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Coming Soon: Anniki Sommerville’s debut novel, MOTHERWHELMED!

Posted on Monday, August 12th, 2019

On September 5th, Anniki Sommerville‘s debut novel, MOTHERWHELMED will be published via Harper Collins’s One More Chapter imprint! Here’s the synopsis…

A laugh-out-loud funny and confident must-read novel that everyone will be talking about! For fans of Dawn O’Porter, Bryony Gordon and Daisy Buchanan.

Rebecca is 42, has a beautiful child and a wonderful husband. But she just hasn’t been feeling herself recently…

Rebecca thinks a great night out should involve a packet of Marlboro’s, six double vodkas and snogging a colleague. Not gormlessly drinking a zero-alcohol No-hito while Instagramming a vegan chicken wing.

Rebecca wants to ride on a Harley Davidson, to crowd surf till dawn, then collapse in a heap after swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels… not sit in a soul-destroying meeting surrounded by ‘blue sky thinking’ and men half her age who interrupt all the time.

She’s had enough of commuting to an office that is so cold people have to wear blankets all day. And she can’t help asking herself why her adorable daughter must spend all week in a containment zone for pre-schoolers.

Rebecca wants to feel that there’s MORE coming her way, rather than less…

In short – Rebecca wants out.

But where to?

The author is also one of the co-founders of The Hotbed Collective, where you can find many of her articles.

Peter A. Flannery’s BATTLE MAGE out now in French Audio!

Posted on Wednesday, July 31st, 2019

The French audiobook edition of Peter A. Flannery‘s BATTLE MAGE is out now! Published as MAGE DE BATAILLE by Audible in two parts, here’s the synopsis…

Falco Danté est un gringalet dans un monde en guerre peu à peu conquis par l’armée infernale des Possédés. Pire, Falco 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: il va 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 print edition of the novel (also available in two parts) is published by Albin Michel.

Here’s the English-language synopsis for the novel…

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.

Check out the awesome cover for Ben Aaronovitch’s FALSE VALUE!

Posted on Monday, July 29th, 2019

In case you missed the reveal at the end of last week, we wanted to take this opportunity to share the stunning cover for FALSE VALUE! The highly-anticipated upcoming, eighth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant series, FALSE VALUE is due to be published by Gollancz (UK) and DAW Books (North America) in mid-November 2019. Here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm. Rather than sit around, he takes a job with émigré Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s brand new London start up – the Serious Cybernetics Company.

Drawn into the orbit of Old Street’s famous ‘silicon roundabout’, Peter must learn how to blend in with people who are both civilians and geekier than he is. Compared to his last job, Peter thinks it should be a doddle. But magic is not finished with Mama Grant’s favourite son.

Because Terrence Skinner has a secret hidden in the bowels of the SCC. A technology that stretches back to Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, and forward to the future of artificial intelligence. A secret that is just as magical as it technological – and just as dangerous.

Gollancz has published all of the Peter Grant books in the UK. The series is published in North America by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-). The most recent book, THE OCTOBER MAN, is set in the same universe but has a new protagonist (Tobias Winter) and a new location (Germany) — it is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by Subterranean Press.

Here’s a snazzy animated cover reveal that Gollancz has made for the book…

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

‘It is smart, funny and filled with oddness.’ — Terry Brooks on RIVERS OF LONDON

‘… witty, fun, and full of vivid characters, and the plot twists will keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing.’ — Publishers Weekly on RIVERS OF LONDON

‘… enormous storytelling gusto… exhilarating and emotionally affecting…’ — SF Reviews on MOON OVER SOHO

‘… a relentlessly entertaining, fast-moving and enjoyable urban fantasy with intriguing hints of greater depth waiting to be explored.’ — Wertzone on MOON OVER SOHO

‘One of the most refreshing things about former Doctor Who writer Aaronvitch’s Rivers of London series of magical procedurals is that they are blessedly free of manufactured rivalries… This fast, engrossing novel is enjoyable, cheerful, and accessible to new readers.’ — Publishers Weekly on WHISPERS UNDERGROUND

