Walking proudly in the footsteps of Angela Carter, these novelists deftly weave magical imagery and fairy tale tropes into writing that feels powerfully contemporary. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is Imogen Hermes Gowar’s much-vaunted debut about an elusive mermaid, set in Georgian London, while The Gloaming is Kirsty Logan’s bewitching tale of first love on a remote Scottish island that follows her acclaimed debut, The Gracekeepers.