Set in an alternative history in which native African people had colonised the European people, rather than the other way around, with Africans having made Europeans their slaves, Noughts & Crosses takes place in an alternative 21st-century Britain, known as Albion.

Modern Albion is a deeply hierarchical society, and though slavery has been abolished for some time, segregation, similar to the Jim Crow Laws, continues to operate to allow Crosses (black people) the ruling elite, keep Noughts (white people) under their control.

Written from two different perspectives (Callum’s and Sephy’s (Persephone) over alternate chapters, with even chapters being Callum’s and odd ones Sephy’s), Noughts & Crosses highlights their entwined but very different worlds when Sephy, the Cross daughter of a government official, falls in love with Callum, her nought housekeeper’s son.

Now, this thought-provoking and compelling novel has not only been given its very own BBC series, it also has a new edition courtesy of The Folio Society, introduced by Benjamin Zephaniah and illustrated by London-based Nigerian artist Kingsley Nebechi, who has created seven original full-colour works for the edition, some of which you can see in our gallery…

From the bold and simple slip case, to the fun font depicting the two narratives from Callum and Sephy (with a handy ‘0’ and ‘x’ to establish which side they’re on) and Nebechi’s illustrations which perfectly reflects the challenging subject matter (and shows his passion for comic books!), this new edition is just a unique and daring as the novel itself.

“Colours to me are really important, because you can almost engineer how someone would feel, or the tone of something – it really brings life to a lot of the composition,” says Kingsley, who describes the process of illustrating the edition below…

Speaking of unique, Zephaniah’s introduction for The Folio Society edition of Noughts & Crosses touches on the novel’s originality: “I once said that Noughts & Crosses was the most original book I’d ever read. I’m not sure when I said that but it was a long time ago, and since then I’ve read many more books, yet that statement is still true.”

Blackman often tackles pertinent issues in her writing, and racism is at the heart of this searing alternative history. However, themes of terrorism, class, politics and relationships are all addressed too, seamlessly woven into a narrative that never feels overloaded. Above all, Noughts & Crosses is a brilliantly conceived, edgy thriller with genuine characters and a gripping plot that has won devoted admiration from discerning readers.

The Folio Society edition of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses, introduced by Benjamin Zephaniah and illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi, is available exclusively from www.foliosociety.com

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