A while ago, I was contacted by Jacqui Kibby, founder and publisher of UK indie Scorpius Books based in Colchester. Scorpius was the first UK publisher to create dyslexic friendly editions especially for adult readers, and although I’m not dyslexic, Jacqui kindly sent me copies of two of their recent titles, one standard edition, one dyslexic friendly to read, and you can read my thoughts below. I sent Jacqui a set of questions too, and you can read her replies over at Shiny New Books today in Shiny’s irregular Spotlight on Publishers feature.
Read more about this fascinating indie publisher HERE.
Now to the books…
The Franklin Mews by Mat Guy (standard edition)
Our narrator is a shy english graduate who comes across ‘Water’s Flea Market’, discovering some collectable books by cult author and filmmaker Edward D Wood Jr there.
‘I preferred books to be my way of meeting people.’
Needing a job, he suggests that he could find, sort and sell books for Mr Waters the owner. Mr Waters – Eddie – takes a liking to the young man, and suggests a 50:50 deal, and throws in a room above the emporium too. Soon Denny, the house clearance man is bringing boxes of books to the store, and our narrator has carved an enjoyable niche for himself there, and made a real friend in Eddie.
Kira, in her late teens, becomes a good customer of the bookshelves, picking classic SF like John Wyndham, Dennis Wheatley horror and MR James’ ghost stories to read. The narrator likes her taste in books! Kira had finished college but hadn’t know what she wanted to do next, she’d been holed up reading in her room, but now comes to there to get out of the house, and reads there instead. As time goes on, she often joins the narrator and Eddie upstairs after the shop is shut.
Our three main characters and their cosy set-up introduced, it’s time to throw something into the narrative to spice things up. Guy does this by introducing a book written about another book, the second being a manuscript labelled “The most terrifying book ever written,” that had driven the eight publishers to whom it was sent either insane or to their deaths. Only ten copies were printed – two remain at large… The Franklin Mews, purportedly a true story, was written by John Proctor in 1959, and the book about it was written by a chap called DB Price. Our narrator had heard of it, as one of his professors at university used Price’s opportunistic book (he was an assistant to one of the deceased publishers) as an example to remind his students
“to always question, always research, to never take anything at face value.”
And yes, a copy of Price’s book, and with it the one of the lost ms copies of The Franklin Mews turns up concealed in a fake bottom of a packing case. Will they dare to read the book? I couldn’t possbily say! But they will research it to try and uncover its secrets… The narrator and Kira make a great team, with Eddie there to worry for and about them. As they venture into a strange world of ghostly horror and that fog, they will need to keep their wits about them.
So in this novel, we have a book within a book within a book. Price’s story and the original ms are presented in different coloured paper, with the ms having a scratched background. I asked Jacqui how the dyslexic friendly edition would differ – the scratches will only appear on the page margins for instance, so the text which will be in a dyslexic friendly font will be left clear.
This was an enjoyable contemporary ghostly horror novel with some genuine moments of tension and suspense. The main characters were so likeable, you willed them to succeed in their quest, but of course, to survive it too.
With Drive Opportunity by Pete Grugeon (Dyslexia friendly edition)
Produced on cream stock with matt non-reflective covers, this novel runs to 408 pages with a non-serifed typeface in a larger font. The standard edition has 367 pages. Importantly, as Jacqui explained to me, both formats are priced the same.
Told as a series of extended vignettes, this is Jason’s story of a journey into the world of non-violent direct action and the world of the protestor. Jason lives in a village near Ashford in Kent, and first hitched a lift at the age of 9. Luckily it was neighbours that picked him up – and gave him a lecture! However, by the time he is picked up by Kath and Dave, aka Madcap and Prof, in 1995ish, he is already a seasoned hitcher.
They are seasoned protestors, on their way back from London and the Poll Tax protests, and they open young Jason’s eyes to their world view, and before you know it he’s dodging security guards to climb onto diggers to stop road development going through environmentally sensitive areas. He gains his own nickname ‘Sketchy’ given to him by a tattooed man in a kilt, due his confusion the first time.
Through Jason’s hitching journeys we learn about how non-violent direct action works and their views on democracy – including how much they hate Thatcher! You may remember Swampy, who protested over the Newbury Bypass, and spent a week in a tunnel in Devon, making the headlines, an obvious influence on this novel.
Jason was an engaging narrator, transforming from protest newbie to old hand, however, I did find it a little repetitive towards the end. Also, I didn’t find the sans-serif font easier to read ironically.
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If you read Jacqui’s answers to my questions on the companion post over at Shiny, you’ll see how passionate she is about creating accessible books for dyslexic readers. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explore them.
- Mat Guy, The Franklin Mews, June 2026, 390 pages, paperback original,
- Pete Grugeon, With Drive Opportunity, 2025, 408 pages, dyslexia friendly trade paperback edition
To buy Scorpius Books’ dyslexia friendly editions – go to their website.
