17. "The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare" (1908) - GK Chesterton
Not a book for those who enjoy some easy reading, but for those who love to go on a mind trip then GK Chesterton's 1908 novel "The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare" is among the best metaphysical thrillers around. Often referred to as the "prince of paradox" for his ability to make everything not quite appear as it really is, Chesterton places Gabriel Syme in Edwardian-era London at Scotland Yard as part of the secret anti-anarchist police corps. When Syme is taken to an underground anarchist meeting by anarchistic poet Lucian Gregory, the recruit soon realises there are five other undercover detectives on the Council - but he doesn't know which one is really a policeman and which one is an anarchist. A book that plays with the mind from the first page to the very last, nothing is ever what it seems in Syme's world - and it takes him a long time to discover who the real enemy is, and could it even be God himself?
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
