Dickensblog

Charles Dickens, king of video games

Ebenezer and the Invisible World isn't the only game paying tribute to Dickens right now -- this ScreenRant article talks about how and why Starfield is also giving Dickens a prominent role. 

'Ebenezer and the Invisible World' gets a release date

The new Christmas Carol-themed game, which I mentioned here back in June, is set to launch November 3.

A new Scrooge video game

If you've ever wanted to see a butt-kicking Ebenezer Scrooge, your chance is coming! Shacknews reports that Steam's Ebenezer and the Invisible World is "a Metroidvania spin on the classic tale of the grouchy Christmas character." A Metroidvania is a 2D sidescrolling video game where you go back and forth fighting enemies and leveling up to collect new equipment.* 

There's no release date yet, but you can keep an eye on this product page from Steam for updates, and they have a demo you can download while you're waiting. And click the link below to check out a video teaser!

The foggiest notion

The Dickens Museum has a new exhibition devoted to one of the most pervasive elements of Victorian London: fog. Items on display as part of "A Great and Dirty City: Dickens and the London Fog" include a first edition of Bleak House (with its famous opening description of "fog everywhere") and Dickens's own fire poker, in memory of the coal fires that did so much to produce the fog. The Spectator has an article about the exhibition here.

Dickens documentary premieres in Utica

If you're in Utica, New York, you'll have a chance to attend the world premiere of Dennis Dewey's new documentary, Mr. Dickens Comes to Uttica. The film tells the story of Dickens's unscheduled layover in Utica during his American tour in 1868 and its effects on the local population. The film premieres at the Oneida County History Center on March 18, and will include an exhibition of artifacts related to Dickens's hotel stay. Go here and here for details! 

'Oliver Twist' audio drama released

Sam Mendes's new audio drama Oliver Twist is now available on Audible, and if you have a membership, it's free! The cast includes Brian Cox as Fagin, Daniel Kaluuya as Bill Sikes, Nicola Coughlan as Nancy, Emilio Villa Muhammad as Oliver, and Elijah Wolf as the Artful Dodger. Go here to read more about the production, which includes sound effects recorded at Dickens's own home, now the Dickens Museum. And go here to listen!

Dickens the diva?

Eleven unpublished Dickens letters are on display at the Dickens Museum, and also available to view online (go here and type "archives and manuscripts" into the search engine). Among them is one in which he complains about Sunday postal service being discontinued in his village of Higham -- described by two different commentators, Pete Orford and Adela Suliman, as "diva" behavior. Was Dickens being a diva or justifiably frustrated? Read the letter and judge for yourself!

Dickens and the supernatural

Smithsonian Magazine has an article on Dickens as a "fascinated skeptic" of supernatural phenomena. It's promoting the upcoming Dickens Museum exhibit To Be Read at Dusk: Dickens, Ghosts and the Supernatural, which will open in October.

New 'Bleak House' illustrations

Artist Gerry Mooney, an active member of the Dickensblog Facebook group, is offering a free download of the first seven chapters of Bleak House with his illustrations. He hopes to do a full version of the book someday, but this PDF version is his proof-of-concept. Gerry does beautiful work and his Dickens illustrations are a treat for the eye. Visit his website to get your free download! 

You can learn more about Gerry's ideas and process from this post he wrote for the Dickens Society blog.

Dickens in living color

Marina Amaral, well known as a digital colorist of old photographs, has applied her talents to an 1850 portrait of Charles Dickens. Visit her Substack to see the photo, and visit her shop to buy yourself a print!