Book cover of The Pillowman

Book description

'The first duty of a storyteller is to tell a story.' Or was it 'The only duty of a storyteller is to tell a story'?

A writer in a totalitarian state is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of child-murders that…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Pillowman as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a play script, but I have to recommend it as the most adult and provocative exploration of fairytales I’ve ever read. A storyteller in a totalitarian state is interrogated about his tales after they have been linked to a series of child murders. It’s about the risks storytellers take and the dangers of stories being misinterpreted or misused. Martin McDonagh is best known as a screenwriter of films such as In Bruges or The Banshees of Inisherin, but this play is burned into my soul.

From Clare's list on fairytales for grownups.

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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

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