Staying true to its commitment to traditional craftsmanship, The Folio Society collaborates with British printers and craftspeople to ensure the preservation and flourishing of age-old book-making techniques. What sets this publisher apart is its unique support for a broad spectrum of artists, having commissioned the talents of 32 illustrators in 2023 alone.

Among the notable nominations, The Folio Society’s limited edition of ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ featuring a foreword by Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, is shortlisted for Best British Book, while the limited edition of T. S. Eliot’s epic poem ‘The Waste Land,’ adorned with illustrations by Tom Phillips RA, is in the running in the Fine Binding & Limited Edition category.

A dominant presence in the Literature category, four out of five titles shortlisted belong to The Folio Society, including works like Wu Ch’eng-en’s ‘Monkey’ (illustrated by Mu Pan), Haruki Murakami’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ (illustrated by Daniel Liévano) which EF has reviewed, Michael Ende’s ‘The Neverending Story’ (selected as the 75th-anniversary title in 2022), and Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ (introduced by Zadie Smith).

In the Scholarly, Academic and Reference Book category, The Folio Society’s editions of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s two-part history tome ‘Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar’ and Carlo Rovelli’s popular science classic ‘The Order of Time’, introduced by Philip Pullman, are shortlisted.

The Folio Society continues its impressive showing with two out of four titles shortlisted for Best Jacket/Cover Design, including ‘Jaws’ by Peter Benchley (illustrated by Hokyoung Kim) and ‘Trainspotting’ by Irvine Welsh, (illustrated by Nicole Rifkin), which EF has reviewed.

Production Director, Kate Grimwade, says: “The team at Folio are delighted to be nominated once again for the prestigious British Book Design and Production Awards. To have ten titles nominated across five categories is a huge achievement and a recognition of Folio’s passion for the highest standards of book design and production.”

The Folio Society, having enjoyed success at the 2022 British Book Design and Production Awards, winning in all four nominated categories, aims to continue its streak of excellence. The 2023 awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 24th January 2024, at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

This London-based publisher, renowned for its beautifully produced, illustrated hardback books, offers these exquisite editions exclusively through their website, foliosociety.com. With 50 titles published last year, including nine limited editions, The Folio Society has proven its commitment to exceptional publishing, thoughtful art direction, and production innovation.

The British Book Design and Production Awards serve as a platform to highlight the outstanding quality of the British book design and production industry. The winners will be unveiled at the awards ceremony on January 24th 2024, in London.

From a single purchase to a lifetime of collecting, book lovers around the world can buy these exquisite editions exclusively from their website, foliosociety.com. Proudly independent for its 75-year history, in 2021 under the leadership of its CEO, Joanna Reynolds, The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. The Folio Society is committed to a progressive sharing of power and profit in publishing, and this is reflected in their new status.

The Folio Society publishes some of the best names in publishing past and present, across the globe in high specification, collector editions. Notable publications include Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’, Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Andrew Chaikin’s ‘A Man on the Moon’ and Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’ among many other contemporary and classic titles including a publishing partnership with Marvel delivering the world-recognised, iconic brand’s luxury editions.

For more information and to explore their extensive catalogue, visit foliosociety.com.

Follow the Folio Society story on:
Instagram: @foliosociety
Twitter: @foliosociety
Facebook: @thefoliosociety
TikTok: @foliosociety
YouTube: @TheFolioSociety
LinkedIn: The Folio Society Ltd
Hashtag: #foliosociety

The post The Folio Society secures 10 Nominations in multiple categories for the 2023 British Book Design and Production Awards appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

This is not The Folio Society’s first foray into the world of Murakami. Some of his most celebrated works have already been published for their catalogue, comprising ‘Kafka on the Shore’ in 2021 and ‘Norwegian Wood’ in 2022. ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ represents the third title in the range, adding perhaps the author’s most well-known and celebrated work. Stylistically, the three novels have been produced in similar ways, including retaining Columbian artist Daniel Liévano as the illustrator for all three. This approach ensures that the titles look aesthetically sublime on your bookcase.

Often considered Murakami’s magnum opus, ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ finds the author in a rich vein of form. The novel is full of his trademark stylistic literary techniques. The mundane, ordinary world of failing marriages, missing pets and unemployment are combined with the magical and the surreal. The author guides the reader through a labyrinthine story populated with weird and wonderful characters.

The hero is Toru Okada, a man approaching early middle-age. Love is disappearing from his marriage at the same time as his cat (bizarrely named after his wife’s brother, whom Toru despises) has gone missing. Kumiko, his wife, suggests he use his time to find the cat, since Toru has jacked in his job as a lawyer’s assistant and has little to occupy himself. At night, searching for his cat, Toru meets teenager May Kasahara. She introduces him to an abandoned house that contains a deep, dry well that she sometimes sits in. The house, and the well contained within it, prove to be a safe space for Toru as well as a portal to his past. His destiny becomes inextricably linked to it.

Typically, for a Murakami novel, a neat synopsis is a tricky task to pull off. The inciting incident – the hunt for the missing cat – proves not to be integral to the book at all. Toru’s problems really start when Kumiko leaves him and disappears without trace a third of the way through. Throughout the non-linear plot, Toru has plenty of interesting experiences and meets all kinds of intriguing people from a would-be clairvoyant to a World War Two veteran who is full of stories about the conflict he saw. Few of these encounters logically connect different strands of the story. Rather, Murakami’s style is to meander through dream-like sequences, creating and maintaining atmosphere, which becomes more important than the events of the story. Throughout it, there is but a tenuous connection to reality.

Regularly considered one of the most significant living authors, Haruki Murakami is an author of international significance and acclaim whose works continue to demand attention and accrue loyal readers. There’s no doubt that ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ finds at writer at the height of his powers. For a relatively long book, the prose is counterintuitively fresh and tight.

