To mark the 50th birthday of Black Mirror creator, Charlie Brooker, on March 3rd, Riverdale Avenue Books has published the fourth book in its binge watcher’s series focusing on the British science fiction anthology Black Mirror, which is regarded by many as the modern iteration of The Twilight Zone. Charlie Brooker is often seen as the Rod Sterling of his generation, as he has written all 22 of the shows’ episodes so far. The acclaimed British sci-fi anthology series focusing on the dark side of technology premiered in 2011 and has won eight Emmy Awards.
Pop culture and tech writer Marc W. Polite focuses The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The Black Mirror on the parallels drawn between what is in the show, and how our modern society is not too far off from what is depicted in the anthology series. The reader will encounter a thoughtful recap and analysis of each episode from all five seasons, as well as the interactive Black Mirror movie-Bandersnatch. Embracing the meaning and the mayhem of this moment, The Binge Watcher's Guide to Black Mirror is a spirited, fan-centered companion of the show.
“Having the opportunity to write this book meant a lot to me, to delve into the various themes of my favorite currently running show,” explained author Polite. “As a big fan of science fiction, I gravitated towards the themes explored by this anthology around technology, inspired by the episodes that touch on more than one topic. I have watched each episode way more than 2 or 3 times. However, when compelled to take a more critical eye in rewatching the series to write about it, I had the chance to really dig in deep. There were some moments where it felt as though I were doing a course on film criticism. In spite of the serious-sounding nature of what I just said, I had a lot of fun writing this book and I hope fans will feel the same.”
The next book in the series is The Binge Watcher’s Guide to Riverdale which pubs on April 1st, the first appearance of Veronica Lodge (1942), followed by The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The Twilight Zone, which is publishing on May 11th, National Twilight Zone Day.