‘… the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch are a great way to feel like you’re actually visiting the city by the Thames… Ben Aaronovitch writes some of the funniest prose in current fantasy. These books are extremely entertaining, mainly because narrator Peter Grant has a hilarious voice and a sly sense of humor… quirkily effective prose and dry humor, making it a pure pleasure to read… I’m usually not a big fan of urban fantasy, but this series is so much fun that I always look forward to the next installment. If you’re looking for a fast-moving, entertaining urban fantasy that’ll make you feel like you’re visiting London vicariously this summer, pick up series opener MIDNIGHT RIOT / RIVERS OF LONDON. And if you’ve already read the first two books, you’ll probably be glad to hear that the newest installment WHISPERS UNDER GROUND is just as good.’ — Tor.com

‘PC Peter Grant and his co-worker Lesley, two of the few policemen in London who can practice magic, are still working under Nightingale, who must be the oldest police officer in England… not that he looks it. A low-income housing tower gone awry, an old enemy with a bone to pick… and a shocker of an ending – BROKEN HOMES is a delight.’ — Charlaine Harris

‘Smart, edgy and dramatic, BROKEN HOMES is a fine addition to a fascinating series.’ — Locus

‘When it comes to the genre of urban fantasy, connoisseurs tend to rate Ben Aaronovitch’s RIVERS OF LONDON and its sequels quite highly. The adventures of Metropolitan policeman and apprentice wizard Peter Grant have thus far all been based around the city of London (it is, after all, where he works), and the author has drawn from the capital’s rich geography and occult history to create a profound and engaging world filled with the grit and stench of the city, though at the same time celebrating its warmth and wealth of choice. The very setup of the books is both urban and fantastic… The main story functions as an interesting thriller, and the additional commentary on the way the UK handles major incidents like the disappearance of children is both thought-provoking and carefully handled… FOXGLOVE SUMMER is evocative, mysterious, engaging, and, mostly, enormous amounts of fun. Fans of the Peter Grant series will not be disappointed, and those new to the books should start with Rivers in London, safe in the knowledge that the sequels are just as good.’ — Starburst

‘Aaronvitch guarantees a thrilling read; his style and approach to world building are simply too tight and too accomplished not to. THE FURTHEST STATION is a strong example of compact and intense storytelling… We get some nice character development, especially via Peter’s cousin. She’s beginning to dabble in magic herself, which is a little like learning to juggle hand live hand grenades, and this provides a decent B-plot. THE FURTHEST STATION is short, but perfectly formed.’ — Starburst

‘[H]ijinks, explosions, property destruction on the million-pound scale, a rival tradition of British wizardry (or rather witchery) that isn’t too happy with Nightingale’s old boys’ club tradition, and interfering American military contractors. And yes, the Faceless Man. Narrated with Aaronovitch’s trademark blend of wit, sarcasm, and police acronyms, THE HANGING TREE is a breeze of a supernatural detective thriller.’ — Tor.com

‘… recounted with deadpan British wit and irony… packed with fascinating historical detail… Lively and amusing and different.’ — Kirkus on LIES SLEEPING

‘In this enjoyable spin-off from the Rivers of London urban fantasy series, Aaronovitch successfully transfers his blend of the supernatural and humor from England to the Continent as he introduces Tobias Winter, a German police officer who practices magic… Supernatural mystery fans who enjoy more whimsical takes on the paranormal will hope for more of Winter and Sommer.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE OCTOBER MAN

Polish edition of Anne Griffin’s WHEN ALL IS SAID on its way!

Posted on Friday, July 26th, 2019

We’re happy to report that Anne Griffin‘s acclaimed, best-selling debut novel, WHEN ALL IS SAID will soon get a Polish edition! Due to be published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Czarna Owca as Pięć toastów Hannigana. Here’s the synopsis…

Historia jednej nocy. Opowieść o całym życiu.

