In case you missed the news, Apple TV+ is developing William Gibson‘s classic, highly-influential and multi-award-winning cyberpunk novel NEUROMANCER for television! According to Illuminerdi, Apple has offered the lead role to Miles Teller, who would play Case.
The novel’s SF Masterworks edition was recently re-issued in the UK by Gollancz (cover above). Here’s the synopsis…
Henry Dorsett Case is a low-level hustler, former hack and ‘console cowboy’ who crashed and burned. His nerves were damaged and thus cut off from the digital matrix, he slouches through life.
Until he meets Molly, an augmented ‘razorgirl’, who offers him a deal on behalf of a shadowy man called Armitage. His nerves repaired and matrix access restored, in exchange for a single job. But it’s not so simple – unless he completes the job, sacs of poison will explode inside him and cripple him again.
And the job? That might be impossible.
The first novel to win the Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer has become a seminal part of SF history, coining the term ‘cyberspace’ and lighting a fuse on the Cyberpunk movement. Part thriller, part warning, it is one of the 20th century’s most potent visions of the future.
William Gibson is also the author of THE PERIPHERAL, which was recently adapted by Amazon Prime, to much acclaim. THE PERIPHERAL is the first novel in the author’s Jackpot series, which also includes AGENCY — both are published in the UK by Penguin.
Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Nell Pierce at Sterling Lord Literistic.
The new, tie-in edition of William Gibson‘s acclaimed novel THE PERIPHERAL is out tomorrow! Published by Penguin, here’s the synopsis…
Flynne Fisher lives in the rural American South, working at the local 3D printing shop, while earning much needed extra money playing VR games for rich people. One night she dons a headset and finds herself in futuristic London-a sleek and mysterious world, alluringly different from her own hardscrabble existence. But this isn’t like any game she’s ever played before: Flynne begins to realize it isn’t virtual reality… it’s real.
Someone in London, seventy years in the future, has found a way to open a door to Flynne’s world. And as utterly beguiling as London is… it’s also dangerous. As Flynne searches to discover who has connected their worlds, and for what purpose, her presence here sets dangerous forces into motion… forces intent on destroying Flynne and her family in her own world.
The Peripheral is master storyteller William Gibson’s dazzling, hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind — and what lies beyond.
THE PERIPHERAL is on sale in the UK for all of October, in eBook — Amazon, Kobo.
The TV show launched on Amazon Prime, on October 21st. You can check out the trailer, below…
Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…
‘His writing has been refined over the years, but Gibson still maintains that sparse, edgy style that has been a characteristic of his work from the very beginning… Gibson remains as unnervingly prophetic as ever, making his futures feel like they’re just around the corner, products of humankind’s inability to act when necessary, transforming a sci-fi whodunit into a work of fiction that feels both ahead of its time and frighteningly relevant to today’s world.’ 9/10* — Starburst
‘Seminal cyberpunk author Gibson, who has spent the last several years writing the more-or-less present-day Zero History series of novels, returns to the future with this slow-burning thriller, ambitiously structured on either side of an economic and ecological collapse… All of Gibson’s characters are intensely real, and Flynne is a clever, compelling, stereotype-defying, unhesitating protagonist who makes this novel a standout.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘In THE PERIPHERAL, William Gibson’s first futuristic novel since 1999’s ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES, we experience the fantastic synthesis of a 20th century writer — the Gibson of NEUROMANCER, eyeball-kicks of flash and noir; and the Gibson of PATTERN RECOGNITION, arch and sly and dry and keen… A perfect fusion of Gibson’s pulp heritage with his fine-tuned design and social sensibilities… From the microscale word choices to the macroscale plot, structure and themes, the book is strange and contemporary in a perfectly futuristic way.’ — Boing Boing
‘Dramatic, scary, creepy,violent, and finally satisfying… like any really well-designed thrill ride or mystery tour (or sonnet or string quartet), as soon as you get off, you want to get right on for another go-round.’ — Locus
‘A smart, nuanced twist on time travel… THE PERIPHERAL is a fast-paced murder investigation and political thriller… pithy, poetic prose. THE PERIPHERAL also feels more accessible than his last several books.’ — The Verge
‘While placed firmly in the sci-fi genre of his earlier works, Gibson’s latest retains the social commentary from his more recent novels… This is quintessential Gibson: gonzo yet cool, sharp-edged, sophisticated…’ — Kirkus
‘William Gibson is one of the smartest writers around… THE PERIPHERAL starts off by throwing the reader into the deep end of a complex story set in a future world rich in highly-advanced technology. Or, actually, two future worlds. Only gradually do the pieces fall into place and you begin to understand what is going on… Gibson is not a difficult writer but he is demanding, and here those demands are well rewarded. THE PERIPHERAL is intellectual entertainment of the first order, a pop SF thriller that will make you think.’ — Toronto Star
THE PERIPHERAL is the first in a series, too: the second novel, AGENCY is out now, published by Penguin in the UK.
