european review of books kickstarter

Monday, May 13, 2024 7:38 pm (Paris)

• Literary Review

New journal 'The European Review of Books' examines a continent being redefined

Created in the Netherlands thanks to a crowdfunding mission, this new publication blends the serious with the playful to explore a European mosaic beyond Brussels.

By  Marc-Olivier Bherer

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Magazine Review. To make a trans-European journal, one which thumbs its nose at the continent's borders and brings together its languages, is a long-held dream. A new collective from the Netherlands takes up the gauntlet with The European Review of Books . Its founders – George Blaustein, Sander Pleij and Wiegertje Postma – are all journalists or researchers.

This magazine comes courtesy of a crowdfunding campaign, as well as the support of the University of Maastricht, and aims to marry serious issues with a little mischief. The physical object itself seeks to disconcert the reader, with old-fashioned, uncut pages, revealing poems, notes and various other surprises.

The publication, which calls itself "European," seeks to open up the very meaning of this designation, so that it is not reduced to the usual conventions. It is a hurly-burly Europe in the process of being redefined, one which here does not look in the direction of Brussels.

Political portraits

The content of the magazine does not disappoint. Among the articles on offer, we find portraits of two intellectuals particularly invested in the political debate that is animating Europe. The first is a Ukrainian historian, Yaroslav Hrytsak. A jack-of-all-trades with a passion for pop music, to which he devotes a podcast, he is a professor at the National University of Lviv and at the Ukrainian Catholic University. He also works as a journalist for the weekly newspaper NV .

But it is his work as author of a global history of Ukraine that most interests the writer and translator Oksana Forostyna. In her profile of Mr. Hrytsak, she comes back to his major thesis: that, in spite of a laden destiny, divided between occupation and violence, Ukraine has not been built on the margins of history. Proving its modernity, perhaps the world is even taking a Ukrainian turn. For the historian, the problems endemic in his country threaten the West today: political instability, widening inequalities, an ageing population and the threat from Russia.

The European Review of Books ' second portrait focuses on Robert Habeck, the German vice-chancellor, and "a literary statesman," according to Walter Grünzweig, professor of literature and the author of this article. Indeed, the second-most important figure in the German state is himself a prolific author, who has published more than 20 books, novels, essays and translations (notably of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats).

But, through his various writings, a political vision emerges – the call of the open sea, a stand against the temptation to withdraw inwards. As such, he defends a new means of political involvement, one based on surprise, openness and the refusal to conform. It's a big undertaking, and it could be that of this new magazine.

You have 2.33% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

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• Launch Event: The European Review of Books

The European Review of Books is a new multilingual magazine of culture and ideas: writing in English and in a writer’s mother tongue. After a crowdfunding campaign one year ago, the editors can now present the first issue.

Books? Review? Europe? Such a project might sound thrice-doomed. The title alone might spark very different sentiments—aspiration, nostalgia, bitterness, scorn, confusion, delight—even before one sets out to realize it.

And yet now it exists. Issue One rings in at 256 pages, with essays, fiction, poetry and art, from Europe and beyond. Reviews of old books in new translation, and reviews of new books in non-translation. As a book, it has a novel design, a puzzle-box suited to the project itself.

Chaired by Frank Fehrenbach, a panel of four HIAS fellows ( Alide Cagidemetrio , Péter Cserne , Racha Kirakosian , and Werner Sollors ) will comment on the first issue of the European Review of Books (ERB).

This will be followed by a presentation by the editors George Blaustein and Sander Pleij, who will reflect on the riddles of the magazine’s creation– be they solvable or unsolvable–and discuss with the audience plans for future issues as well as for the prospects of a multilingual république des lettres.

Launch Event by invitation. If you want to join please send us an eMail to [email protected]

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8 Lessons For Launching Your Book With A Kickstarter (And Raising $25,000+)

Writing a book is a financial commitment.

Even if you aren’t financing the costs yourself—as you would if you were self-publishing —you’re spending thousands of hours creating something that might not sell. That time is not free—you could be spending it doing any number of other things that will be making you money.

That’s why Kickstarter is such an appealing option to authors. You can get paid for your book while you’re still writing it , removing some uncertainty from the process.

Our very own Head of Author Marketing, Charlie Hoehn, recently ran a Kickstarter for his book Play for a Living: A Coffee-Table Book for Your Inner Genius that generated $35,936—over 3.5x his $10,000 goal.

After watching him and other authors successfully execute profitable Kickstarter campaigns, and after seeing even more authors crash and burn with their Kickstarters, we decided to put together this guide.

If you want to launch a Kickstarter to sell copies of your book—whether you’ve finished writing it or not—this is the place to start.

We’re going to go through the most important lessons we’ve learned, the things that separate successes from failures, but first, we’re going to break down exactly what a Kickstarter is.

What a Kickstarter Is and Isn’t Good For

First, let’s start with a list of things a Kickstarter isn’t.

A Kickstarter is not:

• A good way to validate your idea.
• Crowd-sourced angel investing.
• An easy way to raise $1,000,000.

A lot of authors have the misguided notion that Kickstarter is a place where you collect funds for a project before you start it. When it comes to books, this is wrong.

If you start a Kickstarter for your book, and you do not finish or publish your book, you have to refund all the money you raised.

Every person who “backs” your Kickstarter is buying a copy of your book. Just like any other retail experience, if you can’t give them what they paid for, you have to give their money back .

Also, if you want to run a successful Kickstarter, you’re going to have to hustle super hard. Even if your idea is brilliant, raising $1,000,000 is incredibly difficult—no book has ever done it .

So, what is a Kickstarter good for?

A book Kickstarter is good for two things:

• Making money from your book ahead of publishing it.
• Building a fanatic audience.

Each backer becomes more than a person who bought your book. They’re a person who funded your project—and if they bought a higher package, they’re someone who owns something you made exclusively for a small group of people.

If you already have a book that you’re writing or have finished writing, a Kickstarter can be a great way to quickly monetize your writing prior and build a fanbase.

If you want to do it well, you need to know these key lessons.

1. Know Your Numbers

One of the first things Charlie did when he decided to run a Kickstarter was he sat down and spent hours living in an Excel spreadsheet.

Why’d he done that?

Because launching a “successful” Kickstarter without knowing your number can actually lose you money—like this man who raised over $70,000 for a board game  and then lost his house trying to cover shipping costs.

So Charlie broke down every expense he would have to deal with:

• Printing costs – Charlie spent hours on the phone with his printer to get an exact quote and service breakdown for his book. He also made sure he had a printer that handled shipping.
• Shipping costs – Shipping to the US is a different cost than shipping to Canada, which is different than shipping to Europe, which is different than shipping to Australia, etc.
• Kickstarter commissions and credit card fees – Combined, you can expect to lose 10% of the funds you raise to Kickstarter and credit card fees.
• The cost of higher packages – Anything physical you offer in a higher package comes with its own shipping and production costs.
• Marketing costs – If you want your Kickstarter to succeed, you’re going to need to outsource (or do) some design/video work. That’s not free.

