Colin at Penguin UK has been telling me about a rather intriguing new publishing project, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by G.W. Dahlquist, a new Victorian-era fantasy adventure. What makes this unusual is that before a hardback volume is printed next year the story will be published in a very Victorian manner, with regular serialised small volumes in a manner reminiscent of the old 19th century ‘penny dreadfuls’ which many works, from Varney the Vampire to the tales of Charles Dickens, first appeared in. These serial editions (comprising ten volumes) are available only through the special site Penguin has set up, which is a rather lovely looking site I have to say and the run is limited strictly to 5,000 copies which will be mailed out to subscribers on a weekly basis from October through to December, with a deadline for subscriptions looming, so you will need to be quick.
Some of you may remember the Stephen King Green Mile being serialised in a similar way back in the 90s, but I think it fits a Victorian adventure rather better and I like the fact it is coming out as we enter the long winter months. Can you imagine anything more appropriate than settling down with your new serial every week, seated on your favourite chair, reading in the warm glow of a lamp as darkness falls outside, taking in tales of daring-do and gasping at cliff-hangers? I may have to wear a velvet smoking jacket and one of those round hats with the tassles on for maximum effect.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a look at the books and they are quite lovely, designed in a pseudo-Victorian manner and made to build up into a set as the weeks progress. Sure, you can wait until next year for the collected hardback, but isn’t this just a wonderfully unusual way to read a large new novel? Not to mention scoring a very limted edition work into the bargain (and having it mailed right to you). There are excerpts and far more over on the lovely website as well as a competition to try and win one of ten signed sets; subscribers will automatically be entered and should they win they will be refunded and receive the signed editions instead, so I strongly suggest heading over for a look (subscription deadline is 6th of October). It’s all quite enchanting and I have a strong urge to don my top hat and tailcoat and take the first volume with me to Mrs Miggin’s Pie Shoppe to read. I strongly suspect those of us who enjoyed Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell or the alternative Victoriana of Ian R MacLeod are going to like this.
Tue, Sep 26, 2006
Books, Film, TV and radio