C.P. Snow - Strangers and Brothers Series (1-11)

Time of Hope (# 1)
This novel tells the story of Lewis Eliot's early life. As a child he is faced with his father's bankruptcy. As a young man, he finds his career at the Bar hindered by a neurotic wife. Separation from her is impossible however.

George Passant (#2) (first called Strangers and Brothers)
In the second of the 'Strangers and Brothers' series Lewis Eliot tells the story of George Passant, a Midland solicitor's managing clerk and idealist who tries to bring freedom to a group of people in the years 1925 to 1933.

The Conscience of the Rich (#3)
This is a novel of conflict exploring the world of the great Anglo-Jewish banking families between the two World Wars. Charles March is heir to one of these families and is beginning to make a name for himself at the Bar. When he wishes to change his way of life and do something useful, he is forced into a quarrel with his father, his family, and his religion.

The Light and the Dark (#4)
'The Light and the Dark' is the fourth in time sequence of narrative (although published as the second of the series) in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series.
The story is set in Cambridge, but the plot also moves to Monte Carlo, Berlin and Switzerland. Lewis Eliot narrates the career of a childhood friend.
Roy Calvert is a brilliant but controversial linguist who is about to be elected to a fellowship.

The Masters (#5)
The fifth in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series begins with the dying Master of a Cambridge college. His imminent demise causes intense rivalry and jealousy amongst the other fellows. Former friends become enemies as the election looms.

The New Men (#6)
It is the onset of World War II in the sixth in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series.
A group of Cambridge scientists are working on atomic fission. But there are consequences for the men who are affected by it. Hiroshima also causes mixed personal reactions.

Homecomings (#7)
'Homecomings' is the seventh in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series and sequel to 'Time of Hope'. This complete story in its own right follows Lewis Eliot's life through World War II. After his first wife's death his work at the Ministry assumes a larger role. It is not until his second marriage that Eliot is able to commit himself emotionally.

The Affair (#8)
In the eighth in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series Donald Howard, a young science Fellow is charged with scientific fraud and dismissed from his college. This novel, which became a successful West End play, describes a miscarriage of justice in the same Cambridge college which served as a setting for 'The Masters'.

Corridors of Power (#9)
The corridors and committee rooms of Whitehall are the setting for the ninth in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series. They are also home to the manipulation of political power. Roger Quaife wages his ban-the-bomb campaign from his seat in the Cabinet and his office at the Ministry. The stakes are high as he employs his persuasiveness.

The Sleep of Reason (#10)
The penultimate novel in the 'Strangers and Brothers' series takes Goya's theme of monsters that appear in our sleep. The sleep of reason here is embodied in the ghastly murders of children that involve torture and sadism.

Last Things (#11)
The last in the Strangers and Brothers series has Sir Lewis Eliot’s heart stop briefly during an operation. During recovery he passes judgment on his achievements and dreams. Concerns fall from him, leaving only ironic tolerance. His son Charles takes up his father’s burdens, and like his father, he is involved in the struggles of class and wealth, but he challenges the establishment, risking his future in political activities.