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Cover & Details: US Edition of A MAN LIES DREAMING

Posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2015

In March 2016, Melville House are due to publish Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING. Above is the cover, and here is the synopsis…

A noir thriller with a twist and a Holocaust novel infused with the spirit of shund—the dark Israeli pulp fiction that thrived in the years after World War II — the British Fantasy Award-shortlisted A Man Lies Dreaming is a radical literary experiment that brings alternate history to life.

Lavie Tidhar has reimagined the rainy, atmospheric energy of London in the 1930s, and the troubled private detective with an unspeakable secret who roams its streets. As A Man Lies Dreaming unfolds and more of its mysteries come to the surface, we find ourselves drawn into a novel at once gripping and profoundly unsettling.

A MAN LIES DREAMING won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize earlier this year, and (as we shared on Monday) has been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. The novel is published in the UK by Hodder; and by PS Publishing as a Limited Edition (cover below).

Here’s just a small selection from the praise that A MAN LIES DREAMING has enjoyed…

‘Theodor Adorno said that to write poetry after Auschwitz was barbaric. To which I would say, yes, but you can still write an excellent novel. A MAN LIES DREAMING is that novel.’ — Philip Kerr

‘One of the most powerful books I’ve read this year thanks to its combination of alternate history noir and the harsh reality of life in the concentration camps. Tidhar doesn’t just describe situations, both real and fictional; he makes you feel them, with writing that stimulates all your senses… A MAN LIES DREAMING once again combines Tidhar’s love of alternate realities with insights into what it means to be human. It will haunt your dreams and is his best novel yet. Highly recommended. 9/10′ — SciFi Bulletin

‘Wolf’s story is interesting, well-plotted… tightly structured… Wolf is a fantastic character, reprehensible, but somehow piteous, hilarious, oddly likeable for all his terrible traits, and the ability to make the reader sympathise with Adolf Hitler, for god’s sake, cannot be underestimated. Tidhar is a masterful writer… he is perhaps the UK’s most literary speculative fiction writer, and we should celebrate A MAN LIES DREAMING as more a masterful work of literary fiction than of speculative fiction. But it is exactly that: masterful.’ — Strange Horizons

‘When did he become one of our best and most adventurous writers?’ — Jonathan Strahan in Locus (Feb.2015)

Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING Nominated for Dublin Literary Award!

Posted on Monday, November 16th, 2015

Lavie Tidhar‘s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, has been nominated for the Dublin Literary Award 2016! The novel, published in the UK by Hodder, also won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize earlier this year. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world – a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is due to be published in the US by Melville House in March 2016. Lavie’s previous novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY, is also published in the UK by Hodder, and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. THE VIOLENT CENTURY was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award 2015. Here’s just a small sample taken from the many glowing reviews the novel has received…

‘Comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand. This is a shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… Tidhar’s novel treats its grim theme not as a comedy, although there is plenty of caustic humour, but instead as a pulp-noir tale of seamy city streets, gumshoes and lowlifes… Tidhar, who cut his teeth in the world of genre SF, understands how eloquent pulp can be… Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘No one can accuse Lavie Tidhar of being risk-averse… such an interesting writer… the novel is not without a fair amount of humor, and that might well be the boldest risk Tidhar is taking here…’ — Locus

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… poetic and terrible… Many will find elements of this story deeply disturbing, not the least of which is a possible sympathy to Wolf… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Cover & Details: A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar Ltd.Ed.

Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015

PS Publishing have released a limited edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s most recent critically-acclaimed and award-winning novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING. Here’s the synopsis…

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A MAN LIES DREAMING is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

The Limited Edition comes with an exclusive, previously unpublished novella, LUST OF THE SWASTIKA. Here’s the cover…

A MAN LIES DREAMING, which won the Jerwood Undercover Fiction Prize this year, was published in the UK by Hodder, and is due to be published in the US next year by Melville House (cover and more details soon). It is also due to be published in Italy (details next week).

