robotBy Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney

Abrams, out now

With the possible exception of Westworld, no show has delighted in challenging the nature of its own fictional reality like Mr Robot. The Fight Club-esque/cyberpunk ish story of Elliot, a brilliant and completely broken hacker, its equal parts conspiracy thriller, jet black comedy and tragedy. Career making turns from Rami Malek and Christian Slater in the leads, glorious direction and a willingness to go places no other show goes makes it a massively frustrating and essential watch.

But even that was tested with the second series. The show’s impish willingness to mess with its audience’s expectations turned darker than ever before. The reveal, which we won’t spoil here, about the nature of the season is one of the most audacious things we’ve ever seen a TV show attempt let alone pull off.

It’s also central to this, the first Mr Robot tie in book. Which, appropriately for a show that questions reality, is an in universe artefact. Eps.191_redwheelbarr0w.txt isn’t the catchiest title in the world but it’s absolutely in line with Elliot’s almost unconsciously bleak sense of deadpan humour.

It’s also his story, as he goes through the events of the second season. Desperate to get some control over his life, Elliot obsessively journals everything. In doing so we see the patterns of his life and the interactions he has with Mr Robot, presented here in block capitals and referred to as HE.

The book is all handwritten in pencil, partially burnt and covered in cartoons, diagrams and sudden tense and person changes. It’s immensely atmospheric like the show and, like the show, it’s also difficult to get into. This is Elliot unfettered, a constant stream of intellect and brilliance, suffering and rage thrown onto the pages of a perfectly recreated composition book.

Your anchors in this storm are twofold. The first is Hot Carla, one of the other characters in season 2 and just as interested in finding out the truth as we are. Hot Carla is a character in Elliot’s story and a guide in ours, annotating the text in red and providing the context Elliot couldn’t. She’s wry, funny, angry. A more dynamic voice that occupies the middle ground between Elliot and Mr Robot and her presence lifts the book during the tough sequences.

The other anchor you have is a series of artefacts scattered through the book. A newspaper clipping, a very odd bible leaflet, Elliot’s bookmark and others all come together to give you a visceral sense not just of his world but his state of mind. It’s almost a scrapbook for a fictional character and the reality of the objects helps ground the increasingly terrifying things Elliot, and Hot Carla, go through.

It also helps make this an unapologetic and fiercely intelligent tie in to an equally intelligent series. This is a terrible on ramp for the show but it was never meant to be one. Rather it works as a commentary track of sorts on season 2 and one that provides a compelling, heart-breaking look into the mind of TV drama’s most interesting protagonist.

Verdict: Hard work but so is the show and both, trust us, reward perseverance. 8/10

Alasdair Stuart

Click here to order Red Wheelbarrow from Amazon.co.uk