How engrossed the reader becomes in the story will be a matter of taste. As a reader who tends to favour books with a strong protagonist and plot, ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ didn’t grab me with any sense of urgency. Toru Okada is, in common with other Murakami heroes, ineffectual. I find it hard to warm to a drifter. Neither he nor his promiscuous wife Kumiko is especially sympathetic. A few elements date the book. One is the transcription of the conversation that estranged husband and wife conduct over the internet using a chat function. It would have been cutting edge when the book was published, but as always, rapidly-developing technology roots the book within a five-year window. The other aspect is the somewhat gratuitous descriptions of Toru’s sexual experiences. Perhaps, in Japanese society at the tail end of the Twentieth Century, such descriptions may have been groundbreaking and liberating. In today’s more sensitive and reserved times, they feel too on the nose.

Despite a few reservations that stem from personal preference, I enjoyed experiencing ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ as a book that led me far from my comfort zone. The story is full of nuance and clever, intriguing ideas. It is a fine literary achievement that, especially for those who can orient themselves within Murakami’s chaotic realm of the imagination, rewards a close reading. Its power is in the story’s ability to keep re-inventing itself. Yet the third part ties up loose ends and satisfies readers – even if you’ve meandered so far off the beaten path you’ve forgotten where you started!

This luxurious hardback edition of Haruki Murakami’s ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ bound in blocked cloth is available exclusively from The Folio Society. It features single or double-page full-colour illustrations by Daniel Liévano that bring the text to life, and an introduction by the author himself.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: 12th September 2023 Buy ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’

The post Haruki Murakami – ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ The Folio Society edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Originally published in 1962, ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ came out only three years before Shirley Jackson’s premature death at the age of 48. Although readers are left to wonder what other stories she may have written had she lived longer, her final offering is certainly mature, and the work of a confident writer who had nailed her literary style. The novel immediately grabs your attention. The opening paragraph introduces the narrator, one Mary Katherine Blackwood, known informally as Merricat. We learn that she lives with her sister Constance. Thrown in among friendly and otherworldly peripheral details, she tells us that “Everyone else in my family is dead.”

Although layered with evasion and digression, everything else in the novel springs forward from that chilling opening statement. Merricat, though, is talking only about her immediate family, because she and her sister live with their wheelchair-bound Uncle Julian. We quickly learn that their world is a small one, despite their relative affluence. They isolate themselves from the village and even more so from the world beyond it. Theirs is a house in which time has stood still since fateful events six years earlier. Constance hasn’t left the grounds of the house in the intervening period. Sometimes, outsiders such as the Clarkes come for tea, but they bring with them the ominous threat of the outside world so are not received hospitably. When cousin Charles visits, it feels like an invasion. Unlike the quiet, fragile and otherworldly Uncle Julian, Charles is a younger man and drives an unwelcome wedge between the sisters.

Behind every seemingly innocent event lie a handful of nagging questions: what happened to the girls’ parents, aunt and sibling? How did so many family members die in the same house simultaneously? What future could the two young women possibly hope to have when their only plan is to stay holed away from people in their increasingly decrepit family home? How much of a threat are the villagers, who whisper and spread rumours about the Blackwoods and what has happened in their home? Answers come, but Shirley Jackson is the master at creating suspense, then maintaining it with an atmosphere of uneasiness and creeping menace.

It is hard to define ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ or even settle on which genre you are reading. There are elements that point to horror but without the narrative ever straying into the supernatural, at least outside of the imagination of a troubled teenager. Essentially, it is a literary work that is character- rather than plot-driven where its secrets reveal themselves, and not always in full resolution, throughout the course of the novel. The author cleverly and insidiously manipulates the reader: once you start to figure out who Merricat is, and once the true personality of the character reveals itself, you question your sympathies. The process of discomfiting the reader is achieved with consummate literary skill.

‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ won’t have universal appeal. If you prefer books with fast-moving plots that tie up every loose end, then this isn’t the title for you. However, for a novel with literary flair that is driven by mood, Jackson’s book is in a league of its own.

Immerse yourself in a Twentieth Century classic. Take pleasure in your changing reactions to the characters as their histories come to light and impact on the present. But be warned: time in the Blackwood household can induce claustrophobia. This is a book about isolation and the consequences of exiling yourself from society in order to live with secrets.

‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ may well be considered Shirley Jackson’s masterpiece. The characters are more rounded and compelling than those presented in the ghostly classic ‘The Haunting of Hill House’. The dark and unsettling novel retains its power to absorb and chill readers over six decades after it was written. For fans of Jackson’s work, this beautifully-produced edition pairs perfectly on the bookcase with ‘The Haunting of Hill House’.

The Folio Society’s edition of ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ by Shirley Jackson, illustrated by Angie Hoffmeister and with an afterword by Donna Tartt (author of ‘The Secret History’) is available exclusively from www.FolioSociety.com.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: August 2023 Buy ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’

The post Shirley Jackson – ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ The Folio Society Edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

The question is why Welsh’s characters resonated so strongly with the public in the mid 1990s, and why the day-to-day experiences of a group of low-life junkies in Leith, Edinburgh continue to find new generations to speak to. Part of the answer is that Welsh wrote sections of the book in Scottish dialect, lending the characters’ voices authenticity. This is an original stylistic choice, but more importantly, the author’s pursuit of authenticity creates a vivid experience for his readers. It really is possible to picture and hear the characters, see their surroundings and at times even smell the destitution around them. If you want a book that creates a world you can thoroughly immerse yourself in, ‘Trainspotting’ is a fantastic option.

