Author Biography

MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI was born in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles.

Review

"[The Familiar] is not only [Mark Z. Danielewski's] best book since his acclaimed opera prima, House of Leaves; it's even better, and also more accessible. Conceived as the book version of a long-running TV show, its . . . volumes tell the tale of a smart, fragile and epileptic little girl who finds a cat that may or may not be magical. Their encounter sets off a chain reaction that starts with her immediate family and will probably reach almost every corner of the world. "There is no writer in America that resembles Mark Z. Danielewski even remotely. His books are disturbing Freudian fairy-tales, monumental and intimate at the same time, discordantly polyphonic, populated by wise children and lost parents, soldiers and storytellers, magical weapons, sentient houses and familiar spirits. Their words interweave on the page with paintings and knitting and calligrams, creating painfully beautiful objects, almost like printed sculptures. They're also Literature in High Capitals, contemporary counterparts of Bouvard et Pécuchet, Mallarmé and Joyce, heirs to the almost mystical hubris of High Modernism, almost too ambitious for their own good and rabidly opposed to the weightlessness of our times."
— Javier Calvo, O

Promotional

The finale of Season 1 of this riveting multisensory masterpiece from the visionary author of House of Leaves.

Review Quote

"[ The Familiar ] is not only [Mark Z. Danielewski's] best book since his acclaimed opera prima, House of Leaves ; it's even better, and also more accessible. Conceived as the book version of a long-running TV show, its . . . volumes tell the tale of a smart, fragile and epileptic little girl who finds a cat that may or may not be magical. Their encounter sets off a chain reaction that starts with her immediate family and will probably reach almost every corner of the world. "There is no writer in America that resembles Mark Z. Danielewski even remotely. His books are disturbing Freudian fairy-tales, monumental and intimate at the same time, discordantly polyphonic, populated by wise children and lost parents, soldiers and storytellers, magical weapons, sentient houses and familiar spirits. Their words interweave on the page with paintings and knitting and calligrams, creating painfully beautiful objects, almost like printed sculptures. They're also Literature in High Capitals, contemporary counterparts of Bouvard et Pcuchet , Mallarm and Joyce, heirs to the almost mystical hubris of High Modernism, almost too ambitious for their own good and rabidly opposed to the weightlessness of our times." -- Javier Calvo, O

Promotional "Headline"

The finale of Season 1 of this riveting multisensory masterpiece from the visionary author of House of Leaves.

Description for Reading Group Guide

The questions, discussion topics, and reading list that follow are intended to enhance your reading group's conversation of The Familiar, Volume 5: Redwood , Mark Z. Danielewski's riveting new novel, which continues to trace the paths of nine diverse characters as Season One comes to a close and Season Two approaches in 2018. Feel free to wander in your discussions as you share different perspectives and explore the increasing entanglements and mysteries within this vast world. ***Warning: Some questions contain spoilers!***