Here’s just a small selection of reviews the novel has enjoyed…

‘Like Tarantino, Tidhar may find that some people don’t take him seriously. But the joke’s on them. Seriousness is the least of it: A MAN LIES DREAMING is a twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘…savagely funny… A MAN LIES DREAMING, by the Israeli-born novelist Lavie Tidhar, has not been published with the fanfare bestowed on Martin Amis’s The Zone of Interest or Howard Jacobson’s J, but it is their equal for savage humour… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… it’s poetic and terrible… Many will find elements of this story deeply disturbing, not the least of which is a possible sympathy to Wolf… To top it all of course is Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Cover: ART AND WAR by Lavie Tidhar and Shimon Adaf

Posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

Above is the cover for Lavie Tidhar‘s upcoming collaboration with Shimon Adaf, ART AND WAR: POETRY, PULP AND POLITICS IN ISRAELI FICTION. Due to be published by Repeater Books in 2016, here’s the synopsis…

Shimon Adaf and Lavie Tidhar are two of Israel’s most subversive and politically outspoken writers. Growing up on opposite sides of the Israeli spectrum — Tidhar in the north of Israel in the Zionist, socialist Kibbutz; Adaf from a family of religious Mizrahi Jews living in Sderot — the two nevertheless shared a love of books, and were especially drawn to the strange visions and outrageous sensibilities of the science fiction that was available in Hebrew. Here, they engage in a dialogue that covers their approach to writing the fantastic, as they question how to write about Israel and Palestine, about Judaism, about the Holocaust, about childhoods and their end. Extending the conversation even into their fiction, the book contains two brand new short stories — “Tutim” by Tidhar, and “third attribute” by Adaf — in which each appears as a character in the other’s tale; simultaneously political and fantastical, they burn with an angry, despairing intensity.

In related news, Lavie has also been selected as one of seven ‘Israeli expat writers to watch in the new year’ by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Few writers have the chutzpah to write fiction about Osama bin Laden or create an alternate history of Auschwitz, yet the prolific Tidhar has done both… Raised on a kibbutz but now a resident of London, Tidhar also edited the recently published anthologies “Jews Vs. Zombies” and “Jews Vs. Aliens.” Tidhar writes at the intersection of speculative fiction, noir, thriller and fantasy. His newest novel, “Central Station,” about Tel Aviv’s bus station, was written in English, like the majority of his work, and is forthcoming in March 2016.

Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, is published in the UK by Hodder. It is due to be published early 2016 by Melville House (details to come). Earlier this year, the novel won the Jerwood Fiction Undercover Prize. He is also the author of the critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY, published in the UK by Hodder and in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. His 2011 novel OSAMA won the World Fantasy Award — it is available from PS Publishing.

Short Fiction Watch: Zeno Clients Recently in Clarkesworld

Posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

Short fiction is a great way to try out authors for the first time, and many of our clients frequently have their short stories published in leading SFF zines and outlets. We haven’t featured as much short fiction recently, but we wanted to take this opportunity to share some links to work that has appeared in Clarkesworld — all of it available to read for free online. So, without further ado, here are just three of the latest…

Lavie Tidhar‘s THE BOOK SELLER
Aliette de Bodard‘s THREE CUPS OF GRIEF, BY STARLIGHT (also available in audio)
Ian R. MacLeod‘s NEVERMORE

Lavie Tidhar is the award-winning author of OSAMA (PS Publishing), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder/Thomas Dunne Books) and A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder/Melville House – forthcoming in 2016).

Aliette de Bodard is the author of multiple short stories and novellas, as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, and the critically-acclaimed THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, which was published last month by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US.

Ian R. MacLeod is the award-winning author of multiple novels, including THE LIGHT AGES, THE SUMMER ISLES and SNODGRASS. Many of his novels are available as eBooks, published by Open Road Media. His most recent book is FROST ON GLASS, published by PS Publishing.

Short Fiction Watch: MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW SF 28

Posted on Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

Published on October 1st, 2015 by Robinson, the 28th edition of the MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST NEW SF includes a number of Zeno clients! Here’s the volume’s description…

An annual institution – the year’s best science fiction short stories and novellas

For decades now Gardner Dozois has been presenting his annual selection of the very best of recently published SF stories, both byoutstanding up-and-coming writers and undisputed masters of the genre. It has been voted Year’s Best Anthology by the readers of Locus magazine an unparalleled eighteen times and remains the definitive anthology for both diehard sci-fi fans and newcomers to the genre.

Without fail, Dozois pinpoints the previous year’s most exciting and ambitious science fiction, showcasing truly exceptional contemporary writing.

The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 28 includes, as ever, Dozois’s extensive recommended reading guide and his illuminating and incisive summation of the year in science fiction.

Among the included authors are Zeno’s own…

Aliette de Bodard is the author of the critically-acclaimed, newly-released THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS — published by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US. Here’s the synopsis…

A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out — literally — of a war in heaven

Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

Ian McDonald is the author of the highly-anticipated new science fiction novel LUNA: NEW MOON, which is to be published this month by Gollancz in the UK and Tor Books in the US. Here’s the synopsis…

The Moon wants to kill you. Whether it’s being unable to pay your per diem for your allotted food, water, and air, or you just get caught up in a fight between the Moon’s ruling corporations, the Five Dragons. You must fight for every inch you want to gain in the Moon’s near feudal society. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, at the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation, Corta Helio, surrounded by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.

