Last year, British-Hungarian author David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize for his novel Flesh, a book championed by pop singer Dua Lipa and also received praise from rapper Stormzy.
Two authors that made the cut this year are previous winners; Marlon James won in 2015 with A Brief History of Seven Killings and Douglas Stuart with Shuggie Bain in 2020.
The six shortlisted Booker Prize 2026 books are:
The End of Everything by M John HarrisonThe Disappearers by Marlon JamesBlack Bag by Luke KennardMay We Feed the King by Rebecca PerryThe Things We Never Say by Elizabeth StroutJohn of John by Douglas StuartGet to know the six books below, and find out more about the judges' comments by visiting the Booker Prize website.
The End of Everything by M John Harrison
Now Phillip has fished out of the water an object he can’t keep. A creature that keeps changing. An artefact he must take inland, before it destroys everything he thinks he knows.
What did the judges say about The End of Everything? "The End of Everything can be read as a thriller, a mystery, a satire, a dystopia, a road novel, a work of realism. The landscape may be bleak, the catastrophe may be immersive, yet there still were moments we found ourselves laughing aloud."
The Disappearers by Marlon James
One night a mob savagely attacks them, killing one of the men. For the survivors, their recovery is as much emotional as it is physical: As their bodies heal, each man must grapple with the violence, the hatred, and the rage that the attack made plain. Some try to ignore what the attack has unearthed, while others double down on retribution.
What did the judges say about The Disappearers? "A Jamaican epic from one of the most impactful Caribbean novelists today; readers will love the shifting register of the dialogue and poetic phrasings, often pierced through with sharp, double-edged humour."
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
The role, eagerly accepted, soon has unexpected consequences. A professor of post-humanism develops research questions of her own, in particular - can you love someone secreted away inside a black bag? Meanwhile, the actor's childhood friend and flatmate forms a vision for monetising this new situation…
What did the judges say about Black Bag? "In a wonderfully quirky campus novel, Kennard combines an absurd experiment with a moving story about human frailty, passion, confusion, and identity. There’s something for everyone here."
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it isn't long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.
What did the judges say about May We Feed the King? "An affecting and lush jewel of a novel that moves between our present-day world to a medieval court and unsettles the idea that there’s ever one universal historical truth."
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear - and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence.
What did the judges say about The Things We Never Say? "A novel that engages with the deeply divisive politics of present-day America, without itself becoming divisive. This is the kind of book we need now: a calm antidote to contemporary events."
John of John by Douglas Stuart
While Cal wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, John is dismayed by his son's long hair and how he seems unwilling to be Saved. As the seasons pass, everything is poised to change as the threads holding together the fragile community become increasingly entangled.
For all the latest RT Book Club news, interviews, Q&As with the authors, reviews of previous books and more, visit The Radio Times Book Club.
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