Special Illustrated Edition of Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

One of my favorite novels of all time, in an absolutely gorgeous binding with magical artwork on the cover and endpapers? Pinch me!

I just received the special edition of Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, a collaboration between artist Hoàng Lập and Book Addiction, and it’s even more stunning than I imagined. Today, I’m sharing photos with you, along with some thoughts from Pacat’s foreword to this beautiful edition.

Pacat describes how, as a child, she felt less like the bonny heroes and more like the dark and different villains of classic fantasy—the characters brought to life by C.S. Lewis, Susan Cooper, and Disney. And as a young queer person, she never saw queer-coded characters portrayed as admirable in any way.

She writes, “What happens when you grow up told that you are destined to become the villain? Will the story of the past play out again, or can you fight your fate and forge a new and different path?”

The Dark Rise series explores the question of whether you can change your destiny, whether the past determines your future, and what actually makes a “good person” or a “bad person.”

Pacat’s story also explores the role of perception in the making of a hero. Can we ever know the full truth, especially when the victor always writes the historical account? Is the hero really as heroic as the tales make him out to be? Is the villain really as villainous? What happens to our assessment of a person’s character when we learn their underlying motives and uncover the forces driving their behaviors? Are we willing to dig deeper to arrive at this understanding, or are we content to divide people up into simple, inaccurate categories?

Don’t miss out on reading this incredible series. It will take you on a journey that will open your eyes, shift your perspective, and leave you longing to spend more time with Pacat’s masterfully crafted characters in her immersive story world.