Category: Cover Reveal

RIVERS OF LONDON: MONDAY, MONDAY #2 Out Next Month!

Posted on Friday, July 16th, 2021

Next month (August 4th), Titan Comics will release the second issue in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s latest Rivers of London comic series MONDAY, MONDAY! Available with three different covers, here’s the pithy synopsis…

A werewolf is on the loose and will stop at nothing to avoid capture!

Series artwork is by José Maria Beroy; the three covers are by Sanya Anwar, VV Glass, and Patricio Clarey.

Titan Comics has published all of the Rivers of London comics to date (in English).

Are you a fan of the comics and want to know how they fit into Ben’s overall Rivers of London series? Or vice versa? Check out this handy, recently-updated timeline…

Cover & Details: DIE FÜCHSE VON HAMPSTEAD HEATH by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on Monday, July 12th, 2021

This September, we’re happy to report that German-speaking fans of Ben Aaronovitch‘s Rivers of London/Peter Grant series will be able to buy the German edition of his latest novella, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER. Due to be published on September 17th by DTV, as DIE FÜCHSE VON HAMPSTEAD HEATH, the novella has been translated by Christine Blum. Here’s the synopsis…

Eine magisch begabte Cousine

Es ist Ferienzeit in London und Abigail, Peter Grants lästige Cousine, kann mehr oder weniger tun und lassen, was sie will. Was bei allen, die sie kennen, eigentlich die Alarmglocken schrillen lassen sollte. Doch Peter ist irgendwo auf dem Land auf Einhornjagd, sodass niemand Abigail davon abhält, magischen Unfug zu treiben – und einem Geheimnis auf die Spur zu kommen: In der Gegend von Hampstead Heath verschwinden immer wieder Teenager. Nach kurzer Zeit tauchen sie wieder auf, unverletzt, aber ohne eine Erinnerung, wo sie waren. Wer hat sie fortgelockt – und warum? Unterstützt von einer Bande sprechender (und ziemlich eingebildeter) Füchse stürzt sich Abigail ins magische Abenteuer.

The novella is published in the UK by Gollancz and in North America by Subterranean Press. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Ghost hunter, fox whisperer, troublemaker.

It is the summer of 2013 and Abigail Kamara has been left to her own devices. This might, by those who know her, be considered a mistake.

While her cousin, police constable and apprentice wizard Peter Grant, is off in the sticks chasing unicorns, Abigail is chasing her own mystery. Teenagers around Hampstead Heath have been going missing but before the police can get fully engaged, the teens return home – unharmed but vague about where they’ve been.

Aided only by her new friend Simon, her knowledge that magic is real, and a posse of talking foxes that think they’re spies, Abigail must venture into the wilds of Hampstead to discover who is luring the teenagers and more importantly – why?

DTV has published all of Ben’s Rivers of London novels and novellas in Germany to date.

The comic series set in the same world, co-authored by Andrew Cartmel, are published in Germany by Panini (and Titan Comics in English).

Listen to THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE Now!

Posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2021

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE, the classic steampunk novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling is available now as an audiobook in the UK! Published by Clipper (an imprint of W. F. Howes), and narrated by Andrew Cullum, here’s the synopsis…

1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. Three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with the future: Sybil Gerard – fallen woman, politician’s tart, daughter of a Luddite agitator; Edward Leviathan Mallory — explorer and palaeontologist; Laurence Oliphant — diplomat, mystic, and spy. Their adventure begins with the discovery of a box of punched Engine cards of unknown origin and purpose. Cards someone wants badly enough to kill for.

Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine took the science fiction community by storm when it was first published. It is a prime example of the steampunk sub-genre; It posits a Victorian Britain in which great technological and social change has occurred after entrepreneurial inventor Charles Babbage succeeded in his ambition to build a mechanical computer called Engines.

Provocative, compelling, and intensely imagined, this audiobook is poised to impress a whole new generation.

The novel is available digitally now, and will be available in physical audio (CD, etc.) in November.

W. F. Howes have also recently published UK audio editions of Gibson’s NEUROMANCER, PATTERN RECOGNITION, and DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOUR (with more on the way!).

Gibson’s latest novels — THE PERIPHERAL and AGENCY — are published in the UK by Penguin. His classic Neuromancer series is published in the UK by Gollancz.

The TO HELL AND BACK Trilogy Re-Printed!

Posted on Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

We’re very happy to report that Angry Robot Books are reprinting Matthew Hughes‘s acclaimed To Hell and Back trilogy! First published between 2011-13, the trilogy includes THE DAMNED BUSTERS, COSTUME NOT INCLUDED, and HELL TO PAY. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel in the series…

When mild-mannered Chesney Arnstruther accidentally summons a demon and causes Hell to go on strike, he doesn’t expect to wind up as what he had always dreamed of being: the Actionary, a costumed crimefighter with a weasel-headed fiend for a sidekick.

