Today we wanted to share with you the conversation Lavie Tidhar had with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, hosted by Mysterious Galaxy. Held back in December, the event marked the release of Lavie’s critically-acclaimed novel THE ESCAPEMENT.
Published by Tachyon Publications in the UK and North America, here’s the synopsis…
Into the Escapement rides the Stranger, a lone gunman on a quest to rescue his son in a strange parallel reality. But it is easy to lose one’s way on an endlessly shifting, unpredictable landscape. Especially in a place full of dangerous mirror-images of a child’s beloved things: lawless heroes, giants made of stone, downtrodden clowns, spectacular symbol storms, and an endless war between gods and shadowy beings.
As the Stranger has learned, the Escapement is a dreamscape of deep mysteries, unlikely allies, and unwinnable battles. Yet the flower the he seeks still lies beyond the Mountains of Darkness. Time is running out as the Stranger journeys deeper into the secret heart of an unimaginable world.
In his most compelling work to date, Lavie Tidhar has delivered a multicolored tapestry of dazzling imagery. The Escapement is an epic, wildly original chronicle of the extraordinary lengths to which one will go for love.
A limited edition of the novel is also available from PS Publishing.
Bonus: here, too, is Lavie’s conversation last year with Silvia for the release of BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in his Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet — also hosted by Mysterious Galaxy. (Novel published by Head of Zeus in the UK, and Tor Books in North America.)
Last month, Lavie Tidhar was interviewed by Lionel Davoust as part of the Imaginales 2021. In case you missed it, we’ve shared the video above.
AUCUNE TERRE N’EST PROMISE, the French edition of UNHOLY LAND, has won two awards in France: le Prix Planète SF des blogueurs 2021 and le Prix Actusf de l’uchronie 2021. It is published by Editions Mu. Here’s the synopsis…
… aucune destinée n’est manifeste.
Berlin. Lior Tirosh, écrivain de seconde zone, embarque pour la Palestina, fuyant une existence minée d’échecs. Il espère retrouver à Ararat City la chaleur du foyer, mais rien ne se passe comme prévu : la ville est ceinturée par un mur immense, et sa nièce, Déborah, a disparu dans les camps de réfugiés africains. Traqué, soupçonné de meurtre, offert en pâture à un promoteur véreux, Lior est entraîné malgré lui dans les dédales d’une histoire qu’il contribue pourtant à écrire.
Lavie Tidhar questionne nos identités, et le prix qui leur est attaché. Aucune terre n’est promise est un roman d’une incroyable lucidité sur les enjeux d’Israël, microcosme du monde. Il n’en cède pourtant rien à la poésie, seule utopie capable encore d’incarner la paix.
The novel is published by Tachyon Publications in North America and in the UK. 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.
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
‘Tidhar has turned a suspenseful adventure tale into a complex meditation on the possible paths of modern Jewish history.’ — Chicago Tribune
Today, we have a two-part Forbidden Planet interview with Ben Aaronovitch, which was held to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON, the critically-acclaimed, best-selling first novel in the Peter Grant series.
Enjoy!
The series has grown quite a bit over ten years, as you’d expect. It now includes eight novels (a ninth is on the way!), three novellas, and multiple short stories — many of which have been published in translation all over the world.
The highly anticipated third novel in Brandon Sanderson‘s Skyward series, CYTONIC is out next week! Published in the UK by Gollancz, 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.
To mark the occasion, Brandon is also being hosted by Waterstones for an online event on release day. Full details of that can be found here.
Can’t wait a whole week to read more stories set in this world? If you haven’t already, you can also check out Brandon’s Skyward Flight novellas, set in between the novels, and co-authored with Janci Patterson! Also published in the UK by Gollancz, the first two — SUNREACH and REDAWN — are out now! A third and final novella, EVERSHORE, is due to be published in the UK on December 28th.
Zeno represents Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Today, we wanted to share with you the video for an event that Lavie Tidhar participated in for the Cosmia Festival (above), in which he discusses his latest novel, THE HOOD — the second instalment in his acclaimed Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet.
If you’re interested in more events featuring Lavie, we’d also recommend you check out the upcoming ‘A Journey into Becoming: Diaspora, Return and Identity’ online event, hosted by the Toronto Public Library. Details for that can be found here. Below is the official description of the event…
When historians look back on our current era, they will likely characterize it as a time of massive movements of people. Whether this means families migrating for economic advancement, activists fleeing political violence or chaos, or refugees seeing harbour in environments that haven’t been affected yet by climate change, populations arriving in new lands create complex and often massively disperse diasporas. Diasporas cohere around a shared sense of identity, often a shared language and religion, but they are much more than that. Diasporas can nurture, educate, and create a sense of belonging and identity. But not everyone enjoys being a member of the group. How do we carry one culture over into our lives in the midst of another culture? How do artists in diaspora communities express this multiplicity of ideas and identities?
