Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN Reissued in UK Today!


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Today, Angry Robot Books re-release the first novel in Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed Bookman Histories steampunk series! THE BOOKMAN was originally published in 2010. Here is the synopsis…

In a 19th century unlike our own, the shadowy assassin known as the Bookman moves unseen. His weapons are books; his enemies are many. And when Orphan, a young man with a mysterious past, loses his love to the sinister machinations of the Bookman, Orphan would stop at nothing to bring her back from the dead.

In The Bookman, World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar writes a love letter to books, and to the serial literature of the Victorian era: full of hair-breadth escapes and derring-dos, pirates and automatons, assassins and poets, a world in which real life authors mingle freely with their fictional creations – and where nothing is quite as it seems.

New 2016 edition includes the novelette “Murder in the Cathedral”. Discover, truthfully, what actually happened when Orphan visited Paris.

The new edition of THE BOOKMAN will be published in the US next week. The final two volumes in the trilogy, CAMERA OBSCURA and THE GREAT GAME, will be re-issued by Angry Robot in August and October, respectively.

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Lavie Tidhar is, most recently, the author of the critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION, published by Tachyon Publications. He is also the multi-award winning author of A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder UK/Melville House US), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder UK/Thomas Dunne US) and OSAMA (PS Publishing), among many novellas and short stories.

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Here is just a handful of great reviews THE BOOKMAN has received…

‘Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN is simply the best book I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot of books. If you’re worried that Steampunk has turned into a mere fashion aesthetic, then you’d better read this one. It’s a stunningly imaginative remix of history, technology, literature, and Victorian adventure that’s impossible to put down. The book is immensely smart and readable at the same time. I very much hope that it’s the first of many such books. Buy it.’ — James P. Blaylock

THE BOOKMAN is a delight, crammed with gorgeous period detail, seat-of-the-pants adventure and fabulous set-pieces.’ — Guardian

‘This is a steampunk gem. The settings are marvellously detailed, giving you the feeling that there is a London in which Lizards reign and whales swim up the Thames to sing lullabies to the city dwellers… Bring on a sequel, Tidhar! I’m craving to know what happens after the ending!’ SFF World on THE BOOKMAN

The juicy backstory is unfolded by Tidhar, making it a key part of what makes the narrative so compelling… skilful, clever and highly enjoyable.’ –– SFX Magazine on THE BOOKMAN

‘An intelligent, clever book, that creates a wonderfully complex secondary world … as well-constructed as a Swiss cuckoo clock and as readable as any genre fiction being written today.’ — Red Rook Review

Aliette de Bodard Convention Appearance


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Hot on the heels of the fantastic news from last week, regarding Gollancz’s acquisition of Aliette de Bodard‘s next two novels, we have some information about an upcoming convention appearance.

Aliette will be attending MIRcon 2014 in Barcelona, from December 6-8th, 2014. Specifically, Aliette will be interviewed in the Auditorium on December 6th, from 4-5pm. You can read the full convention program, here.

Aliette’s Obsidian & Blood trilogy is out now, published by Angry Robot Books. Her next, highly-anticipated novel, HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, is due to be published in August 2015 by Gollancz. Watch this space for news as and when we have it.

Cover Reveal: David Tallerman’s PRINCE THIEF


The third installment in David Tallerman‘s Easie Damasco fantasy series now has a cover! Unveiled yesterday in a blogosphere-wide campaign, here it is…

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Also, the synopsis…

Altapasaeda, capital of the Castoval, is about to be besieged by its own king – and where else would luckless, somewhat reformed thief Easie Damasco be but trapped within the city’s walls? Faced with a war they can’t win and a populace too busy fighting amongst itself to even try, the Castovalian defenders are left with one desperate option. Far in the northern lands of Shoan, rebels have set up the young prince Malekrin as a figurehead in their own quest to throw off the king’s tyrannical rule. One way or another, the prince must be persuaded to join forces.

Once again, all hope lies with Damasco and his sticky-fingered approach to problem solving, along with his long suffering partner, the gentle giant Saltlick. But this time it’s a human being that needs stealing, with his own desires and opinions, and events only grow more complicated as Damasco realises that he and the rebellious young prince have more in common that either would admit.

PRINCE THIEF is due to be published in September 2013 by Angry Robot Books. It was proceeded by GIANT THIEF and CROWN THIEF.