Gdybyście musieli wybrać pięć osób, które podsumowałby wasze życie, kogo byście wybrali? W hotelowym barze w małym irlandzkim miasteczku 84-letni Maurice Hanniganzamawia pięć drinków. Przy każdym z nich wznosi toast za najważniejsze osoby w swoim życiu: ukochanego starszego brata, nietuzinkową szwagierkę, córkę, z którą spędził zaledwie piętnaście minut, syna mieszkającego w Stanach Zjednoczonych i za zmarłą, żonę, z której odejściem nie umie się pogodzić. Z historii ludzi, którzy go opuścili układa opowieść o swoim burzliwym życiu, o tym czego żałuje, o tragediach, miłościach i małych zwycięstwach.

Opowieść Maurice’a Hannigana rozgrzewa serce i budzi silne emocje, a jego głos rozbrzmiewa na długo po tym, gdy wszystko zostaje już wypowiedziane.

The novel is published in the UK and Ireland by Sceptre, in North America by St. Martin’s Press, and widely in translation (see below for some of the covers). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

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

‘A hugely enjoyable, engrossing novel, a genuine page-turner. Maurice is a fabulous character, wonderfully flawed and completely engaging; his voice is familiar and real, full of sadness and regret and defiance, and unexpected tenderness.’ — Donal Ryan, award-winning author of The Spinning Heart

‘[An] impressively confident debut … Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation’ — Guardian

‘Anne Griffin’s debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling – stunning!’ — Graham Norton

‘Griffin’s portrait of an Irish octogenarian provides a stage for the exploration of guilt, regret, and loss, all in the course of one memorable night.’ — Kirkus

‘Maurice’s humor, his keen observations on class and family, and his colloquial language, as well as Griffin’s strong sense of place, create the feeling of a life connected to many others by strands of affection and hatred.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘An extraordinary novel, a poetic writer, and a story that moved me to tears… There is something special here.’ — John Boyne

‘The most impressive aspects of this first novel from the pen of prize-winning short-story writer Anne Griffin are its rich, flowing prose, its convincing voice, and its imaginative and clever structure. She has complete mastery of her quite complex plot, and manages to imbue her sizeable cast of diverse characters with life and energy… Griffin is a writer of unusual confidence and authority, and a welcome arrival to the literary scene.’ — Irish Times

‘Beautiful. Intimate. Tearful. Aching and lyrical. So simply and beautifully told.’ — Louise Penny

EIN LEBEN UND EINE NACHT: Anne Griffin’s Debut is Coming Soon in Germany!

Posted on Wednesday, July 17th, 2019

WHEN ALL IS SAID, Anne Griffin‘s critically-acclaimed, best-selling debut novel, is getting a Germany edition! Due to be published on August 20th by Rowohlt, here’s the synopsis for EIN LEBEN UND EINE NACHT…

Ich bin hier, um mich zu erinnern…

…an alles, was ich gewesen bin, und alles, was ich nie wieder sein werde.”

In einer irischen Kleinstadt sitzt Maurice Hannigan, 84 Jahre alt, an einer Hotelbar und blickt auf sein Leben zurück. Dies ist keine gewöhnliche Nacht. Fünf Mal wird er im Lauf des Abends sein Glas erheben, um auf die Menschen anzustoßen, die ihm am meisten bedeutet haben.

Der Mann, der seinen Gefühlen kaum Ausdruck verleihen konnte, erzählt in dieser Nacht von Momenten der Freude und des Zweifels, von verpassten Chancen und der Tragödie seines Lebens, die er vor allen verborgen hielt…

Ein Roman über Liebe und Verlust.Traurig und tröstend zugleich hallt die Stimme seines Helden noch lange nach.

WHEN ALL IS SAID is published in the UK and Ireland by Sceptre, in North America by St. Martin’s Press, and is available in a rapidly growing number of translated editions. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Five toasts. Five people. One lifetime.