Drawing on their own rich and varied lives, travels and fiction, writers Zen Cho (Black Water Sister), Fonda Lee (Jade War), and Lavie Tidhar (The Escapement) discuss with Karen Lord (Unraveling) the themes of roots and diaspora, emigration and return. Given the many things that shape and define us – place, family, history, and culture – where do we truly belong, and what is the meaning of “home”?
Lavie is the multi-award winning author of, among others, OSAMA, A MAN LIES DREAMING, CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND, and BY FORCE ALONE. His most recent novels are THE ESCAPEMENT (Tachyon Publications) and the aforementioned THE HOOD (Head of Zeus).
Today, we want to share with you some recent Stephen Vines content. Above, you can watch his interview with Benedict Rogers for Hong Kong Watch.
Earlier this month, he also took part in a Council on Foreign Relations roundtable on The Future of Hong Kong, which you can watch below…
Stephen has also written about his departure from Hong Kong for The Guardian and the Hong Kong Free Press. He was also a guest on BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show, and joined a discussion on the subject of ‘Reporting on the ground in China’.
When I arrived in Hong Kong in 1987 as the Observer’s south-east Asia correspondent, the foreign editor said he saw it as being a base, not the kind of territory that would generate much news but it was a safe place to be, communications were good and I was unlikely to have any visa problems. I thought I might stay a couple of years and move on. Thirty-five years later, I have, with great sadness, moved on and no one in their right mind can possibly assert that Hong Kong is a safe place for journalists… [Guardian]
Vines is the author of, most recently, DEFYING THE DRAGON, published by Hurst Publishers (UK) and Oxford University Press (North America). Here’s the synopsis…
Defying the Dragon tells a remarkable story of audacity: of how the people of Hong Kong challenged the PRC’s authority, just as its president reached the height of his powers. Is Xi’s China as unshakeable as it seems? What are its real interests in Hong Kong? Why are Beijing’s time-honoured means of control no longer working there? And where does this leave Hongkongers themselves?
Stephen Vines has lived in Hong Kong for over three decades. His book shrewdly unpacks the Hong Kong-China relationship and its wider significance — right up to the astonishing convergence of political turmoil and international crisis with Covid-19 and the 2020-21 crackdown.
Vividly describing the uprising from street level, Vines explains how and why it unfolded, and its global repercussions. Now, the international community is reassessing relations with Beijing, just as Hong Kong’s rebellion and China’s handling of the pandemic have exposed the regime’s weakness. In a crisis that has become existential all round, what lies ahead for Hong Kong, China and the world?
Here are just a few of the great reviews the book has received so far…
‘A detailed chronicle of Hong Kong’s fight in the face of repression. Anyone who cares about Hong Kong and China will definitely want to read this book.’ — Joshua Wong, Hong Kong’s most famous democracy advocate
‘A definitive, compelling account of a drama that has gripped the world. Vines interweaves frontline reporting, insights from key players and a local’s knowledge to chronicle Hong Kong’s defiant challenge to the might of Xi Jinping’s China.’ — Philip Sherwell, Asia correspondent, Sunday Times
‘A superb book about Beijing’s ruthless and depressing efforts to stamp out Hong Kong’s freedoms, erode its rule of law and attack its identity as an open society. Vines, a brave and distinguished journalist, sets this sad story of a great international city within the brutal politics of the Chinese regime.’ — Lord Chris Patten, last British governor of Hong Kong
‘One of the most important stories of our times of the fight against authoritarian regimes. The best way to understand China is through the lens of Hong Kong’s struggles.’ — Nathan Law, leading democracy activist
‘A compelling narrative set against two major crises facing China—control of Hong Kong and unprecedented international pushback. With his signature dry wit and razor-sharp pen, Vines skewers Quislings, dysfunctional bureaucracies and self-interested elites, arguing that we shouldn’t bet against Hongkongers just yet.’ — Sharon Hom, Executive Director of Human Rights in China and Adjunct Professor, New York University
‘Written with honesty and integrity, [DEFYING THE DRAGON] chronicles a critical moment in Hong Kong’s history as the city prepares for an unclear future.’ — South China Post Magazine
Today, we’re very happy to be able to share with you all a Forbidden Planet video clip of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel discussing their latest Rivers of London comics story, MONDAY, MONDAY.