Lavie Tidhar is, most recently, the author of the Jerwood Fiction Undercover prize A MAN LIES DREAMING, which is published in the UK by Hodder, and is due to be published next year in the US by Melville House. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Lavie Tidhar’s Award-Winning A MAN LIES DREAMING Set for US Release

Posted on Monday, July 27th, 2015

Lavie Tidhar’s award winning novel A MAN LIES DREAMING is coming to America next year. The novel, published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton, has already won a £5000 Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize for Best British Book. It is currently on the shortlist for the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

In A MAN LIES DREAMING, a Yiddish pulp writer in Auschwitz dreams an alternate world in which a former dictator, now a down-at-heels PI known only as Wolf, ekes out a meagre living in darkly transmogrified London. It has won rave reviews in the UK and been called a “twisted masterpiece” by the Guardian newspaper.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is set to be published by Melville House, the prestigious independent literary publisher, whose list includes David Peace, Banana Yoshimoto and Nobel winner Imre Kertész. It is scheduled for a March 2016 release, in hardcover (there is already an Amazon listing).

Tidhar said, ‘I’ve long been a fan of Melville House, one of the most exciting publishers around, and I couldn’t be happier about the deal. I can’t wait to see the finished book!’

The deal was negotiated by Hodder & Stoughton; foreign rights are represented by the Zeno Literary Agency, with Italian and Czech rights already sold, and more in the pipeline.

Here’s just a small selection of the incredible reviews A MAN LIES DREAMING has received so far…

‘When Tidhar writes of the Holocaust it is with brutal accuracy and a deep sensitivity… it’s poetic and terrible… at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparseness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

‘Lavie Tidhar’s latest novel is one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year thanks to its combination of alternate history noir and the harsh reality of life in the concentration camps. Tidhar doesn’t just describe situations, both real and fictional; he makes you feel them, with writing that stimulates all your senses… A MAN LIES DREAMING once again combines Tidhar’s love of alternate realities with insights into what it means to be human. It will haunt your dreams and is his best novel yet. Highly recommended. 9/10′ — SciFi Bulletin

‘Intelligent, troubling, funny, at times harrowing, an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.’ — E.J. Swift

Five British Fantasy Society Award Nominations for Zeno Clients!

Posted on Friday, July 24th, 2015

This week, the British Fantasy Society announced the nominees for their 2015 Awards, and Zeno’s clients were rather well-represented.

First up, Lavie Tidhar received two nominations:

Best Collection – BLACK GODS KISS (PS Publishing)
Best Fantasy Novel – A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder)

Lavie’s nomination also led the headline in the Guardian‘s coverage of the Awards’ announcement. As we reported last month, A MAN LIES DREAMING also won the prestigious Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize. Hodder also published Lavie’s previous novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY — it is also available in the US, via Thomas Dunne Books.

Edward Cox also received two nominations for THE RELIC GUILD (Gollancz), in the Best Fantasy Novel and the Best Newcomer categories. Edward’s second novel, THE CATHEDRAL OF KNOWN THINGS, is due to be publishing by Gollancz in the UK on October 15th, 2015.

CEMETERY GIRL: THE PRETENDERS (Jo Fletcher Books) by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden is nominated in the Best Comic/Graphic Novel category. The second instalment in this series, INHERITANCE, is due to be published by Jo Fletcher Books in mid-October 2015. Charlaine’s latest novel, DAY SHIFT, was published in the UK by Gollancz in May 2015.

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday, 25 October 2015, at FantasyCon 2015 in Nottingham.

Zeno represents Charlaine Harris in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Lavie Tidhar wins Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize!

Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2015

Announced yesterday, Lavie Tidhar‘s exceptional A MAN LIES DREAMING has won the prestigious Jerwood Fiction Uncovered prize!

Given to recognise the breadth and vibrancy of British writing today, this is its fifth year. Fifteen titles were nominated from across all genres, and of these, eight have won the prize.

Published in the UK by Hodder Books, here is the synopsis for A MAN LIES DREAMING…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

Lavie is no stranger to prestigious awards: OSAMA won the World Fantasy Award in 2012. Many congratulations to Lavie for another very-well-deserved win!

‘Young, ambitious, skilled and original.’ — Christopher Priest, author of The Prestige

‘A shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… A twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparselness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

Lavie Tidhar’s A MAN LIES DREAMING Nominated for Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award

Posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2015

Lavie Tidhar‘s latest masterpiece, A MAN LIES DREAMING has been nominated for the 2015 Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award.

