Tag: Reviews

Trailer and Advance Praise for Charlaine Harris’s MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD

Posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2014

Charlaine Harris‘s new novel MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD is due to be published in the UK next week by Gollancz, who produced the above trailer to mark the occasion. The novel is published in the US by Ace Books.

HarrisC-MT1-MidnightCrossroad-BlogThe novel is the first in a new series from the author of the mega-popular and successful Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood urban fantasy series. Along with that trailer, MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD has received some great advance praise…

‘A gently paced mystery with a supernatural slant, populated by endearing, varied and well-constructed characters… Definitely recommend.’  —  Civilian Reader

‘I enjoy this kind of story, a mystery/crime/thriller/urban fantasy novel, there is something for everyone here and enough loose ends to keep you intrigued to find out what could happen next. If you have read anything by Charlaine Harris I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. If you haven’t read anything by Charlaine Harris, then MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD might be the book to get you started.’  —  Fantasy Book Review

‘MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD is a strong opener of the new series and often feels like a love letter from Charlaine to her faithful readers. This gentle mystery shows an author confident in her writing and perhaps heralds the arrival of the best stage of her work – one where she writes primarily because of the sheer love for writing. An excellent read.’  —  Upcoming4.Me

‘I can see many nights being lost to the wonder of Midnight. 4/5’  —  Backwards Compatible

‘A slow burning novel which successfully juggles setting the scene for an ongoing series with a self-contained story. 7/10’  —  SciFi Bulletin

‘Fans might be sad to say good-bye to Sookie, but they’ll be so intrigued by the denizens of Midnight they won’t have time to mourn.’  —  A Knife & A Quill

‘MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD is another compelling book by Charlaine Harris. I love her storytelling style and the wonderful characters she creates.’  —  Following the Nerd

‘I was blown away by Midnight Crossroad. It’s a wholly immersive, stunningly written adventure that I couldn’t put down. The characters are spot on and unforgettable, the plot is exciting – the only negative thing is that I have to (very impatiently) wait for book two!!!’  —  Carly Bennett

‘The inclusion of a mystery that starts simply and then winds out of control so that no one can be trusted makes this is a blast to read. Everyone is your friend in Midnight, but you don’t know everything about anyone. I can’t wait for Midnight to come again. Overall grade: A’  —  SciFi Pulse

In one additional piece of news, Audible UK are currently running a fantastic promotion for the whole of Charlaine’s mega-successful Sookie Stackhouse series! The audiobooks are just £4.99 each. This offer will end at 10am on May 2nd.

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

The UK Newspapers Love Lavie Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY…

Posted on Monday, November 11th, 2013

Tidhar-ViolentCenturyUKOnly a week since publication, Lavie Tidhar‘s latest novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY, has been showered with praise. We described the novel as ‘Watchmen meets John le Carre’, but here are what some in the British national press have been saying…

‘Tidhar synthesises the geeky and the political in a vision of world events that breaks new superhero ground… Lavie Tidhar’s new novel breaks new ground in terms of the “superhero novel”… THE VIOLENT CENTURY extends [an] eerie synthesis of the geeky and the political, conjuring a version of the 20th and 21st century where everything we know still happened, only with added superheroes… The novel turns out to be a melancholy sort of love story, but the world-building is so profoundly smart that one can easily forgive and even thrill to the slightly predictable tale of amours, betrayals, repressed adoration and stifled expediency… Comics, of course, have been doing “what if they were real?” for ages, from Alan Moore’s Watchmen to Pat Mills’s Marshal Law. But the politics in Tidhar’s novel are very much about real-world subterfuge… the truly clever thing here is that while the reader has to suspend disbelief in the existence of superheroes, the superheroes themselves struggle to believe in the war, and especially the Holocaust: repeatedly they refer to it as being like a fiction rather than reality. The war becomes, again, something unthinkable. Using fantasy to reassert the awful reality of the 20th century is a smart piece of defamiliarisation.’  —  The Guardian

