Owen W. Knight's favourite books that conjure up a sense of place

I love this book, a classic of French adolescent literature, which brings joy, sadness, a sense of yearning, and the dream of an ideal life. I consider it the ultimate exploration of the twilight world between reality and fantasy. 

An impressionable young man, on the verge of adulthood, stumbles across a costumed fete in progress in the grounds of a chateau. He meets and becomes infatuated with a beautiful woman. After returning home, he decides to embark on a quest to find the mysterious woman and the hidden world of ‘the lost domain’.

I have always been impressed by this Gothic masterpiece set in the giant, crumbling castle of Gormenghast, a community of traditions and strict rules enforced by a Master of Ritual.

The birth of Titus shakes the community and reawakens divisions of entitlement and hierarchy and prompts the rise to influence of Steerpike, an ambitious kitchen boy who aspires to become Master of Ritual.

The story, whose weirdness is underlined by character names including Lord Sepulchrave, Fuchsia Groan, Sourdust and Prunesquallor, works through multiple conspiracies to achieve their aims. The book absorbs the reader into its strange, unique world through its strange cast and language.

I have long admired this story, a mixture of 1970s modern life and Celtic, English, and Arthurian myth. Although dated in terms of social attitudes and approach to parenting, it remains a powerful vision of the invisible forces that surround us.

In the days leading up to Christmas, the village of Huntercombe is cut off by a massive snowstorm. Will Stanton begins to receive mysterious supernatural warnings. He discovers he is the last of the Old Ones, immortal beings tasked with protecting the world. Will is assigned a quest to find and link six signs, made of wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, and stone, to hold back the approaching forces of evil.

This is one of my favourite history books.

It is a detailed social history of a single village in the Pyrenees, set between the years 1294 and 1324. It describes the lives of the shepherd community during the suppression of the Cathars, going into great detail about the parishioners' lives. 

By the time I had finished the book, I regretted having to say goodbye to the families whose lives I had gazed into. The book provides insights into their daily lives: love, marriage, religious practices, social relationships, and morality.

I found it a fascinating and informative read.

I was intrigued by how the author creates such a strong sense of place in a single house in a story told mostly by the reclusive owner, Ted, and his cat, a man suspected of the abduction and murder of a child.

I loved the tricks, traps, and changes of direction and the slow revelation of what is really happening. When you eventually discover the truth, it comes as no surprise; the fun is in the journey and the cat’s observations of Ted.

A story where psychology is the key. To say more would be risking spoilers.