The Familiar, Volume 2: Into the Forest

(Paperback)

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The Familiar, Volume 1 Wherein the cat is found . . . The Familiar, Volume 2 Wherein the cat is hungry . . . From the universally acclaimed, genre-busting author ofHouse of Leavescomes the second volume ofThe Familiar, a"novel which goes beyond the experimental into the visionary,creating a language and style that expands the horizon of meaning . . . hint ing at an evolved form of literature."* InThe Familiar, Volume 2- Into the Forest, the lives of the disparate and dynamic nine characters introduced in "One Rainy Day in May" begin to intersect in inexplicable ways, finding harmonies and echoes in each other. What once seemed remote and disconnected draws closer-slowly, steadily-towardsomething inevitable. . . . At the center of it all is Xanther, a twelve-year-old girl, for whom the world around her seems to be opening, exposing doors and windows, visions and sounds, questions and ideas previously unknown. With each passing day, she begins to glimpse something she does not understand but unequivocally craves-the only thing that will bring her relief and keep her new friend alive. (With full-color illustrations throughout.) *Library Journal, starred review

Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE FAMILIAR, VOLUME 2:

Now we have Volume 2 (Chapter 2, really) and it is somehow, remarkably, amazingly, almost impossiblybetter. . . . I have never worried so much for a character as I did for [Xanther] in the final pages and, honest to God, I'm not even entirely sure what happened. Or to whom. Or how. But maybe Volume 3 will make it clear. Only six more months to wait. That ought to be just about enough time to recover, I figure, beforeThe Familiarcrawls into my lap and blows my mind all over again.Jason Sheehan, NPR Books

The series at times recallsUlysses,Infinite Jest, andCloud Atlasin its complexity, structure, and echoing parallel narratives . . . The literary world is stronger for having boundary pushers like Danielewski.Ryan Vlastelica, The A.V. Club

Volume 2 reads like a graphic novel with very few pictures, though the images are critical. The wide array of plotlines create disparate parts that are slowly converging, encoded as a codex, the decoding of whichwhat we loosely call readingrenders an open-ended experience. Highly recommended for the intrepid reader. Library Journal (starred review)

Readers with an interest in the latest in literary experimentalism will thrill at Danielewskis approach. Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI:

One of the most gifted and versatile writers of our time. Steven Moore,The Washington Post

His use of evocative typographywords that visually reinforce their meaning on the pageleaves readers dazzled.Kim OConnor,Slate

You hold on for dear life by your fingertips, but the exertion is worth it when you finally get to the top and see the panorama of Danielewskis literary universe.Dylan Foley,Chicago Tribune

Author Bio

MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI lives in Los Angeles.