Category: Author Interviews

This Thursday: Ian Tregillis Discusses “Creating a Character” with Turkish Fantasy Fans!

Posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2020

This Thursday (November 26th) Ian Tregillis is taking part (virtually) in the Kara Hafta İstanbul Festivali (Blackweek Festival) in Turkey! Specifically, he’ll be hosted for a discussion about Creating a Character (Bir Kahraman Yaratmak).

The event will start at 8:30pm, Istanbul time, and last for about an hour.

THE MECHANICAL, the first novel in Ian’s latest series, the Alchemy Wars, is published in Turkey by April Yayıncılık as MEKANIK, here’s the synopsis…

Adım Jax.

Bu ismi bana efendilerim bahşetti.

Ben bir köleyim.

Şimdilik.

Spekülatif kurmacanın usta yazarı Ian Tregillis’le tanışın.

Fonda felsefi punk gösterisi var.

Karşınızdaysa simya düşleri, mekanik adamlar ve olası gelecek.

Asimov’un izinde Tregillis, robotiksle tarihi kurmacayı birleştiriyor.

Özgür irade ve insanlığı sorguluyor.

Mekanik yalnızca bir başlangıç.

To celebrate the Turkish release of the novel, Ian recorded a short introductory video, which you can watch below…

The Alchemy Wars series is out now in the UK and North America, published by Orbit Books: THE MECHANICAL, THE RISING, and THE LIBERATION. Here’s the English-language synposis for the first book…

My name is Jax.

That is the name granted to me by my human masters.

I am a slave.

But I shall be free.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, the new novel from Ian Tregillis confirms his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

The Alchemy Wars is one of the most widely-praised fantasy series of the past decade. If, however, you’re not sure you want to dive into a full-length novel, then we recommend you check out the prequel novella — COME THE REVOLUTION — which was published in a recent issue of the Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine. (We’re pretty sure you’ll finish that and want to pick up the novels right away.)

If you’re looking for more of Ian’s novels, Orbit Books also publishes his first trilogy, the critically-acclaimed Milkweed Triptych, in the UK: BITTER SEEDS, THE COLDEST WAR, and NECESSARY EVIL.

Zeno represents Ian Tregillis in the UK and in Translation, on behalf of Aurous, Inc.

Next Week: Brandon Sanderson’s Waterstone’s RHYTHM OF WAR Event!

Posted on Friday, November 13th, 2020

Next week, on November 18th, Waterstones are hosting Brandon Sanderson for a virtual event to celebrate the release of RHYTHM OF WAR! The highly-anticipated fourth novel in Brandon’s acclaimed Stormlight Archive series, it is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz. Here’s the synopsis…

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.

Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.

There are two options for the event, which will be held via Zoom: there is a special Ticket & Book option available to people in the UK, which includes a copy of the book as well as a ticket for the virtual event (£25). For everyone else, there is also an option for just the event ticket (£5). From Waterstones:

The Ticket & Book option is UK delivery only, please do not choose this option if you do not have a valid UK postal address as you will not receive the book and may still be charged. Books will be posted after the event, which will be after publication date.

Waterstones are also offering a limited number of signed editions of RHYTHM OF WAR, which can be ordered here.

Gollancz has published all of the Stormlight Archive books in the UK, as well as a whole host of Brandon’s other acclaimed and best-selling novels and novellas — including the fan-favourite Mistborn series.

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

ICYMI: Ben Aaronovitch Interview

Posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2020

In case you missed it, yesterday Ben Aaronovitch was interviewed by Wellington City Libraries! You can watch the wide-ranging interview above, in which he answers reader questions and discusses his novels, Doctor Who, and more. Enjoy!

Ben’s latest book is the best-selling, critically-acclaimed FALSE VALUE, the eighth novel in his Peter Grant/Rivers of London series. It is published in the UK and Commonwealth by Gollancz, in North America by DAW Books, and in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant is facing fatherhood, and an uncertain future, with equal amounts of panic and enthusiasm.

Leaving his old police life behind, he takes a job with Silicon Valley tech genius Terrence Skinner’s new London start up: the Serious Cybernetics Corporation.

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 the Met’s first trainee wizard in fifty years…

Because a secret is hiding somewhere in the building. 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 twice as dangerous.

ICYMI: Lavie Tidhar Discusses BY FORCE ALONE with Ian McDonald

Posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2020

A few weeks ago, Lavie Tidhar was invited to take part in an online event by Chevaliers Books, to discuss his latest, acclaimed novel BY FORCE ALONE. Fellow Zeno client Ian McDonald joined him for the discussion, and you can watch the video above.

BY FORCE ALONE is out now, published by Tor Books in North America and Head of Zeus in the UK. Here’s the synopsis…

Everyone thinks they know the story of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.

The fact is they don’t know sh*t.

Arthur? An over-promoted gangster.
Merlin? An eldritch parasite.
Excalibur? A shady deal with a watery arms dealer.
Britain? A clogged sewer that Rome abandoned just as soon as it could.

A savage and cutting epic fantasy, equally poetic and profane, By Force Alone is a magical adventure and a subversive masterwork.