The Award, which is now in its fifth year, is given to recognise the breadth and vibrancy of British writing today. Fifteen books have been nominated, and eight of these will be awarded a prize. The winners will be announced at a party at Jerwood Space, London, on Thursday June 18th, 2015.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

The novel has received some fantastic reviews, too. Here is just a small selection…

‘A shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… A twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Young, ambitious, skilled and original.’ — Christopher Priest, author of The Prestige

Hodder also published Lavie’s previous, critically-acclaimed novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY — which is also published in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. Lavie is also the author of The Bookman Histories (Angry Robot) and the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA (Solaris). As mentioned earlier this week on the site, Lavie will be attending the Greenwich Literature Festival, as part of a panel on Science Ficiton and Fantasy — more details, here.

Ben Aaronovitch & Lavie Tidhar at Greenwich Literary Festival this weekend

Posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

As the summer begins, many Zeno clients will be attending many of the myriad literary festivals taking place. This weekend, Ben Aaronovitch and Lavie Tidhar will be attending the Greenwich Literature Festival.

Friday, May 22nd…

Who: Lavie Tidhar
What: ‘Greenwich: where science and fiction meet – Science Fiction Night at Greenwich Book Festival’ — From the race to define longitude to the discovery of ‘canals’ on Mars, the Royal Greenwich has been a hotbed of creative scientific thought for more than three centuries. In what ways does science intersect with fiction, and how do they contribute to each other? And how has the venerable institution itself proven fertile ground for visionaries of all stripes over the decades? Tom Harper (Zodiac Station), Paul McAuley (Something Coming Through) Sarah Lotz (Day Four) and Lavie Tidhar (A Man Lies Dreaming) as they discuss science, fiction and the legacy of the Royal Greenwich. The event will be chaired by Anne C. Perry (editor, Hodder & Stoughton).
When: 8:00-9:30pm
More details here.

Lavie Tidhar is the author of, most recently, the critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder) and THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder and Thomas Dunne Books), the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA (Solaris), The Bookman Histories (Angry Robot), and numerous award-nominated and critically-acclaimed novellas and short stories. Later this year, Titan Comics will publish his first comic series, ADLER.

Saturday, May 23rd…

Who: Ben Aaronovitch
What: ‘Life, But Not as we Know It: creating alternate realities – Ben Aaronovitch at the Greenwich Book Festival. Age 14+*’ — Imagine a London populated not just by you and me, but by tired ghosts and mischievous trickster gods, by magical musicians and apprentice sorcerers, who go about their ordinary days alongside us. A world where the gods of the River Thames still exist, and have day jobs in the City. There’s magic all around, if only you could see it… Join Ben Aaronovich, author of the bestselling, London-bending series Rivers of London, in conversation with his former editor Rebecca Levene, author of Smiler’s Fair and Ghost Dance, as they discuss the tricks, tips, and travails of writing a world that’s very much like our own… except when it isn’t.
When: 12:00-1:00pm
More details here.

Ben Aaronovitch is the critically-acclaimed, best-selling author of the Peter Grant series. The series includes (thus far): RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (#1-3) and DAW Books. This July, Titan Comics will publish the first issue of a new RIVERS OF LONDON comic series, BODY WORK, which is also written by Ben.

New Lavie Tidhar and Will Elliott Out Now in US

Posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2015

The latest novels by Lavie Tidhar and Will Elliott are published today in the US.

First up, Lavie Tidhar’s critically-acclaimed alternative history/super-hero novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published by Thomas Dunne (above). Here’s the synopsis…

They never meant to be heroes.

For seventy years they guarded the British Empire. Oblivion and Fogg, inseparable friends, bound together by a shared fate. Until one night in Berlin, in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a secret that tore them apart. But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism – a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields – to answer one last, impossible question:

What makes a hero?

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published in the UK by Hodder, it is also available as a limited edition from PS Publishing. Lavie’s works have been lavished with praise from all quarters, including being described as ‘an emerging master’ (Locus), ‘Young, ambitious, skilled and original’ (Christopher Priest) and ‘remarkable and ambitious’ (China Mieville).

Lavie’s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, was also published in the UK by Hodder in October 2014 (paperback due out in March), also to a tsunami of critical acclaim.

