In this week’s TLS John Updike was not much of a fan of science fiction, objecting to the flash and glare of its imagined scenery, complaining that it “rarely penetrates and involves us the way the quietest realistic fiction can” - By Stig AbellBut what if … A counterfactual examination of the history of Europe - By Peter ThonemannA miscarriage of fun An exclusive extract from Eimear McBride’s new novel Strange Hotel - By Eimear Mc Bride.