Riddley Walker

This article by Dr Martin Paul Eve appraises the debt that David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas owes to the novels of Russell Hoban, including, but not limited to, Riddley Walker. After clearly mapping a history of Hoban’s philosophical perspectives and Mitchell’s inter-textual genre-impersonation practice, the article assesses the degree to which Mitchell’s metatextual methods indicate a nostalgia for by-gone radical aesthetics rather than reaching for new modes of its own. The article not only proposes several new backdrops against which Mitchell’s novel can be read but also conducts the first in-depth appraisal of Mitchell’s formal linguistic replication of Riddley Walker. The link provided is to Dr Eve's site which contains a choice of links to this open access article.

Short but essential 1981 "People" magazine interview with Russell Hoban between the release of Riddley Walker and Pilgermann. Link fixed 22/8/17.

This extract on Google Books from Daniel Noel's 2004 collection "In a Wayward Mood" appears to include his entire 23-page essay on Hoban. Noel's paper starts with Riddley Walker and goes on to explore related themes in Pilgermann and The Medusa Frequency. Also touches on Kleinzeit and Turtle Diary.

1998 interview by John Forsyth covering the recently-published Mr Rinyo-Clacton's Offer, as well as Russell's writing techniques and tips, recollections of writing The Mouse and His Child whilst working for a New York advertising agency, and giving a tantalising glimpse of what became Angelica's Grotto.

Sarah Ditum writing in the Guardian says Russell Hoban's 1980 dystopian classic "is unique, melodramatic, and suggests there is more to human beings than being human".