But that’s just the beginning of a journey that will see the “high-functioning” autistic actuary enmeshed in the schemes of a greedy televangelist, romancing a pepper-spray-wielding manicurist, and sitting down to a poker game with the Devil where the stakes include his immortal soul.

Here are just a few reviews the series has received…

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

‘You’re missing out if you haven’t bought this book yet. Pure and simple.’ — The Founding Fields on THE DAMNED BUSTERS

‘A witty superhero story that’s just plain fun.’ — SFSignal on THE DAMNED BUSTERS

‘Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm. A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternative universe that’s accessible without exposition make this a winner.’ — Publishers Weekly on COSTUME NOT INCLUDED

‘Part mystery, part comic book, part religious treatise, and part crime drama, Hughes manages to work in entertaining twists and character confrontations on a regular basis without overloading his story.’ — Sacramento & San Francisco Book Review on COSTUME NOT INCLUDED

‘The first book in the series was very good, the second was better. The events of those books were leading up to this final volume in the trilogy and it’s the best yet.’ — The British Fantasy Society on HELL TO PAY

‘A highly enjoyable read, with some interesting philosophical underpinnings and surprising twists. The book makes for a satisfying ending to the To Hell & Back series, which gave us a quirky, off-beat story about an unlikely super hero, with unexpected depths.’ — A Fantastical Librarian on HELL TO PAY

Ishmael Jones Returns this Year in BURIED MEMORIES!

Posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2021

Calling all fans of Simon R. Green‘s Ishmael Jones: this year, he returns in his tenth novel, BURIED MEMORIES! Due to be published by Severn House in the UK and North America, here’s the synopsis…

Returning to the small town where he crash-landed in 1963, Ishmael Jones is in search of answers. But his investigation is de-railed by a brutal murder.

“I think something very bad and very dangerous has come to your little town, Inspector…”

As long-buried memories from his hidden past begin to resurface, Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny feel compelled to return to the small country town where Ishmael crash-landed in 1963; the place where his memories began.

Norton Hedley is no ordinary town. Apparitions, sudden disappearances, sightings of unusual beasts: for centuries, the place has been plagued by a series of inexplicable events. Ishmael’s first task is to track down local author Vincent Smith, the one man he believes may have some answers.

Ishmael and Penny aren’t the only ones seeking the mysterious Mr Smith. When their search unearths a newly-dead body in the local mortuary — a body that’s definitely not supposed to be there — Ishmael becomes the prime suspect in the ensuing murder investigation. His only hope of discovering the truth about his origins lies in exposing a ruthless killer.

BURIED MEMORIES is due to be published in hardcover in the UK on July 29th; in eBook on September 1st; and hardcover in North America on October 5th.

Severn House has published all of the Ishmael Jones novels to date, in the UK and North America.

Earlier this year, they also published Green’s first Gideon Sable novel, THE BEST THING YOU CAN STEAL.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the Ishmael Jones Mysteries have received so far…

‘[A] brisk, breezy first in a new mystery series […] With convincing supernatural twists [and] witty chapter titles […] readers will be anxious for a sequel.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD

‘Genre-blending author Green introduces another wisecracking protagonist, Ishmael Jones […] Fans of the British TV series Torchwood will enjoy the irreverent, otherworldly protagonist.’ — Booklist on THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD

‘A new book from Green is always a treat for SF and urban fantasy fans, because they know that in his fictional worlds things are never quite what they seem until it’s too late. His first foray into more traditional crime fiction (albeit with an otherworldy flavor) will delight mystery readers, especially those who relish a bit of genre blending.’ — Library Journal on THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD

‘Not to be taken too seriously, this meld of SF and traditional hard-boiled spy fiction hints at plenty of further adventures.’ — Publishers Weekly on DEAD MAN WALKING

‘This sequel to the wonderful THE DARK SIDE OF THE ROAD takes the basic structure of a traditional English country house mystery and mixes it with a bit of supernatural horror and suspense. Richard Kadrey and E.E. Knight fans will particularly relish Green’s genre-blending novel.’ — Library Journal on DEAD MAN WALKING

‘Ishmael is a wonderful character, an extraterrestrial living among humans, and the series (this is the third installment) is a clever mixture of thriller and SF-horror genres. Green is best known for the Deathstalker space operas, but give this one a few more installments to develop, and it could well become Green’s masterwork.’ — Booklist, Starred Review on VERY IMPORTANT CORPSES