Cover Reveal: THE PRINCE OF LIES…


Earlier this week, the cover for Anne Lyle‘s THE PRINCE OF LIES was revealed on Fantasy Faction. We thought we’d share it here as well…

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THE PRINCE OF LIES is the third novel in Anne’s Night’s Masque trilogy, due to be published in October 2013. It follows THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS and THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS – all three novels are published by Angry Robot Books. Here’s the synopsis for the third book…

Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted – his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it – but his work is far from over. The renegade skraylings, the guisers, are still plotting – their leader, Jathekkil, has reincarnated as the young Prince Henry Tudor. But while he is still young, Mal has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest.

With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin…

The Guardian loves Aliette…


aliette-headshot2This is just a very quick post to draw your attention to The Guardian‘s Booksblog post from Monday 15th April. It is a list of “The Best Young Novelists – from SF’s universe“, and includes the nigh-unstoppable Aliette de Bodard!

Aliette has been racking up a string of prestigious award nominations (crossing fingers for eventual wins, of course), and this is a great extra bit of exposure for one of our major young  talents. The Guardian has included her in a list of such luminaries as Lauren Beukes, China Mieville and Joe Abercrombie.

Congratulations, Aliette!

deBodard-Obsidian&Blood-BlogAliette’s latest big release in the UK is the omnibus edition of her Obsidian and Blood trilogy (published by Angry Robot)…

SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD — Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. The end of the world is kept at bay only by the magic of human sacrifice. A priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. Acatl, high priest, must find her, or break the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead.

HARBINGER OF THE STORM — The year is Two House and the Mexica Empire teeters on the brink of destruction, lying vulnerable to the flesh-eating star-demons and to the return of their creator, a malevolent goddess only held in check by the Protector God s power. The council is convening to choose a new emperor, but when a councilman is found dead, only Acatl, High Priest of the Dead, can solve the mystery.

MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS — The year is Three Rabbit, and the storm is coming… The coronation war for the new Emperor has just ended in a failure, the armies retreating with a mere forty prisoners of war not near enough sacrifices to ensure the favor of the gods. When one of those prisoners of war dies of a magical illness, Acatl, High Priest for the Dead, is summoned to investigate.

Awards!


CNINo sooner has awards season ended than it’s started up all over again! We’re delighted to see Aliette de Bodard nominated for a BSFA Award for her short story Immersion, and Lavie Tidhar – still weighed down with last year’s World Fantasy Award and British Fantasy Award gongs, is this year nominated for best non-fiction his all his hard work on the World SF Blog.

The Kitschies Award shortlists have also been announced, and we’re pleased to see the cover (art is by Tom Gauld) of Matthew Hughes’ COSTUME NOT INCLUDED (Angry Robot) nominated for best artwork.

Well done Aliette, Lavie and Matt!

 

Zeno’s Sidewise Award Nominees…


Zeno clients dominate this year’s shortlist for The Sidewise Award for Alternate History, which will be announced at the forthcoming Chicago Worldcon (Chicon 7) in September. Of the seven novels nominated for on the Best Long-Form , we have three familar names…

Good luck to all three of our authors – in some alternative historical universe, you all won!

Félicitations Monsieur Cobley et Mademoiselle de Bodard…


The French edition of Michael Cobley‘s SEEDS OF EARTH (originally published in the UK by Orbit) has been nominated in the longlist for Best Foreign Novel category for this year’s Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, the most prestigious award in the SFF field in France.

L’Ombre de la Longue Nuit, translated by Laurent Queyssi, is published by Bragelonne and will compete with ten works by contemporaries such as Dan Simmons, China Mieville and Lauren Beukes and fellow Zeno client Aliette de Bodard.

Aliette’s novel, D’Obsidienne et de Sang, translated by Laurent Philibert-Caillat, is published by Eclipse – having originally been published in English by Angry Robot as SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD. And yes,  the multiple ironies involved with a native French author, living in France, writing in English, being translated into French and then nominated in a category for Best Foreign Novel have not escaped our notice! Still cool, though, ain’t it!

The shortlist will be announced by the jury at the end of March and the winners will receive their prizes at a ceremony held during the Etonnants Voyageurs (Amazing Voyagers) festival at Saint-Malo (26-28 May 2012).

Congratulations and good luck to both Mike and Aliette. We’re hoping for a tie between the two of you!

