Let the games begin - Niccolo Ammaniti

WARNING: Contains Satanic cults, intoxicated supermodels, Olympic refugees and man-eating hippos

The world might be in the throes of a global recession but when an author on the brink of despair, an enigmatic musician, a supermodel and a Satanic sect meet with the cream of Italian high society at the home of a Roman property tycoon, the world outside the mansion's walls is soon forgotten. There's going to be one hell of a party. And you've got a VIP ticket.

Ammaniti's latest baroque masterpiece is an invite to the party to end all parties. But what mayhem will ensue when the games begin?

With all the verve of The Bonfire of the Vanities and Glamorama, this calamitous, supercharged and wildly enjoyable novel pulls no punches in its satire of the excesses of modern life.