‘Lord of the Flies’ (1954) by William Golding

A plane crashes on an uninhabited island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. During the day they inhabit a land of colourful birds and beautiful blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of something terrible.

This first novel by William Golding gave the traditional adventure story an ironic, devastating twist. The boys’ behaviour becomes increasingly primitive and tribal and their games more savage. A text often studied by students of GCSE age, Lord of the Flies is now recognised as a classic and one of the most celebrated modern novels.