Here at last is the opportunity for New Zealand readers to discover two of Janet Frame's most cinematic novels, highly readable and compelling, just as relevant today as they were when written in the 1960s. The range of Janet Frame's vision of this country's culture and landscape is mesmerising, ranging from daylit magic realism to scathing satire on the hypocrisy of a provincial society. In STATE OF SIEGE (first published in 1966) art teacher Malfred Signal attempts to reinvent herself. She leaves her repressed past and domineering family behind, and moves from Otago to Auckland to live on a sub-tropical island. But who is knocking at the door one stormy night? This unforgettable psychological portrait was the subject of an award winning 1978 film by Vincent Ward. THE RAINBIRDS (first published in 1968) is a black comedy currently being adapted for the big screen. Godfrey Rainbird has also left his old life behind in a move from London to Dunedin. All seems to be going well until he is mistakenly pronounced dead after a car accident. When he awakes from the coma, his family and community struggle to accept not his death but his resurrection.