Although published in 1993, the events of ‘Trainspotting’ take place half a decade earlier in the late 1980s. This difference is important, because it captures the height of the AIDS epidemic. Owing to heroin addicts sharing needles and passing blood between one another, Edinburgh became a world centre both of drug-addiction and HIV infections. This roots ‘Trainspotting’ firmly in the era of its origins, when the time-lag from HIV infection to death from AIDS was certainly under a decade, and in many instances where carriers lived in deprivation, just a few years. What ‘Trainspotting’ captures so vividly is the cheapness of life and an indifference to death when all of human activity centres around sating an addiction.

In depicting the desperation of Edinburgh’s low-life, Welsh creates memorable characters, many of whom are amoral or even immoral, but who nevertheless interest and enthral the reader. Not all of them are junkies. Begbie, for example, may be psychotic, but he doesn’t use. He gets his kicks from violence instead, much of it unprovoked as far as his victims are concerned. The book is narrated from multiple points of view, but Renton emerges as the protagonist. This serves the reader well because, unlike some of the characters within his orbit, Renton isn’t yet devoid of hope, nor is he beyond redemption.

Humour is a hook that keeps the reader engaged and entertained. The author’s turns of phrase are superb. He describes Begbie as looking “bitterly around the cavernous, nicotine-stained bar, like an arrogant aristocrat finding himself in reduced circumstances.” Such prosaic descriptions are often laugh-out-loud funny. Sometimes the comedic moments come at the expense of a character’s delusions, such as when the loveable Spud takes a job interview and allows himself to believe that it has gone well and he’s a shoe-in for the role. More often than not the darkest of gallows humour punctuates the pages as one character or another tests positive for HIV, or another death is reported among the social circle.

It is no easy task to summarise the plot of ‘Trainspotting’. It’s easiest to say that the film deviates wildly from its source material, though certain key moments of the cinematic adaptation are lifted directly from the pages of Welsh’s work. Begbie lobbing the empty pint glass from the balcony of the bar, for example, survives intact. The book opens with Renton, struggling to overcome his heroin addiction, buying slow-release suppositories to ease his cravings. When he has the junkie’s inevitable problem of the runs, he’s forced to void his bowels in the lavatory of a bookmaker’s shop, thus losing the suppositories in the bowl. A dilemma faces him. When he opts to splash about on the urine-soaked floor and plunge his hand into the unflushed toilet to fish around for the suppositories, Welsh crafts a visceral and memorable opening sequence. It gives readers access to the state of mind and priorities of somebody hooked on heroin that may be incomprehensible to anybody who hasn’t struggled with addiction. Unsurprisingly, this too makes it into the film. The other moment that everybody remembers is the death of the baby, but this is handled differently in the book. The way in which Sick Boy later talks about the infant’s death is another psychological insight into a culture of indifference where everything serves only addiction.

Rather than following a linear pathway from beginning to end, with an obvious plot where each action moves the story inexorably forward, ‘Trainspotting’ is more of a collection of short stories incorporating a ragtag group of friends. This may alienate or confuse some readers, though is an understandable choice given the detachment of the characters from any form of normal life or drive to succeed. The saturation of bad language on every page will also prove too much for some, although inevitably you can become as desensitised to it as the characters speak them so reflexively. It can take a while for especially non-Scottish readers to tune in to the accent in the sections written in dialect (relatively rare – don’t let the opening pages fool you). “The sweat wis lashing oafay Sick Boy; he wis trembling,” is the opening sentence, by way of illustration. Even once your eyes and ears adjust, regional dialect and specific place names can leave non-native readers all at sea. Be prepared to go with the flow and accept that some in-jokes and cultural references may sail over your head.

The passage of three decades has made some aspects of the book more notable. It is male-dominated. There are female characters, but they are often the sexual conquests or interests of the men, and their voices don’t carry the story. Untempered by obligations, the males are hedonistic and have been hardened by the brutality of their world. Their friendships and associations are questionable, and are rooted in drugs, alcohol or violence. Mark Renton is the continuity character who opens and closes the narrative. Others pop in and out. Davie Mitchell narrates two disparate episodes in different sections of the book. His second story, ‘Bad Blood’, is among the most disturbing of the vignettes as he takes a vicious and murderous revenge upon the man responsible for him contracting HIV.

Popular culture grounds the book in the real world throughout its pages. Movie action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme is mentioned in the first paragraph. There’s a chapter named ‘There is a Light that Never Goes Out’ after the song of the same name by cult 80s band ‘The Smiths’. A train journey via ‘Inter Shitty’ recalls the good old days of nationalised railway services. There is a strong and overriding sense of time and place. You can’t escape it. For anyone who’s wondered why on earth the story is called ‘Trainspotting’, the answer comes towards the end of the novel when Renton and Begbie have a chance encounter at a railway station with Begbie’s father. Very little is said, yet much is explained. That is essentially the power of Welsh’s writing. ‘Trainspotting’ is strong, distinctive and uncompromising storytelling. That in itself is more than enough to recommend it. The novel has withstood the initial test of time so can certainly be considered a modern classic.

The Folio Society’s thirtieth anniversary edition of Irvine Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting’ is packaged in a slipcase that has two parallel lines cut out of it, recalling the railway tracks referred to by the title. Its superb design is full of great details like that. The blue-green colour contrasts with the bright yellow cloth-bound hardback cover. Nicole Rifkin’s pop art-style colour illustrations augment the pages. A new introduction by author and English literature expert John Sutherland delves further into the Scottish dialect and provides useful clarity for the uninitiated.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: 6th July 2023 Buy ‘Trainspotting’

The post Irvine Welsh – ‘Trainspotting’ The Folio Society edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Emerging as the overall winner from a strong field of contenders, illustrator Cristina Bencina has scooped the award. She becomes the second winner of the illustrious annual free-to-enter competition which launched in 2022 to mark The Folio Society’s 75th anniversary.