Before Charlie even began, he had an exact quote from his printer, Bang Printing:

Knowing exactly how much this campaign was going to cost him allowed him to set his prices at a margin that made him money.

If you don’t get these numbers ahead of time and assume everything will work out, you might end up losing money just to afford shipping out your book.

2. Set A Fundraising Goal That Covers Just Enough

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls, one of the most successful book Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns in history, raised $675,614—but their initial goal was only $40,000.

The reasoning for this is really simple.

On Kickstarter (unlike competitors like IndieGoGo), if you raise less than your goal, you don’t get any of the money. It all goes back to the supporters.

Don’t set your target for the ideal amount you’d like to raise. Instead, set it for the amount you’d need to raise to make the project worth doing. If $40,000 is all it takes for you to break even, then that’s the amount you need to raise to make this book project not be a loss. Anything over that number is profit.

You also need to be confident you can raise half of your goal in the first few days of your launch.

Every Kickstarter has two periods where funding spikes:

• The first few days of a campaign.
• The final day of a campaign.

It’s basic buyer psychology. Some people want to be the first in line, some people scramble at the last second because they’re scared of missing out.

It’s remarkable how profound this effect is when you look at the numbers. For example, here’s a graph of Charlie’s fundraising over the course of his campaign:

Almost all of the funding came either on the first day or on the last day. The people who bought it between those dates—so-called “casual buyers”—are very rare.

3. Choose Packages That Make Sense For You

A major mistake you’ll see Kickstarters make is offer something that seems cheap and noncommittal in their lower packages—only to lose all their money trying to fulfill it.

Offering a t-shirt in your cheaper packages is a classic example.

Let’s say your second lowest package covers the cost of production and shipping your book, plus $20 extra. If you promise a t-shirt in that order, just the cost of shipping it internationally can eat your entire margin and lose your money.

In Charlie’s Kickstarter, he didn’t offer any physical bonuses beyond his book for packages that were under $250.

This doesn’t mean his packages weren’t awesome—they were loaded with high-value add-ons—but he didn’t have to pay to physically ship them.

Get creative and think of high value, low-cost additions you can offer to backers for lower packages.

4. Invest In Professional Media and Design

If your Kickstarter product is something no one has seen before but everyone wants—like a hoverboard —then you don’t have to show the greatest prototype in the world.

If you’re trying to sell a book, something people have seen millions of before, you better make it pretty damn appealing. And nothing is more appealing than a great video.

John Lee Dumas raised $453,803 for his book, The Freedom Journal, which promises to help you achieve whatever the #1 goal in your life is in 100 days. A big part of his success can be chalked up to a great video:

The video does several things well:

• It introduces who John is and what he’s about.
• It tells you exactly why the book is right for you.
• It shows real footage of the book and people reading it.
• It has professional-quality video and audio.

This is nothing new in the book world. Authors have always benefitted from high-quality book trailers. One of the most famous examples is Tim Ferriss’ trailer for The 4 Hour Chef, which is the most viewed trailer for a nonfiction book of all time and helped propel the book to bestseller status:

But it’s more than just video.

Good Kickstarter campaigns also feature still-image excerpts from the book, compelling sales copy, and are laid out well top-to-bottom.

Unless you have a design background, working with a professional is the best way to do this.

5. Teach Your Audience How To Buy Your Book

You need to walk people through the Kickstarter process, either in your video or in your copy—ideally, both.

Most people have never backed a Kickstarter before. They don’t know what it really means to back a project or how Kickstarter works. In your video, you need to explain:

• That they are buying a copy of your book with whatever package they buy.
• That they can buy with a credit card, with Apple Pay, or even the Kickstarter app.
• How they can get a copy of your book even if they can’t back your Kickstarter.

It sounds pedantic, but it’s not. You need to remove every possible point of friction from the process, ensuring that everyone who wants to back your project does.

The last point is especially important.

Often times, you’ll have to limit shipping to certain countries. If you have readers in those countries who want to buy your book, but can’t do it through Kickstarter, you have to give them an option.

This image is taken from The Aviary Cocktail Book’s Kickstarter, which is already one of the most well-funded book Kickstarter’s ever (and is—as of this publication—still growing).

Because they cannot offer their book to most countries through Kickstarter due to shipping costs, they give international customers an easy way to preorder their book .

6. Don’t Worry About Going Viral—Email Your Friends

There’s this myth that in order for your crowdfunding project to succeed, it needs to go viral. You need to amass a big social media following and get them all to share it.

This is wrong.

Generally speaking, email is over three times as likely to convince someone to spend money compared to social media.

On top of this, it’s really rare that a book Kickstarter goes viral.

People tend to share physical products—especially tabletop games, for some reason—on social media far more than any other Kickstarters. Tabletop games like Conan, for example, are 9.6 times more likely to go viral.

People with millions of followers shared Charlie’s Kickstarter, which generated some funding for him, but around 90% of his funds were raised through emailing his network.

Not through major media placements, Facebook advertising, or some crazy PR stunt—basic email to people he already knew.

One month before Charlie’s Kickstarter launched, he reached out to his network. His message was simple:

• He let them know he’d be launching a Kickstarter in a month.
• He offered them a discounted copy when he launched, if they responded “Yes.”

Below are screenshots from the email Charlie sent:

Hundreds of people responded yes.

Once someone has openly stated intent, they are far more likely to actually convert. The bulk of Charlie’s initial traction came from this one email blast.

What if you don’t have a big email list?

In our guide to launching an Amazon bestseller , we broke down step-by-step how you can export the email addresses of every LinkedIn connection you have, and then email them in bulk.

7. Cross-Promote With Related Kickstarters

There are thousands of projects on Kickstarter, many of which will appeal to the same people as your book.

For example, Charlie’s book was specifically for people dealing with anxiety. While his campaign was running, another campaign aimed at helping people with anxiety was also running.

The Gravity blanket is an incredible success—it’s raised over 4 million dollars—and its audience is exactly the same as Charlie’s book.

So Charlie reached out to John Florentino, inventor of Gravity, with this pitch:

Obviously, Charlie was offering a ton of value. John took him up on it, and as a result, they were both able to benefit each other by promoting their non-competitive, but overlapping products to their respective audiences.

Who on Kickstarter is running a project that dovetails with yours? Figure out who those people are, and how you can collaborate with them to reach more backers.

8. Make It Easy To Buy Your Book After Your Campaign Ends

If you sell thousands of books through your Kickstarter but don’t have directions for how to buy your book in the future, you Kickstarter becomes a memorial page.

People can see how successful you were , but can’t engage with you now.

That’s not ideal. You want the momentum from your successful Kickstarter to carry over into book sales for years.

The easiest way to do this is to change your page after the campaign ends, like Rafael Araujo:

As soon as you land on this Kickstarter page—one of the most successful book Kickstarters ever—you see that this book was so good 8,297 people ordered it just through Kickstarter.