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

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

‘Anne Griffin’s debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling – stunning!’ — Graham Norton

‘An extraordinary novel, a poetic writer, and a story that moved me to tears… There is something special here.’ — John Boyne

‘[An] impressively confident debut … Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation’ — Guardian

‘An intimate character study of a wealthy 80-year-old Co Meath farmer, WHEN ALL IS SAID is also a study of extreme reticence and self-sabotage, giving voice to a man who, in matters of the heart, has all too often chosen to remain silent… Griffin’s strength is in voice and in the rhythm of her prose, which is rich without being overwritten. A winner of the John McGahern Award for Literature, she fits into the Irish lyrical tradition… but WHEN ALL IS SAID feels like a bridge between the past and the present, Maurice’s belated loquacity breaking open that familiar Irish silence… a testament to Griffin’s talent that she paints such a complete portrait of a man whose contrariness disguises his stoicism. By the end of the novel his humanity is clear; he has made himself known.’ — Independent

‘Griffin’s portrait of an Irish octogenarian provides a stage for the exploration of guilt, regret, and loss, all in the course of one memorable night.’ — Kirkus

‘Maurice’s humor, his keen observations on class and family, and his colloquial language, as well as Griffin’s strong sense of place, create the feeling of a life connected to many others by strands of affection and hatred.’ — Publishers Weekly

Ian McDonald’s LUNA series available now as an Italian Omnibus!

Posted on Tuesday, July 16th, 2019

Ian McDonald‘s critically-acclaimed Luna series is now available in a brand new omnibus edition in Italy! Published by Mondadori’s Oscar Fantastica imprint as LUNA: LA TRILOGIA, here’s the synopsis…

NEL XXII SECOLO LA LUNA è stata ormai colonizzata dall’uomo e industrializzata. Le sue preziose risorse – l’elio-3, il carbonio, il ghiaccio e i metalli rari – vengono estratte ed esportate sulla Terra. A controllare il proficuo commercio sono i “Cinque Draghi”, cinque famiglie tanto potenti quanto spietate e pronte a tutto pur di difendere la propria posizione e i propri privilegi. La società spaziale è tornata alle lotte e ai valori feudali, come sa bene Adriana Corta, a capo di una delle corporazioni, che è riuscita a sottrarre il controllo dell’elio-3 alla Mackenzie Metals. Ormai anziana, deve difendere la florida azienda di famiglia dai moltissimi nemici che si è fatta negli anni. Ma basta un niente, nel difficile ambiente lunare, perché le mutevoli lealtà e le macchinazioni politiche dei cinque clan raggiungano il punto di rottura e si scateni una guerra dagli imprevedibili risultati

Una saga grandiosa, ricca e stratificata di echi letterari, da Martin al García Márquez di Cent’anni di solitudine. Un’acclamata trilogia, piena di avventura, che ci spingerà a guardare con occhi nuovi al nostro solo apparentemente innocuo e pacifico satellite.

Mondadori’s Urania imprint has also published the three novels individually in Italy: LUNA NUOVA, LUNA PIENA, and LUNA CRESCENTE.

The Luna series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books: NEW MOON, WOLF MOON, and MOON RISING. The series is also available in a growing number of international, translated editions. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first novel…

In Ian McDonald’s Luna: New Moon, the scions of a falling house must navigate a world of corporate warfare to maintain their family’s status in the Moon’s vicious political atmosphere.

The Moon wants to kill you.

Maybe it will kill you when the per diem for your allotted food, water, and air runs out, just before you hit paydirt. Maybe it will kill you when you are trapped between the reigning corporations-the Five Dragons-in a foolish gamble against a futuristic feudal society. On the Moon, you must fight for every inch you want to gain. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, in the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation-Corta Helio-confronted 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.