‘While perhaps not as politically loaded as OSAMA, Tidhar’s THE VIOLENT CENTURY… is no less powerful. He imagines a world where superheroes are real. But while the Americans go for the brash costumes and public displays of power, Tidhar’s British heroes – primarily Oblivion and Fog – operate in the shadows, and bear witness to the major events of the 20th century in what is quite simply a stunning masterpiece.’  —  The Independent

‘Good fantasy creates new worlds for us to dream in. Great fantasy, such as THE VIOLENT CENTURY, holds a dark mirror up to these dreams and tests them to the limit… Espionage inhabits a sort of parallel universe. Lavie Tidhar has taken this idea and run with it, creating a sophisticated, moving and gripping take on 20th century conflicts and our capacity for love and hate, honour and betrayal.‘  —  Daily Mail (Who knew the Daily Mail reviewed SFF?)

‘It’s the X-Men as written by John le Carré, a shadowy alternate history in which cynical Cold War compromises are all too real. Agents Fogg and Oblivion investigate a conspiracy dating back 75 years to post-war Berlin. The British duo haven’t aged since 1932, when hundreds of mutants were created from the sub-atomic wave unleashed by a German scientist. Several years later, warring nations rally the troops with front-line superheroes but some end up as grisly Übermenschen experiments in Auschwitz. Tidhar’s Jewish heritage enriches his self-aware, tersely styled narrative. A love story and meditation on heroism, this is an elegiac espionage adventure that demands a second reading.’  —  Metro

THE VIOLENT CENTURY is published by Hodder in the UK.

Happy Publication Day… The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

Posted on Monday, February 11th, 2013

Today Peter V. Brett’s highly anticipated third novel, THE DAYLIGHT WAR (Voyager), finally hits bookstores. It is this latest installment in Brett’s incredibly popular and internationally best-selling Demon Cycle fantasy series, he continues the epic tale of humanity’s last stand against an army of demons that rise each night to prey on mankind. A dead cert to please fans of the series, here are what early reviews have had to say about THE DAYLIGHT WAR:

DWCoverFixed on Fantasy – ‘Brett’s prose and flow remains virtually flawless, providing for a smooth read… The world that Brett has created is rich with detail and innovation and I am itching with anticipation to find out how humans will fare against their enemies from the core!’

Speculative Book Review has described THE DAYLIGHT WAR as ‘the best in the series so far… The Demon Cycle is building up to something even bigger and I for one am holding my breath to see where Brett takes us next in the forthcoming novel… Highly Recommended.’

Jet Black Ink has been blown away by the novel, and was particularly effusive with praise: ‘After the phenomenal success of both THE WARDED MAN and THE DESERT SPEAR, I was tentative about THE DAYLIGHT WAR; surely it couldn’t get much better? Well, I was wrong… The supporting cast come to life like never before in this installment… With the introduction of new characters to further flesh out Brett’s already strong world, the foundations of the series grow even stronger and the world crystallizes on a whole new level, becoming all the more real… In the end, this is probably the best of the whole series. This will be a strong contender for one of the best books of the year, even this early on. Utterly gripping and brilliant.’

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore’s Patrick had this to say: ‘In the world of The Demon Cycle, humankind use wards to keep the demons at bay. In our world, Brett weaves words to bring that world and the characters within it to life. And live they most certainly do. I just love this series and will suffer along with the rest of you until Brett delivers books four and five of the Cycle. Honest word.’

Meanwhile, the Arched Doorway gushed: ‘I can say with complete confidence that Brett has outdone himself… With his breath-taking descriptions, epic battle scenes…, the powers that shape the world, and of course, keeping with the theme of the series, Brett tells yet another amazing coming of age story, this time of Jardir’s wife, Inevera. THE DAYLIGHT WAR… is a fast-paced, action-packed and exhilaratingly detailed novel that will leave readers breathless and in eager anticipation for more.’

