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Trip to the Moon
- Author
- John Yorke
- Narrator
- John Yorke
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 29 January 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 13 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
A masterclass in telling stories - and how they shape our world - from the internationally renowned narrative expert
To command narrative is to control a sometimes frightening power. What is it that turbocharges some tales, and how is it possible to harness that potency?
John Yorke has revolutionised our understanding of story structure. In this new book he delves deeper – into how to put that structure to work in the world. Trip to the Moon takes us on a journey not just through drama and fiction but through politics, religion and non-western narrative, to seek out the role of story in all our lives, examining how to utilise its lessons to create life-changing tales – and, in a world aflame with conspiracy theories, to guard ourselves against their darker purpose too.
Revealing the artful symmetry and underlying principles that connect Summer beach reads to Classical Chinese poetry, superhero flicks to Russian arthouse, and classical rhetoric to state propaganda, Yorke makes dazzling connections that show how stories have the power to transfigure the chaos of our existence into a new equilibrium, and make the world anew.
© John Yorke 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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Reveals how strong narratives are the key to success, from literature to politics . . . reassembling the structures of story, making visible why some work so powerfully . . . gleaning joy from unlikely but convincing connections
Observer
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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
Helen Lewis author of The Genius Myth
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A masterpiece . . . genius - funny and wise and occasionally profound
Billy Ivory, writer, Made in Dagenham
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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
Jimmy McGovern, screenwriter, The Street and The Accused
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It’s a dazzling rocket of a book that launches you on a headlong journey through time and space in pursuit of incredible, surprising truths showing how story shapes our worlds and our lives
Rob Williams, screenwriter for Killing Eve & The Man in the High Castle
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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
Neil Cross, creator of Luther and The Iris Affair
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Brilliant and Illuminating... 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
John Collee, screenwriter of Master and Commander
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I loved this... an endlessly fascinating exploration of how story and structure shape not only the television and films we consume, but also our lives... I feel immeasurably more intelligent having read it!
Matthew Barry, screenwriter of The Guest
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As a fellow story geek, I was captivated... It’s a properly impressive piece of scholarship, and above all, a highly compelling read. A real page turner
Anna Symon, showrunner on Joan
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Few people can understand or explain so clearly the essence of drama and storytelling as John Yorke
Peter James, author of The Hawk is Dead
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- John Yorke
- Narrator
- John Yorke
- Duration
- 14 hours 13 minutes
- Release Date
- 29 January 2026
- ISBN
- 9781802063974
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Creative writing and creative writing guides, Film scripts and screenplays, Literary studies: from c 2000
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.A masterclass in telling stories - and how they shape our world - from the internationally renowned narrative expertTo command narrative is to control a sometimes frightening power. What is it that turbocharges some tales, and how is it possible to harness that potency?John Yorke has revolutionised our understanding of story structure. In this new book he delves deeper – into how to put that structure to work in the world. Trip to the Moon takes us on a journey not just through drama and fiction but through politics, religion and non-western narrative, to seek out the role of story in all our lives, examining how to utilise its lessons to create life-changing tales – and, in a world aflame with conspiracy theories, to guard ourselves against their darker purpose too.Revealing the artful symmetry and underlying principles that connect Summer beach reads to Classical Chinese poetry, superhero flicks to Russian arthouse, and classical rhetoric to state propaganda, Yorke makes dazzling connections that show how stories have the power to transfigure the chaos of our existence into a new equilibrium, and make the world anew.© John Yorke 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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