‘Entertaining […] Green once again smoothly blends science fiction with classic detection.’ — Publishers Weekly on DEATH SHALL COME

‘Lovers of high-quality fantasy and science fiction should make it a point to seek this guy out, if they haven’t already.’ — Booklist on DEATH SHALL COME

‘This fourth series adventure (after Very Important Corpses) is fast-paced, entertaining, and genre-bending.’ — Library Journal on DEATH SHALL COME

‘Green follows up INTO THE THINNEST OF AIR with this latest blend of SF, mystery, and horror that features the author’s trademark black humor and ratchets up the suspense with a compelling story line reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.’ — Library Journal on MURDER IN THE DARK

‘When some researchers discover what appears to be a black hole that has suddenly manifested itself in Somerset, of all places, secret agent Ishmael Jones is on the case. […] Jones is a very interesting character, a man (?) of many layers, and readers who have been following his adventures will find much to enjoy in this latest escapade. Readers who have not yet made Jones’ acquaintance need to get with the program now.’ — Booklist on MURDER IN THE DARK

‘Fans of the series will be delighted to reconnect with the quick-witted detective and to learn a little bit more about his early days on the planet.’ — Booklist on TILL SUDDEN DEATH DO US PART

‘Fun, fast-paced, light fare that passes almost as quickly as that fatal train ride.’ — Kirkus on NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER

‘Energetically written, with larger-than-life characters, stories that gleefully push the boundaries of plausibility, and plenty of neck-wrenching plot twists […] SF/fantasy fans who haven’t yet discovered the Jones novels are in for a real treat.’ — Booklist on NIGHT TRAIN TO MURDER

‘A fast, fun supernatural thriller that never takes itself too seriously.’ — Kirkus on THE HOUSE ON WIDOWS HILL

‘This thoroughly entertaining adventure works equally well with series followers and with newbies to the world of Ishmael Jones.’ — Booklist on THE HOUSE ON WIDOWS HILL

Zeno represents Simon R. Green in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

ICYMI: Roger Zelazny’s DILVISH, THE DAMNED is Available in Czechia!

Posted on Monday, June 28th, 2021

We just wanted to take this opportunity to share that one of Roger Zelazny‘s classic novels, DILVISH, THE DAMNED, has been re-issued in Czechia! Published by Straky na vrbě, as PROKLETÝ DILVISH, here’s the synopsis…

Na svém jak půlnoc černém oři se Proklatec Dilvish žene fantaskní krajinou.

Hledá pomstu a nalézají jej potíže všelikého zrna.

Nechce ublížit nikomu vyjma černého mága, jehož jméno není radno vyslovit: A přece se zaplétá do potyček, které nejsou jeho bojem, a svým ostřím si klestí cestu vpřed.

Příběhy rychlé jako Black s dialogy břitkými jak hrdinova čepel!

Klasická fantasy okořeněná humorem i téměř keltským smutkem.

DILVISH, THE DAMNED was first published in 1982. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Escaping from Hell was only the beginning for Dilvish and Black, his demonic metal horse. Finding Jerelak, the evil sorcerer who sent him to two hundred years of torture, was the only thing that interested him. But Fate had other plans.

The armies of Colonel Lylish attacked his homeland, and only Black could carry Dilvish through the enemy lines to warn the king. The city of Dilfar was under siege, and only Dilvish, descendant of Selar, could raise the ghostly legions of Shorendan and bring them to its aid.

Then a damsel in distress cried out for his help – but really wanted his blood! Twin sorcerers needed him as a pawn in a deadly game for power. An ancient forgotten goddess tried and failed to stop his quest for vengeance, while a werewolf almost succeeded.

Then, when Dilvish finally climbed to Jerelak’s stronghold in the tower of ice, he found nothing but greater perils separating him from his ancient enemy.

Straky na vrbě has published a few of Zelazny’s novels in Czechia — more details can be found here.

Polish Edition of Lavie Tidhar’s UNHOLY LAND Out in July!

Posted on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021

Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed novel UNHOLY LAND is due to be published in a new Polish edition next month! Published by Katedra as ZIEMIA NIEŚWIĘTA, on July 20th, here’s the synopsis…

Fascynujący thriller science fiction, opowiadający alternatywną historię świata, w którym udało się uniknąć Holokaustu.

Gdy autor pulpowych powieści Lior Tirosh wraca do ojczystej Afryki Wschodniej, przekonuje się, że wiele się zmieniło. Palestyna – żydowskie państwo założone w początkach dwudziestego wieku – buduje potężny mur, mający odgrodzić je od afrykańskich uchodźców. W stolicy, Araracie, panują gwałtowne napięcia społeczne.