Writing for Chapters/Indigo in Canada, Jessica wrote, ‘The ending is shocking, with a sudden cliffhanger that will have your cursing the fact that the next book isn’t out yet. If you’ve liked Brett’s previous books, this is a superb follow-up. If you haven’t read Peter Brett and like well written fantasy, I urge you to give him a try.’

SFX has also recently posted this short interview with Peat and be sure to check out Tor.com’s excerpt from the book.

But wait! There’s more: Peter V Brett will be in the UK at the end of February! Here is the schedule:

25/2: Peter will be signing books at Waterstone’s in Manchester, at 7:00pm. (Tickets for the event are £3.)

26/2: Peter will be signing books at Waterstone’s in Nottingham, at noon.

26/2: Peter will be signing & talking about his books at Forbidden Planet Megastore, on Shaftesbury Avenue at 6:00pm. (More information can be found here.)

27/2: Peter will be signing books at Waterstone’s in Milton Keynes, at noon.

27/2: Peter will be signing & talking about his books at Waterstone’s in Birmingham, at 7:30pm. (Book tickets here.)

28/2: Peter will be signing & talking about his books at Topping & Company in Bath, at 7:30pm.

1/3: Peter will be attending the SciFi Weekender

Do scroll down (or if you’re feeling lazy, just click this link) to check read the cover copy for THE DAYLIGHT WAY and also check out the very cool book trailer created by HarperCollins Voyager.

Zeno Agency represents Peter V. Brett in the UK and British Commonwealth on behalf of our colleagues at the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

 

New Deal For Tim Powers…

Posted on Saturday, February 9th, 2013

We’re delighted to announce that Ravi Mirchandani, Editor-in-Chief at Atlantic Books has acquired UK / British Commonwealth rights to a new Tim Powers novel, currently entiteld DEPTH OF FIELD. Details are scant on the novel itself, but the word is that it will be a contemporary Californian tale and will, as the title suggest, focus on the movie industry in some way. Likewise, a publication date is yet to be finalised, but it is likely the novel won’t appear before the end of 2015. Definitely something to look forward to then!

 

corvus powers2

Atlantic’s Corvus imprint has now published five Powers titles, beginning with supernatural spy story and World Fantasy award winner DECLARE. They followed this with  Powers’ famous pirate novel ON STRANGER TIDES, now forever linked with the Disney Juggernaut that is the Pirates of the Carribean franchise, and towards the end of last year, they published author’s most recent novel, HIDE ME A MONG THE GRAVES, a historical fantasy about the Rosettis and also it’s precursor, THE STRESS OF HER REGARD, a take on the Romantic poets and their vampyrric muse. Most recently Corvus released his 2006 novel THREE DAYS TO NEVER, previously unpublished in the UK.

corvus powers3

 Look out for the paperback edition of Powers’s HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES later this year. The Independent, which describes Powers as ‘one of dark fantasy’s major eccentrics‘, opines that the author has ‘not mellowed or grown more ordinary with age‘ and goes on to describe HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES as ‘one of his best books‘. Furthermore, the review praises Corvus’s decision to publish him. The paper recommends the novel on the basis of its ingenuity and conceptual wit, describing Powers as ‘an intelligent, emotionally complex writer with a taste for elegantly conceived nightmare.’ Meanwhile, SFX described the novel as ‘Dickens as directed by David Lynch… clever…fun… and rewarding.’

BoingBoing big-wig Cory Doctorow was mightily impressed with Powers’s approach to the supernatural – ‘Powers’s treatment of superstition works so well, I think, because he deals with it without apology. There’s never a sense that superstition is just a kind of alternate physics, with its own rules that are different from the ones we’re accustomed to. The supernatural world of Tim Powers has an internal logic, but it’s the logic of dreams and the id, not the logic of the scientific method. Powers’s work engages with something prerational that is buried deep, deep in our brains, and that won’t be bullied into submission by mere reason.‘ And to celebrate the re-issue, the Book Smugglers ran a fascinating and insightful interview with Powers.