Secondly, Will Elliott’s SHADOW is published by Tor Books. The second novel in the author’s Pendulum Trilogy, it follows THE PILGRIMS. Here’s the synopsis…

Eric Albright was a luckless journalist living in London. He had a so-so life… until the day he opened a battered red door that appeared on the graffiti-covered wall of a local bridge, and entered Levaal, a magical world between worlds. A place populated by power damaged mages, stone giants, pit devils—and dragons, Levaal’s possible creators, who are imprisoned in a sky prison. It is also where the mad Lord Vous rules with an iron fist and is busy working on a scheme to turn himself into a god. Vous has been defeated so far because Levaal has been contained by the great Wall at World’s End.

But the Wall at World’s End has been brought down, war is coming to the land, and Eric and his newfound friends are caught in the thick of it. They are forced to flee from the Tormentors, dreadful creatures that have poured through the breach, and there are rumors that one of the great dragons has escaped its sky prison.

Worse yet, Vous’s journey to godhood is almost complete, and a mysterious being called Shadow (who is not but looks remarkably like Eric) is wandering Levaal with great power but no purpose it yet understands.

The end might be coming faster than anyone thinks.

You can read an excerpt from SHADOW here. SHADOW and THE PILGRIMS, as well as WORLD’S END, were published in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books. The trilogy has also been released as an eBook bundle.

Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY Published in Japan

Posted on Friday, February 20th, 2015

Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed alternative history/super-hero novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY is now available in Japanese. Split into two volumes (covers above), the novel is published by Tokyo Sogensha (東京創元社) as 完璧な夏の日.

第二次世界大戦の直前、世界各地に突如現れた異能力者たちは各国の情報機関や軍に徴集され、死闘を繰りひろげた。そして現在。イギリスの情報機関を辞して久しい異能力者のひとりフォッグは、かつての相棒と上司に呼び出され、過去を回想する。突然の能力発現、仲間との初めての出会い、終わりなき闘いの日々…

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published in the UK by Hodder, as a limited edition by PS Publishing, and will be published next week in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis, followed by the UK and US covers…

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

The novel was recently featured in Library Journal, where it received a starred review: ‘[A] new masterpiece… a tremendous, unforgettable read… This study in heroism, love, revenge and violence will be in demand by lovers of complex, intelligent sf and alternative history. Anyone who enjoys stories of people with supernatural abilities will thrive reading Tidhar’s world.’

Zeno Clients Well-Represented on Locus Magazine’s 2014 Recommended Reading List

Posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

ZenoLocusNovels1

In the February 2015 issue of Locus Magazine, and also online, the editors have published their extensive 2014 Recommended Reading list and a good number of our clients are recommended in the various categories. Congratulations to all those listed…

Novels (SF): THE PERIPHERAL by William Gibson (Viking) and AFTERPARTY by Daryl Gregory (Titan)

Novels (Fantasy): A MAN LIES DREAMING by Lavie Tidhar (Hodder)

Novels (YA): EMPRESS OF THE SUN by Ian McDonald (Jo Fletcher Books)

Novellas: THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES by James P. Blaylock (Subterranean), KUR-A-LEN by Lavie Tidhar (Black Gods Kiss)

Novelettes: MEMORIALS by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s 1/14), THE FIFTH DRAGON by Ian McDonald (Reach for Infinity), ON SKYBOLT MOUNTAIN by Justina Robson (Fearsome Magics)

Short Stories: THE DAYS OF THE WAR, AS RED AS BLOOD, AS DARK AS BILE (Subterranean Spring ’14) and THE DUST QUEEN by Aliette de Bodard (Reach for Infinity), VLADIMIR CHONG CHOOSES TO DIE by Lavie Tidhar (Analog 9/14)

Zeno represents William Gibson and Daryl Gregory in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the Martha Millard Literary Agency.

Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY Nominated for IMPAC Award!

Posted on Friday, December 5th, 2014

Lavie Tidhar‘s THE VIOLENT CENTURY has been nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award! Published in the UK by Hodder Books, this is fantastic news! Many congratulations to Lavie. The full list of nominees is here.

In case you missed the novel, here’s the synopsis…

They never meant to be heroes.

But there must always be an account… and the past has a habit of catching up to the present.

Now, recalled to the Retirement Bureau from which no one can retire, Fogg and Oblivion must face up to a past of terrible war and unacknowledged heroism — a life of dusty corridors and secret rooms, of furtive meetings and blood-stained fields – to answer one last, impossible question: What makes a hero?

THE VIOLENT CENTURY was also published as a limited edition by PS Publishing; and is due to be published in the US by Thomas Dunne Books (cover below right), on February 24th, 2015. Lavie’s latest novel, A MAN LIES DREAMING, was published in October 2014 by Hodder Books, to rave reviews.