Magnus Mills – författare

'It's a matter of procedure,' I explained. 'Strictly for the record. You don't get sacked from this job unless you did what Thompson did'. 'What did he do then'? 'We never mention it'. Enter the bizarre world of the bus driver, a strange but all too familiar universe in which 'the timetable' and 'the maintenance of headway' are sacred, but where the routes can change with the click of an inspector's fingers. This brilliant short novel is a gently absurd examination of the British bus system and its peculiarities, where the demands of the hapless passengers are virtually ignored and where it is fine to be a little bit late but utterly unforgivable to be a moment early.

'Tam and I took hold of Mr McCrindle and lowered him into the hole, feet first. We decided to leave his cap on'. Fencers Tam, Richie and their ever-exasperated English foreman are forced to move from rural Scotland to England for work. After a disastrous start involving a botched fence and an accidental murder, the three move to a damp caravan in Upper Bowland and soon find themselves in direct competition with the sinister Hall Brothers whose business enterprises seem to combine fencing, butchering and sausage-making. "The Restraint of Beasts" introduced readers to the now much-loved unique voice of Magnus Mills and his surreally comic world.

‘A unique talent ... Mills's novels are among the best and most original in recent English fiction' Literary Review‘An enjoyable novel by a truly original writer' Sunday TimesThe Scheme was designed to provide an honest wage for an honest day's labour. Men driving identical, rust-resistant Univans deliver Univan parts to strategically spaced warehouses. Simple, self-perpetuating and efficient, it seems destined to last forever.But when some drivers begin leaving early and developing delivery sidelines, the workforce is divided into two camps: Flat-Dayers and Early Swervers. As tensions mount, the whole system threatens to fall apart...

A dark, surreally funny novel from the bestselling Booker Prize-shortlisted author‘Hilariously surreal. It's a bit like the Coen Brothers directing an Alan Bennett play... Fantastic' Daily Mirror‘Understatedly surreal, deadpan gothic, Mills is a master of the uncanny ... Such a fresh fictional voice' EsquireIt is the end of the summer. The tourists have already gone, and now the sun is abandoning the Lake District's damp valleys. Only a lone camper remains, enjoying the quiet. He plans to stay just long enough to prepare for a trip to the East.But then the owner of the campsite asks him to paint a fence and he innocently obliges. Soon other odd jobs pile up until little by little he becomes ensnared in the ominous ‘out-of-season'...

A brilliant fantastical satire from the Booker-shortlisted author, reminiscent of the best of Jonathan Swift'Magnus Mills is Britain's most original writer, so forget everything you've been told about fiction - he has never even heard of the rules that apply to everyone else' The Times'A beautiful, singular book; funny and acutely observed' Independent Far away, in the ancient empire of Greater Fallowfields, things are falling apart. The imperial orchestra is presided over by a conductor who has never played a note, the clocks are changed constantly to ensure that the sun always sets at five o' clock, and the Astronomer Royal is only able to use the observatory telescope when he can find a sixpence to put in its slot.But while the kingdom drifts, awaiting the return of the young emperor, who has gone abroad and communicates only by penny post, a sinister and unfamiliar enemy is getting closer and closer...A Cruel Bird Came to the Nest and Looked In is Magnus Mills's most ambitious work to date. A surreal portrait of a world that, although strange and distant, contains rather too many similarities to our own for the alien not to become brilliantly familiar and disturbingly close to home. It is comic writing at its best - and it is Magnus Mills's most ambitious, enjoyable and rewarding novel to date.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZE 2016'One of Britain's most original, inimitable writers' The Times'The field looks completely wrong now,' she announced, one blustery afternoon. ‘It’s all gone out of balance'The Great Field lies in the bend of a broad, meandering river. Bounded on three sides by water, on the fourth side it dwindles gradually into wilderness. A handful of tents are scattered far and wide across its immensity. Their flags flutter in the warm breeze, rich with the promise of halcyon days. But more and more people are setting up camp in the lush pastures and with each new arrival life becomes a little more complicated. And when a large and disciplined group arrive from across the river emotions run so high that even a surplus of milk pudding can’t soothe ruffled feathers. Change is coming; change that threatens the delicate balance of power in the Great Field.This simultaneously down to earth and surreal fable cements Magnus Mills’ status as one of Britain’s most original novelists.

'The Forensic Records Society is like Animal Farm but with blokes for pigs, and much better songs' GuardianTwo men with a passion for vinyl create a society for the appreciation of records. Their aim is simple: to elevate the art of listening by doing so in forensic detail. The society enjoys moderate success in the back room of their local pub, The Half Moon, with other enthusiasts drawn to the initial promise of the weekly gathering.However, as the club gains popularity, its founder’s uncompromising dogma results in a schism within the movement and soon a counter group forms. Then the arrival of a young woman called Alice further fractures the unity of the vulnerable society. As rifts are forged and gulfs widen, Magnus Mills examines the surreal nature of ordinary lives. The master of the comic deadpan returns for his ninth novel, a spectacularly disingenuous exploration of power, fanaticism and really, really good records.

‘Mills's comedy shares its anthropological glee with The League of Gentlemen...This shouldn't be a speedy page-turner, but it is; light reading with real depth' Guardian‘Pythonesque ... Quirky, deadpan and quietly unhinged' ScotsmanLiving on a windy plain in a house made entirely from tin, a recluse's quiet life is transformed by the severely critical Mary Petrie who arrives unannounced with a trunk of her belongings in tow.As a procession of new houseguests begins, our narrator is put under pressure as his previously-isolated existence is turned on its head and he is forced to choose between a solitary life and joining the mass exodus of his neighbours...