Russell Hoban wrote children's books, literary fiction and speculative novels that often use language itself as part of the story. Riddley Walker is set in a post-apocalyptic England centuries after technological collapse, where the narrator's altered spelling and vocabulary force the reader to reconstruct both language and history alongside him. The novel mixes myth, fragmented science and oral tradition as Riddley becomes involved in attempts to recover lost knowledge. Hoban's earlier adult fiction includes The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz and Kleinzeit, while children know him for books such as Bread and Jam for Frances, written for Lillian Hoban to illustrate, and The Mouse and His Child. His work can be funny, strange and demanding, shifting from simple family stories to dense experimental prose. Riddley Walker is the central choice for readers interested in literary dystopia and invented language; the Frances books show the accessible children's side of his catalogue. Read more Less
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