A new TV adaptation of William Gibson‘s acclaimed novel THE PERIPHERAL, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, is coming to Amazon Prime on October 21st! To celebrate the release of the adaptation, Penguin is publishing a tie-in edition of the novel in the UK, on October 27th. Here’s the synopsis…
Flynne Fisher lives in the rural American South, working at the local 3D printing shop, while earning much needed extra money playing VR games for rich people. One night she dons a headset and finds herself in futuristic London-a sleek and mysterious world, alluringly different from her own hardscrabble existence. But this isn’t like any game she’s ever played before: Flynne begins to realize it isn’t virtual reality… it’s real.
Someone in London, seventy years in the future, has found a way to open a door to Flynne’s world. And as utterly beguiling as London is… it’s also dangerous. As Flynne searches to discover who has connected their worlds, and for what purpose, her presence here sets dangerous forces into motion… forces intent on destroying Flynne and her family in her own world.
The Peripheral is master storyteller William Gibson’s dazzling, hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind — and what lies beyond.
Also celebrating the release of the show, THE PERIPHERAL is on sale in the UK for all of October, in eBook — Amazon, Kobo.
You can check out the trailer, below…
Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…
‘His writing has been refined over the years, but Gibson still maintains that sparse, edgy style that has been a characteristic of his work from the very beginning… Ultimately, THE PERIPHERAL is a story about people; their hopes, their fears and frustrations. Despite advances in technology, the worlds still consist of the “haves” and “have-nots”, making Gibson’s protagonists and their companions constant battlers against the system, striving for change, for something better, something they deserve. Gibson remains as unnervingly prophetic as ever, making his futures feel like they’re just around the corner, products of humankind’s inability to act when necessary, transforming a sci-fi whodunit into a work of fiction that feels both ahead of its time and frighteningly relevant to today’s world.’ 9/10* — Starburst
‘Seminal cyberpunk author Gibson, who has spent the last several years writing the more-or-less present-day Zero History series of novels, returns to the future with this slow-burning thriller, ambitiously structured on either side of an economic and ecological collapse… All of Gibson’s characters are intensely real, and Flynne is a clever, compelling, stereotype-defying, unhesitating protagonist who makes this novel a standout.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘In THE PERIPHERAL, William Gibson’s first futuristic novel since 1999’s ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES, we experience the fantastic synthesis of a 20th century writer — the Gibson of NEUROMANCER, eyeball-kicks of flash and noir; and the Gibson of PATTERN RECOGNITION, arch and sly and dry and keen… A perfect fusion of Gibson’s pulp heritage with his fine-tuned design and social sensibilities… From the microscale word choices to the macroscale plot, structure and themes, the book is strange and contemporary in a perfectly futuristic way.’ — Boing Boing
‘Dramatic, scary, creepy,violent, and finally satisfying… like any really well-designed thrill ride or mystery tour (or sonnet or string quartet), as soon as you get off, you want to get right on for another go-round.’ — Locus
‘A smart, nuanced twist on time travel… THE PERIPHERAL is a fast-paced murder investigation and political thriller… compelling… the worlds are compelling in their own right as well, despite their desolation. Flynne’s town is dominated by big-box stores, the economy fueled by a combination of service jobs and 3D printing piracy. Netherton’s London is a rehabilitated disaster area, where you’re more likely to see telepresence robots outside than real people. But they’re as full of personality as any crowded city, described in Gibson’s pithy, poetic prose. THE PERIPHERAL also feels more accessible than his last several books.’ — The Verge
‘While placed firmly in the sci-fi genre of his earlier works, Gibson’s latest retains the social commentary from his more recent novels… This is quintessential Gibson: gonzo yet cool, sharp-edged, sophisticated…’ — Kirkus
‘William Gibson is one of the smartest writers around… THE PERIPHERAL starts off by throwing the reader into the deep end of a complex story set in a future world rich in highly-advanced technology. Or, actually, two future worlds. Only gradually do the pieces fall into place and you begin to understand what is going on… Gibson is not a difficult writer but he is demanding, and here those demands are well rewarded. THE PERIPHERAL is intellectual entertainment of the first order, a pop SF thriller that will make you think.’ — Toronto Star
THE PERIPHERAL is the first in a series, too: the second novel, AGENCY is out now, published by Penguin in the UK.
