Books with banana appeal

AS THE RAM shuffles off, the monkey swings into action. Armed with charisma, the monkey supposedly confers adventurousness, creativity and invention - just the qualities you might hope to find in a book. So, which forthcoming publications reflect the monkey's spirit?

One lively prospect is Empress Orchid (Houghton Mifflin) by the failed actress turned best-selling chronicler Anchee Min. Her historical novel, the first of a trilogy, examines the antics of Tzu Hsi, who worked her way from consort to Ching Dynasty ruler.

David Mitchell, the 2001 Booker prize nominee, will launch Cloud Atlas (Random House) - which twists time, science and discovery - when he's in town in March for the 2004 Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival.

The spirit of the migrant is tapped by Vietnamese American Le Thi Diem Thuy in The Gangster We Are All Looking For (Picador). Le joins Mitchell at the festival.

Will Self's appetite for the offbeat returns with his first collection of short fiction in five years, Dr Mukti And Other Tales Of Woe (Bloomsbury). The novella of the title pits two fiercely competitive shrinks in a bizarre duel. Other curiosities include that Will Self staple, the chimpanzee, as featured in the mind of a man who labours under the delusion that monkeys rule the planet. Then there is the tale of a seventy-something general called Ord, who discusses the great wars of the 21st century.

Death is Julian Barnes' concern in his short story collection The Lemon Table (Knopf). The title plays on the Chinese notion that the citrus fruit symbolises mortality. According to the publisher, each of his new stories 'deals with the nuances of life and its insurmountable end'.

Joyce Carol Oates regularly invents gritty parables about the perils of life in the US. Don't miss The Falls (HarperCollins), which opens with the spectacle of a man launching himself into Niagara's torrent.