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

‘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

‘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

‘… 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

‘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

‘The Luna trilogy is a masterpiece of worldbuilding. Ian McDonald has created an incredibly developed, complex and astonishingly plausible future for the Moon… What stands out, though, are its threads of gorgeous storytelling… as a whole, this is an extraordinary trilogy. Ian McDonald always writes beautifully. I love what he has to say. I’ll always remember his vision of the Moon, which at times is horrifying and violent and yet at others is so heartwarming and wondrous.’ — For Winter Nights 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)

Next month, OATHBRINGER paperbacks!

Posted on Monday, July 15th, 2019

Next month, Gollancz are due to publish the paperback editions of OATHBRINGER, the third novel in Brandon Sanderson‘s epic Stormlight Archive fantasy series. Due to the book’s considerable heft, it is being split into two paperbacks (covers above). Here’s the synopsis…

In Oathbringer, the third volume of the New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive series, humanity faces a new Desolation with the return of the Voidbringers, a foe whose numbers are as great as their thirst for vengeance.

The Alethi armies commanded by Dalinar Kholin won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, and now its destruction sweeps the world and its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the true horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that their newly kindled anger may be wholly justified.

Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths the dark secrets lurking in its depths. And gradually realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put Dalinar’s blood-soaked past aside and stand together – and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past – even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not avert the end of civilization.

The two paperbacks are due to arrive in stores on August 29th, 2019.

Gollancz has published the first two books in the series — THE WAY OF KINGS and WORDS OF RADIANCE — as well as a whole host of Brandon’s other novels and series, in the UK, including the best-selling, fan-favourite and modern classic Mistborn series (pictured below).

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

‘Fans of the Stormlight Archive series will enjoy this book, which brings back favorite characters and deepens a well-drawn fantasy world.’ — Kirkus

‘The much-anticipated third Stormlight Archive epic fantasy installment is classic Sanderson, with multiple story lines and unexpected twists and turns… Sanderson successfully balances introducing new elements and satisfactorily resolving some threads, leaving fans to eagerly await the next in the series.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘OATHBRINGER is everything I expected it to be. Not only does it make good on the promises of the first two volumes, it elevates the Stormlight Archive to new heights of epic magic, exceptional worldbuilding, and satisfying action. With each new novel, Sanderson proves himself to be the true heir to Robert Jordan’s throne. He’s writing big, meaty, contemplative epic fantasy, and showing no signs of slowing down.’ — B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

‘Sanderson outdid himself once again. It is a wonderful, well-paced, emotional read with a poignant focus on the brokenness of people and how to overcome your own limits.’ — The Ranting Dragon

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

Charlie Human’s Baxter Zevcenko second outing, KILL BAXTER returns!

Posted on Thursday, July 11th, 2019

The new eBook edition of KILL BAXTER, the second novel in Charlie Human‘s acclaimed Baxter Zevcenko series, is available again in the UK! Published through the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

The world been massively unappreciative of sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko’s efforts. His bloodline may be a combination of ancient Boer mystic and giant shape-shifting crow, and he may have won an inter-dimensional battle and saved the world, but does the world care? No.

Instead he’s packed off to Hexpoort, a magical training school for MK6 agents. Part reformatory, part military school, and just like Hogwarts (except with more sex, drugs, and better internet access) Hexpoort is a much bigger game than your average high-school, and has much more dangerous players.

An attack on his new school by a dark figure called the Muti Man reunites Baxter with supernatural bounty hunter Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin and puts on them on the trail of the Obayifo, a tribe of supernatural media moguls and fashion designers. Together Baxter and Jackie are plunged into the most disgusting, terrifying and dangerous situation they’ve encountered yet: Cape Town Fashion Week.

APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, the first in the series, is also available in eBook via JABberwocky. The two novels are available in the US, published by Titan Books (covers at end).