LOAWHOIn other related news, over on the Library of America website Tim Powers has written a wonderful appreciation of the late Algis Budrys’s classic novel WHO? Zeno is delighted to handle the Budrys estate and is proud to have made a large number of his works available in ebook via the Gollancz SF Gateway programme. His famous 1960 novel ROGUE MOON is also available in print in the SF Masterworks.  We were delighted to be approached by the Library of America on behalf of editor Gary K. Wolfe, who wished to include WHO? in his AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION FIVE CLASSIC NOVELS 1956-1956 collected box set – which is a gorgeous production worth of the works contained therein.

Of WHO?, Powers writes ‘…in the context of a science fictional future world, Budrys presents a picture of Cold War politics and espionage that is surprisingly insightful for an American writer of the time – but in many ways Budrys was never precisely an American writer. He was born in East Prussia, and his father – on whom he based the Soviet Colonel Anastas Azarin in WHO? – was a Lithuanian diplomat. It’s an affectionate portrait. Budrys has said, ‘A lot of my life when I was a small child was spent in cars, or trains, talking to strangers, speaking a variety of languages, never settling down anywhere…‘ The full piece is available online here.

Reviews Round-Up #1… James P. Blaylock

Posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

These early months of 2013 see a number of big releases for Zeno clients. Plenty of coverage, including reviews and author interviews has been cropping up all over the internet, and so over the next few days and weeks we’ll be sharing the best of that coverage here on the Zeno site.

First up we have steampunk author extraordinaire (I’ve been proudly using the hashtag on twitter #steampunklegend, but it’s yet to catch on), James P. Blaylock.In January Titan Books released Blaylock’s first full length steampunk novel in twenty years, THE AYLESFORD SKULL – a brand new,  full-on, mad-cap adventure featuring Blaylock hero, Professor Langdon St. Ives.

Blaylock’s two other St. Ives novels – HOMUNCULUS (which won the prestigious Philip K. Dick award) and LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE – are to be reissued by Titan Books, making for a a very smart looking trio of classic steampunk titles. And these novels, especially the first, have been met with a slew of good reviews…

blayx3

SFX was particularly impressed with the finale of THE AYLESFORD SKULL, ‘which involves an airship, a thunderstorm, an unusually creative science experiment and… is real white-knuckled, edge of the seat stuff. This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result.‘ Their review continues, summing up the novel as…

‘Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, The Aylesford Skull is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’

SF Book Reviews also enjoyed THE AYLESFORD SKULL:

‘The more you read the more you come to appreciate this subtle Steampunk setting, including the well described juxtaposition of the class system that played a large part in Victorian era London. The gentile and elegant lives contrast sharply with the filthy streets and savage inhabitants of the grimy Spitalfields area creating a realistic edge that helps to ground the story… it’s a fast, rich and thoughtful thriller that is as different as it is clever and as bold as it is beautiful.’

To celebrate the release of these novels, Titan Books has sent Blaylock an extensive blog-tour. The tour has included a number of fascinating and fun interviews, including those at  SciFi-FX, ReaderDad, Borg.com, HorrorTalk, and this one here at Alastair Stuart’s Blog. And there are  further reviews of THE AYLESFORD SKULL on Nerd Cabinet, Geek Native, Curiosity of a Social Misfit, Revolution SF, Tattooed Book, and here.

And if all that fails to wet your appetite, visit the Daily Dead site where you’ll find an excerpt from the novel. What? Still here? Click the link, already!!!

Turbulence Creates a Storm…

Posted on Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Samit Basu‘s fantastic new novel TURBULENCE has been published in the UK in paperback and as an eBook by Titan and is already receiving some stellar reviews. It will be released in the US next year and Samit is already hard at work on a sequel.

