In the twelve novels he has published since 1966 Barry Unsworth has explored his stated interest in "moral complexities and ambiguities" in a wide variety of genres and settings. Several of his books have been primarily comic or have mixed serious...

By introducing himself into his most recent narrative as the author of a book on the slave trade, Barry Unsworth wryly acknowledges that he is best known for Sacred Hunger, which shared the Booker Prize for fiction in 1992. Though "set" securely in...

It is now seven years since Barry Unsworth's Booker-winning novel, Sacred Hunger. It was a big book in every sense, epic in scope, powerfully written, and addressing its central theme - the English slave-trade of the 18th century - with an unflinching eye. Since...

In the following review, Broyard compares Unsworth's The Big Day to MacDonald Harris' Yukiko. Though his critical evaluation focuses more on Yukiko, Broyard uses it to illustrate why he finds The Big Day a disappointing follow-up to Mooncranker's Gift.

In the following review, Eder considers After Hannibal a "dazzling" exploration of history, greed, and betrayal.

In the following review, Burroway cites minor flaws in Morality Play, but otherwise praises the novel's deft universality of theme.