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

‘Like its predecessor, KILL BAXTER is laugh out loud funny and fiendishly creative. The anti-Hogwarts of Hexpoort gives Human the opportunity to riff more directly on pop culture, but so do the porn addict support groups, pretentious fashion shows and possessed nerds. The further we delve into the supernatural world and its politics, with its psychotic fairies and violent luckdragons, the more engrossing the book becomes. Baxter himself is as entertaining a companion as ever, struggling with heartbreak and desperately trying to go against his own nature and be a good person, even as he travels through his own psyche with his psychosexual development funk band guides to fulfil his potential… tighter and more focused, and just as gloriously insane. Dark, mad, imaginative, and hilarious; KILL BAXTER is a joy.’ — SciFiNow

‘Just as the author punctures holes in the twee/charming class system of magical boarding schools, Human also goes after many of the other traditions of epic fantasy. The warrior-mages of KILL BAXTER struggle with PTSD. The “rescued” girlfriends don’t feel particularly swoony or appreciative. The quest to master “the power within” involves a funk band. Baxter himself sees himself as the center of the universe (saviour for all, chosen one, etc. etc.) — but is also wise enough to seek out professional therapy for that sensation. APOCALYPSE NOW NOW was a very clever, extremely dark book with an underpinning of real insight into the teenage mind. KILL BAXTER is a step beyond – a viciously sharp adventure that combines explosive entertainment with cutting satire; the best traditions of contemporary fantasy with the truth of what it actually means to be contemporary. The odd book that should appeal to those who love fantasy and those that hate it. And I would heartily recommend it either way.’ — Pornokitsch

‘The antidote to Harry Potter is back in Charlie Human’s bawdy new novel: a lively elaboration of the mad as pants brand of South African urban fantasy advanced in APOCALYPSE NOW NOW… everything Human’s debut did well, KILL BAXTER does better… the setting, again, is superlative… the way in which South African folklore figures into the fiction is fantastic — the dreamwalking bits are abundantly brilliant — and KILL BAXTER is a markedly more brutal book… more than a match for Charlie Human’s addictive debut. This, then, is urban fantasy on magical meth. You will want more.’ — Tor.com

‘The sequel to the jubilantly violent APOCALYPSE NOW NOW… Moments of glorious distaste come thicker and faster in KILL BAXTER, with goblin fights and hysterical trips into the protagonist’s warped psyche filling the pages at every turn. The supporting characters are more memorable this time too, from Uzi-wielding conjoined twins, Faith and Chastity, to Baxter’s own personal pet, Gigli, a snake-like dragon who possesses a stubborn attitude to match his conflicted partner. Even after brushing with the apocalypse, this emerging series hasn’t lost its frenzied bite. KILL BAXTER is leaner, meaner and shows an unrestrained zest for dizzying, carnivalesque violence… this is an irresistible ride which has lost all control of the brakes. Either cling to the handrail or be splattered in the dust.’ — Starburst

‘It’s mad, dark, irreverent and wonderfully twisted in all the right ways.’ — Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

‘I don’t even know how to describe reading this book, so just look at my wide eyes and my silently mumbling mouth and take my shell-shock as a good sign that you need to read this book right now.’ — Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds

‘With a wild imagination and savage glee, Charlie Human throws us into a school yard battle zone that’s part teenage wasteland, part Lovecraft fever dream. Rock and Roll High School meets the apocalypse.’ — Richard Kadrey, author of Sandman Slim

‘Think Lauren Beukes meets Neil Gaiman, with bounty hunters.’ — Wired (UK)

Read THE UNLIKELY LIFE OF MAISIE MEADOWS, today!

Posted on Monday, July 8th, 2019

We’re very happy to report that the eBook edition of Jenni Keer‘s charming second novel, THE UNLIKELY LIFE OF MAISIE MEADOWS is out now in the UK and North America! Published by Avon, here’s the synopsis…

When Maisie Meadows finds herself single and jobless on New Year’s Day, she resolves that this will be the year she focuses on bringing her scattered family back together. Romance is all very well, but it’s the people you grew up with that matter the most.