Aman Sen is smart, young, ambitious and going nowhere. He thinks this is because he doesn’t have the right connections—but then he gets off a plane from London to Delhi and discovers that he has turned into a communications demigod. Indeed, everyone on Aman’s flight now has extraordinary abilities corresponding to their innermost desires. Vir, an Indian Air Force pilot, can now fly. Uzma, a British- Pakistani aspiring Bollywood actress, now possesses infinite charisma. And then there’s Jai, an indestructible one-man army with a good old-fashioned goal — to rule the world!

Aman wants to ensure that their new powers aren’t wasted on costumed crime-fighting, celebrity endorsements, or reality television. He wants to heal the planet but with each step he takes, he finds helping some means harming others. Will it all end, as 80 years of superhero fiction suggest, in a meaningless, explosive slugfest?

TURBULENCE features the 21st-century Indian subcontinent in all its insane glory—F-16s, Bollywood, radical religious parties, nuclear plants, cricket, terrorists, luxury resorts, crazy TV shows — but it is essentially about two very human questions. How would you feel if you actually got what you wanted? And what would you do if you could really change the world?

***

‘Basu knows his stuff…  he conjures up a vast array of imaginative powers… unflinchingly depicts the costly consequences…‘ – SFX

‘It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s intelligently witty, it’s great…. I found it difficult to put down. Loved, loved, LOVED it.’ – SFFWorld.com, Mark Yon.

‘The characters are brilliantly written… With a globe-trotting sensibility even James Bond would be proud of, the cinematic action sequences are as breath-taking as anything Hollywood has to offer, so the campaign for a big-screen version, or failing that, at least a sequel to the book begins here!‘ – IGN

‘TURBULENCE is a new breed of superhero novel and likely to appeal to both classic hero fans as well as fans of contemporary fiction… This is one of those rare superhero stories that is not overshadowed by the powers but is told in the humanity that pulls the superhuman together.‘ – Geek Native

‘If you’re looking for brilliantly written, fun and fast paced action that leaves you wanting more, this is definitely it. One word of warning though, you may ignore your loved ones completely until you’ve finished it.‘ – The Tattooed Book.

‘It is somewhat self-referential, inventive and very clever. But most of all, it is fun. If you have ever picked up a comic book and enjoyed it, then this is a must-buy.’ – Starburst

Matt Hughes Wows The Critics…

Posted on Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Matt Hughes‘ THE 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, Gent ;  Goodreads ; The Horror Review ; Drying Ink and I Will Read Books.


Aliette De Bodard Deal News…

Posted on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

We delighted to announce the sale of French translation rights Aliette De Bodard’s Obsidian and Blood series to Mathieu Saintout at Bibliotheque Interdite in a deal done in association with our brilliant French agent Lora Fountain. We are very chuffed indeed for Aliette knowing that she’s to be published on her own turf! Not sure yet when they intend to publish but we’ll note it on here as soon as we know.

Meantime, here’s the fantastic cover for the forthcoming Angry Robot release of Book two in this series HARBINGER OF THE STORM, due early next year. Here too is the cover blurb…

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.

When he hears rumours of a sinister cabal of sorcerors he must face up to demons, not all of them his own.

And whilst I’m on, it’s worth noting the excellent reviews Aliette received from both Gardner Dozois and Rich Horton in the most recent edition of LOCUS for her story THE JAGUAR HOUSE, IN SHADOW which appeared in the July issue of Asimov’s.

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.

When he hears rumours of a sinister cabal of sorcerors he must face up to demons, not all of them his own.

Reviews for THE DERVISH HOUSE…

Posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010

… are starting to appear and they’re universally glowing.