You’re also able to pre-order through Amazon by simply clicking the button that Rafael added to the center of his page when his campaign ended.

His book’s Amazon listing currently has over 275 reviews, almost all of which are 5-star, meaning his Kickstarter page is still driving book sales today.

Successful Book Marketing Doesn’t End With A Kickstarter

No matter what your goals for your book are—if you want to be a bestseller, use your book to generate leads, or become the expert in your space—your marketing has to go above and beyond a Kickstarter campaign.

You should be going on podcasts, writing articles that speak to your audience, being featured in major publications, possibly even doing speaking gigs.

If you’re ready to start charting your book marketing course, click here to contact us. Even if we don’t work together, we love helping authors in any way we can.

The Scribe Crew

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hidden gems books

• Advertising and Marketing

What are the 5 most-funded Kickstarter books?

By: Ginger on July 7, 2023

Kickstarting books and publishing projects has been gaining popularity recently, as a means to offset the costs associated with self-publishing, especially for ambitious ventures and special editions. In fact, the popularity has grown so much that the publishing space has quickly become one of the top categories on Kickstarter.  

Today, Ginger is looking at the five biggest Kickstarter publishing campaigns of all time, and trying to glean some insights and inspiration from what they’ve done.  However, it is important to keep in mind that these projects represent exceptional outliers, and their success seem more like lottery wins than the typical experience most authors will have.  Even so, Kickstarter offers a platform that many authors can use to reach their far more modest fundraising goals, allowing them to embark on innovative projects with minimal risk. The result can be financial rewards for the author, and unique experiences and non-traditional book formats for their readers.

A short while ago, we spoke to Kickstarter’s Head of Publishing, Oriana Leckert on the Fully Booked podcast , and so perhaps now is a good time to examine the five most-funded book-based Kickstarters of all time, to see if we can glean anything from their success and apply it to our own writing projects.

#1: Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson

Funded: $41.8 million

Fantasy and science fiction author Brandon Sanderson flew past his $1 million funding goal within hours of launching his Kickstarter, and the project ultimately saw over 185,000 backers pledge close to $42 million dollars for the chance to see Sanderson’s four “surprise” books hit the shelves. This makes Sanderson’s project not just the most well funded book project of all time, but the most well funded Kickstarter ever, across all categories. As of this writing, the next highest only raised half as much money and it was for the Pebble Smart watches.

We go into all the reasons Sanderson is so popular (and thus why his project was so successful) in this blog post – but to quickly recap, it was his eager audience of die-hard fans who brought Sanderson’s Kickstarter to life; showing that almost anything is possible if you focus on connecting with your readers and providing them with what they love about your writing.

#2: The Way of Kings 10th Anniversary Leatherbound Edition

Funded $6.8 million

Remarkably enough, the second-most funded publishing Kickstarter of all-time is also one launched by Brandon Sanderson – this time in order to fund the production of a beautiful, leather-bound edition of his novel The Way of Kings to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its publication.

This is the sixth of Sanderson’s books that will be receiving this treatment – the novel being split into two parts and presented to backers pledging $200 or more with a dark blue bonded leather cover, hubbed spine, and two-color foiled stamping. With Sanderson’s signature on each copy, these are likely to become instant collectables – as have the previous books in the series, which now regularly sell on eBay for twice or three times what backers are pledging for their original copy.

Once again, this Kickstarter seems driven by Sanderson’s passionate core audience of fans; but it also demonstrates how limited, special editions of products can become valuable treasures if you’re able to actually bring them to reality.

#3 Pistols of the Warlords

Funded $1.5 million

Fantasy Fiction is far from the only project to receive funding on Kickstarter – as demonstrated by the incredible success of Headstamp Publishing’s crowdfunding campaign to produce a beautiful photographic guide to the handguns of China used during the first half of the 20th century.

Writing to a niche is often described as the secret to self-publishing success, and there’s no niche more passionate than American gun-lovers. Headstamp Publishing had already achieved success by crowdfunding the publication of two other titles – Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866–2016 and Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901 – 2020 – and this time blew past their previous funding record of $800,000 in a matter of days.

The secret to the success of this project might have a lot to do with the author – popular YouTuber Ian McCollum, who runs an incredibly successful gun history channel called Forgotten Weapons. With his fanbase to leverage, it’s easy to see why a seemingly niche book quickly became one of Kickstarter’s most-funded publishing projects.

#5: SCP Foundation Artbooks — New Paperback Edition

If you’ve got a teenage boy living in your house, you’ve probably heard of the SCP. A fictional universe created by thousands of contributors, SCP stands for Secure Contain Protect – the acronym used by a shadowy fictional organization that rounds up and catalogues dangerous paranormal entities and objects.

Independent publisher ParaBooks found an eager audience for a full-color art book dedicated to the weird and unsettling creatures of the SCP universe, and funded the original hardcover through Kickstarter. Now, they’re back to fund a brand-new paperback edition of the book; this time with new content and an improved page design.

If you’ve ever explored the online presence of The SCP Foundation – from a Wikipedia catalogue of creatures and entities, to comic books, videos, and more – you might understand why this project got its backing so easily. It’s delivering a product that fans are absolutely voracious for; and filling the void left by the fact that the SCP universe lacks an independent copyright, dissuading mainstream publishers from supporting it.

Authors with an eye for the macabre and their ear to the ground for what’s trending on the Internet could find similar success by exploring the SCP universe – and there are clearly many fans willing to open their wallets to support them!

#5: Sherrilyn Kenyon: Acheron & Styxx Novel/Book

Funded $1.03 million

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon has won over legions of fans with her Shadows of Fire and Dark-Hunter Novels – so much so that her most devoted followers describe themselves as “Paladins” like the characters from her books. With over 80 full-length novels reaching the New York Times listing, and paperbacks printed over 70 million times worldwide, it’s difficult to understate the impact this Georgia-born author has had in the genres of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Sherrilyn turned to Kickstarter to crowd-fund the reissue of her Dark-Hunter novels Acheron and Styxx in a special double-edition hardback. She leveraged crowdfunding because her publisher refused to pay for the printing of these books – somewhat ironic since signed copies of the original hardcovers now sell for as much as $2,000 on eBay!

While Kenyon might lack the instant name-awareness of authors like Stephen King or Lee Child, her passionate fans can be found all over the world – and together they quickly supported Kenyon’s campaign to bring this new addition of her beloved books to print. It just goes to show what’s possible when you invest in creating connections with your readers; and offer them a way to support you beyond just buying your newest books.

The incredible success of these Kickstarter projects demonstrates what an incredible opportunity crowdfunding offers for authors and creators with an established fanbase. It’s a great way to bring weird, wacky, or unexpected publishing projects to reality – and a great way for fans and supporters to feel like they’re able to support their favorite creators beyond just buying their books.

