Fiction By The Numbers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles Dickens

"A Tale of Two Cities" holds the record as the most printed English book, with over 200 million copies sold worldwide. The book was also a departure from Dickens' traditional writing, as it is only one of two historical fiction novels that he wrote (the other being "Barnaby Rudge").

Answer: Isaac Asimov

"Nine Tomorrows", published in the US in 1959 and the UK in 1963, features nine short stories and two pieces of comic verse written by Isaac Asimov over the course of 1956 to 1958. Two of Asimov's favourite stories, "The Last Question" and "The Ugly Little Boy" are featured in the book.

Answer: Rainbow Six

The 'Rainbow' alluded to in the title refers to a multinational counterterrorist unit, led by John Clark, a recurring character in the series. The "Rainbow Six" video game was released in 1998 for the PC, and also for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in 1999. A number of sequels have been released for a variety of consoles and platforms.

Answer: When Eight Bells Toll

"When Eight Bells Toll" sees Phillip Calvert, a secret agent for the British Treasury, who investigates the latest ship hijacking, including eight million pounds in gold bullion. Keeping true to his writing, McLean's novel is full of twists and turns which keep you guessing till the final page.

Answer: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

The main character, Billy Pilgrim, is captured by German soldiers and taken to a disused slaughterhouse, which gives the book its title. Billy experiences past and future events out of sequence, and sees key moments of his life, including his murder. Themes of free will and fate are explored in the novel. "Slaughterhouse Five" was published in 1969.

Answer: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey's novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" tells the story of Chief Bromden, a patient at an Oregon asylum. In 1975, it was adapted into a film, with Jack Nicholson playing the lead role of R P McMurphy. The book is very much a study of the human mind, as well as the process of institutionalisation. Kesey based the book on some experiences he had when working at a mental health facility.

Answer: The Big Four

Four small cases involving the titular Big Four villains make up the crux of this novel. The reason for this series of cases is that they were all linked short stories that appeared in a magazine, and in 1927, were combined into one novel with a connecting storyline. Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot, is the primary protagonist.

Answer: Nathaniel Hawthorne

The titular "House of the Seven Gables" is depicted as a gloomy mansion that has been haunted by the bad things that have happened to it. The house acts as a buffer, where events from past, such as the Salem witch trials and the sins of those past, influence those in the present. The book was published in 1851.

Answer: The Three Musketeers

"The Three Musketeers" is one of Alexandre Dumas' most famous novels, and is one of three novels that make up the "d'Artagnan Romances'. "Twenty Years After" and "The Vicomte of Bragelonne" are the other two books in the series. "The Three Musketeers" tells the story of a man named d'Artagnan and his journey to become a guard of the musketeers.

His friends, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, are in fact the musketeers mentioned in the title.

Answer: And Then There Were None

"And Then There Were None" was published in 1939 with a different title, but was changed due to modern revisions. The US mystery television show, "Harper's Island" shares similarities with the novel, as week by week, another character is killed mysteriously. As with many novels of that time, "And Then There Were None" was serialised before it was combined into one novel.