TRIP TO THE MOON

We’re all made of stories — and made by them. No one understands this more deeply than John Yorke — and no one writes about it with greater insight and urgency, or more entertainingly. This is a wonderful book.

Truly excellent, and the best book on “story” that I have ever read. I love the places it took me to. It is a tremendous achievement.

Trip to the Moon is genuinely dazzling. Yorke’s panoptic understanding of narrative is peerless, and his ability to corral his breadth of knowledge into such a cohesive and readable whole is little short of a magic trick. Mischievous, profound, and thought provoking, it’s both a remarkable achievement and – as you’d expect for a master of storytelling – an incredibly enjoyable read.

As a fellow story geek, I was captivated, and I’ve never read an exploration and analysis of story in the political and religious sphere laid out so thoroughly and persuasively. All the analysis and references are so brilliantly wide-ranging and thought-provoking, I hope it gains a very wide readership in addition to the screenwriting nuts who I’m sure will devour it. It’s a properly impressive piece of scholarship, and above all, a highly compelling read. 

I loved this. Trip To The Moon is an endlessly fascinating exploration of how story and structure shape not only the television and films we consume, but also our lives — everything from religion to politics to our innate sense of self. I feel immeasurably more intelligent having read it!

Brilliant and Illuminating! John Yorke examines the construction of political speeches, advertising slogans, religious texts and popular entertainment to reveal how empires of thought can rise and fall on the back of a good story. John Yorke’s “Into the Woods” is the second best book I know on theories of narrative structure. The best is John Yorke’s latest: “Trip to the Moon”.

Its strength is Yorke’s acute perception of the wellsprings of universal narrative structures relevant to all artistic activities.

While he elegantly untangles the deepest roots of storytelling, he also honours the human need for truth and sense with some more superficial questions.

It’s a masterpiece. Really – it’s sent my head spinning. SO much to discuss and enthuse about. It is genius – funny and wise and occasionally profound.

What do conspiracy theories, populist politicians, Harry Potter and reality TV all have in common? They all depend on the power of story. In this invaluable book, John Yorke uncovers the narratives that help us make sense of the world – and offers an antidote to paint-by-numbers screenwriting manuals. You’ll learn something new on every page.