With printed books still one of the more challenging areas for self-published authors to navigate, it’s reassuring to see that other writers have found success through crowdfunding – and perhaps more and more independent authors will start experimenting with crowdfunding as new and successful projects like these come to light.

Check out what Kickstarter offers authors here.

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About the Author

Ginger is also known as Roland Hulme - a digital Don Draper with a Hemingway complex. Under a penname, he's sold 65,000+ copies of his romance novels, and reached more than 320,000 readers through Kindle Unlimited - using his background in marketing, advertising, and social media to reach an ever-expanding audience. 

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Archives of Kickstarter Fund

"china under the covers" goes to press - kickstarter fund project #52.

What's the project this week ?

"China under the Covers" goes to press . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Who is the Creator ?

Margaret E. Davis .

What do they have to say about the project ?

A bookbinding manual and an adventure tale, "China under the Covers" blends history, romance, and how-to as East and West connect.

What caught your eye ?

I'm a sucker for a book on how to bind books. It's that simple. That this one is from a Portland author, and the story has more than just how-to is a kind of bonus. It's a hybrid how-to-bind-books book, and that just seems like a great choice for this, our last Kickstarter Fund Project item.

Why should I back it ?

If you love bookbinding, China, the history of books and conservation, or just want to support a Northwest author, that's a good reason. But also, this is exactly the kind of book a large publisher would find a tremendous risk, but is perfect for Kickstarter. It proves there's a market, and it proves there's interest in stories this personal, interesting, and specific.

How's the project doing ?

She's 144% funded, so it's obvious that there are many bookbinding nerds out there waiting for this book.

Do they have a video ?

Kickstarter Fund Stats

• Projects backed : 52
• Funds pledged : $1040
• Funds collected : $900
• Unsuccessful pledges : 3
• Fund balance : $0!

Learn about sponsorships

Nerve Endings: The New Trans Erotic - Kickstarter Fund Project #51

Nerve Endings: The New Trans Erotic . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Tobi Hill-Meyer .

Thirty stories about sex, sexuality, and relationships, by authors connected to transgender community.

This project's creator, Tobi Hill-Meyer, has appeared on our site before . She's taking a pro-active approach to an issue she puts this way: "Too often trans stories have been written from a cis perspective, with a cis reader in mind, addressing cis concerns about trans people rather than our own concerns. This is especially true when it comes to erotica: literature that deals necessarily with bodies, with our relationships to them, and with our relationships to one another."

Since the trans community is largely commodified by the larger porn world, being able to tell their own stories in their own way is a pretty important idea. Again, in Hill-Meyer's words: "So much of the hostility and bigotry trans people face is focused around sexuality: anti-trans bathroom bills conjure fears of "perverts," straight men frame trans women as "deceptive." Others see us as hypersexual and expect us to be available for sex practically on demand, and doctors have historically denied access to hormones and surgery to those who don't have the "right" kind of sex."

At this point, with the project already well-backed, it's about the stretch goals. For each one, the contributor's payment goes up. A nice feel-good bonus. It also seems like a fantastic, well-thought out anthology, both for trans people looking for better representation in their dirty stories, and for people looking to find out more about the experiences and challenges of being trans.

13 days to go, and 257% funded! They're totally killing it.

• Projects backed : 51
• Funds pledged : $1020
• Fund balance : $20

Codex Valtierra - Relaunch: Kickstarter Fund Project #50

Codex Valtierra - Relaunch . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Emmanuel Valtierra .

What if the Aztecs won the war against the Spaniards? A wonderful illustrated tale for kids and adults.

In the grand tradition of the modern revenge narrative, comes the mother of all revenge narratives: what if the Aztecs had chased away the Spaniards? Illustrator Emmanuel Valtierra has reimagined Aztec stories using the visual storytelling techniques from the Aztec codecs.

If you like to wonder what the Americas may have been like if the European invaders had been kept at bay — and who hasn't? — then I guess the question I have for you is: did you imagine it told entirely in pictures?

The work looks gorgeous. It's a great idea, that looks well executed, and the ask is completely reasonable.

36 days to go and 56% funded! That's a good trajectory — get your money in.

• Projects backed : 50
• Funds pledged : $1000
• Funds collected : $800
• Fund balance : $40

The Internet Review of 2016 - Kickstarter Fund Project #50

The Internet Review of 2016 . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Margarita Noriega .

A collaborative book of short essays and cartoons about this year.

Just a great collection of writers and artists, from Newsweek Executive Editor Margarita Noriega . The contributers are really fantastic, with names you'll know, and names you've yet to discover. Like, art from Stephen Maurice Graham , Adam Koford , and writing by Sasha Frere-Jones, Anil Dash, Maris Kreizman, @darth , and so many more ( full contributor and topic list is here ).

It just looks like a smart, fun way to look back and capture the horror of this past year. Aside: look, I'm one of those types who, as great celebrities kept dying and things kept getting all screwy, was saying that "a year is just a year." But, even though I've taken a while to come around, let me tell you, 2016 is just as bad as everybody kept saying. No two ways about it.

Process your own feelings about 2016 with some great writing. Step offline for a bit, and hold a piece in your hands, maybe sitting on a cold bench in a wind-swept park, where the remains of hope used to frolic. Bring a hot drink, read, and look off into the sunset as if a camera had you perfectly framed, and the flickering shutter can't quite see if that pregnant tear about to roll from your eye is because of giving in to the overwhelming truth of a garbage fire, or just that the wicked cold making your eyes glisten.

Totally solid. They're sold, and more. You just want to get in so you can have your own copy.

• Funds pledged : $980
• Unsuccessful pledges : 2
• Fund balance : $60

People Of Color Take Over Fantastic Stories - Kickstarter Fund Project #48

People Of Color Take Over Fantastic Stories . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Warren Lapine .

Fantastic Stories is a top paying market that is open and looking for stories from underrepresented communities and cultures.

Well, first, we need to offer a complete and total nepotism / conflict of interest report: Nisi Shawl, who writes our SFFH column the Future Alternative Past , is the guest editor in question if this Kickstarter succeeds, so let us say this clearly and without reserve: you cannot trust our objectivity on this .

But still, are you kidding me? A complete POC take over issue is a fantastic idea, and good on Fantastic Stories of the Imagination (for those of you, like me, who were curious about the title's remarkable resemblence to ye olde classic Fantastic Stories , editor Warren Lapine tells the story here ) for taking this important step. This is the kind of project we like funding. Also, Nisi explains it well in the video, so please do watch that.

Because there are people that actually complain about stuff like this. Did you know that? People who think its "politically correct" or "reverse-racist", or something equally idiotic, to focus a magazine on people of color. As Nisi says "there persists a perception that science fiction and fantasy is somehow a white field". Now, that's just stupid. In an article on the website, Nisi points out black people have been involved with the genre since the very beginning .

As fans, it's imperative to stand up and say that what we care about most is good stories, and the authors she's picked to highlight are certainly going to deliver on that front. Let's make sure they get the chance, yes?

