Charlie Brooker’s frighteningly prescient television series Black Mirror is all about how humans use social media, video games, and other forms of technology to turn on each other in disturbing ways. But his latest project in that universe is exploring an entirely new format: the book. Del Rey, Penguin Random House’s science fiction and fantasy imprint, will release a series of three anthologies collecting the kinds of stories that made for nightmare-inducing TV episodes. Brooker will edit the collections, which will include “original, mid-length stories penned by soon to be announced popular writers.”
Brooker commented on the news in his characteristically wry way: “All-new Black Mirror stories from exciting authors—that’s a joyous prospect. And they’re appearing in a high-tech new format known as a ‘book.’ Apparently, you just have to glance at some sort of ‘ink code’ printed on paper and images and sounds magically appear in your head, enacting the story. Sounds far-fetched to me, but we’ll see.”
It will be interesting to see how Black Mirror, one of the most visually arresting speculative-fiction TV series in recent memory, will translate to the page. (In fact, artist Butcher Billy reimagined each of the existing episodes as pulp book covers.) Penguin Random House teases the first volume on their website:
Edited by Charlie Brooker, the creator of the hit Netflix original series Black Mirror, this book takes the very essence of the globally acclaimed cult TV show to create new, original, darkly satirical stories that tap into our collective unease about the modern world. This is Black Mirror in book form, allowed to roam through the imaginations of some of the leading names in contemporary fiction. This collection will challenge you to see the world in a different—and more disturbing—light.
Black Mirror: Volume I will be published February 20, 2018; the second is expected to be released fall 2018, the third in 2019. Netflix is expected to release Black Mirror season 4 later this year. In the meantime, catch up on our reviews of the first six episodes of season 3.