The competition is open to illustrators, student or professional, who have not previously been commissioned by The Folio Society. At the same time, the FBIA aims to find, promote and support new artistic talent from around the world.

For 2023’s competition, entrants were tasked with illustrating a single scene of their choice from acclaimed science-fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin’s ‘The Fliers of Gy’. Once the illustrators’ work had been submitted, a judging panel of five experts, including last year’s FBIA winner Evangeline Gallagher and Theo Downes-Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin’s son and literary executor, had the difficult but joyful task of selecting five runners-up and one winner from the hundreds of entries.

This year’s winner Cristina Bencina, an artist and illustrator based in Colorado, will receive a £2,000 cash prize, £500 worth of Folio Society books and a portfolio review with the Folio Society Art Directors. Her work was inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s description of a ritual persecuting the select few born with the ability to fly in a society of feathered people, who are thrown from a cliff and attacked with arrows: “Whether she flies or falls, all the men of the tribe, screaming with excitement, shoot at her with bow and arrow.” Intricately detailed and balanced in composition, Bencina’s illustration was selected for its imaginative depiction of the persecuted Flier.

Theo Downes-Le Guin, Trustee, Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trusts and member of the judging panel, said “My mother loved working with illustrators, she loved seeing different interpretations of her work. Cristina Bencina’s composition stood out to the entire panel for its dynamism and its original interpretation of this moment in the story. The contrast between the dark values of the illustration and that bright punctuation of fire at the top was absolutely entrancing.”

Raquel Leis Allion, Folio Art Director and FBIA judge, said of the winning submission: “Cristina Bencina’s piece is instantly eye-catching with its strong graphic imagery. The pop of colour from the flames at the top of the mountain in the dark landscape guide your eye around the image. Christina has captured the sense of falling perfectly.”

Sheri Gee, Folio Art Director and FBIA judge, said: “This illustration has incredibly delicate line work that really wowed us on close inspection, contouring across the character’s feathers; and a nice element of merging trees and arrows visually. We also loved the interesting viewpoint which immediately made it stand out.”

The judging panel also selected five runners-up who will each receive £500 worth of Folio Society books and an individual portfolio review with the Folio Society Art Directors. Their work can be seen on this page. They comprise Tommy Barclay (UK), Merran Coleman (UK, previously longlisted in the FBIA 2022), Den Owen (UK), Nate Sweitzer (US) and Jens Maria Weber (Germany). Each of these artists presents a unique interpretation of the story’s narrative and its feathered people, the Gyr.

Speaking of the calibre of this year’s runners-up, Evangeline Gallagher, winner of the FBIA 2022, said: “It was such a difficult task to narrow down these entries from such an incredible group! I would pick up a book illustrated by any of these artists. I really loved seeing the variety of interpretations across all of the longlisted submissions. From Den Owen’s moody and fantastical vignette to Nate Sweitzer’s beautifully composed scene, each entry exhibited a really personal voice which made the judging process both super challenging and super exciting.”

Tom Walker, Folio Society Publishing Director, said: “The range of illustration styles was spectacular for the FBIA 2023: from the classical and painterly, to the energetic and informal, and all shades in between. The variety and quality of the entire shortlist showed both the depths of Le Guin’s writing, and the depth of talent in the illustration world today.”

The Folio Society, based in London, publishes beautifully produced books – available worldwide exclusively at foliosociety.com. It publishes some of the best names in publishing past and present, across the globe in beautiful, high specification, collector editions.

The post The Folio Society announces winner and runners-up of its Folio Book Illustration Award 2023 appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

This is the second edition of the annual, free-to-enter competition, which launched in 2022 to mark and celebrate The Folio Society’s 75th anniversary. This year, the longlisted illustrations will be exhibited at Bradford Literature Festival which runs from 23rd June to 2nd July.

The Award is open to illustrators, student or professional, who have not previously been commissioned by The Folio Society. The aim is to find, provide work to and support new illustration talent from around the world.

Illustrating the extraordinary global reach of The Folio Society, they received 733 submissions from 58 countries across five continents, from which 20 outstanding illustrations were selected for the longlist. Two of this year’s longlisted illustrators – Merran Coleman and Camille Whitcher – were also longlisted in last year’s Awards.

Entrants were asked to illustrate a single scene of their choice from renowned science-fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin’s ‘The Fliers of Gy’. The short story tells of a society of feathered people among whom a select few grow wings, a feature that gives them the ability to fly but also carries great risk and leaves them shunned from society. We learn of the Gyr, and the winged few among them, through the eyes of Sita Dulip, the story’s narrator who is a passing visitor in Gy fascinated by its fliers. The illustrations draw on the descriptive passages in the story and the artists’ own imaginations to visualise Gy’s feathered people and the emotional toil and persecution they face, but also the beauty and hope of embracing their unique gift of flight.

The longlist has been selected by The Folio Society’s Art Directors, Sheri Gee and Raquel Leis Allion.

Sheri Gee, Art Director, The Folio Society says: “There was a really high calibre of illustration that made judging the longlist a very difficult task. We loved so many of the depictions, so beautifully drawn and crafted. I know how hard it was to get from 733 to 20, I’m really looking forward to what discussion will come out of deciding the runners up and winner. It’s going to be a tough decision.”

Joining the panel for the next round of judging is Theo Downes-Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin’s son and literary executor, to select the winner and runners-up from the longlist. “I’m delighted to be involved in selecting a recipient for this year’s Folio Book Illustration Award. Like much of my mother’s writing, The Flyers of Gy offers rich opportunity for visual imagination. I can’t wait to see how the entrants respond”, says Downes-Le Guin.