The collected edition of MONDAY, MONDAY is due to be published next month (November 30th) by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…
It’s the case of a Swedish Werewolf in London, the unmissable next chapter in the life of full-time cop and part time wizard Peter Grant. Grant works as part of a very special London police unit investigating unusual crimes involving magic and the general weirdness that permeates London’s dark underbelly.
What starts as a routine undercover operation to break up an organised teenage pickpocket gang turns into something far more dangerous when the Metropolitan police are confronted by a Swedish werewolf who’ll stop at nothing to avoid capture. Now it’s up to Peter and his cohort of chums to hunt the deadly lycanthrope and bring him to justice!
Titan Comics also publishes the first eight story arcs in the authors’ Rivers of London series, available now in print and digital editions.
The Rivers of London comics are set in the same universe as Ben’s best-selling, highly acclaimed Rivers of London/Peter Grant novels, which are published widely around the world. (See Ben’s author page for more details on where the books are available.)
This Friday, October 29th, Waterstones Canterbury will be hosting Ben Aaronovitch for an event celebrating the 10th Anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON! The event will see Ben chatting with Mark Stay, and begins at 6:30pm. More details can be found, and tickets bought here.
Ben’s fantasy police procedurals set in a reimagined London have a Pratchett level of subversive wit. They have sold millions. Come and get any of his books signed. He will be interviewed by Mark Stay, whose Crow Folk is a tale of witches, demons, and bellringers in wartime Kent. Think Dads Army, with paranormal activity.
RIVERS OF LONDON is the first novel in Ben’s internationally best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Del Rey (as MIDNIGHT RIOT), and widely in translation. Here’s the synopsis…
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 voluble, 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.
Today, we wanted to share a recent FanFiAddict interview with J. T. Greathouse, whose debut novel THE HAND OF THE SUN KING was published earlier this month in the UK, by Gollancz. It’s the first novel in the Pact & Pattern series, and has received some fantastic reviews. Here’s the synopsis…
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path… a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves…
Here are just a few of the great reviews THE HAND OF THE SUN KING has received so far…
‘HAND OF THE SUN KING is an exotic, original fantasy filled with magic and culture, the story of a character torn between two names, two loyalties, and two definitions of good and evil.’ — Kevin J. Anderson
‘Sublime prose and pin-sharp characterisation combined to produce a captivating epic of conflicted loyalties and dangerous ambition’ — Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author
‘Hands down the best debut of the year. Scratch that; this is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read’ — Novel Notions
‘THE HAND OF THE SUN KING fundamentally explores the right to make our own choices in life, to make sacrifices to serve the greater good and to use power to uplift the oppressed. Greathouse delivers a debut full of complexities, passion and grace, and I’m already longing for more.’ — Fantasy Hive
‘An excellent mix of classic and modern fantasy with a grimdark undertone of despair.’ — Grimdark Magazine
‘Add in a very cool magic system with weighty consequences, a cast of meaningful, well-developed characters, and a lush world that carefully considers its lore, economic struggles, and religious history, it’s easy for me to call THE HAND OF THE SUN KING one of my top reads of 2021.’ (10/10) — Fantasy Book Review
‘JT Greathouse shows no first-time jitters wit his impressive and compelling debut novel… Greathouse casts an engrossing spell, establishing himself as an exciting new voice in epic fantasy.’ — SFX Magazine
Zeno represents J. T. Greathouse in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Today, we wanted to share with you two interview clips featuring Ben Aaronovitch. The first, above, is from his Cymera Festival event, in which he discusses supernatural crime fiction with Adam Simcox and Jacky Collins.
The second clip, below, is a short clip from the Graham Norton Book Club, in which Ben is joined by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith to discuss the Peter Grant series (which Kobna has narrated since the beginning).
Gollancz recently published the 10th Anniversary edition of Ben’s first novel in the series, RIVERS OF LONDON. A great collector’s edition for fans of the series, as well as a great place to start for newcomers!
Today, we wanted to share with you a recent interviews withNick Martell, in case you missed it. Nick was interviewed by Middle Fantasy to mark the release of the second novel in his epic, acclaimed Legacy of the Mercenary Kings fantasy series. The first two books — THE KINGDOM OF LIARS and THE TWO-FACED QUEEN — are out now, published by Gollancz in the UK. Here’s the synopsis for the first book, in case it had escaped your notice…
Michael was branded a traitor and his family exiled from courtly life after his father, David Kingman, murdered the king’s nine-year-old son.
Now he survives by conning, cheating and duelling minor royals in a weak attempt to strike back at the world that abandoned him and his family, sure all the while that his father must be innocent… and aware that some powerful secret lurks in the hot white emptiness of his mind.