Szukając zaginionej siostrzenicy, Lior Tirosh zaczyna się zachowywać jak detektyw ze swoich powieści. Ścigają go bezlitośni agenci państwowej służby bezpieczeństwa, a jednocześnie odkrywa groźne spiski i niewiarygodne rzeczywistości. Możliwe, że istnieje więcej niż jedna Palestyna, a bariery między światami zaczynają pękać…

Selected as a best book of the year by NPR, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly and the Guardian (among other commendations), UNHOLY LAND is published in the UK and North America by Tachyon Publications. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Lior Tirosh is a semi-successful author of pulp fiction, an inadvertent time traveler, and an ongoing source of disappointment to his father.

Tirosh has returned to his homeland in East Africa. But Palestina — a Jewish state founded in the early 20th century — has grown dangerous. The government is building a vast border wall to keep out African refugees. Unrest in Ararat City is growing. And Tirosh’s childhood friend, trying to deliver a warning, has turned up dead in his hotel room. A state security officer has identified Tirosh as a suspect in a string of murders, and a rogue agent is stalking Tirosh through transdimensional rifts — possible futures that can only be prevented by avoiding the mistakes of the past.

From the bestselling author of Central Station comes an extraordinary new novel recalling China Miéville and Michael Chabon, entertaining and subversive in equal measures.

The novel is also available in France, published by Continent Mu, as AUCUNE TERRE N’EST PROMISE.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received…

‘… will leave readers’ heads spinning with this disorienting and gripping alternate history… Readers of all kinds, and particularly fans of detective stories and puzzles, will enjoy grappling with the numerous questions raised by this stellar work.’ — Publishers Weekly (PW Picks: Books of the Week, October 15, 2018)

‘Lavie Tidhar is a genius at conjuring realities that are just two steps to the left of our own — places that look and smell and feel real, if just a bit hauntingly alien. UNHOLY LAND develops slowly. It begins with banal strangeness (this Palestinia, so like and unlike modern-day Israel) and leans gently into it… This is a story that gets weirder the deeper you get into it; that cultivates strangeness like something precious. It has three narrators: Investigator Bloom, Tirosh and a woman, Nur, who works as a field agent for the Border Agency. There are echoes of Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union in it, wild strains of P.K. Dick and Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. But UNHOLY LAND is its own thing. Something that no one but Tidhar could’ve written. Gorgeous in its alienness, comfortingly gray in its banality, and disquieting throughout.’ — NPR

‘Shifting perspectives will keep readers trying to catch up with this fast-paced plot involving incredible twists on multiple realities and homecoming. This latest from Campbell and World Fantasy Award winner Tidhar (Central Station) is fascinating and powerful.’ — Library Journal

‘[O]ne of those lovely books that starts out presenting itself as one thing, and mutates into another almost without you seeing it… a game-player of a writer who uses the spectrum of science fiction canon for his pieces… a grand game of alternate worlds cast like jewels on the sand. The long second act is all dust and blood and madness and glory, and the fast third act comes down on you like a sharpened spade… Lavie Tidhar is a clever bastard, and this book is a box of little miracles.’ — Warren Ellis

‘UNHOLY LAND starts out hard-boiled and comes at you sideways with the speculative elements. Tidhar has blended alternative history with murder in hotel rooms, missing women, an honest-to-god Fedora and mysterious borders in a tale that evokes Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Casablanca and Mieville’s The City & the City. Political and pulpy, with distinct metafictional elements, Tidhar adroitly pulls off this fantastical tale of an occupied territory.’ — Tade Thompson

‘… adventurous readers will appreciate this well-written and ambitious book. It should find a place at any library that offers high-quality literary fiction.’ — Booklist

‘We are in that kind of novel, the kind that doubles back and dodges sideways. Keeping up provides its own kind of pleasure… the various points of view meet up, and the result is an altogether dizzying and masterful use of narrative voice. The clashing narrative perspectives produce something like parallax—looking out of one eye, and then the other, and then both focused together on a third point. Which is the operative metaphor of UNHOLY LAND: one of partition and perspective, the same thing seen over and over and over again through different eyes… UNHOLY LAND plays in the strange, uncomfortable DMZ between the national founding myth and the uninterrogated childhood, between the person who leaves the homeland and the one who returns.’ — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

‘By extending Tidhar’s exploration of multiple and metafictional realities in even more sophis­ticated and assured ways than his earlier novels, UNHOLY LAND is quite an irritated oyster.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘… provocative and brash… UNHOLY LAND is a wildly inventive and entertaining novel that moves at a breathless gallop… [Tidhar has] staked a claim as the genre’s most interesting, most bold, and most accomplished writer.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

Tachyon Publications also publishes Lavie’s critically acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY and CENTRAL STATION; and are due to published his latest novel, THE ESCAPEMENT, in September.