Also joining the judges to select the runners-up and winner is Tom Walker, The Folio Society Publishing Director, and Evangeline Gallagher, winner of the inaugural Folio Book Illustration Award 2022 for their illustration of a scene from Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘The Masque of the Red Death’.

The competition will culminate on 29th June 2023, when the Award’s winner will be announced online. They will receive a £2,000 cash prize plus a £500 Folio Gift Voucher. Five runners-up will receive a £500 Folio Gift Voucher. Find out more on The Folio Society website.

The post The Folio Society announces its Folio Book Illustration Award 2023 longlist appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

The story is about death, and how an ordinary family deals (or fails to deal) with it. As the author’s introduction (written in 2000) attests, the plot is closely based on some of his own experiences when he held a position at the University of Maine and moved his young family there. King’s limitless imagination and natural taste for the macabre allow him to extrapolate from this ordinary situation circumstances that would make them truly extraordinary and horrific. He recounts in his introduction that he wondered if, with ‘Pet Sematary’, he had gone too far this time, and the manuscript would prove too grotesque to publish. The reading public decided that allowing Stephen King to push them to the outer reaches of their comfort zone is an enjoyable experience, and ‘Pet Sematary’ became a bestseller. Nevertheless, it remains the book that terrifies the author the most.

In many ways, it’s not hard to see why. ‘Pet Sematary’ is a relentlessly creepy tale that frequently makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. The supernatural elements aside, losing a loved one and the grief we process afterwards happen to everybody sooner or later, so we can all relate to the plot points that drive the tale forwards. When young medic Louis Creed begins a new job as a doctor on a university campus, he moves his family out to Ludlow, Maine. At first his wife Rachel and young children, daughter Ellie and son Gage, with their cat Churchill, take to life in the small town. They become friendly with their elderly neighbours, Jud and Norma Crandall. It is idyllic save only for the busy main road that cuts through the town, and the relentless sound of speeding Orinco tanker trucks. On a walk through ground at the back of the house, Jud shows them an old pet cemetery, where the sign is incorrectly spelt (hence the book’s title). The experience disturbs Ellie. But when Churchill is killed on the busy main road when Louis’s wife and children are out of town visiting the in-laws, Jud lets Louis in on a secret. Anything laid to rest in ancient burial ground beyond the pet cemetery returns to life. Worried that his daughter will be upset about her pet’s death, Louis buries Churchill there. Lo and behold, his animated corpse soon returns home. But he doesn’t quite seem like his old self, and as for the smell…

Many of the characters in ‘Pet Sematary’ are already dealing with grief. Rachel hasn’t gotten over the death of her sister. Louis befriends Jud because of the absence of a paternal influence in his life after his own father died when he was a child. Jud and Norma are in failing health and are coming closer to death. Ellie worries excessively after seeing the pet cemetery that her cat will die. In a sign of things to come, a student on campus, Victor Pascow, is killed in an accident. He later appears to Louis in what he assumes to be a vivid dream. Death is the constant in the book. The moral is that death must be accepted, and any attempt to cheat death will result in something much, much worse. King dials up the discomfort the deeper you journey into the story. The cat’s return from the dead is only the beginning of a long and increasingly hideous trail of grief, chaos and destruction that will leave your nerves shattered by the time you reach the final page.

From the opening short paragraphs, Stephen King masterfully structures a gripping and compelling story. In small details he establishes a rounded family unit, creating characters that his readers care about and root for. Most of the story is told from Louis’ point of view and like all heroes who inadvertently lead their family into danger, his character flaws are apparent but so ordinary as to be forgivable. The early sequences in which Victor Pascow is brought to Louis, fatally wounded but still alive, yet clearly about to die, have a visceral quality that more squeamish readers may squirm to read. The unfortunate, violent death of someone young and healthy is the perfect way to lead readers into the disturbing sequence of events that King unfolds.

There are two criticisms that can be levelled at ‘Pet Sematary’, but neither proves to be an obstacle to enjoying the novel. The first is that the mid-section following the cat’s return to some semblance of life is overwritten. It contrasts with the short, punchy chapters that lead up to the death of Pascow and the equally tightly-structured closing chapters. King is notorious for writing long books and ‘Pet Sematary’ comes in at close to five hundred pages (about mid-range by King’s standards). But he is a good enough writer for the long descriptive passages to retain the reader’s interest. Secondly, the nature of the evil in the book sees those returning from the dead possessed by a wendigo, because the ancient burial ground belonged to the Native Americans. This is an idea that has been covered many times. These legends aren’t delved into, but simply used as plot devices, and so their inclusion is too fleeting to seem hackneyed.

Those minor misgivings aside, ‘Pet Sematary’ is a thoroughly absorbing book. The final chapters, right up to the final sentence, will be sure to chill your blood and give you nightmares. ‘Pet Sematary’ is a superb example of the horror genre, written by a craftsman who has dedicated his considerable talent to adding many terrifying and original tales into popular culture. King knows exactly how to scare, steadily creep out and build a sense of dread in his reader. These talents he exploits to maximum impact here. If you love the horror genre, ‘Pet Sematary’ will hit all of the right notes.

The design of The Folio Society’s ‘Pet Sematary’ is similar to their edition of ‘Misery‘ that came out in 2021, and pairs well with it. The black hardback cover is embossed with red and silver lettering, and a demonic-looking Churchill the cat stares malevolently out at you from the cover. Inside, there are eight full-page, full-colour illustrations by Edward Kinsella that add a visual component to the horror that radiates from the text. There are many delightful finishing touches, such as a reproduction of some of the animal’s epitaphs in silver text against black on the inlay, and a two-page monochrome illustration on the title page. If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s work, The Folio Society’s superbly-produced edition of ‘Pet Sematary’ is the ultimate copy to embellish any bookcase.

