RIVERS OF LONDON is a fresh and exciting London-based Urban Fantasy focusing on 20-something police constable Peter Grant who finds himself seconded – much to his surprise! – to a secret and arcane branch of the Met specialising in crimes of a supernatural nature, and thus apprenticed to the last wizard in Britain.

“Ben Aaronovitch is a new Del Rey darling,” Mitchell said. “Both male and female readers here were delighted by the character of Peter Grant and Ben’s new take on the urban paranormal genre.”

For more on Ben Aaronovitch, see this previous posting and visit his author page on the Zeno Web Site.

Samit is a very much a rising star on the scene in India – his Gameworld Trilogy, hit the best seller lists over there and he joins Zeno having sent his novel Turbulence into us – a novel which both Johns absolutely loved. It’s an extremely clever and terrifically inventive take on the Superhero genre and one with a very fascinating Indian slant. Full of energy, intrigue, action and verve, Turbulence packs a serious punch and its central plot poses two key questions… How would you feel if you actually got what you wanted? And what would you do if you could really change the world? Turbulence is due to be published in the Autumn by Hachette India.

Instinctively creative, Samit is established in other markets too – he has had a number of works for children published by Scholastic and is extremely active in the world of comics graphic novels (with work published by Virgin Comics). He has recently completed a GN project with Mike Carey and is working on a number of Bollywood screenplay projects.

We’re very much looking forward to working with Samit and to introducing his wonderful work to a wide international audience.

• Visit Samit’s Page on the Zeno Web Site

]]> http://zenoagency.com/news/submissions-status/feed/ 0 http://zenoagency.com/news/ps-publishing-to-release-new-ian-r-macloed-novel/ http://zenoagency.com/news/ps-publishing-to-release-new-ian-r-macloed-novel/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:27:55 +0000 John Berlyne http://zenoagency.com/?p=1413 Following their wonderful success with Ian R. MacLeod’s 2009  Campbell and Arthur C. Clarke award winning novel SONG OF TIME, Peter Crowther at PS Publishing has acquired limited edition rights from John Berlyne at the Zeno Agency for MacLeod’s brand new novel WAKE UP AND DREAM and will publish in the latter part of 2010. The PS edition will feature cover art by Dirk Berger.

“Hollywood, 1940. It’s the Golden Age of the Feelies. All one-time actor and unlicensed matrimonial private eye Clark Gable has to do is impersonate a wealthy scriptwriter for a few hours, and sign the contract for the biopic of the inventor of a device which has changed entertainment forever. What could go wrong? Already, he’s seeing ghosts — but that’s nothing unusual. Europe is devastated by war and America is sleep-walking into Fascism — but what’s that got to do with him? By turns wry and romantic, but always gripping, multi-award winning writer Ian R MacLeod’s latest novel is a dazzling collision of science, fantasy and history. Like the feelies themselves, WAKE UP AND DREAM is film noir with Technicolor wraiths.”

Peter Crowther says ‘After the wonderful smorgasbord of emotion that was the multiple-award-winning SONG OF TIME, Ian Macleod could have gone two ways: the familiar and workmanlike approach of not taking any chances, or the bold sweeping-clean of the planning table in order to come up with something set to blow readers totally out of the water. Well, WAKE UP AND DREAM is that latter…  in spades. It’s alternate reality Hollywood steeped in film noir, Dick meets Hammett…  a truly mesmerising word-trip that melds science, history and fantasy in  equal parts — and you know, you just can’t see the joins. We’re thrilled that Ian has allowed us to publish it — it’s a book that will take the genre’s readers by storm.’

Signed copies!! Grab them while you can. (And you can, whilst stocks last, by following this link for EDGE and this one for SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD).

Thomas Blackthorne’s EDGE gets five stars over at the Science Fiction and Fantasy blog, which the reviewers calling the book ‘…an intelligent, slick and brilliantly executed novel with a quite unexpected but superbly scripted ending.’ Full review here.

THE BOOKMAN has received yet another glowing review, this time on the Only The Best SciFi/Fantasy blog. ‘[THE BOOKMAN is] a boisterous mix of steampunk, Victorianna, mystery, travel story, thriller, adventure, partly coming of age story…Lavie Tidhar knows how to keep you in suspense… a shining steampunk bijou, brims over with allusions and cameos, vibrant, gorgeous depicted, clever constructed, compelling …  steampunk in 3D! Highly recommended from the bottom of my heart.’ Full review here.

And finally the Lateral Books blog loudly hails Aliette De Bodard’s SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD as ‘…a book I was very excited by… It is a book which is like a fresh breeze of crisp air….I fully expect Ms De Bodard’s name to be huge‘. Full review here.

The programe is varied and extensive and is designed to ‘bring together writers from across the East Midlands and beyond with professionals from the writing industries to share knowledge, develop skills and make new contacts. The conference is open to anyone with an interest in writing, from unpublished writers who want to learn more to bestselling novelists.’

One of a number of industry professionals in attendance, JB will be conducting a number of 1-2-1 sessions with writers, as well as participating in a panel entitled “Everything You Ever Wanted To Ask An Agent”!

Whilst you’re thinking up any number of fiendish questions, you can find out more about the conference at www.writingindustries.com

‘Following the Best of British Open Design Call held at Liberty of London on 6 February, which attracted almost 1,000 entrants, I have been chosen to supply a collection of silk scarves. I will also be appearing in a BBC2 series showing products develop from idea to high street shelf, to be presented by Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis!‘

For the last five years Richard has been developing a digital database of high-resolution images from natural materials such as minerals and rocks with which to make everything from fashion fabrics to jewellery, architectural glass to rugs and carpets. He comments: ‘I’m delighted at this opportunity because I’ve always seen Liberty as the ideal outlet for much of what I do. But getting into a store of its stature was next to impossible until this radical new approach to finding talent, which was pioneered in New York by Ed Burstell, their new Director of Buying.’

The image above right shows a dress from the “Tectonica” Collection by Sophie Shardelow, made using silk printed with designs from agate.

On Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN, Brown writes ‘THE BOOKMAN is a delight, crammed with gorgeous period detail, seat-of-the-pants adventure and fabulous set-pieces. And there’s more to come from this Israeli writer…‘ Indeed there is! For Lavie has just delivered the sequel CAMERA OBSCURA to his rather chuffed editor Marc Gascoigne.

Of Thomas Blackthorn’s EDGE, Brown says ‘…What lifts the novel far above the norm is that Blackthorne is such a fine writer. [Protagonist] Cumberland leaps off the page, a trained killer whose anger and grief at his daughter’s condition is brilliantly portrayed; the depiction of his simmering rage, barely held in check, and how he channels it, provides a masterclass in characterisation.’

That link again, for the full reviews is right here!

• Ian R. MacLeod: Multi-award winner Ian R. Macleod’s story Second Journey of the Magus is the main featured fiction in the Winter 2010 issue of Subterranean Online.

• Elizabeth Moon: A long excerpt from SHEEPFARMER’S DAUGHTER (the prologue and first two chapters, no less!) the first in the DEED OF PAKSENARRION series, is available at the Orbit web site, promoting their recently released omnibus edition (see this previous post).

• Lavie Tidhar: The Feb 2010 #41 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine has Lavie’s brand new story The Language of the Whirlwind. There are also back issue links to two other stories by Lavie, The Dying World and 304 Adolph Hitler Strasse. And if you want more by Lavie, check out this link at Free Speculative Fiction Online, which should keep you going for a bit!

• Aliette De Bodard: Aliette has a page on her website with a fistful of links to stories she has dotted about the internet. Well worth the effort.