BATTLE MAGE Out Now in French Paperback!

Posted on Monday, June 7th, 2021

Peter A. Flannery‘s acclaimed fantasy novel BATTLE MAGE is now available in mass market paperback in France! Split into two parts, it is published by Le Livre de Poche as MAGE DE BATAILLE. Here’s the synopsis…

Dans un monde en guerre peu à peu conquis par l’armée infernale des Possédés, Falco Danté est un gringalet. Pire, il est méprisé, mis à l’écart, à cause de son père qui fut un immense mage de bataille avant de sombrer dans une folie meurtrière. Alors que la Reine tente de rassembler toutes les forces armées pour repousser les Possédés, Falco prend une décision qui va l’amener aux marges du désespoir: entrer à l’académie de la Guerre, une école d’excellence pour les officiers. Là, il devra surmonter ses doutes, ceux de ses amis et même ceux de la Reine.

Le monde brûle ; seul un mage de bataille pourra sauver ce qu’il en reste. Falco réussira-t-il à libérer son pouvoir, à invoquer un dragon à sa mesure ou succombera-t-il à la folie… comme son père ?

Porté par son héros meurtri, condamné à se dépasser face au mal absolu, Mage de bataille a rencontré un formidable succès dans les pays anglo-saxons.

The French edition is translated by Patrice Louinet. The novel is also available in Germany, Poland, and Czechia. Earlier this year, the novel was nominated for Best Fantasy Novel in Poland.

Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The world is falling to the burning shadow of the Possessed and only the power of a battle mage can save it. But the ancient bond with dragonkind is failing. Of those that answer a summoning too many are black. Black dragons are the enemy of humankind. Black dragons are mad.

Falco Dante is a weakling in a world of warriors, but worse than this, he is the son of a madman. Driven by grief, Falco makes a decision that will drive him to the brink of despair. As he tries to come to terms with his actions Falco follows his friends to the Academy of War, an elite training school dedicated to martial excellence. But while his friends make progress he struggles to overcome his doubts and insecurity. Even Queen Catherine of Wrath has her doubts about Falco’s training.

While the Queen tries to unite the Kingdoms against the Possessed, Falco struggles to overcome his fears. Will he unlock the power trapped inside of him or will he succumb to madness and murder like his father?

Zeno represents Peter A. Flannery in translation.

Coming Soon: New Hardcover Editions for THE WAY OF KINGS!

Posted on Friday, May 28th, 2021

Next month (June 24th), Gollancz are due to publish new hardcover editions of Brandon Sanderson‘s THE WAY OF KINGS Parts 1 and 2! The first instalment in the author’s acclaimed, best-selling Stormlight Archive fantasy series, here’s the synopsis…

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilisation alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soil-less ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armour that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan’s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of more than ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of The Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

And return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

The first four novels in the Stormlight Archive (projected to be a 10-book series) are published in the UK by Gollancz. The other three are WORDS OF RADIANCE, OATHBRINGER, and RHYTHM OF WAR.

Gollancz has published a whole host of Brandon’s other acclaimed works in the UK, too, including the Mistborn, Reckoner and Skyward series, the stand-alone novels ELANTRIS and WARBREAKER, and more.

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

ICYMI: Cover & Details for Brandon Sanderson’s CYTONIC!

Posted on Thursday, May 27th, 2021

In case you missed it yesterday: the cover and details for Brandon Sanderson‘s third Skyward series novel, CYTONIC have been unveiled! Due to be published in the UK by Gollancz, on November 25th, here’s the synopsis…

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary.

She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell – the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she travelled light-years from home as a spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home. Now, the Superiority – the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life – has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa has seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant.

Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy. The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

The first two novels in the series are also published in the UK by Gollancz, and are out now: SKYWARD and STARSIGHT.

Here are just a few of the reviews the series has received so far…

‘Sanderson plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.’ — Kirkus, Starred Review on SKYWARD

‘With this action-packed trilogy opener, Sanderson offers up a resourceful, fearless heroine and a memorable cast—including a strangely humorous, mushroom-obsessed robot—set against the backdrop of a desperate conflict. As the pulse-pounding story intensifies and reveals its secrets, a cliffhanger ending sets things up for the next installment.’ — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review on SKYWARD

‘SKYWARD is possibly the most captivating, inspirational, and aspirational book that Brandon Sanderson has ever written […] It’s always a pleasure spending time inside Brandon’s mind as he creates a new playground of rules and takes his characters for a ride through unchartered territories.’ — Fantasy Book Review