They're just getting started, at 13% funded, and 32 days to go.

• Projects backed : 48
• Funds pledged : $960
• Fund balance : $80

Bamboo Renewal: Designing a modern bamboo home in Haiti - Kickstarter Fund Project #47

Bamboo Renewal: Designing a modern bamboo home in Haiti . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Swoon / The Heliotrope Foundation .

Together with a village in rural Haiti, we will design and build a home that brings an ancient building material into the present.

A non-literary project today. Brooklyn-based street artist Swoon (Caledonia Curry) went to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and worked with local artists, architects, engineers, and builders to create a community center for the village of Comiers. It was a huge success — using adobe, and other traditional building materials — and created shared structures that could withstand hurricanes and earthquakes.

In the years since, working with local farmers, and training residents in construction, the foundation has built another house, as well as run arts education projects with the residents. Now, Konbit Shelter is turning its attention to building a home for Louisiana Pierre Louis. Louis lost her son and daughter-in-law in the earthquake, and their kids, her grandchildren, have returned from Port Au Prince to live with her.

It was the community that choose her as the best possible recipient for the house — and one thing that is impressive about the way that Konbit Shelter doesn't helicopter in with solutions — they go and work with the community on what their needs are, and then bring in thoughtful design and architecture to address them.

Because it's a great idea, a great project, and they need help making the finish line. Spend a few bucks that will make you feel good, today.

54% funded, and 17 days to go. Pitch in, and help them make their goal!

• Projects backed : 47
• Funds pledged : $940
• Funds collected : $740
• Fund balance : $100

Comp - Kickstarter Fund Project #46

comp . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

comp is a redesign of the classic composition notebook––made for the 21st century.

Maybe it's just that I'm a sucker for a nicely reconsidered thing, but I think these re-examined comp notebooks are pretty cool. The designer put a ton of time into imagining a superior version of something utilitarian. This is something designers do, taking utility objects and refining them. To people who love design, this is a kind of sport. To people who hate design, they scratch their heads and wonder why you'd spend $19 on something you could buy at the local store for $3.

But they're not the same, are they? The ones from the store up the street are on cheap wood-pulp paper that will fade over time. There is, of course, a pleasure in the lowbrow, in enjoying utility. This is not about that. This is about a refined product, made nice and presented in small batches. This is about a mix of high and low, and an expression of where a person's particular obsession can lead.

Personally? I'd do it for the tote bag, because it's pretty sweet. A good notebook is always handy, and these, as lay-flat with the nice paper, would be perfect to write a story or a book in. If you're buying expensive notebooks with little elastic bands around them, perhaps try one of these instead?

They're 106% funded, so doing great. You're guaranteed a notebook, if you order one.

• Projects backed : 46
• Funds pledged : $920
• Funds collected : $720
• Fund balance : $120

Letters for Lucardo: An Erotic Graphic Novel - Kickstarter Fund Project #45

Letters for Lucardo: An Erotic Graphic Novel . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Iron Spike .

When an aged mortal man and immortal vampire fall in love, painful realities about death—and the deathless—interfere.

Look, friends, this week it's really simple: not knowing what's coming with our country, backing an erotic queer story of interracial vampire-human romance seems downright political. I want publishers like Iron Circus (run by the kickass C. Spike Trotman, who flipped off the gatekeepers of the comics world, and built a thriving publishing house her own way ) to have as much money as possible on hand for whatever may come under this coming administration.

First, Iron Circus puts out extremely high quality smut, filled with characters you'll love and stories that compel you to turn every page. There's a lot of sex, too, and romance. This isn't your old alt-press boner-fest comix from the sweaty back room for the horny fanboys; this is complex, real relationships in fantastical settings drawn by well-paid artists, written by amazing writers, with a focus on diversity of all kinds. It's the real deal.

Iron Spike does a lot of Kickstarters (this is number ten!). They know what they're doing, and they know how to deliver quality goods. Back this, give them some money, and let's get their coffers stuffed to the gills. Maybe they won't need lawyers in the upcoming administration, but being able to afford some will do wonders.

They're 212% funded. They don't need us, we need them.

• Projects backed : 45
• Funds pledged : $900
• Funds collected : $700
• Fund balance : $140

The Essential W.S. Merwin - Kickstarter Fund Project #44

The Essential W.S. Merwin . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer.

Copper Canyon Press .

Help Copper Canyon Press publish the definitive collection of W.S. Merwin’s poetry.

This is the third Kickstarter from the one-and-only Copper Canyon Press . It's hard to overstate their importance in modern poetry, and how lucky we are that they are a Northwest institution — their reputation, and history of stellar work, raise us all.

Their first Kickstarter was for rare poems from a dead poet , the second (which we backed) was for new poets . Fitting, then, that the third is for a well-awarded poet still with us.

Perhaps you are not familiar with the Pulitzer (two of them!) winning, US Poet Laureate WS Merwin. Perhaps you know his work well and have followed him for years. But either way, backing this project to create a collection of his work will cement his work for years to come.

We always do our best to back local poets and publishers, so that's the first thing. Second is recognizing the history and accomplishments of a living poet whose work has had such depth and reach. Merwin deserves the kind of audience that a project like this can bring. Think about how many poets you've discovered through their collected or essential works?

28% there and 26 days to go. They're just getting started, now is a great time to grab a copy of the book for yourself.

• Projects backed : 44
• Funds pledged : $880
• Fund balance : $160

The Bolted Book Facsimile: An Exact Copy of Depero Futurista - Kickstarter Fund Project #43

The Bolted Book Facsimile: An Exact Copy of Depero Futurista . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Designers & Books .

Help us publish the first exact copy of Fortunato Depero’s 1927 iconic work of avant-garde graphic design and book-making.

One of the great things about the age we live in, and tools like Kickstarter, is the new market for specifically targeted campaigns for things that might not otherwise see the light of day.

In this case, it's a facsimile copy of Fortunato Depero's famous 1927 artist's book, a piece of high experimental design, typography, and playful artistry from one of the writers of the Futurist manifesto. This book is one of those sought-after artifacts that only wealthy collectors can afford — only 1000 were made, and who knows how many have survived to this day?

If you love art history, design history, and book history, then this project is the junction point where all three collide, but it's worth backing even if you only like one.

This is Designer & Books third Kickstarter. I personally backed their first, the reproduction of Ladislav Sutnar's Visual Design in Action , and earlier this year, we recommended their publication of Seymour Chwast's book on war paintings.

In short, they are experienced at delivering a high quality product, and so this exciting, and complicated, undertaking is in good hands.

At $249,000, this is the biggest ask they've made yet, but at over half-way there, and 33 days to go, looks like they have a shot. Get your copy now!

• Projects backed : 43
• Funds pledged : $860
• Fund balance : $180

The Palate Deck: Playing Cards for Beer Tasting - Kickstarter Fund Project #42

The Palate Deck: Playing Cards for Beer Tasting . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Dave Shea .