But a new job working at an auction house puts her in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but unattainable man who she can’t help but be distracted by. As their bond begins to grow, Maisie finds herself struggling to fulfil the promise she made to herself – but the universe has other ideas, and it’s not long before the Meadows family are thrown back together in the most unlikely of circumstances…

Can dealing with other people’s treasures help Maisie to let go of the past, and teach her who she ought to treasure the most?

The paperback edition of the novel is due to be published in the UK on September 19th, 2019. To celebrate the eBook release, there is also a rather extensive blog tour! Check out the banner for details…

Jenni’s debut, THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF LUCY BAKER (also published by Avon), was very well received and delighted readers far and wide. Here are just a couple of the reviews it received…

‘A charming read!’ — Heidi Swain

‘A wonderful antidote to a harsh world’ — Bella Osborne

‘A magical story about love and friendship, full of fun and sparkle. You won’t be able to resist the cast of quirky characters!’ — Fiona Harper

‘Laughter and tears combine in this heartwarming story of female friendship and love across all generations.’ — Phillipa Ashley

Όταν όλα έχουν ειπωθεί: Anne Griffin’s WHEN ALL IS SAID out now in Greece!

Posted on Monday, July 1st, 2019

We’re very happy to report that Anne Griffin‘s acclaimed, best-selling debut novel, WHEN ALL IS SAID continues its global conquest! A new Greek edition is now available, published by Εκδόσεις ΜΙΝΩΑΣ as Όταν όλα έχουν ειπωθεί. Here’s the synopsis…

Μόλις κυκλοφόρησε, από τις εκδόσεις Μίνωας, το συγκινητικό και εντυπωσιακό βιβλίο της Ανν Γκρίφιν, το οποίο έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως το ντεμπούτο του 2019 από το περιοδικό Publishers Weekly. Το πρώτο βιβλίο της Ανν Γκρίφιν, Όταν όλα έχουν ειπωθεί, παραμένει από τις αρχές του 2019 το No 1 Best Seller στην Ιρλανδία, ενώ έχει συμπεριληφθεί στο Τοp 10 της Amazon.co.uk στη σύγχρονη λογοτεχνία και αποτελεί ένα από τα 43 πιο δημοφιλή αναγνώσματα του Goodreads.

Αν διάλεγες πέντε ξεχωριστά πρόσωπα που σημάδεψαν τη ζωή σου, ποια θα ήταν αυτά; Αν σήκωνες το ποτήρι σου για να κάνεις μια πρόποση στο καθένα από αυτά, τι θα τους έλεγες; Και τι θα είχες μάθει για τον εαυτό σου όταν όλα θα είχαν ειπωθεί;

Στο μπαρ ενός πολυτελούς ξενοδοχείου σε μια μικρή πόλη της Ιρλανδίας κάθεται ο ογδοντατετράχρονος Μόρις Χάνιγκαν, έτοιμος να διηγηθεί την ιστορία του. Μόνος, ως συνήθως, σε μια βραδιά θα κάνει πέντε προπόσεις σε πέντε ανθρώπους που σήμαιναν πολλά για αυτόν και καθόρισαν την πορεία της ζωής του. Μέσα από τις ιστορίες που διηγείται –συναισθήματα που ποτέ δεν εκδηλώθηκαν, μια μυστική, καλά κρυμμένη τραγωδία, μια βαθιά αγάπη που ποτέ δεν εκφράστηκε– η ζωή ενός άντρα ξεδιπλώνεται με ένταση, ειλικρίνεια και γενναιότητα.

Συγκινητικό και συμπονετικό, το ντεμπούτο της πολλά υποσχόμενης νέας συγγραφέως της Ιρλανδίας είναι εντυπωσιακό. Η φωνή του Μόρις Χάνιγκαν θα συνεχίσει να αντηχεί ακόμα και όταν ολοκληρωθεί η ανάγνωση του βιβλίου, αφότου όλα θα έχουν ειπωθεί.

The novel is published in the UK and Ireland by Sceptre, in North America by St. Martin’s Press, and widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.