Steven Appleby – illustratör

From Pixies front man, Black Francis, comes a bold and visually arresting illustrated novel about art, conflict, and the origins of a certain type of cinema.

In 1907, the French battleship Iéna was destroyed when munitions it was carrying exploded, killing 120 people. A nitrocellulose-based weapon propellant had become unstable with age and self-ignited.

In 1908, La Bonne Auberge became the earliest known pornographic film. It depicted a sexual encounter between a French soldier and an innkeeper’s daughter. Like all films at the time, and for decades afterward, it was made with a highly combustible nitrocellulose-based film stock.

Loosely based on these historical events, The Good Inn follows the lone survivor of the Iéna explosion as he makes his way through the French countryside, has a sexual adventure with an innkeeper’s daughter, and even more deeply into a strange counter universe. It is a volatile world where war and art exist side by side. It is also the very real story of the people who made the first narrative pornographic film. The novel weaves together real historical facts to recreate this lost piece of history, as seen through the eyes of a shell-shocked soldier who finds himself the subject and star of the world’s first stag film. Through Soldier Boy’s journey we explore the power of memory, the simultaneously destructive and healing power of light, and how the early pioneers of stag films helped shape the film industry for generations to come.

This book is for good leaders in organizations, large and small, everywhere. The power of their collective response to turbulent times will surely tip the balance towards creating a decent, civil and sustainable society for all.

A unique and rich mix of imaginative true-to-life story-telling and sage, enthusiastic and practical advice Good Leaders in Turbulent Times is for those nightmare times when everything seems to be falling apart around us.

With engaging humour and deep wisdom, it tells the stories of leaders who drift into crisis, struggle deep in wild waters, digest their experiences and move on to find new ways of living and working. The wise words they discover along the way will be as valuable for you as for them.

‘An energising and liberating book...’ - Jane Keeper, Social Worker, Former Director of Operations at REFUGE

‘A must-read for anyone seeking to lead with courage, empathy and conviction in today’s unpredictable and challenging world.’ - Ambassador Salwah Dallalah, Director, Conference Affairs Services, UNFCCC and IAEA

‘A wise and compassionate look at living through leadership crises and difficult relationships and moving from surviving to thriving.’ - Ros Oakley, Co-Founder and First Chief Executive, Association of Chairs

‘The next best thing to being in the room with Martin... You will find him on every page.’ - Greg Dalder, Bereavement Counsellor, Arizona

Now in his sixth decade working in civil society, Martin Farrell has held senior positions at organizations including Save the Children and the British Red Cross. Since his first assignment with the UN in 2002 he has been in demand as an international facilitator and crisis coach. He is a Certified Professional Facilitator | Emeritus.