Playing cards that offer beer information and casual tasting guidance for the many conversations that happen over beer.

Something a little different today. A little less literary than our normal Kickstarter, but no less creative. For those of you who are drinkers, and more specifically, those of you who are beer aficionados, this week's project is for you.

Dave Shea is a designer and creator in Vancouver, BC. If you work on the web, and design using CSS, no doubt you've heard of the wildly influential CSS Zen Garden .

He's also a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP-Certified Beer Judge, and the co-founder of Vancouver's Farmhouse Fest Saison . Dude knows his beer, and he wanted to design a way to talk about beer when tasting — to give people a vocabulary, whether they are new or old hands, at discerning the varied experiences of imbibing brew.

Well, if you're into beer, it's a gimme. I played a demo of the cards at XOXO fest in Portland last month, and they're really fun, and beautifully designed. If you like talking about beer, this is going to be a great conversation piece to have with you at the pub. If you're not sure how to talk about beer, this is a great educational tool.

18% there and 27 days to go. If this is the kind of thing that sparks your attention, grab one now!

• Projects backed : 42
• Funds pledged : $840
• Fund balance : $200

Dangerous Women: Tales of Queer Villainy! - Kickstarter Fund Project #41

Dangerous Women: Tales of Queer Villainy! We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Zan Christensen .

Northwest Press is bringing you an awesome collection of 13 tales of queer female super-villainy from a roster of visionary writers.

The innocuously named Northwest Press has been cranking out LGBT focused comic books since 2010, under the inclusive banner "Comics are for everyone". If you can imagine a genre of comic, you will find it in their catalog, written with queer characters: from smutty erotica, to kids comics dealing with how to cope with bullying.

And now they're putting out their first prose collection together, and it looks great: thirteen short stories about queer villainy, written by women. Sounds great!

Northwest Press knows what they're doing — they've been around for six years, and have many books in print, and the books they print are of great quality. Kickstarter is a perfect medium for presses this size: it gives them capital to produce the books to a known audience, and gives them a chance to prove their ideas in the marketplace before major outlays for production.

So, great concept, great execution, and a Seattle press to boot. Sounds like a sure thing to me.

63% there and 23 days to go. I'm sure they'll make it, so grab your copy while you can!

• Projects backed : 41
• Funds pledged : $820
• Funds collected : $680
• Fund balance : $220

Modern Filipino Children's Stories: Sari-Sari Storybooks - Kickstarter Fund Project #40

Modern Filipino Children's Stories: Sari-Sari Storybooks . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer.

Christina Newhard .

These gorgeously illustrated picture books bring Filipino stories to the world. Printed + media-rich digital books.

This project seeks to publish books in more Filipino languages than just English or Tagalog. As she says in the video, there are 181 languages in a country the size of Florida (update: Christina contacted us to say Arizona is a better match than Florida, and she's correcting the video to say so), and by creating books in some of those other languages, it both reinforces the local cultures, while also sharing them with the world — since each book will also be translated into English.

Besides the altruistic drive of the creation, the books look amazing. I remember, as a kid, reaching out into other cultures through their stories, learning about the experiences of children far different than my white suburban childhood. But just wanting to expand a child's horizon isn't enough, it has to be done well. From the looks of it, these books are well written, nicely illustrated, and well presented. It's a great concept presented well.

71% funded with 24 days to go. Wouldn't it be great to see them hit a total home run?

• Projects backed : 40
• Funds pledged : $800
• Funds collected : $760
• Fund balance : $240

Denise Levertov Plaque - Kickstarter Fund Project #39

Denise Levertov Plaque . We've put $60 in as a non-reward backer — that's our normal $20, plus $40 from the fund for the two unsuccessful projects we've backed that we decided to put towards this campaign.

Paul E Nelson / SPLAB .

A plaque to be installed outside of Levertov's last home, in Seattle's Seward Park neighborhood.

We're fans of Levertov, here at the Seattle Review of Books . Our co-founder, Paul Constant, wrote a dedicated plea for her to be better recognized last year in LitHub . We love the idea of a plaque, one of those urban markers that cement the past to the present. We love the idea of the city bearing a tattoo of her presence, and the idea that it may lead a few curious bypassers to investigate her name, and discover her work.

Because you're a Levertov fan who feels that her work is under appreciated. Because you like the idea of the history of a place informing and shaping it. Because you're a booster and fan of local poetry, and marking something like this, albeit a small gesture in the grand civic scheme, puts a thumb-print on the city that says: this work was important to us; this woman was important to us. Let's take a moment to recall her.

52% there, with five days to go. We'd love to see this worthy project backed. If you can afford to, please get involved.

• Projects backed : 39
• Funds pledged : $780
• Funds collected : $660
• Fund balance : $260

The Responsible Communication Style Guide - Kickstarter Fund Project #38

The Responsible Communication Style Guide . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Audrey Eschright .

The Responsible Communication Style Guide is a stylebook for writers and other media creators

Recompiler Mag is a feminist hacker magazine, and like many publications, they run into a myriad of style issues. Specifically, they are concerned with proper inclusive language, and the cases where language may exclude or diminish.

So why not write their own style guide? They're focusing on five areas: race, gender, sexuality, religion, and health and well-being. Each aspect of open communication, and how to present topics in ways that don't exclude people, are considered.

Style guides are suggestions (unless you're a language absolutist), and reading suggestions about ways you can be more aware in your writing and tone, especially if you're going for a neutral voice, is never a bad thing. Knowing what language may offend or alienate people you've never thought about can make your work reach a larger audience. And, with the exception of certain politicians, writers, and narrow-minded charlatans, limiting your audience is generally a bad idea.

Ouch! Only 45% there and five days to go. They need help. If you get behind this project, help spread the word!

• Projects backed : 38
• Funds pledged : $760
• Funds collected : $640
• Fund balance : $280

8 Faces: Collected - Kickstarter Fund Project #37

8 Faces: Collected . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Elliot Jay Stocks .

We’re re-designing and re-editing all 8 issues of typography magazine 8 Faces — and adding new content — to make a huge, hardback book.

8 Faces was an absolutely beautiful typography magazine. It wasn't cheap, but it was luxuriously printed and gorgeously designed.

Issues sold out quickly, and are impossible to find now. The creators are Kickstarting a new collected edition that takes all the content from all eight issues of the magazine, updates the layout, and puts them in one huge book. Score.

Because you love typography. Because you love reading articles and interviews about design, and a beautiful 500 page book about typography makes you feel a little funny in your stomach, like you're in love. Because you're missing an issue (or eight) from your collection. Because you want to support indie creators doing cool projects offline, that you can hold in your hands, and that will live in your library for the rest of your life.

30% funded with 28 days to go. Good trajectory, but let's see if we can help them out and spread the world. Every bit helps.

