Fiction is much harder to review than non-fiction. With a biography or work of history, the reviewer has something to chew on, an argument with which to engage, and two straightforward questions to answer: does it tell me anything new and do I find it convincing? A novel is far more elusive. Yet although they have the easier task, it is usually non-fiction reviewers who are the "stars", while fiction is often given to up-and-comers.

TV tonightTelevision & radioXand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave tell the story of a shocking natural disaster. Plus: the Love Island final. Here’s what to watch this evening Tsunami: Impact 9pm, Channel 5Millions of geological years in the making and yet arriving completely out of the blue, the 2004 Asian tsunami was one of the most shocking natural disasters in recent memory. This three-part documentary series, stripped across the week and presented by Dr Xand Van Tulleken and Raksha Dave, tells the story.

Astana, capital city of Kazakhstan, was inaugurated 20 years ago. Photograph: Taimas AlmukhanovArchitects have a thing for strongmen. In Kazakhstan, the big global practices – from Norman Foster to Zaha Hadid – have piled in to help the dictator, Nursultan Nazarbayev, build his trophy city Мақаланы қазақ тілде оқу үшін мұнда басыңыз | Read in Kazakh by Oliver Wainwright in Astana. Main image: Taimas AlmukhanovIf you could see through the forest of selfie-sticks, the view from the top of the central pavilion of the Astana Expo was a prospect like no other.

Like all of us, the Bay Area’s best chefs are cooking at home more than ever. Here, the minds behind Chez Panisse, Zuni Cafe and others share how lockdown shapes their meals, and the dishes that bring comfort Published: 28 Dec 2020 ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaKiipLOquMRomqGZoqG8tcDEZqqipZ2ku6W%2F

The ObserverBoxing This article is more than 3 years oldJoe Joyce takes titles after forcing Daniel Dubois to quit in 10th roundThis article is more than 3 years oldJoyce now British and European heavyweight championDubois suffers first defeat of his professional careerJoe Joyce, a 3-1 underdog and the antithesis of a growling heavyweight beast, forced his younger unbeaten opponent, Daniel Dubois, to quit in the 10th round at the historic Church House in Westminster on Saturday night and he will now take the British, Commonwealth and European titles on to the world stage.

Mexico This article is more than 5 years oldMexico extradites Sinaloa cartel capo 'El Licenciado' to the USThis article is more than 5 years oldFormer lieutenant of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán faces charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and commit money laundering Mexican drug boss Dámaso López – who unleashed a bloody wave of violence when he tried and failed to take over the Sinaloa cartel – has been extradited from the border city of Ciudad Juárez to the US.

Media This article is more than 18 years oldThe depraved heroes of 24 are the Himmlers of HollywoodThis article is more than 18 years oldSlavoj ZizekThe message of the TV series, that torturers can retain their human dignity if the cause is right, is a profound lieOn Sunday, the fifth season of the phenomenally successful television drama 24 will start in the US. Each season is composed of 24 one-hour episodes and the whole season covers the events of a single day.

OpinionFilmThe loss of actor Lee Sun-kyun casts a chill shadow over Korea’s film worldPeter BradshawLee, who has died aged 48, was a homegrown star who graduated to global fame in the multi-award-winning Parasite Parasite actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in Seoul K-class, K-prestige and K-artistry found their apogee in the movies with Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning 2019 smash Parasite – and this colossally successful South Korean social satire certainly found a place for one of that country’s biggest stars.

WomenThis ever-evolving crime rages almost unchecked. Three women talk about the devastating effect it had – and still has – on them Ruth King (not her real name) can still remember the call coming through on her mobile. She thinks of that moment as “the start of hell”. “It was four years ago, but I remember it clear as day,” she says. “It was my friend warning that there were videos of me everywhere.

This column will change your lifePsychologyOr how overcoming functional fixedness can help solve a candle problem or two…In the corporate team-building exercise known as 100 Uses For A Brick, employees are presented with an ordinary brick, then asked to come up with 100 ways to restrain their rage at being forced to participate in moronic team-building exercises when they could be getting on with work. Or something like that; I may be misremembering.