The Making of Incarnation by Tom McCarthy (Penguin, $37)

If you’ve ever tried counting sheep and found yourself, rather than dropping off, wondering if there might be some kind of design underpinning the leaps and bleats of your woolly friends, Tom McCarthy’s new book might be for you. The British writer’s fifth novel is an investigation into Incarnation, a movie. The design of its special effects is the subject of many of the book’s chapters. While these long motioncapture sequences crackle with thrilling technical argot the book is a thriller, an international caper about the search for a missing box. Though twice a nominee for Britain’s Booker Prize, McCarthy isn’t a mainstream novelist. His rejection of the standard props of fiction will alienate some.