• Projects backed : 37
• Funds pledged : $740
• Funds collected : $600
• Fund balance : $300

POWER & MAGIC: THE QUEER WITCH COMICS ANTHOLOGY - Kickstarter Fund Project #35

POWER & MAGIC: THE QUEER WITCH COMICS ANTHOLOGY . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Joamette Gil .

15 comics about queer witches of color, created by 17 women, demigirls, and bigender people of color.

I've always loved stories about witches. Out of all the mythical creatures, witches are most relatable because they are fundamentally about how society views women. Unlike vampires, say, that maybe represent a single angle of men, there is a witch for every view of women. They may be good, or evil, benevolent or merciless. But one thing that witches always are: resourceful and independent, two traits society frowned upon in women, historically.

And more so for women of color. So yes: more stories about witches. And yes: more stories about queer witches of color. It's a great premise, and from the artwork on the site, and the list of contributors (uh, the coven, although counting the cover design I count 15 projects in this piece, so maybe it's a baker's coven) is strong and interesting.

Comics! Witches! Queer witches! Queer witches of color! I mean, need I say more?

• Projects backed : 35
• Funds pledged : $680
• Fund balance : $340

Drive Hardcover: Kickstarter Fund Project #35

Drive Hardcover . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Small Fish Studios .

A hardcover collection of DRIVE: 200+ pages of the full Act One! (And now that we're in stretch goals, the page count is growing!)

Dave Kellett is an industrious dude. He co-directed the ambitious, and successful, Kickstarter to create the great documentary Stripped: the comics documentary , about comic strips (really, if you love comic strips, it's worth watching), writes the comic Sheldon , and he's also the force behind Drive , a humorous sci-fi strip he's now collecting into a hardback edition.

Maybe all you need to know is that he named one of his characters Captain Taneel (that was enough for me), but if you need a bit more convincing, go read the entire comic online for free . Talk about knowing beforehand if you're going to be happy or not.

Because you like sci-fi comics, or funny comics (or both), and because you like supporting indie comics creators, or perhaps, like me, you were a backer of the original Stripped Kickstarter and you want to see Dave succeed.

Totally rocking it. 113% pleged with 25 days to go, and a bunch of stretch goals in sight.

• Funds pledged : $700

Milkweed Books: Because Bookshelves Should Never Be Boring - Kickstarter Fund Project #34

Milkweed Books: Because Bookshelves Should Never Be Boring . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Milkweed Editions .

Join us in opening a new nonprofit, independent bookstore where readers will discover the best independent literature.

You know we have a soft spot for indie presses and small bookstores. Milkweed Editions, an indie publisher out of Minneapolis, wants to open a bookstore to feature their own books, as well as books from other presses. It will be a boutique store, filled with great books from great publishers, and friendly people to help you find them. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

As a non-profit press, Milkweed says its status "mandates that it operates to fulfill a mission rather than seek a profit," so they want the store to be a center of culture. Since it's in the Open Books building (not, of course, our own local poetry only bookstore, but the literary arts center in Minneapolis), with access to a theater, amenities, and the traffic this resource draws, it's a smart place to have a smart store. Seems like the right place to build support for a resource like this.

If you're not already sold, there are some good prizes. Bread, for example (yes, homemade, by an author of cookbooks), or a collection of all the 2016 poetry releases from Milkweed. Every bit you give helps, so find the prize that speaks to you and reach out for it. With your wallet. But, not really your wallet since you're on the computer. Maybe a digital version of your wallet? I dunno, maybe we need some new metaphors. Reach out with your digit-strings numbers of credit transference, and help them open the store.

And remember, it's a neighborly thing: the books community is small, and Minneapolis and Seattle have always had a close cultural connection. Let's show 'em it still exists.

at 54%, with 27 days left, they're off to a solid start, and on a good trajectory. No doubt they could use the help, though.

• Projects backed : 34
• Funds pledged : $660
• Funds collected : $620
• Unsuccessful pledges : 1
• Fund balance : $380

Lance Wyman: The Visual Diaries 1973—1982 - Kickstarter Fund Project #33

Lance Wyman: The Visual Diaries 1973—1982 . We've put $20 in as a non-reward backer

Unit Editions .

Every day Lance Wyman documents his creative process in his black “designlogs”. Help us publish Lance Wyman: The Visual Diaries.

If you're a design nerd, you can picture the 1968 Mexico City Olympics logo without much mental effort. That's a good graphical identity system, when you can evoke it 48 years later without much effort. It's infamous, now, and referenced in popular culture occasionally. Not many people can make work this iconic and memorable, but Lance Wyman, who designed the logo, sure did.

Wyman kept a continuous series of sketchbooks — his "designlogs" — and now, for the first time, they're being collected, edited, and presented in a handsome edition.

Well, if you're not already clicking over to back it, then there's probably not an argument I could make to convince you. You're either a design nerd or you're not. If you are excited? Did you know that Lance Wyman is coming to Seattle to speak at Typecon ? Here's a chance to see the man in person talk about his craft.

at 71%, with 26 days left, I think they'll be fine without you, so don't feel obligated. Get it because you can't resist.

• Projects backed : 33
• Funds pledged : $640
• Funds collected : $580
• Fund balance : $400

International Booker prize 2024: six expert reviews of the shortlisted books

Associate Professor of French and Translation, University of Exeter

Professor of Modern & Contemporary Literature, Newcastle University

Senior Lecturer in American Studies, King's College London

Professorial Research Associate at Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Centre for Creative Industries, Media and Screen Studies, SOAS, University of London

PhD Candidate, School of Humanities, University of Hull

PhD Candidate, Latin American Studies, Trinity College Dublin

Disclosure statement

Helen Vassallo receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Anne Whitehead, Edward Sugden, Hyunseon Lee, Lucyl Harrison, and Rafael Mendes Silva do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

King's College London , SOAS, University of London , Trinity College Dublin , Newcastle University , University of Hull , and University of Exeter provide funding as members of The Conversation UK.

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From a longlist of 12, six novels have been shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker prize. Our academics review the finalists ahead of the announcement of the winner on May 21.

Not a River by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott

In Not a River, the final instalment in Selva Almada’s “trilogy of men”, past and present collide in a nightmarish sleepwalk towards inevitable violence. Two men take Tilo, the son of their friend Eusebio, on a fishing trip along the very river where Eusebio lost his life some years earlier. They row to “the island”, a closed community that does not trust outsiders. The heat bears down on them as ghosts of both past and present reel them in, and the intimacy of their fishing trip takes a macabre turn as the islanders and the river decide their fate.

In this lean, tense novella, Almada perfects the pared-down style that, as Annie McDermott acknowledges in her excellent translator’s note, is bordering on poetry. Almada takes us to the heart of rural Argentina and uncovers the prejudices, vendettas and settling of scores that characterise her literary work.