‘Readers will enjoy his hallmark cinematic writing style, with plenty of strong visuals throughout the story, along with humor that some will love, and others will love to hate […] we say SKYWARD is an adventure and a half that you won’t want to miss. Even hardcore Cosmere fans will enjoy the special mix of fantasy and sci-fi that unfolds as you watch Spensa learn what it means to be truly brave.’ — Tor.com

‘SKYWARD is an almost perfect space opera, a genre marked by simple yet compelling plot lines, precise and ingenuous world-building and complex, empathetic relationships and character development […] It is replete with non-stop action, amazing writing and great characters.’ — Aspen Daily News

‘SKYWARD contains a lot of heart that teaches us to never back down in the face of adversity.’ — Fantasy Faction

‘Spensa’s habitual over-the-top recklessness adds a rousing spark, and the author folds in plenty of banter as well as a colorful supporting cast.’ — Kirkus on STARSIGHT

‘STARSIGHT offers fun times just as Skyward did, with more worldbuilding, some favorite returning characters from Skyward, some amazing new characters and settings, and a ramped-up storyline.’ — Tor.com

‘[A] unique and engaging novel. STARSIGHT took a sharp turn in a new direction early on, and Sanderson throws in several game-changer developments throughout the novel, keeping both Spensa and the reader on their toes […] I’m searching for a way to teleport myself into the future and get a copy of the next book in this series now rather than in 2021.’ — Fantasy Literature

‘STARSIGHT is an exploration of the other, and a way to reconcile with it. It is a story of fear, of facing that fear and growing stronger for the staring down of it. It is a tale of friendship, loyalty and sacrifice. And it is beautiful.’ — Booknest

‘The worldbuilding is of the standard I’ve come to expect from Brandon Sanderson, which is to say that it’s excellent.’ — The Fantasy Hive on STARSIGHT

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

Deluxe Writers’ Edition of BODY WORK Out Next Week!

Posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Next week, Titan Comics are due to publish the Deluxe Writers’ Edition of BODY WORK, Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s first Rivers of London comic series! With art by Lee Sullivan and colours by Luis Guerrero, here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant is part of a very special London police unit. Full-time cop and part time wizard he works on rather unusual crimes – those that involve magic and the general weirdness that permeates London’s dark underbelly. 

His latest case begins with a perfectly innocent car on a homicidal killing spree – without a driver. But the, before you know it, there’s a Bosnian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a bunch of teenagers loaded on Ketamine and seemingly-harmless wooden bench with the darkest of pasts…

Titan Comics has published all of the Rivers of London comic series to date, which also include: NIGHT WITCH, BLACK MOULD, DETECTIVE STORIES, CRY FOX, WATER WEED, ACTION AT A DISTANCE, and THE FEY AND THE FURIOUS. The next series, MONDAY, MONDAY, is set to start publishing in July.

Ben’s Rivers of London novels and novellas are published by Gollancz in the UK; Del Rey, DAW Books (novels) and Subterranean Press (novellas) in North America; and are available widely in translation.

ICYMI: Zelazny’s A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is Available in Japan

Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2021

In case you missed it, Roger Zelazny‘s acclaimed, fan-favourite novel A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is available in a Japanese edition. Published by 竹書房 (Takeshobo) as 虚ろなる十月の夜に, here’s the synopsis…

切り裂き魔(ジャック)に吸血鬼(ドラキュラ)、名探偵(ホームズ)
いずれ劣らぬ曲者たちが旧き神々(クトゥルー)に対峙する――

十月の終わりの万聖節前夜（ハロウィーン）に、そのゲームは行われる。 《閉じる者（クローザー）》と《開く者（オープナー）》、旧き神々を崇拝する者たちとそれを阻止せんとする者たちの、 世界の変革と保持を巡る戦い──《大いなる儀式》が。
御主人（マスター）切り裂きジャックと使い魔である犬のスナッフもまた、《大いなる儀式》の参加者である。彼らが来た村には、ドラキュラ伯爵、フランケンシュタイン博士らの姿があり、使い魔たちは儀式へ向け情報を集めている。スナッフは魔女ジルの使い魔である猫のグレイモークと頻繁に情報を交換するが、果たして彼女たちが味方なのかすらもわからないのだ。そして儀式の日が迫る中、参加者たちの周りに名探偵シャーロック・ホームズの影が見え隠れする──。
著名なキャラクターたちとクトゥルー神話を融合させ、ネビュラ賞候補作ともなった、奇想横溢のゼラズニイ最後の長篇。

A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is published in the UK by Farrago Books. Described by Neil Gaiman as ‘One of Zelazny’s most delightful books’, here’s the English-language synopsis…

All is not what it seems.

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut. And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

The novel has also been translated widely; with recent new editions in Italy, Russia, Italy, and Ukraine.

