Corsair acquires trilogy of sci-fi novels by BAFTA award-winning animator Mikey Please

Corsair has acquired a trilogy of sci-fi novels by BAFTA award-winning animator, artist and author Mikey Please.

Sarah Castleton, deputy publisher, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The Expanded Earth trilogy from Luke Ingram at the Wylie Agency. Corsair will publish the first volume. The Expanded Earth will publish in hardback in April 2025.

Each book in the trilogy will feature jacket artwork and black and white illustrations by the author.

The synopsis says: "Without warning, the entire human race shrinks to the size of a handspan. A strange and terrifying transformation that turns the world we know into a place of unimaginable danger and wonder. When Giles wakes up on a remote coastal path, trapped in his new miniature body, he confronts a world he barely recognises. Driven by a desperate need to reunite with his family, Giles teams up with a ragtag crew of other survivors and together they embark on an epic journey across this vast reimagined landscape, where everyday objects now loom like mountains and the smallest misstep could be fatal."

It adds: "As Giles and his companions struggle to stay alive, deeper questions arise: what, or who, caused this catastrophic event? Is there a way to reverse it? And, in their shrunken state, are they even still human?"

Castleton said: "From pitch to page, The Expanded Earth stands in a league of its own and I’m frankly convinced Mikey has five minds working in overdrive, all at once. His storytelling and artwork are pure wild sorcery—a rich blend of sensitivity, wit, philosophy and visionary creativity as he reshapes the way we see ourselves and our relationship with nature, making the smallest detail feel profound and the grandest most abundant concept feel personal."

Please added: "To think that soon this novel will be out of my hands and running free in the wild is hugely exciting, and I’m thrilled to have found such splendid companions in Sarah, Luke and the team at Corsair. Should the worst happen, and our bodies are, without warning, horribly wrung like sponges to one 10th of their previous height, I hope I’m in a meeting with Luke and Sarah when it happens. I can’t think of two people I’d rather go on this adventure with."