In Deepa Anappara’s much-anticipated second-novel The Last of Earth, two separate British expeditions strike out for Tibet, relying upon the intimate geographical and cultural knowledge of industrious Indian guides  for safe passage to the legendary Potala Palace.

In the magisterial Call Me Ishmaelle author Xiaolu Guo presents a gender-swapped reimaging of the Herman Melville classic Moby Dick, cloaking her female protagonist aboard the Atlantic-bound vessel The Nimrod for an existential quest in search of literature’s most mighty of mammals.

Across these Voyages in Historical Fiction two acclaimed writers’ rework the map of history, foregrounding female characters in the fearless age of frontiers.

In conversation with award-winning writer, bookseller and Birmingham Literature Festival 2026 Programmer, Clive Judd.