The Folio Society edition of Stephen King’s ‘Pet Sematary’, illustrated by Edward Kinsella, is available exclusively from ‘The Folio Society‘.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: May 2023

The post Stephen King – ‘Pet Sematary’ The Folio Society edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Collectors will have to move quickly to add this SMERSH-ing special collector’s edition to their bookshelves, as only 750 copies have been printed.

At his Goldeneye home in Jamaica in 1952, Ian Fleming, then 44 years of age, set out to write his first novel with the intention that it would be “the spy story to end all spy stories”. The name of his hero was taken from an American ornithologist who authored a field guide Birds of the West Indies. A keen amateur birdwatcher himself, Fleming had a copy of James Bond’s book. And so a name that is legendary around the world came into being! Fleming described ‘James Bond’ as a “brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name”. The iconic closing line of ‘Casino Royale’ makes it into the 2006 Daniel Craig movie which launched his groundbreaking tenure as 007. That movie, generally regarded as among the best of the entire run, sticks faithfully to the plot of Fleming’s book, even down to Bond having his balls whipped on a seatless chair by Le Chiffre. Once read, that scene is never forgotten.

The book features an exclusive new introduction by award-winning author Kim Sherwood, who is expanding the world of James Bond with a new trilogy of ‘Double O’ novels that began last year with ‘Double or Nothing’. Her introduction discusses how Ian Fleming changed spy fiction forever with the creation of James Bond.

Kim Sherwood, author and introducer of the Folio Limited Edition, says: “Casino Royale reinvents the genre, and this beautiful edition celebrates its explosive style and elegance perfectly.”

The Folio Society Limited Edition features new artwork by illustrator Fay Dalton, who has combined traditional drawing methods with digital painting. It includes two striking double-page pictures and seven new black-and-white illustrations integrated throughout the text. The book is bound in leather and the cover design is a nod to one of ‘Casino Royale’s memorable scenes, where Bond takes on his adversary Le Chiffre over a game of baccarat. Each edition comes in an artwork-lined clamshell box and includes an exclusive limitation label signed by the artist.

James Rose, Head of Editorial at The Folio Society, says: “James Bond is a core part of our literary and cultural heritage, as well as being a central part of my own upbringing, so it is with great pride that we’ve been able to bring together the incredible talents of Fleming, Sherwood and Dalton, as well as those of our printers and binders, to create this special 70th anniversary edition. Here’s to another 70 years!”

Simon Ward, Publishing Director at Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, says: “2023 marks the 70th year since 007 was created and this new limited edition is as smart and impeccably tailored as the man himself. We are thrilled to see The Folio Society continuing its run of beautiful, lovingly crafted versions of Ian Fleming’s classic stories. Ian Fleming was an avid collector of books and he would surely cherish this landmark publication of his groundbreaking novel.”

The Folio Society first published Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s first novel, in 2015 and have since published 11 other James Bond novels from the author, as well as the short story collection For Your Eyes Only, all illustrated by Fay Dalton. See our piece James Bond in print – revisiting The Folio Society’s Ian Fleming collection.

The Folio Society edition of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, introduced by Kim Sherwood and illustrated by Fay Dalton, is exclusively available from The Folio Society.

The post The Folio Society releases Limited Edition ‘Casino Royale’, Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

The events of ‘Roadside Picnic’ take place in a small town close to a Zone, which is the name given to areas affected by the Visit. An unnoticed alien species disappeared as quickly and as mysteriously as it arrived. Tantalising waste remnants of a vastly more civilised species are left in its wake. To humans, these relics are baffling and often lethal. Not only that, but the usual physical laws no longer apply in the Zones even once the aliens have left. Navigating them can be fatal. The authorities close them off to the public. Into this vacuum of elicit opportunity step the Stalkers, down-on-their-luck men who risk their lives breaking into the Zones to smuggle out alien matter for profit. They are playing a dangerous game though, because everyone who lives in an around the Zones experiences unsettling phenomena, such as dead relatives returning in placid zombie form, or children who grow up with oddly simian features.

‘Roadside Picnic’ is a widely-read Russian novel that has been translated into multiple languages and has generally been in print since it first appeared just over half a century ago. Its cultural significance was heightened by its loose adaptation for the 1979 film ‘Stalker’ by Andrei Tarkovsky, for which the Strugatsky brothers provided the screenplay.

Redrick “Red” Schuhart, an experienced stalker, is the protagonist. A complex, interweaving plot plays out over four parts. Having one foot inside the scientific world as well as being a stalker for additional income, Red straddles the normal and the unearthly whilst trying to keep on the right side of the authorities. It’s when he loses his good friend and mentor Kirill, a warning that any time spent in the Zone is likely to be fatal, and later when he is incarcerated for selling hell slime that he has illegally retrieved that Red starts to lose his sense of humanity. Even at home he is unable to protect Guta his girlfriend or their curiously inhuman daughter. There is an element of self-destruction that compels him to keep returning to the Zone, even on increasingly mad and dangerous missions undertaken at the behest of others who may well be manipulating him.

As with all good science-fiction, ‘Roadside Picnic’ is both full of interesting ideas and concepts whilst also offering readers a commentary on the real world. An intriguing afterword by Boris Strugatsky (written in 2012, the year that he died) provides a glimpse into the Soviet censorship of publishing and the iterations that the book had to go through in order to be released. The version of the text that The Folio Society has published is based on the authors’ preferred manuscript. It was not possible in those days to be critical of the state. The brothers bypass this in ‘Roadside Picnic’ by setting their story outside of the USSR. Nevertheless, the restrictions on every day life and the reality of living in a police state are obviously inspired by the reality of the world in which they were writing. The authorities’ interest in turning the alien matter into weapons is a reminder of the Cold War-era nuclear arms race. The days of lessening tensions between East and West under Reagan and Gorbachev were still some years away. In a memorable climax, Red is unable to articulate what he wants, having lost much of his own humanity. He would not be out of place in a story by Solzhenitsyn.

