Dave McKean Takes On Varjak Paw

A few years back, I saw the cover of S. F. Said's Varjak Paw from across a busy Borders. It leapt out at me - it was clearly and obviously the work of Dave McKean. I flicked through, wowed by Dave's illustrations and vowed to pick up the eventual paperback. I never did.

Then the sequel came along, The Outlaw Varjak Paw, and again McKean was responsible for some stunning illustrations.

The books tell a kung-fu fuelled story of a young cat's quest to save his family line. It seems to be really good stuff - I've still not read either book yet, despite constantly meaning to. Now, I know I have to, because it's been announced that an adaptation of the first book is going to be Dave McKean's next project as a film director.

Again the Henson team are producing, but unlike Mirrormask, there's no Neil Gaiman this time around, with McKean and Said collaborating on the screenplay. That's a loss, if you ask me - there's nobody quite like Gaiman when it comes to quests, wonder and, frankly, cats.