So when the opportunity arrives to return to court, via the most dangerous of the King’s royal council, Michael takes it, hoping for clues to unlock his hidden past. Instead, he’s going to find a royal family spiralling into a self-serving dictatorship, as beyond the walls gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia.
But if he can find his way to the truth, he could completely reverse the injustices which rule the Hollows… if Michael and his family can survive long enough to see it…
The third book, THE VOYAGE OF THE FORGOTTEN, is due to be published in May 2022.
Here are just a few of the reviews the series has received so far…
‘An excellent fantasy debut, with engaging worldbuilding and a good mix between action and character. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, and look forward to following Nick’s sure-to-be lengthy writing career.’ —Brandon Sanderson on THE KINGDOM OF LIARS
‘A symphony of loyalty, greed, family, and betrayal set in an innovative culture!’ — Tamora Pierce on THE KINGDOM OF LIARS
‘… impressive and highly ambitious epic fantasy debut… Martell’s portrayal of his protagonist’s growth, from a cocksure chancer to a mature adult sobered by his discoveries, is just as impressive as the twisty plot.’ — Guardian
‘THE KINGDOM OF LIARS is a tale of family, loyalty and leaving a legacy that none shall forget. This is certainly a book that you won’t be able to put down, and will linger with you long after you’ve read the last page.’ — Fantasy Hive
‘Martell’s taut, clever debut tells of rebellion and regicide in a world where the use of magic comes at the cost of one’s memories… Though the abundance of characters becomes overwhelming at times, their political maneuvers and varied motivations form a satisfying web. This smart, briskly told high fantasy entertains all the way until the unexpected end.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE KINGDOM OF LIARS
‘Simply put, this series is a masterclass in grand-scale storytelling. The future of epic fantasy is here—and this saga is it.’ —Kirkus on THE TWO-FACED QUEEN
‘In an ominous start to THE TWO-FACED QUEEN, Michael Kingman is presumed guilty of murdering the king, and is only alive because the Orbis Mercenary company claimed him as one of their own at the conclusion of The Kingdom of Liars (2020). Michael has information but is desperately seeking evidence regarding Prince Davey’s death a decade earlier to prove his family’s innocence. He’s also reconnecting with his mother after her stay in an asylum, and is dealing with recovered memories he had lost to a dark fabrication, learning how his nullification fabrications work. There are complications, though: the sudden appearance of his grandfather with a band of refugees; the return of a serial killer whom Michael’s mentor, Dark, had defeated years before; a hired assassin with an unclear target; and a Recorder who is convinced that the Kingman family’s history of protecting Hollow and the royal family is overstated. As Michael’s own knowledge expands, Martell weaves in hints about the broader world, offering the possibility of future books in this inventive fantasy setting.’ — Booklist
‘THE TWO-FACED QUEEN delivers everything an awesome sequel should, far surpassing the first while expanding on the world in surprising and often gut-wrenching ways. Make sure it’s on your radars!’ — Jeremy Szal
‘For readers who love the intrigue and widening scope of epic fantasy like Sanderson’s Mistborn and Week’s The Black Prism, this is your next must-read fantasy series.’ — Broken Binding on THE TWO-FACED QUEEN
Zeno represents Nick Martell in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Just a very quick post with three dates for your diaries. Over the next couple of week, Ben Aaronovitch will be taking part in three events to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON! The first novel in his best-selling, acclaimed Peter Grant series, here’s the synopsis (in case you’ve missed it somehow)…
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 voluble, 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 first event is in just two days (July 29th), as part of the Cymera Online Book Festival. Ben will be joined by fellow Gollancz author Adam Simcox to talk all things supernatural crime and mystery! Full details can be found here (where you can also buy tickets).
On August 5th, Ben will be hosted by Highgate Library for Books and Beyond, discussing RIVERS OF LONDON, the series, and the latest book WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER. Tickets and details here.
And last, but by no means least, on August 10th Chatham Library will host Ben for another discussion to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON. It’s a free event, and as the poster below recommends, give them a call to reserve your seat(s)!
RIVERS OF LONDON and the other books in the series are published in the UK by Gollancz. The first novel was published in North America as MIDNIGHT RIOT, and the series is published by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-), and Subterranean Press (novellas). The series has also been published widely in translations (see Ben’s page for more details).
In case you missed it, we wanted to share the interview Grady Hendrix did for Forbidden Planet TV, which you can watch above, celebrating the imminent release of THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP. The novel is due to be published by Titan Books in the UK next week! Here’s the synopsis…
In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?