This story will resonate with anybody who enjoys high concept and original science-fiction ideas. Appropriately, an introduction by the late celebrated author Ursula K. Le Guin details her opinion of the book upon its publication. ‘Roadside Picnic’ teases its readers in pushing alien civilisations to the background, leaving only the aftermath of the visit at the heart of events. The prose is also ambiguous, especially when extrapolating some of the curious side-effects of the Zone. This obfuscation may frustrate readers who prefer clarity in storytelling. In detailing the ordinary life of Red, the book tends not to be plot-driven but rather centres around ekeing out concepts. The allegory behind the title ‘Roadside Picnic’ results from a conversation in part three between secret state operative Noonan and the scientific researcher Dr Valentine Pilman. Their conversation about the existential nature of the Visit temporarily sidelines Red’s story. The protagonist’s mission to return to the Zone and seek out a Golden Sphere comes quite late in the book, and is something suggested to Red, rather than an action he chooses or needs to take. ‘Roadside Picnic’ is therefore best enjoyed by science-fiction readers who are happy to absorb a literary style that moves between concepts, framed by a protagonist who is lead by events rather than driving a central plot through clear aims and motivations.

Whatever one’s preferences for genre fiction, ‘Roadside Picnic’ is a novel full of memorable sequences. Although Red is a character who is quite hard to get to know, it’s oddly when he protects and looks after his late father, whose re-animated corpse attempts to drink a glass of water, that his humanity is most obvious. So too in his affection for ‘Monkey’, his young daughter who becomes less obviously human as she grows older. Revealing a character’s empathy through familial connections despite the taboo of death and the horror of being parent to an alien is an ingenious way of ingraining the story into readers’ minds.

The Folio Society routinely produces collectible editions of much-loved books to a high standard, but ‘Roadside Picnic’ is one of their most stunning designs yet. It’s hard to over-exaggerate how much the high production values of a hardcover, slipcase and thick pages adds to the reading experience. Better yet, the events of ‘Roadside Picnic’ are brought to life by the much-sought-after talents of illustrator Dave McKean. From the damaged earth as embossed onto the front and back covers to the full-colour illustrations inside, there are constant visual clues about the strange world the Strugatsky brothers created. One illustration towards the end of the book folds out, revealing Red’s last mission into the Zone on both sides. McKean’s breathtaking and imaginative visual concepts for not easily-articulated science-fiction ideas reveal that he was a natural choice to illustrate this title. Even the edges of the pages are printed with a chaotic depiction of the Zone, and the sections of the book are similarly embellished by superb design work. The Folio Society’s ‘Roadside Picnic’ is a stunningly attractive book. A novel that was born out of the USSR continues to resonate with modern readers thanks to its tantalising depiction of first contact, but also for its insights into the human condition, about which the authors provide no easy answers. This edition does full justice to bringing to life a complex, unsettling and compelling story that never lets us forget how vulnerable we are, not only from outside threats, but also from one another, and ourselves.

The Folio Society edition of ‘Roadside Picnic’, illustrated by Dave McKean, is exclusively available from foliosociety.com.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: March 2023 Buy ‘Roadside Picnic’

The post Arkady & Boris Strugatsky – ‘Roadside Picnic’ The Folio Society Edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

‘Blood Meridian’ ostensibly follows the story of ‘the kid’, the nameless protagonist who was born in 1833 and quickly finds himself away from his family and without a home. For the rest of his life he is tossed about in a tumult of world events. In many ways, ‘the kid’ can’t really be called the main character because he does so little to shape events around him. Instead, he participates in historical moments such as the Mexican-American War as they unfold. Whilst in Texas, the kid is persuaded to join Captain White’s illegal campaign against Mexicans. They are set upon by the Comanche and most are massacred. After this time, the kid falls into the orbit of Judge Holden and John Joel Glanton, two charismatic and psychotic men who lead a gang of nomadic scalphunters. Much of the rest of the novel is taken up with their exploits as they roam between countries engaging in bloodlust in every town along the way.

The character of Sproule is a fine illustration of the lack of sentimentality found in ‘Blood Meridian’. He is the kid’s friend when they are recruited into Captain White’s army. He is injured during the massacre but escapes with his life, only to slowly die as his wound becomes infected and increasingly gangrenous. Life is cheap. No character anticipates dying in bed at a ripe old age. There is slaughter of humans and animals on almost every page. The sheer scale of the violence can take some adjusting to, and it’s hard not to become desensitised at least in part to the multitudinous descriptions of man’s cruelty to man.

The often shocking passages of the novel may entice or discourage readers, to taste, but there’s no doubt that ‘Blood Meridian’ is a fine literary achievement. It is written in McCarthy’s familiar stripped back, acoustic style. There are no speech marks and even few commas. Characters talk in short sentences even when they orate. Despite that, the prose, always dense and requiring close attention, can be poetic and is always vivid. This is not the novel for readers who prefer the narrator to spell out everything clearly. The enigmatic ending will delight or frustrate, depending on whether you prefer the author to allow you to make up your own mind on how it resolves, or to definitively tie up loose ends.

‘Blood Meridian’ is written like a classic novel. Though McCarthy has developed a literary style all of his own, this book is influenced by Nineteenth Century writers whose works are hard to condense into a neat, linear synopsis. Rather, it is character-led and is reflective of the messiness of life. Although often focussed on the kid, he fades into the background for large tracts of text as other characters take centre stage. Modern fiction books tend to read like novelisations of films rather than classic literature, with a clear and well-defined act structure. The complete absence of this in ‘Blood Meridian’ is probably why several attempts to create a big screen adaptation have collapsed. The only way to faithfully appreciate the story is to read it.

