In the Eyes of Mr Fury (1989)
Philip Ridley
Book Description
On the day Concord Webster turned eighteen, the Devil died. The Devil’s real name was Judge Martin, but Concord’s mother called him the Devil. She said he boiled babies for dinner and made lampshades out of human skin. So why did she, who hated him so venomously, have a key to his house?
The key will unlock more than just Judge’s front door. It will also unlock a multitude of stories - where magic children talk to crows, men disappear in piles of leaves, and James Dean lookalikes kiss in dark alleys - and reveal a secret history that will change Concord’s life forever.
Philip Ridley’s second novel (following the sexually charged tour de force Crocodilia) was an instant cult classic when originally published in 1989. Now, for this new edition, Ridley has reimagined the story, expanding the original short novel into the world’s first LGBT magical realist epic. A vast, labyrinthine, hall-of-mirrors saga, its breathtaking imagery and stunning plot twists – covering over a hundred years – reveal Ridley to be one of the most distinctive and innovative voices in contemporary fiction.
Philip Ridley
Book Description
On the day Concord Webster turned eighteen, the Devil died. The Devil’s real name was Judge Martin, but Concord’s mother called him the Devil. She said he boiled babies for dinner and made lampshades out of human skin. So why did she, who hated him so venomously, have a key to his house?
The key will unlock more than just Judge’s front door. It will also unlock a multitude of stories - where magic children talk to crows, men disappear in piles of leaves, and James Dean lookalikes kiss in dark alleys - and reveal a secret history that will change Concord’s life forever.
Philip Ridley’s second novel (following the sexually charged tour de force Crocodilia) was an instant cult classic when originally published in 1989. Now, for this new edition, Ridley has reimagined the story, expanding the original short novel into the world’s first LGBT magical realist epic. A vast, labyrinthine, hall-of-mirrors saga, its breathtaking imagery and stunning plot twists – covering over a hundred years – reveal Ridley to be one of the most distinctive and innovative voices in contemporary fiction.
reviews
‘Philip Ridley’s stories compel attention.’ - The Times (London)
'The small-town drama is shot through with a tangible sense of the supernatural, conveyed in a prose style that takes enormous risks.' - Time Out
‘Ridley is the master of modern myth.’ - The Guardian
'Hauntingly original.' - Mail on Sunday
‘Ridley is a visionary.’ - Rolling Stone
'Brave and ingenious' - Sunday Telegraph
'A dark tale of death, sex, devils and fantasy.' - Evening Standard
'What really sets this book apart are the fantastical and dream-like aspects of the story, qualities that may owe more to Latin American and Continental influences than any native tradition ... And the story itself is baroque and highly coloured. It's a bold and interesting departure ... well paced and told in an elegantly spare style.' - Adam Lively, Punch
'The small-town drama is shot through with a tangible sense of the supernatural, conveyed in a prose style that takes enormous risks.' - Time Out
‘Ridley is the master of modern myth.’ - The Guardian
'Hauntingly original.' - Mail on Sunday
‘Ridley is a visionary.’ - Rolling Stone
'Brave and ingenious' - Sunday Telegraph
'A dark tale of death, sex, devils and fantasy.' - Evening Standard
'What really sets this book apart are the fantastical and dream-like aspects of the story, qualities that may owe more to Latin American and Continental influences than any native tradition ... And the story itself is baroque and highly coloured. It's a bold and interesting departure ... well paced and told in an elegantly spare style.' - Adam Lively, Punch
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BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1943910375 ISBN-13: 978-1943910373 $18.99 US, 388 pp. Trade paper Published 2016 |
BUY EXCLUSIVE HARDCOVER EDITION - $34.99 - the first 200 orders will come with a limited edition art card, hand-signed by Philip Ridley. Only available by ordering directly from us:
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Author biography:
Philip Ridley was born in the East End of London. He studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art. As well as three books for adults—and the highly acclaimed screenplay for the feature film The Krays (winner of the Evening Standard Best Film of the Year Award)—he has written many adult stage plays: the seminal The Pitchfork Disney, the multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Ghost from a Perfect Place, Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights, Tender Napalm (nominated for the London Fringe Best Play Award), Shivered (nominated for the Off-West End Best New Play Award), Dark Vanilla Jungle (winner of an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award), Radiant Vermin, Tonight With Donny Stixx and Karagula, plus several plays for young people: Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece (named as one of the 50 Best Works about Cultural Diversity by the National Centre for Children’s Books), Sparkleshark and Brokenville. He has also written books for children, including Scribbleboy (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), Kasper in the Glitter (nominated for the Whitbread Prize), and Krindlekrax. He has also directed three feature films from his own screenplays: The Reflecting Skin (winner of eleven international awards, including the prestigious Georges Sadoul Prize), The Passion of Darkly Noon (winner of the Best Director Prize at the Porto Film Festival) and Heartless (winner of the Silver Mélièrs Award for Best Fantasy Film). In 2010 Philip, along with song-writing collaborator Nick Bicat, formed the music group Dreamskin Cradle and their first album, Songs from Grimm, is available on iTunes, Amazon and all major download sites. Philip is also a performance artist in his own right, and his highly-charged readings of his ongoing poetry sequence Lovesongs for Extinct Creatures (first embarked on when he was a student) have proved increasingly popular in recent years.
Philip Ridley was born in the East End of London. He studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art. As well as three books for adults—and the highly acclaimed screenplay for the feature film The Krays (winner of the Evening Standard Best Film of the Year Award)—he has written many adult stage plays: the seminal The Pitchfork Disney, the multi-award-winning The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Ghost from a Perfect Place, Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass, Piranha Heights, Tender Napalm (nominated for the London Fringe Best Play Award), Shivered (nominated for the Off-West End Best New Play Award), Dark Vanilla Jungle (winner of an Edinburgh Festival Fringe First Award), Radiant Vermin, Tonight With Donny Stixx and Karagula, plus several plays for young people: Karamazoo, Fairytaleheart, Moonfleece (named as one of the 50 Best Works about Cultural Diversity by the National Centre for Children’s Books), Sparkleshark and Brokenville. He has also written books for children, including Scribbleboy (shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal), Kasper in the Glitter (nominated for the Whitbread Prize), and Krindlekrax. He has also directed three feature films from his own screenplays: The Reflecting Skin (winner of eleven international awards, including the prestigious Georges Sadoul Prize), The Passion of Darkly Noon (winner of the Best Director Prize at the Porto Film Festival) and Heartless (winner of the Silver Mélièrs Award for Best Fantasy Film). In 2010 Philip, along with song-writing collaborator Nick Bicat, formed the music group Dreamskin Cradle and their first album, Songs from Grimm, is available on iTunes, Amazon and all major download sites. Philip is also a performance artist in his own right, and his highly-charged readings of his ongoing poetry sequence Lovesongs for Extinct Creatures (first embarked on when he was a student) have proved increasingly popular in recent years.