Lynnette Tarkington survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette’s worst fears are realized — someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.
But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.
Just as a reminder, the novel is available to pre-order in limited editions from Waterstones and Forbidden Planet.
Here are just a few of great reviews the novel has received already…
‘A wildly entertaining romp through the conventions of horror’s slasher film subgenre… Hendrix masterfully evokes the paranoid existences of his diverse cast in the aftermath of their traumatic ordeals, and he so explicitly details the massacres and fictional film sagas that grew out of them that readers may believe them to be real. The result is a wonderfully suspenseful and darkly comic novel that cleverly subverts popular culture.Horror fans will be wowed.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
‘Hendrix presents yet another thought-provoking, fun, and chilling winner.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)
‘A bloody and grotesque but ultimately entertaining and inspiring take on horror movies, trauma, and self-determination.’ — Kirkus
‘[An] entertaining, fast-paced, and darkly humorous novel that reads like a sequel to a spooky ’80s horror flick.’ — Booklist
‘THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP sizzles with action, originality, and a gleaming concept sharp as a scalpel.’ — Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author
‘Pray for morning, wish for speed, and be as quiet as you can, it doesn’t matter — Grady Hendrix’s THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP already knows where you live and breathe.’ — Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Only Good Indians
‘Take slasher movie adoration, critique, and satire, mix with compelling, flawed characters and neck-breaking plot twists, and drop it all into an industrial blender with large blades. Voilà, you now have Grady’s maniacally clever and compulsively readable The Final Girl Support Group.’ — Paul Tremblay, National bestselling author of Survivor Song
‘A (bloody) valentine to the slasher franchises of the VHS era, but also a smart novel about survivor guilt and the concept of the enduring heroine.’ — Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula
Zeno represents Grady Hendrix in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
Next Thursday, July 8th, J. T. Greathouse will be taking part in an event with Brian Staveley. Hosted by the Broken Binding, it’s a free event — however, you should reserve your spot ASAP, here.
J. T. Greathouse’s debut novel, THE HAND OF THE SUN KING is due to be published by Gollancz in the UK, on August 5th, 2021. The first book in the Pact and Pattern series, here’s the synopsis…
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path… a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves…
Here are just a few reviews the novel has received so far…
‘THE HAND OF THE SUN KING fundamentally explores the right to make our own choices in life, to make sacrifices to serve the greater good and to use power to uplift the oppressed. Greathouse delivers a debut full of complexities, passion and grace, and I’m already longing for more.’ — Fantasy Hive
‘Sublime prose and pin-sharp characterisation combined to produce a captivating epic of conflicted loyalties and dangerous ambition’ — Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author
‘Hands down the best debut of the year. Scratch that; this is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read’ — Novel Notions
‘A great coming of age story about a foolish boy who seeks to unravel the secrets of magic and maybe do something good in the process. I absolutely loved it’ — Nick Martell
‘An excellent mix of classic and modern fantasy with a grimdark undertone of despair.’ — Grimdark Magazine
Zeno represents J. T. Greathouse in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
In case you missed it, Aliette de Bodard took part in this year’s TorCon 2021! Specifically, the author contributed to the ‘Conjuring the Diaspora: Myths, Legends, and Classics Reimagined’ panel (which you can watch above), and also a ‘Cooking the Books’ segment (below).
Aliette’s latest book is FIREHEART TIGER, an acclaimed fantasy novella published by Tor.com. Here’s the synopsis…
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate — and her own?
Here are just a handful of the reviews FIREHEART TIGER has received so far…
‘[A] high-stakes lesbian love triangle in this tightly plotted fantasy novella… convincingly combines sex, politics, and betrayal. This is an ideal pick for fantasy fans longing for non-European settings.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘FIREHEART TIGER… is a delicate novella with threads of imperial politics, magical beings, queer romance and the psychology of trauma. It’s a bit of a miracle to feel as if you’ve read a six-book fantasy series in so few pages. This book is elegant and hypnotic as the flame of a candle, and I’ll be thinking for some time about the shadows it throws into relief.’ — New York Times Book Review
‘A fascinating story filled with strong female characters and lush prose, the relationships woven around Thanh evolve into themes of reclaiming the self and recognizing that love can hide the truth about people… a story of love, power, and what burns within. Highly recommended.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)
‘De Bodard…, as she so often does, packs the world-building and emotional punch of an epic into a shockingly slim novella. This touching romance with the delicate negotiations of a small country’s survival against an imperial adversary would be a lovely place to start with de Bodard’s work, and fans will find more of what they’ve come to love about her stories.’ — Booklist