Matt Hughes Wows The Critics…


Matt HughesTHE DAMNED BUSTERS, published by Angry Robot a couple of months ago has been getting some amazing reviews. Here’s a selection of gushing comments along with relevant links…

Hughes writing is both funny and clever, with some great descriptive passages.  he has a style that instantly hooks the reader, that manages  to balance the fine line between being a funny novel, and novel that is just full of jokes… I will be picking up the next instalment of this series without a doubt. A highly recommended read.‘ — Ginger Nuts of Horror

…a damn good book. Chesney Arnstruther is a uniquely charming protagonist; the plot is immensely entertaining, full of wit, humor and heart; the ideas presented are original and thought-provoking; and Matthew Hughes’ writing is skillful and engaging. Best of all, The Damned Busters is a blast to read and not quite like any book I’ve ever tried before, instantly making the sequel one of my most anticipated releases of 2012…‘ — Fantasy Book Critic

THE DAMNED BUSTERS is a supernatural adventure that blends a rich and unpredictable story, with a tone and wit that provides plenty of laughs along the way. A great balance of action and comedic situations with some romance thrown in for good measure, albeit an awkward romance, this is a great read. It will forever contain the most intense game of poker I have ever read. 5 *****Celebrity Cafe

Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm. A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternate universe that’s accessible without explicit exposition make this a winner.Publisher’s Weekly

What Matt achieves in this title is not only chock full of humour but a title that has an unlikely hero, a devilishly intriguing sidekick and above all else a plot that moves along at its own pace keeping the humour very much in the fore. It makes no bones about what it is, it has some novel solutions and it was a title that gave me a lot of fun with my reading time, so much so that I really couldn’t wait to get back to it. All in the prose is decent, the characters outstanding and the overall arc very pleasing to the reader. Great stuff.’ — Falcata Times

A little bit of Terry Pratchett, a little bit of Mystery Men, a whole lotta hilarious punny word-play alongside some meta bookishness and probably some misdirection, The Damned Busters is a damn good book.   As funny and light-hearted as it is thought provoking and belief challenging, I’ve never read anything quite like it.‘ — Little Red Reviewer

This is a funny and surprisingly endearing book with some interesting discussions about the role of sin and our reactions to it.‘ — The Guardian

‘…you’re missing out if you haven’t bought this book yet. Pure and simple. 9.75 / 10‘ — The Founding Fields

The Damned Busters is a very clever book (and fast read), exactly the type of work that Angry Robot Books is noted for: it is a smooth melange of genres–comic, noir, humor, fantasy, and metaphysical; ultimately entertaining and damned smart.‘ — Red Book Review

Further raves can be found at The Antick Musings of G.B.H Hornswoggler, GentGoodreads ; The Horror Review ; Drying Ink and I Will Read Books.


News From Planet Eastercon…


Zeno clients triumphed at the BSFA awards, which were held at this year’s Eastercon, at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham over the Easter weekend.

First up was Aliette de Bodard, who was on hand to collect the award for Best Short Fiction for her story The Shipmaker, which appeared in Interzone issue #231. I managed to snap this pic of her being dwarfed by David Weber, who was on hand the present the award. (The homeless man to the rear is Paul Cornell prior to the removal of his comedy charity beard – for which he raised an impressive amount of money for, ironically, Shelter!)

No sooner had the applause for Aliette died down than our own Ian McDonald took to the stage to accept for the award for Best Novel for THE DERVISH HOUSE (not ‘The Dervish Nights’ as the convention newsletter later reported!), his 2010 novel published by Gollancz in the UK and by Pyr in the US.

A further layer of coolness was added to these wins when we later learned that both Ian and Aliette have been nominated for this year’s Hugo Awards – this news adding to Aliette’s previously reported Nebula nomination for the same story, and Ian’s Arthur C. Clarke Award nomination.

Huge congratulations to both authors.

There were lots of other Zeno authors at Eastercon – I got to meet our latest clients Anne Lyle and David Tallerman, albeit all too briefly, and the mass signing of Angry Robot authors at Waterstones in the centre of Birmingham was almost a mini ‘Zenocon’ of its own. Present were Aliette, Colin Harvey, John Meaney – or was it Thomas Blackthorn? – and, in a rare UK appearance, one Lavie Tidhar (pictured here next to a banner proclaiming his novels in all their steampunky glory.)

Elsewhere at the con, at readings, on panels and if truth must be told, in the bar, one could find Freda Warrington, Susan Boulton, Michael Cobley and last but by no means least Ian R. MacLeod.

I did a panel called ‘Writing 102: Finding an Agent‘, which was well attended and along with Gollancz Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn, Gollancz author Stephen Deas and author Martin Owton, we fielded a number of excellent questions from the audience. Hope those who were there found it helpful.