We are delighted to be able to share the news that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s production company, Stolen Picture has optioned Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant/Rivers of London series for TV!
Ben is currently working on the adaption of the first novel in the series, RIVERS OF LONDON (MIDNIGHT RIOT in North America). He will also serve as an Executive Producer on the series alongside Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Stolen Picture CEO, Miles Ketley.
Announced on Deadline, here’s what Nick Frost said about the novel:
“Suddenly we were in a position where I said ‘there’s this book that I loved’ and it became available, more or less. I was chuffed to bits that I could get the rights to make it into a TV show,” he said. “Everyone wants to potentially find the next Game of Thrones and the chance to turn Rivers of London into an eight-hour movie and hopefully find someone who will financially back that is a real draw.”
Here’s what Ben had to say on the prospect of working with Stolen Picture:
‘Nick Frost and Simon Pegg asked me if I wanted to make Rivers of London with them — you think I was going to say no? Stolen Picture have a reputation for making creator led TV with the minimum of corporate bollocks and the maximum of fun. It’s an opportunity I would be bonkers to say no to.’
Pegg, a writer himself, had the following to say about working with Ben on the project, per Deadline:
‘Often as a writer, you are the absolute bottom of the food chain and treated like scum. As a writer, I understand what it’s like for someone to use you as a springboard rather than use your vision and it’s good to have writers involved as producers because they get it and we want to make a faithful adaptation that is a true reflection of the book.’
Stolen Picture was founded in 2017 by Pegg and Frost. Miles Ketley, CEO of Stolen Picture said,
‘Ben’s Rivers of London universe is the perfect project for Stolen and the perfect show for now: it’s a suspenseful, funny, scary and magical world but is rooted in the everyday with devious plots, fully drawn characters, river gods and riots. The franchise is going to be a wonderful confluence of Simon’s and Nick’s ambition and humour and Ben’s masterful story-telling to create a truly magical global show.’
I’m sure you’ll all join us in our excitement about seeing Peter Grant, Nightingale et al realized on the screen! We can’t wait!
The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas). The series has also been published widely in translation (the first novel is available in more than 15 countries).
Earlier this week, it was announced that Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the creators of the critically-acclaimed Westworld HBO series, have optioned William Gibson‘s latest novel for television! The series will be distributed by Amazon Studios. To get caught up before the series drops, THE PERIPHERAL is out now, published in the UK by Penguin. Here’s the synopsis…
Flynne Fisher lives in rural near-future America where jobs are scarce and veterans from the wars are finding it hard to recover. She scrapes a living doing some freelance online game-playing, participating in some pretty weird stuff. Wilf Netherton lives in London, seventy-some years later, on the far side of decades of slow-motion apocalypse. Things though are good for the haves, and there aren’t many have-nots left.
Flynne and Wilf are about to meet one another. Her world will be altered utterly, and Wilf’s, for all its decadence and power, will learn that some of these third-world types from the distant past can be real badass.
William Gibson is the author of the cyberpunk classic NEUROMANCER and others. Aside from THE PERIPHERAL, his novels are published in the UK by Gollancz. The author’s next novel, AGENCY, is due out later this year (we’ll share updates, cover, etc., on the site as and when we have it).
Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Martha Millard at Sterling Lord Literistic.
Charlaine Harris‘s latest urban fantasy series, Midnight Texas, is going to be arriving on the small screen very soon! The series has been developed by and will air on NBC — the trailer is above.
The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and currently includes MIDNIGHT CROSSROAD, DAY SHIFT and NIGHT SHIFT (covers below). Here’s the synopsis for the first book…
From Charlaine Harris, the bestselling author who created Sookie Stackhouse, the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, comes a new, darker world – populated by more strangers than friends. But then, that’s how the locals prefer it.
Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.
There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).
Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth…
There isn’t currently a UK distributor/network for the series, but cross fingers…!
Zeno represents Charlaine Harris in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
As reported in Deadline, television rights to Ian McDonald‘s forthcoming Science Fiction series LUNA have been acquired by Shane Brennan Productions/CBS. A major deal was agreed following a fiercely contested auction involving multiple big name bidders on both sides of the Atlantic and comes weeks before the novel hits bookstores.
Brennan and CBS Television Studios will develop the property as a television series with Brennan — best known as the creator and showrunner of the hit CBS series NCIS: Los Angeles — set to write the pilot and executive produce. Grant Anderson, who runs Shane Brennan Productions will also executive produce along with author, McDonald. The series is planned as a major event, coming from the same studio as Steven King’s Under the Dome and James Patterson’s Zoo.
The deal was negotiated by Dana Spector at Paradigm on behalf of John Berlyne at the Zeno Agency.
Ian McDonald is a multiple-award-winning writer from Northern Ireland. Working mostly in science-fiction, he’s had 18 novels and 3 story collections published in 23 languages. He also worked for sixteen years in television in program development in everything from documentary to children’s television to animation. LUNA: NEW MOON will be published in September by Gollancz (UK and British Commonwealth) and by Tor Books (US). Translation rights are with Gollancz.
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 corporate families, 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.
Forty years ago Adriana wrested control of the Moon’s lucrative Helium-3 industry from the powerful Mackenzie Metal corporation. Now, in 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.
‘McDonald gives sci-fi its sense of wonder back, and creates a landscape in which nothing can be taken for granted’ — Independent
‘A staggering achievement, brilliantly imagined and endlessly surprising…a brave, brilliant and wonderful novel’ — Christopher Priest on RIVER OF GODS
Congratulations to Ben Aaronovitch on a superb first week for his new novel BROKEN HOMES, published by Gollancz, the fourth title in his supernatural crime series featuring Peter Grant, apprentice to the last wizard in the Met.
We just got news that BROKEN HOMES will chart in this week’s hardcover best seller list at number three – an extraordinary achievement!
On Monday, Ben appeared as a guest on BBC Breakfast. As well as publicising the new book, we’ve seen a fabulous spike in sales of RIVERS OF LONDON which has been steadily climbing the Amazon UK rankings. The BBC has just shared the clip, so we recommend you head over for a look…
Today we can finally bring you the exciting news that Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON has been optioned for television by Feel Films. Genre fans will be excited to learn that this is the same production company behind the highly-anticipated, forthcoming BBC adaptation of JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL.
‘In RIVERS OF LONDON,’ says Nick Hirschkorn, Managing Director and Executive Producer of Feel Films, ‘Ben has brilliantly fused the worlds of procedural crime and fantasy to create something undeniably unique. His wit and tone grabbed me from the very first page and I am hugely honoured to be entrusted to bring Peter Grant, Nightingale and their London to life.’
Ben, naturally, is thrilled with the deal, and says, ‘I’m looking forward to this with the mixture of mad anticipation and stark fear that is the only rational response to developing your own work forTelevision…Me and Nick will be looking to put something on TV that will blow the audiences’ socks off out through their ears.‘
In the event that you have not yet tried Ben’s brilliant and highly-entertaining series (shame on you!), here is the synopsis for book one…
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.
The Rivers of Londonseries comprises RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, and WHISPERS UNDER GROUND. The fourth volume, BROKEN HOMES, will be published on July 25th, 2013, by Gollancz.
We are delighted to be able to share the news that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s production company, 
