By Georgie Cutler, Eva Lee, Niamh Parr and Emily Retford
Acquisition News
Dead Ink Signs Sámano Córdova’s Horror Hit Monstrilio
Part-horror and part-literary fiction, Gerardo Sámano Córdova’s Monstrilio is a genre-crossing novel about a dysfunctional family raising a monster. Magos and Joseph are the parents of eleven-year-old Santiago who has been miraculously living with only one small lung. Upon Santiago’s death, Magos – distraught and desperate with grief – cuts away a piece of Santiago’s lung and keeps it, recalling a folktale about a boy growing out of a heart. Moving back to Mexico and away from Joseph, Magos nurtures the lung fragment until it gains sentience and grows into the strange child that is supposed to replace the lost Santiago. The novel thus follows Monstrilio – or M. – and those around him, as he grows from childhood to adulthood, struggling against vicious instincts and the constant feeling of being less than human.
Sámano Córdova’s novel draws on sub-genres of horror from gore to folk, but is equally a meditation on the different faces of love: familial love, queer love, love as grief and love pushed to its very edges. Gabino Iglesias at the L.A. Times has compared Sámano Córdova’s writing to that of Stephen King and Carmen Maria Machado, also calling the novel an “outstanding debut.” Originally published in the US in 2023 by Zando Projects, Monstrilio is now coming to the UK. UK and Commonwealth rights to Monstrilio were acquired by Dead Ink Books and the novel will be published in the UK on 27 June 2024.
Raven Books Signs Liann Zhang’s Follow Us
Raven books has pre-empted two novels from Liann Zhang, including Follow Us, a dark and horror-filled thriller. The story follows Julie Chen, who lives in horror and poverty whilst her twin sister Chloe lives a life of luxury. When Chloe dies mysteriously, Julie realises her opportunity to pass as her deceased twin, gaining access to Chloe’s privileged world and a life Julie could only ever have dreamed of. However, not everything is as it seems, and as Julie enjoys her new role, secrets from her sister’s life start to be revealed. Raven Books describes the book as “smart, shocking and horrifying”, and promises to make readers think twice about seemingly normal influencers. (The Bookseller) Publishing Director of Raven Books, Alison Hennessey, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights from Samantha Haywood at Transatlantic Agency. US rights were pre-empted by Simon & Schuster US, with a further two books sold to Simon & Schuster Canada. Follow Us will be published in Spring 2025, apparently assisted by a major marketing and publicity campaign. Hennessey says the novel “blends social commentary into a breakneck plot,” and will be Zhang’s debut project. (The Bookseller)
From Book to Screen
What to Watch?
3 Body Problem Coming To Netflix
Gear up for the upcoming sci-fi adaptation of 3 Body Problem coming to Netflix. Directed and produced by Game of Thrones duo D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, the eight episode series will star the likes of Jess Hong, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce, John Bradley and Rosalind Chao, to name a few. Set in 1960s China, a young woman takes a leap across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature mysteriously unravel, a group of scientists join forces to stop humanity’s biggest threat. In early 2023, Tencent Video released a Chinese adaptation titled Three-Body, available to watch on YouTube with English subtitles. Catch the English adaptation set to be released on 21 March 2024 on Netflix.
In the Works
Amy Adams in Talks to Join Klara and The Sun Adaptation
Amy Adams is currently in talks to star alongside Jenna Ortega in the upcoming film version of Klara and The Sun. The adaptation will be based on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro. The novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2021. Klara and The Sun follows Klara, an Artificial Friend who hopes to one day be chosen by a customer. After Josie – a teenager with a mysterious illness – meets Klara, she persuades her mother to let Klara come home with them. Klara must use her keen observation skills to understand her changing environment and the complex emotions of the humans within it. Ortega has been attached to the project as Klara and Adams may take the role of Josie’s mother. The movie will be directed by Taika Waititi and produced by David Heyman, Garrett Basch and Taika Waititi. Ishiguro will act as an Executive Producer. Production is yet to begin on the project but hopefully there will soon be news of a release date.
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