsfolk who stand between her and happily ever after. Freewheeling, hilarious, moving and entertaining, I Am Agatha combines the sideways humour of Big Swiss with the heart and strong female characters of Olive Kitteridge.

Profile Books turns 30! On 1 April 2026, Profile celebrates 30 years as one of the UK’s leading independent publishers, as founder Andrew Franklin retires and becomes non-executive Chair. He was also honoured with the London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award 2026. The anniversary year brings a stellar line-up to Profile’s list with Alan Bennett’s #1 Sunday Times bestselling Enough Said published last week and Mary Beard’s Talking Classics coming in April. Other highlights include a new book by the Nobel prize-winning author Daron Acemoglu, What Happened to Liberal Democracy in August; Francis Fukuyama’s political memoir In the Realm of the Last Man in September; Robert Greene’s magnum opus The Law of the Sublime (November); and Rashid Khalidi’s accessible history, Palestine. We also celebrate our imprint Serpent’s Tail turning 40 and Souvenir Books turning 75 this year. Serpent’s Tail has Waterstones and indie bookseller favourite Christian Kracht’s new novel Air in July, and the paperback of Waterstones debut fiction prize shortlisted Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal (who was recently shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award) just published. Souvenir will publish international bestseller One Day a Cat Came to Me in October, life-affirming meditations blending philosophy, mindfulness and connection with nature by Korean monk Bokyeong Sunim. And, although not celebrating a birthday this year, how could we not mention Janice Hallett’s much-anticipated return to Lockwood in The Silent Appeal for our Viper imprint in September. ✨ Here’s to the next 30 years! Comment your favourite Profile book by April 6 for a chance to win an anniversary tote. ✨

Leap into the new book from the Women’s Prize-longlisted author Torrey Peters! 💗 ‘Adventurous, mind-expanding and provocative’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO 💗 ‘Unlike anything I’d ever read’ YAEL VAN DER WOUDEN, Women’s Prize-winning author of The Safekeep 💗 ‘A shining talent’ STYLIST Best Books of 2025 💗 #StagDance – a genre-blending quartet of provocative, thrilling and acerbically funny short stories – publishes tomorrow in paperback 🦌 #TorreyPeters #DetransitionBaby #WomensPrize

#EnoughAboutAngels is the Nobel lecture from László Krasznahorkai, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2025. Translated by Ottilie Mulzet, out on Thursday ✨🪽 ‘Dear ladies and gentlemen. On receiving the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, I originally wished to share my thoughts with you on the subject of hope, but as my stores of hope have definitively come to an end, I will now speak about angels’ Characteristically brilliant and unforgettable, this lecture touches on the force of humanity, hope, compassion and rebellion. ‘A compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art’ Nobel Prize Judges