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Farrar, Straus and Giroux has acquired “The Strange Architect,” a new four-book series by bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer, in a seven-figure deal.
VanderMeer will launch his new series with the first book, “How to
Be Free,” in the winter of 2029. This marks his first new book project since his “Southern Reach” series, which sold 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. That series featured the Nebula Award–winning novel “Annihilation,” which was adapted into a film starring Oscar Isaac and Natalie Portman and directed by Alex Garland.
Vandermeer is represented by Joe Veltre, senior partner and co-head of the Gersh Agency’s New York office, and attorney Alex Kohner at Yorn Levine, both of whom negotiated the deal. The rights sold in a competitive situation.
In ‘The Strange Architect,’ VanderMeer explores the legacy of Arthur Bream, a man whose dreams of building a utopian community are wrecked when his daughter goes missing. Bream never fully recovers from the loss. He comes to believe that his daughter is a ghost trapped in a spirit realm, and he spends his remaining years building houses with a mysterious symbol on the stairs, which he is convinced will eventually bring his daughter back into the land of the living.
“It’s a joy to be embarking on this new adventure into the depths of horror and the uncanny with Jeff’s brilliant new series, ‘The Strange Architect.’ His work has meant so much not only to the team at FSG, but to his many avid readers,” says Mitzi Angel, president and publisher of FSG.
Says VanderMeer: “I’m thrilled to be with FSG on this new, really exciting journey that should be a mind-blowing experience for readers. I’m leaning into the uncanny in a way I never have before and am frankly just fascinated by the characters that have come to me for this new series. It’s a totally fresh approach for me and I hope readers love it as much as I’m loving writing it.”
Jenna Johnson, editor-in-chief of FSG, will be editing the series. “Jeff is a veritable architect himself,” Johnson says in a statement. “His novels are awe-inspiring in their blend of imagination, complicated characters, and stories with brilliant craftwork as well as deep mythologies worthy of many hours of discussion. Readers will be absolutely transfixed by this series, which is full of captivating mysteries, humor, horror, and edge-of-your-seat pacing.”
VanderMeer has an adaptation of his short story “Constellations” in development, with Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas’ company MountainA attached to produce. The story, about four survivors of a crash on a remote planet, will be included in a forthcoming FSG short-story collection. VanderMeer also has a television adaptation of his novel “Borne” in development with AMC.