Angry Robot buys Two Zeno Authors…


We’re delighted to announce debut deals with independent genre publisher Angry Robot for two of our newest clients, Anne Lyle, and David Tallerman.

Anne’s Elizabethan fantasy series entitled Night’s Masque features the adventures of disreputable swordsman Mal Catlyn. ‘Explorers have returned from the New World bearing strangely primitive natives – and their uncanny elders, regal beings straight out of the Norse myths who call themselves skraylings. Hired to protect these strangers … Mal … soon finds himself dragged into a world of conspiracy and dark magic. The first of the series, THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS, is an irresistible combination of dashing swordplay and cunning alternate history from a natural born storyteller. It will be published simultaneously in the US and UK in March 2012.’

David’s novels focus on the notorious Easie Damasco, ‘a rogue and a thief and a scoundrel, who somehow always lives to see another day. In the first of his outlandish adventures, GIANT THIEF Damasco somehow manages to steal the wrong treasure and ends up with an entire army on his tail. Riotous swashbuckling adventure in the popular tradition of recent fantasy successes Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie, the Easie Damasco adventures will run to at least three books.’

Both deals are for three books and include ebook and audio rights. They were negotiated with  Angry Robot‘s Publishing Director Marc Gascoigne by John Parker and John Berlyne of the Zeno Agency, who represent all translation rights.

Marc Gascoigne says, ‘These are two very different fantasy series, but they share a common quality – thoroughly engaging storytelling. Both these authors have the that rare skill of grabbing the reader in an opening paragraph and taking them off on a wild, wild ride full of magic, swordplay and adventure.’

Congratulations to all.

Lavie Tidhar Signs…


CAMERA OBSCURA, the new novel by Lavie Tidhar is published next month by Angry Robot, and the author, rumoured by some  to be nothing more than a shadowy internet presence,  makes a rare visit to the UK to promote the release and will be attending – in person! – this year’s Eastercon in Birmingham, where he will appear on a number of panels. Whilst he’s in town, Lavie will be doing a number of events and signings, and so if you want to meet the man that LOCUS call an ’emerging master’, citing five of his projects on their 2010 Recommended Reading List ( Count them, folks! No other author had more listings!), here’s where you’ll find him…

  • Sunday 17th April :  12.00pm  – Waterstones, The Bentalls Centre, 9 Wood Street, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey
  • Tuesday 19th April :  18:00 –  Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue,London, WC2H 8JR

And if you want to get a taste of Lavie’s new book, here’s a neat bit of code courtesy of the folks at Angry Robot

Zeno In Your Living Room…


Through the wonders of modern technology, you can listen to some of our authors read and discuss their work, whilst relaxing in the comfort of your own home!

  • John Meaney has just dropped us a line to let us know he’s added a page of downloadable audio to his author web site. Follow the link and you’ll be able to hear John don the disguise that is is alter-ego Thomas Blackthorn, reading the first chapter of soon-to-be-published novel POINT as well as that of EDGE, both Angry Robot releases.

    And as if that wasn’t enough, he’s also made available the prologue and first two chapter of his superb Gollancz space opera ABSORPTION, the second volume of which, TRANSMISSION, is soon to be delivered. Note that The Times described ABSORPTION as ‘best hard science fiction I’ve read this year, well written, exciting, mysterious, full of interesting characters and ideas…

  • And another of our Angry Robot stars, Lavie Tidhar, is the guest on the latest podcast over at The Functional Nerds – head over there to hear Lavie discuss his novel THE BOOKMAN, forthcoming sequel CAMERA OBSCURA, and the third book in the series that he’s currently working on, as well as his life, his writing and all sorts of other stuff.

    You can also hear Lavie discussing Steampunk with Jeff Vandermeer and Karin Lowachee over at Cheryl Morgan’s Salon Futura podcast.

Harbinger of the Storm Book Trailer


Remember this?

Well, now there’s this…

Aliette De Bodard‘s new novel, HARBINGER OF THE STORM – sequel to SERVANTS OF THE UNDERWORLD, will be published by Angry Robot in Jan 2011.

The world-building is exquisite and we *believe* we are transported to the 15th century Tenotichtlan and together with the superb voice they formed the main reason I enjoyed this book so much… Highly recommended… Ms. de Bodard is a writer to watch.’ — Fantasy Book Critic

Servant of the Underworld is an incredibly strong and promising debut, showing her talents at full effect – she can create amazing, believable worlds; her characters are solid and relatable, and she knows how to do interesting magic, great action and creepiness in spades.’ — Fantasy and SciFi Weblog