William Gibson’s PATTERN RECOGNITION out now in UK Audio!

Posted on Thursday, May 20th, 2021

Today, W.F. Howes publishes the UK audiobook edition of William Gibson‘s classic novel PATTERN RECOGNITION. Released through the publisher’s Quest imprint, here’s the synopsis…

Cayce Pollard owes her living to her pathological sensitivity to logos. In London to consult for the world’s coolest ad agency, she finds herself catapulted, via her addiction to a mysterious body of fragmentary film footage, uploaded to the web by a shadowy auteur, into a global quest for this unknown ‘garage Kubrick’.

Cayce becomes involved with an eccentric hacker, a vengeful ad executive, a defrocked mathematician, a Tokyo Otaku-coven known as Eye of the Dragon and, eventually, the elusive ‘Kubrick’ himself.

William Gibson’s audiobook is about the eternal mystery of London, the coolest sneakers in the world and life in (the former) USSR.

W.F. Howes also publishes DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOR, and is due to publish NEUROMANCER later this month. More audiobook editions are on the way, too! We’ll keep you posted as and when we have details.

PATTERN RECOGNITION is published in print and eBook in the UK by Penguin. Gibson’s latest novels are THE PERIPHERAL and AGENCY, both published in the UK by Penguin.

Zeno represents William Gibson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of  Nell Pierce at Sterling Lord Literistic.

Ian McDonald’s MOON RISING Available in Hungary!

Posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

MOON RISING, the third novel in Ian McDonald‘s acclaimed Luna series, is available now in Hungary! Published by Gabo as HOLDKELTE, and translated by Tamás Gábor, here’s the synopsis…

Száz évvel a jövőben háború dúl az Öt Sárkány – a Hold vezető ipari vállalatait irányító öt család – között. Mind az öt klán foggal-körömmel igyekszik a tápláléklánc csúcsára jutni, és ehhez bevetnek érdekházasságokat, ipari kémkedést, emberrablást és tömeges merényleteket is.

Lucas Corta, a családfő zseniális politikai machinációi és akaratereje révén a veszteségből győzelmet kovácsol, és magához ragadja a Hold feletti uralmat. Az egyetlen, aki útjába állhat, páratlan ügyvéd húga, Ariel.

Ian McDonald Luna-trilógiájának lélegzetelállító fináléjában a Sárkányok ismét összecsapnak a végső hatalomért.

Gabo has also published the first two novels in the Luna series — NEW MOON and WOLF MOON — in Hungary, as ÚJHOLD and ORDASHOLD.

The Luna series is published in the UK by Gollancz and Tor Books in North America. A prequel novella, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE, is published by Tor.com.

Here’s the English-language synopsis for MOON RISING…

A hundred years in the future, a war wages between the Five Dragons — five families that control the Moon’s leading industrial companies. Each clan does everything in their power to claw their way to the top of the food chain — marriages of convenience, corporate espionage, kidnapping, and mass assassinations.

Through ingenious political manipulation and sheer force of will, Lucas Cortas rises from the ashes of corporate defeat and seizes control of the Moon. The only person who can stop him is a brilliant lunar lawyer, his sister, Ariel.

Witness the Dragons’ final battle for absolute sovereignty in Ian McDonald’s heart-stopping finale to the Luna trilogy.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the series has received so far…

‘McDonald concludes his Luna space opera trilogy in triumphant style… The political intrigue never feels too abstract or removed from 21st-century Earth. Readers will appreciate the care McDonald takes with both worldbuilding and characterization, and will enjoy little touches such as giving an assassin the job title of Corporate Conflict Resolution Officer… fans of the prior books will find this wrap-up rewarding.’ — Publishers Weekly on MOON RISING

‘McDonald’s richly imagined Lunar culture and interplanetary poleconomy make for a superb backdrop for literally dozens of richly realized human dramas, and it’s hard to say which is more fascinating. McDonald’s wildly imaginative worldbuilding (present since his debut novel, the utterly wonderful standout OUT ON BLUE SIX) and his ability to spin out intrigues are both in full flight in this final volume.’ — Boing Boing on MOON RISING

‘… cinematic set-pieces… so much fun to read… these entertaining, and intelligent novels, capped off by the very satisfying Luna: MOON RISING, have been about establishing a society, a community, a family that looks to the future, that lives and prospers in an environment that must always be treated with respect.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

‘Smart, funny, passionate and at times quite dark, McDonald brings the touch we’ve seen in RIVER OF GODS and DERVISH HOUSE to an entirely new culture as it evolves in a distant hostile place where business or family rules all… it’s terrific. My only complaint: it leaves you wanting the second book right now!’ — Jonathan Strahan on NEW MOON