  • The Wertzone calls it ‘…a fascinating, thought-provoking, challenging and engrossing novel‘
  • SFrevu draws our attention to ‘…the pure luxurious enjoyment of the prose, the setting, the characters. And let’s not forget about the lavish descriptions of Istanbul itself. We see all of Istanbul’s faces – the once grand city at the crossroads between East and West, the still grand city that is now part of Europe. But we also see the poverty, we can feel the oppressive heat baking down on us, the dust of too many feet on old streets caught in our throats. The city is alive, vibrant, dangerous, beautiful and mysterious with many faces for its inhabitants.‘
  • Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist says ‘The Dervish House is without a doubt [McDonald’s] best and most accessible science fiction novel to date. And to put it simply, it just blew my mind. Believe me, I did try to find some shortcomings and facets that left a little to be desired. All to no avail, of course. The Dervish House is about as good as it gets, folks. McDonald’s past novels had already set the bar rather high, no question. But this one, at least for me, is as close to perfection as a book can get.‘
  • And what about this one over at Astro Guyz? ‘…MacDonald is an expert wordsmith and raises the bar in the Sci-Fi genre to a whole new plateau.’
  • And over on the Pyr Blog, a fine quote from Booklist, ‘…McDonald takes the history of Istanbul, both real and imagined, and forges a multi-faceted and fascinating character out of the city itself; then he adds in the experiences of six people whose lives are about to intersect in the most unexpected ways. …McDonald creates a magnificent knot of intrigue, thrills, and daring adventures, with the flair for character and setting that make his tales so satisfying to indulge in.’

And THE DERVISH HOUSE hasn’t even been released yet! Fingers crossed for more rave reviews to come. Watch this space!

the pure luxurious enjoyment of the prose, the setting, the characters. And let’s not forget about the lavish descriptions of Istanbul itself. We see all of Istanbul’s faces – the once grand city at the crossroads between East and West, the still grand city that is now part of Europe. But we also see the poverty, we can feel the oppressive heat baking down on us, the dust of too many feet on old streets caught in our throats. The city is alive, vibrant, dangerous, beautiful and mysterious with many faces for its inhabitants.

Declare Review In The Guardian

Posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Over at The Guardian Online, author Eric Brown has reviewed the new Corvus edition of DECLARE by Tim Powers.

Brown calls the book ‘… big in every sense: vast in scope, philosophically deep and satisfying in terms of characterisation.’ And ‘… an immense hybrid of classic spy novel and supernatural thriller, impeccably wrought cold war period detail combining with the brooding sense of evil that Powers does so well. ‘

Read the full piece here… or better still, read the book!

Peter V. Brett Hits Sunday Times Bestseller List…

Posted on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Wow!! THE DESERT SPEAR, Peter V. Brett‘s brilliant follow up to his acclaimed début THE PAINTED MAN was only released yesterday, but the enormous interest in the book and the volume of pre-orders have resulted in  deservedly high bookscan figures and we’re all thrilled and delighted to see THE DESERT SPEAR in at #9 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List.  Here are a few relevant links…

I’ll post further reviews in due course. Meantime, well deserved congratulations to Peat, Joshua, Emma and all the Voyager team.

http://sacramentobookreview.com/science_fiction_fantasy/the-desert-spear/

More Great Reviews…

Posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010

… for our Angry Robot authors!

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 Guardian on Tidhar and Blackthorne…

Posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010

Terrific crits from Eric Brown, writing in last Saturday’s Guardian – see this link – for two of our Angry Robot authors.

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!

Who Let The Clients Out?

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
  • Zeno clients Aliette De Bodard and John Meaney (also known as Thomas Blackthorn) will be signing, respectively, SERVANTS OF THE UNDERWORLD and EDGE – their novels published (soon to be published in the case of Mister Meaney / Blackthorn) by Angry Robot. You’ll be able to meet both authors on Friday February 12th at 6pm at the flagship Forbidden Planet megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue.
  • Prior to the above, John will be one of the participating authors at the SFX Weekender – a two day Sciffy fest taking place on the 5th and 6th of February at Camber Sands – see their web site (link above)  for details. Note that fellow Zeno client Justina Robson will also be in attendance.
  • Still with John Meaney, those of you hungrily awaiting the arrival of his brand new space opera ABSORPTION, will, alas, no have to wait a little while long, as publisher Gollancz has had to reschedule the release date – you’ll be able to get hold of it from May 20th.