No review of ‘Blood Meridian’ would be complete without mentioning Judge Holden, or ‘the judge’ as he is more commonly called. He is without doubt the most charismatic and memorable of all of the many characters that drift in and out of the novel. The kid encounters him early on at a religious gathering, where the judge makes a false accusation against the preacher. It gives the reader an idea of the kind of man he is. Physically repellent, the fat, completely bald man often strips naked, but he is also highly educated and a fine orator. It is easy to see why company, especially adolescents, can be attracted to him. He lives for war and for violence, and revels in the carnage that he creates. Coming to the end of the book, I found myself firmly in the camp of those who view the judge as an analogy for the Devil, whose music is seductively attractive.

In the final analysis, ‘Blood Meridian’ is a dark, multi-faceted, complex and unsettling novel. Once you are sucked into the world of the story, it is a compelling read. It can feel wearying as the text is relentlessly bleak and dense, and the lack of a protagonist in any meaningful sense is alienating. It is perhaps more about the formation of land rather than about the day-to-day activities of individuals. Despite that, it’s the small, intimate moments such as gang member Brown’s encounter with a farrier who refuses to saw the barrel off a shotgun for him that really stand out.

The starkness of the events is mirrored by the unadorned prose. The bleak and confrontational nature of the story is ably captured by the blood-red hardcover jacket of this edition from The Folio Society. It depicts a dead horse and a vulture pecking at its eye. Full-colour illustrations by Gérard DuBois reinforce the savagery of the prose and bring to life its memorable characters, including the judge. Pleasingly, this edition is stylistically similar to The Folio Society’s edition of ‘The Road’, which was also illustrated by DuBois. If you are already a dedicated reader of Corman McCarthy, or if he’s a reader you’ve long been meaning to get around to, this beautifully-produced edition of the novel that first brought him wide acclaim is a great addition to your bookcase. It’s easy to see why ‘Blood Meridian’ has come to be acclaimed as a modern American classic.

The Folio Society edition of Blood Meridian, illustrated by Gérard DuBois, is exclusively available from foliosociety.com.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: November 2022

The post Cormac McCarthy – ‘Blood Meridian’ The Folio Society edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

It’s unusual to find a comic book presented in the way it is here by The Folio Society, who have transformed the 12 issues into a luxury collectible that fans of Black Panther will undoubtedly want to add to their collection. Bound in Balathane Algora with an effective imprint of Black Panther on the cover, and presented in a black and purple slipcase, this edition showcases Coates’ thought-provoking and ground-breaking stories alongside the stunning original art by Brian Stelfreeze. Respected author Walter Mosley provides a scene-setting introduction that discusses his own excitement about the introduction of Black Panther to the Marvel Universe and goes on to praise the way that Coates added his unique perspective to the character.

Split into the 12 comics, ‘Black Panther’ is the kind of title that you can dip into and savour as each instalment is a fairly quick read. Perhaps what is most striking about the story created by Coates is just how relevant it is to today’s society, particularly when you look at the political unrest that seems to be prevalent across the globe. In ‘Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet’, Coates explores how T’Challa attempts to keep Wakanda together as the people lose faith in Black Panther and rebels attempt to overthrow him.

Across the 12 issues, T’Challa comes up against The People, a terrorist organisation determined to cause civil unrest, and the reader gets to know more about his family as he turns to Ramonda, the Queen Mother of Wakanda, for her sage advice and strong support as he grapples with his own feelings of not being good enough. The theme of family is central to the story with T’Challa having lost his sister Shuri, who sacrificed herself in battle for the greater good.

Coates gets under the skin of T’Challa, presenting him as a man with extraordinary power and influence, while showing the toll that has when your decisions impact the lives of so many others. This is a story that’s as much about an internal battle as it is an external one, and it’s a deep dive into a character who has changed the very fabric of the Marvel world.

‘Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet’ is an absolute must-have for Marvel fans. Black Panther is undoubtedly one of the most important characters in the comic book universe, and his story in the hands of Coates offers surprising depth that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a comic book. This edition from The Folio Society is a celebration of the iconic character, arriving at the time that ‘Wakanda Forever’, the much-anticipated sequel to 2018’s ‘Black Panther’ arrives in cinemas.

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication date: 1^st November 2022 Buy ‘Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet’ The Folio Society’ now

The post Ta-Nehisi Coates – ‘Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet’ The Folio Society Edition review appeared first on Entertainment Focus.

Truly, the reading experience is different with the space of a few decades of time. I know know more about the Cold War, and understand why there were so many Russian villains in the Bond stories. I can also distinguish between the titles that were exquisitely plotted and those that were more contrived. I know more about the fascinating author now, too. He was from good stock. His father, who was killed during World War Two, had served with Winston Churchill, who wrote his obituary. Fleming also had an adventurous life, and the James Bond novels draw directly on his own experiences.

Even the less satisfying titles still retain Fleming’s economic, precise prose that is a joy to experience. Few writers could capture ordinary details about tobacco or alcohol (vices of the author’s as well as his literary hero’s) quite like Fleming. Golf bores me to tears, yet when Bond goes up against the cheating Goldfinger, it’s funny, gripping and intriguing all at once. On a recent holiday, I read ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’ from start to finish in a single sitting on the plane. As Fleming’s last completed novel when his health was declining, the plot is a mess. Yet I was hooked. There are very few authors who capture me in quite this way. Join me on a trip through every one of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, all of which are now available from The Folio Society. Take a look at their full range exclusively at foliosociety.com/bond, and read on for a brief overview of every title.

The post James Bond in print – revisiting The Folio Society’s Ian Fleming collection appeared first on Entertainment Focus.