EARLY BUZZ: Legendary producer Scott Rudin snapped up film rights before the book had even found a publisher.The novel's acquisition was reported on by the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York magazine and the Guardian. Further pieces online have speculated about what we know about the novel so far (www.vulture.com/2013/11/faq-garth-risk-hallberg-2-million-novel-city-of-fire.html) and Moby Lives published a list of rules for discussing the book (www.mhpbooks.com/how-to-talk-about-garth-risk-hallberg-and-his-2-million-book-deal). Trailed in various Books of the Year previews 2015.

RARE ACHIEVEMENT: This is the kind of novel that doesn't come along often: one that both moves and impresses, and has the potential to become a commercial literary classic. (Among the early comparisons: Don DeLillo's Underworld, Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities, Jonathan Franzen, Michael Chabon, Jennifer Egan.)

SIZE: Capacious, expansive, immersive - Garth was inspired by Bleak House and The Wire when writing and the novel aims to provide the same episodic and addictive experience as serialised Dickens and box-set television.

INTERNATIONAL LITERARY EVENT: Knopf and Doubleday Canada plan to publish alongside us, as do a few of the 16 translation publishers (and more to come) around the world.

DESIGN: The novel has several unique design components, including a fanzine. These 'interludes' not only are wonderful pieces of writing, but also stand on their own as artefacts.

A CRITIC, TOO: Hallberg has twice been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's Balakian Prize for Excellence in Reviewing. His essays and reviews have run in a wide range of publications, from the New York Times to The Millions, where he is a long-time editor.

Among the most eagerly anticipated and addictive novels of recent years

‘Can you afford not to read this book?’ (Guardian)