Reviewed by Helen Vassallo, associate professor of French and translation

Mater 2-10 by Hwang Sok-yong, translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Josephine Bae Youngjae

Starting in 1920s Seoul, at the dawn of modern technology, this realistic and dramatic tale of railroad workers was originally published twice weekly in an online journal, keeping readers engaged and eager for the next instalment. It has been republished as a 467-page book, which slowly unfolds not just the story of Jino’s family, but the 100-year history of the Korean Peninsula.

In this sprawling epic, Hwang Sok-yong has created another classic that delves deep into the history of the Korean people in North and South Korea. Readers will learn about the peninsula’s history, from Japanese occupation through the separation of North and South, through the everyday experiences of three generations of a family of railway workers.

Mater 2-10 is a sad and heartbreaking saga about the need to heal. It is also a deft translation, which captures Hwang Sok-yong’s signature unpretentious, unadorned Korean prose.

Reviewed by Hyun Seon Lee, professorial research associate of East Asian languages and cultures

What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma, translated by Sarah Timmer Harvey

Discussing Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, the protagonist of Jente Posthuma’s What I’d Rather Not Think About observes: “After everything I’d heard, I was expecting a dense, sappy story but was surprised by the novel’s light tone.” This description could refer equally to Posthuma’s own novel, which also focuses on depression and suicide, and which handles its subject matter with wry humour.

We know the novel’s protagonist as Two because she is the younger of twins, and her older brother as One. Two’s grief following her brother’s suicide causes her to reflect on their relationship through a series of fragmented thoughts, across which recurring images surface: the Twin Towers, the reality TV show Survivor and the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.

I found the novel powerful in its probing of the complicated relations between intimacy and distance, love and leaving – themes that rely as much on what is unsaid, as on what is told.

Reviewed by Anne Whitehead, professor of modern and contemporary literature

Crooked Plow, by Itamar Vieira Junior, translated by Johnny Lorenz

Crooked Plow , set in Bahia’s hinterlands, examines the struggle for land and the exploitation of quilombolas, descendants of Afro-Brazilian enslaved people who escaped from captivity.

The novel starts with a defining moment in the lives of siblings Bibiana and Belonísia: playing with a knife, one of them ends up mute. Without revealing who cannot speak, Bibiana narrates the first part, recounting the arrival of her family to the Água Negra farm.

In the second part, Belonísia narrates her harrowing journey after marrying an abusive man. However, her story takes a turn when Água Negra’s women reclaim agency, while Bibiana returns home politicised and married to Severo, who organises worker’s rights.

Santa Rita Pescadora, an encantada or spiritual entity of the Jarê (an Afro-Brazilian religion practised in Bahia), narrates the final part, unravelling the violence endured by quilombolas during the slavery period, corononelismo and large-scale corporate agriculture.

In Crooked Plow, Vieira Júnior crafts a rich, multi-voiced novel that does not shy away from portraying the present-day legacies of Brazil’s colonial past.

Reviewed by Rafael Mendes Silva, PhD in Latin American studies

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann

In Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos, a character asks whether a human being is “a container to be filled by time with whatever it happens to have handy” or if there can be life beyond history. The novel dramatises this question throughout.

The book is set in the last years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) (1949-90) as western capitalism erodes a collapsing socialism. Against this context, two lovers, the ageing writer Hans and the late teenage Katharina, live out a doomed affair, having met on a bus one rainy evening.

The mundane deceptions of infidelity that make up the book – Hans and Katharina meet in cafes, watch films, listen to music, go shopping, take secret holidays – are freighted with history and emotional intensity as the plot plunges towards its ending, where the links between politics and the personal become tragically clear.

For some, the spiralling, fracturing and intensifying effects this tragic view has on the characters, the plot and the style, might be too much. For others, it might accurately depict the nightmarish dislocations of Europe in the 20th century.

Reviewed by Edward Sugden, senior lecturer in American literature

The Details by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson

The Details, originally published as Detaljerna in Swedish, is clearly the readers’ favourite to win the International Booker Prize. Ratings and reviews across Storygraph, Goodreads, Bookstagram and BookTok, are falling in love with all 151 pages of Joseffson’s immaculate translation and Genberg’s charm.

This viral novella opens with an unnamed woman, bedridden and in the throes of a burning fever which renews her interest in a half-forgotten book ( The New York Trilogy by the late Paul Auster ) that is inscribed with a handwritten message from a past lover.

Though it is resistant to a chronological order, the book travels along the tectonic plates of pre-internet life in the 90s, and shifts us into a new air of change at the turn of the millennium. In four chapters named after Johanna, Niki, Alejandro and Birgitte – relationships which have shaken the narrator’s existence – we are transported to a past that is captured as vividly as the state of the soul itself.

The Details is a perfectly written, quiet COVID novel which cleverly disguises the pandemic, offering a genius form of exposure therapy to readers who haven’t felt ready to read COVID novels. Genberg and Joseffson are honey and gold in the book’s final chapter which stays with you. This beautiful little book and its highly perceptive feel for the small details of an entire life is a wonderful addition to the genre’s best coronavirus fiction.

Reviewed by Lucyl Harrison, PhD candidate in the school of humanities

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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes review – rip-roaring adventure from the late Yoshitaka Murayama

Rabbit and Bear Studios; 505 Games; PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox Head into battle with your own turbo-charged squadron in this crowd-funded Pokémonesque sequel to the the Japanese designer’s classic Suikoden series

W hile the joyously flexible role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 dominated this year’s Bafta game awards , winning the award for best game, there remains a strong nostalgic appetite for plainer, more traditional RPGs. Conceived by Yoshitaka Murayama, a writer-director who made his name during the original PlayStation years, Eiyuden Chronicle raised £3.6m on Kickstarter in 2020 to become the third highest-funded video game ever on the crowdfunding site. It’s a sequel to Murayama’s classic Suikoden series in all but name: a rip-roaring adventure featuring a group of mostly young people tangled in the friction and chaos of two warring neighbouring states.

As with Murayama’s work from the 90s, follows a familiar pattern as you guide your party from settlement to dungeon, your progress regularly interrupted by capricious random battles through which your characters become incrementally more powerful. After a pedestrian prologue, the game unfurls deliciously. Its gimmick is its Pokémon -esque meta-quest: to woo and recruit each of the 100 or so titular heroes to your cause. They begin as a tiny party, then develop into a squadron, to finally become a makeshift army. Every warrior, healer and member of support staff has a name, a personality and an arc. Recruits are encountered across the world. Some enrol the moment you approach; others require cajoling. But the thrill of completing the collection turbo-charges the game’s more conservative, dated appeal, as the recruits can each be slotted into your main six-person team, and directly controlled in battle.

The dialogue is warm and chatty, and while the storyline and voice-acting have the unsophisticated quality of a Saturday morning cartoon, this only compounds its evocative PlayStation-era appeal. Murayama, who fell ill during the final stages of the game’s development, did not live to see its release, dying in February this year, aged 55. Eiyuden Chronicle stands as a monument to his singular design sensibilities, and a testament to the power of a determined community, both within the game’s fiction, and by its very existence.

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