Farrar, Strauss and Giroux have acquired best-selling author Jeff VanderMeer’s new four-book series, “The Strange Architect,” in a seven-figure deal.
VanderMeer plans to launch his new series in winter 2029 with his first book, How to Be Free. This is his first new book project since his Southern Reach series, which has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States alone. The series features the Nebula Award-winning novel Annihilation, which was adapted into a film by director Alex Garland starring Oscar Isaac and Natalie Portman.
Mr. Vandermeer was represented by Joe Bertol, senior partner and co-head of the Gersh Agency’s New York office, and Alex Koerner, an attorney at Yorn Levine, who both negotiated the deal. The rights were sold in a competitive situation.
In “The Strange Architect,” VanderMeer explores the legacy of Arthur Bream. Arthur Bream’s dreams of building a utopian community are shattered when his daughter goes missing. Bream never fully recovers from the loss. He comes to believe that his daughter is a ghost trapped in the spirit world, and is convinced that he will spend the rest of his life building a house with mysterious symbols on the stairs that will eventually bring her back to this world.
“We’re thrilled to embark on another adventure into the depths of fear and the macabre with Jeff’s amazing new series, The Strange Architect. His work means so much not only to the team at FSG, but also to his many loyal readers,” says Mitzi Angell, president and publisher of FSG.
VanderMeer said, “I’m excited to be joining FSG on this new and truly exciting journey that promises to be a mind-blowing experience for our readers. I’m immersed in the macabre world in a way I’ve never been before, and frankly, I’m just fascinated by the characters that have come to me for this new series. This is a completely new approach for me, and I hope my readers love it as much as I love writing it.”
FSG Editor-in-Chief Jenna Johnson will edit this series. “Jeff is a true architect himself,” Johnson said in a statement. “His novels are awe-inspiring in their blend of imagination, complex characters, and masterful craft storytelling, as well as deep mythology worth discussing for hours. Readers will be completely glued to this series, full of captivating mysteries, humor, horror, and nail-biting pacing.”
VanderMeer is developing an adaptation of his short story “Constellations,” produced by Natalie Portman and Sophie Mass’s company Mountain A. This story about four survivors of a crash on a remote planet will be included in an upcoming FSG short story collection. VanderMeer is also developing a television version of his novel “The Bourne” with AMC.