‘McDonald… begins his superb near-future series… scintillating, violent, and decadent world. McDonald creates a complex and fascinating civilization featuring believable technology, and the characters are fully developed, with individually gripping stories. Watch for this brilliantly constructed family saga on next year’s award ballots.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on NEW MOON

‘Mafia-style mining families clash in a compelling fantasy that offers up all the pleasures of a cut-throat soap opera in space… That McDonald is able to spin a compelling story from this unforgiving set-up is testament to his skill as a writer… One thing Luna does exceptionally well is to puncture Old Heinlein’s assumption that a frontier society based on the primacy of the family and a disregard of conventional laws would end up like idealised smalltown America. Luna argues that any realistic future colonisation of the moon will be much more The Sopranos than The Waltons. LUNA is as gripping as it is colourful, and as colourful as it is nasty.’ — Guardian on NEW MOON

‘No one writes like Ian McDonald, and no one’s Moon is nearly so beautiful and terrible… Ian McDonald’s never written a bad novel, but this is a great Ian McDonald novel… McDonald has ten details for every detail proffered by other sf writers. Not gratuitous details, either: gracious ones. The fashion sense of William Gibson, the design sense of Bruce Sterling, the eye for family drama of Connie Willis, the poesie of Bradbury, and the dirty sex of Kathe Koja and Samuel Delany… McDonald’s moon is omnisexual, kinky, violent, passionate, beautiful, awful, vibrant and crushing. As the family saga of the Cortas unravels, we meet a self-sexual ninja lawyer, a werewolf who loses his mind in the Full Earth, a family tyrant whose ruthlessness is matched only by his crepulance, and a panoply of great passions and low desires. LUNA: NEW MOON is the first book of a two-book cycle. Now I’m all a-quiver for the next one.‘ — BoingBoing

‘… powerful sequel… compelling throughout. Each of McDonald’s viewpoint characters is made human in fascinating and occasionally disturbing detail, and the solar system of the 22nd century is wonderfully delineated. Fans of the first volume will love this one and eagerly look forward to the next.‘ — Publishers Weekly on WOLF MOON

‘NEW MOON was one of the most interesting sci-fi novels of 2015, with smart ideas on humanity and economies matched by street smarts, political brawls and murder in the streets. LUNA: WOLF MOON turns that up to eleven – it’s a fascinating story, which is also a tense, enthralling read.’ — Sci-Fi & Fantasy Review

‘The fights and vengeance that follow are more vicious and intricate than anything in Game of Thrones, full of great acts of self-sacrifice and viciousness alike, brave cavalry charges and last stands, cowardice and avarice. McDonald’s great gift is to hold the micro- and macro-scale in his hand at once. Starting with his debut novel, 1988’s Desolation Road, McDonald has used his intense, finely crafted and small personal stories of his vast casts of characters as the pixels in an unimaginably vast display on which he projects some of the field’s most audacious worldbuilding — never worldbuilding for its own sake, either, but always in the service of slyly parodying, critiquing or lionizing elements of our present-day world.’ — Boing Boing on WOLF MOON

‘Luna: NEW MOON was a “magnificent bastard of a book,” as I put it in my review. Part two, it’s my pleasure to tell you, is just as awesome, and just as masterfully nasty.’ — Tor.com on WOLF MOON

Next Month: Jack Campbell Returns with BOUNDLESS

Posted on Monday, May 17th, 2021

On June 15th, Titan Books is due to publish the next novel by Jack Campbell: BOUNDLESS. The first novel in the latest Lost Fleet series, Outlands, sees Black Jack Geary return to the story. Here’s the synopsis…

Black Jack returns to Unity, the seat of the Alliance government, having destroyed the black fleet of AI-controlled craft at Unity Alternate. Aboard the Dauntless, captained by his wife Tanya Desjani, he brings evidence of crimes which could destroy the Alliance’s government.

His arrival ignites a furious Senate trial, and Black Jack must chart political dangers to ensure the guilty are brought to justice, without becoming judge and jury himself. But forces lurk in the shadows, working against him and striking at any moment.

Unsure of who he can trust – who serves the Alliance with the same sense of duty as him – Black Jack must accept new orders and prepare the fleet for a new and dangerous mission, all the while evading forces that would see him dead. This mission will take him on a journey into his past and beyond the safety of Alliance space once more, because Black Jack knows better than anyone, doing what is right is never the easy path.

Titan Books has published all of Campbell’s Lost Fleet novels in the UK, which also includes the Beyond the Frontier, The Lost Stars, and the Genesis Fleet spin-off series…

Titan Books also publishes Campbell’s JAG in Space and Stark’s War series, in the UK…

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