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

1. The epigraph for this volume (p. 7) implicitly addresses its readers: "you" -- or we -- "don''t yet know . . . the stakes of this struggle." What is it that we do not know? What is the struggle that is referenced? How does this quotation relate to serial narratives? (Readers of Danielewski''s House of Leaves may recall the epigraph from that novel: "This is not for you." Is the "you" the same in each?) 2. What do you think would have happened if Tian Li and Jingjing hadn''t traveled to Los Angeles? Would the cat have lived? What about Xanther? 3. Who or what is the agent of violence in the "Caged Hunt" (p. 24)? Why does it conclude with the little girl in a pink dress and why is she "something familiar" (p. 34)? Why is this story presented as a video posted online but then also transcribed into text? Why does the reader see only what the camera sees? 4. The review of Hades (p. 57) does not comment on the opening of the doors after Xanther left the stage. Why do doors open everywhere around Xanther -- from the cage doors in the kill shelter in Volume 2 to the Met''s emergency exits? Anwar notes the "pattern of opening" is "too abundant to ignore" -- what then is its significance? And how does that pattern change by the end of Volume 5 ? 5. Compare the artifact for this volume -- the Proto-Klamath Inscribed Thunderegg (p. 36) -- with the others (Twin Rivers Ochre, Es Skhul Bead, Lenggong Valley Spear, and Hohlstein-Stadel-z Ivory). What is the archaeological history of each? What kind of planetary map emerges with all five in view? Is there an implicit timeline to their ordering? What is the connection to the time and place of the Stone Age story, which has spanned 237,726 years? What is the relevance of archaeology in The Familiar ? 6. What is the source of the quotation at the beginning of the "White cat!" chapter (p. 50)? What is the technology in question and what is its connection to The Familiar ? 7. The resident expert that Astair sees in the animal hospital (p. 73) turns out to be Dwight Plaguer, the USC student who failed Shnorhk in Volume 1 (the Narcon directs us to his initial appearance in TFv1 , p. 228). Now it is not simply the stories of Jingjing and Xanther that are converging but the others as well. In what sense does The Familiar seem to be moving toward a climax in which all of the main characters are on the same page, so to speak? 8. Following that train of thought, trace the mentions of entanglement in Volume 5 and consider its significance as one of the keywords (or "ratings") for Volume 5 . What is the disciplinary context or knowledge base for the concept of entanglement: what does it mean both as a general and as a scientific term, and why is it a chorus or refrain in Jingjing''s chapter (p. 133)? 9. In the chapter "Mohonk Mountain House," Bobby picks up a card that is identified as El Pescado , no. 50 (p. 103). Where is it from? Compile a list of all of the cards you have encountered over the five volumes: what kind of story seems to be emerging? 10. Take note of the descriptive statements about VEM that have appeared over the course of the first series, e.g. "VEM is the temple in the sands oblivious to sands" (p. 104). What can we make of the metaphors used to describe it? Is it clearly a force for either good or evil? Does it have concrete form and content? 11. Early in this volume, Anwar decides that "The cat is not the bottle" (p. 192). Given the book''s events, do you think this is true? Who is the bottle and who is the ship? Or is this metaphor too simple for the relationship between Xanther and her little one (see also: TFv2 pp. 507-509, 535-536 and TFv3 p. 487)? 12. How have the Narcons evolved over the course of the first season? What roles have they played? What type of information do they provide? What can we make of the dialogue among them (e.g. p. 205)? How have they evolved? 13. Cas and Recluse finally meet again in this volume. What do you make of their interaction? What do Recluse''s words and actions (pp. 462-473) say about his VEM Identity ( TFv1, p. 642) and its possible effects on the world if he wins their war? 14. Consider the choice of flowers for each of the five volumes (yarrows are represented on pp. 140-41). Are there connections to be drawn between the various flowers and the content of the story? 15. In TFv5 , Jingjing constantly insists that the cat is and was his (e.g. p. 411), even though the cat was always with Tian Li when they were together in Singapore. Why do you think Jingjing has this attitude? Did he seem to think this way in earlier volumes, and if not, what do you think has changed? Considering the vast distances dividing Singapore and Los Angeles, is there something more at hand here than just a cat? Even cultural? And if so, what does culture have to say for itself? 16. What happens to the cat''s teeth in Volume 5 (pp. 455, 827)? 17. In this volume, Jingjing''s role as a translator is incredibly important, since he is meant to be imparting Tian Li''s wisdom to Xanther. How has he tried to mislead Xanther? 18. Jingjing''s actions provoke an event that echoes through the following chapters in entirely unprecedented ways: the structure of the novel itself is warped by this event (pp. 570-625). How do we understand this massive shock wave? How does it change our reading experience? 19. Now that we know Cynthia is Planski''s CI, does this provide more insight into her relationship with Teyo? How and why? 20. Why do you think the Clips are going black (p. 473)? Is it caused by the entanglement, or do you think VEM or some other outside force is to blame? 21. What do you think of

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