Here’s just a small selection taken from the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Tidhar saturates this epic adventure with profanity, dark humor, sword-sharp twists, and unexpected moments of pathos. Readers who hold King Arthur dear to their hearts will be gratified by Tidhar’s attention to detail amidst the innovation. This dark, imaginative take on a classic is sure to impress.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Sometimes while reading a Lavie Tidhar novel, there comes a point when you feel like he’s grabbed the wheel, grinning as he drives you aggressively into oncoming traffic and somehow pulls off moves that by all rights ought to be fatal… BY FORCE ALONE – a phrase that recurs like a mantra throughout the narrative, reminding us that power is never really a matter of heritage or destiny – serves as a reminder that Arthur is a moveable feast, infinitely adaptable even to the era of Brexit and Trump. If Tidhar’s version seems pretty bleak, even as its endless inventiveness makes it undeniably exhilarating, that may simply be a reflection of where we all find ourselves these days.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘There are no parfit gentil knights in Lavie Tidhar’s Arthurian epic fantasy… It is a vicious, beautiful, profane and wickedly funny reimagining of the rise and fall of King Arthur without the chivalry, divine right or holy quests… This kind of retelling offers a wealth of opportunity to examine aspects of the familiar story in a completely new light, and is both exciting and enormously satisfying to read… The prose style is half of what makes the book so powerful. Tidhar is both clean and poetic, elegantly sparse but deeply evocative. Every phrase is load-bearing. The profanity serves its purpose. He switches between point-of-view characters and authorial voice seamlessly, using short almost-choppy sentences to give a sense of inevitable forward movement, events lensing into one another. The frequent references to Greek philosophy in the narration both serve to underline the post-Roman intellectual landscape of the time and to create a kind of distance between the reader and the text, which increases that slightly dreamy sense of inexorable direction. This story is going to happen; the terrible ending is going to occur, and we — and the characters — are swept along with it.’ — Washington Post

‘Lavie Tidhar’s BY FORCE ALONE gives us an Arthur for the Brexit era: A tyrant in lieu of a king, brute violence in lieu of gallant feats, undisguised venality in lieu of chivalric ideals. This is the Matter of Britain become the Matter with Britain… For all the bleakness and cynicism of his story, Tidhar’s profligate invention makes BY FORCE ALONE a joy… Lavie Tidhar’s joke on the Matter of Britain is a great one. And if the laughter catches in your throat, that just means you’ve been paying attention to the book, and to the world.’ — Tor.com

Ian McDonald’s latest series, Luna, is also out now and published by Tor Books in North America. The series is published in the UK by Gollancz (covers below). Here’s the synopsis for book one, 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.

Vector Readings featuring Ian R. MacLeod!

Posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2020

Just a quick post to share this video of Ian R. MacLeod reading from his work, published as part of the Vector Reading Series!

Ian is the acclaimed author of a great many novels, short stories and more. Many of Ian’s books have recently been re-issued via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

10 Minutes with James P. Blaylock

Posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2020

James P. Blaylock joins the growing number of Zeno clients who have guested on Jonathan Strahan’s excellent ’10 Minutes With’ series on the Coode Street Podcast. The episode is embedded above, or you can find it on your regular podcast app.

James P. Blaylock is the author of, most recently, THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY — a new Langdon St. Ives novella, published by Subterranean Press in North America and Limited Edition Hardcover, and by JABberwocky elsewhere. Here’s the synopsis…

For more than thirty years, James P. Blaylock has enthralled and delighted readers with a series of stories, novels and novellas featuring Langdon St. Ives, adventurer, man of science, Victorian gentleman. The best of these, such as Beneath London, Lord Kelvin’s Machine, andThe Aylesford Skull are among the most stylish, consistently witty entertainments of recent years. The Gobblin’ Society, the latest episode in St. Ives’s colorful career, belongs very much in that company.

The story begins with an inheritance. Following a protracted legal battle, Alice St. Ives, Langdon’s wife, has come into full possession of Seaward, the house left to her by her late Uncle Godfrey, a man with a number of bizarre proclivities. Heartened by this good fortune, Alice, Langdon and their surrogate son Finn prepare to take possession of the house. From this point forward, events spin out of control, taking on a madcap logic of their own that is exhilarating and — in typical Blaylock fashion — often quite funny. 

What follows is, in a sense, a tale of two houses. The first, of course, is Seaward, a “rambling, eccentric old house” with it its history, its secrets, its priceless accumulation of volumes of arcane lore. The other is a neighboring house known, for good reasons, as “Gobblin’ Manor,” home base of The Gobblin’ Society, a “culinary establishment” with its own peculiar — and very dark — traditions. In the course of an event filled few days, St. Ives and his cohorts will encounter smuggling, mesmerism, kidnapping, cannibalism and murder. It is, in other words, a typical — and typically eccentric — Langdon St. Ives adventure.

Like its predecessors, this latest extravaganza is fast-paced, unpredictable, and a thorough delight to read. Few novelists evoke the essence of Victorian England as successfully as Blaylock. Fewer still bring such wit, style, and propulsive narrative talents to the task. In The Gobblin’ Society, Blaylock has given vibrant new life to one of his signature creations. The result is a gift both for Blaylock’s longtime fans, and for newcomers lucky enough to come along for this astonishing — and thoroughly enjoyable — ride.

Blaylock’s Langdon St. Ives novels are published in the UK and North America by Titan Books, and his novellas are published by Subterranean Press (North America) and JABberwocky (elsewhere in English).

Other clients who have appeared on the show include Lavie Tidhar, Aliette de Bodard, Ian McDonald, and also Zeno Managing Director John Berlyne.

10 Minutes with Aliette de Bodard, and an OF DRAGONS, FEASTS AND MURDERS Reading

Posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

Today, we wanted to draw your attention to two bits of Aliette de Bodard-related media. First, Aliette was recently a guest on Jonathan Strahan’s Coode Street Podcast 10 Minutes With series. You can listen to that episode below…

John Berlyne, Lavie Tidhar and Ian McDonald have also been guests on the podcast’s 10 Minutes With series.

Secondly, the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club has shared a video of Aliette reading from her latest book, the Dominion of the Fallen novella OF DRAGONS, FEASTS AND MURDER! Check it out…

The book is due to be published by JABberwocky on July 7th, 2020.

The Dominion of the Fallen novels are published by Gollancz in the UK, Roc Books (#1-2) and JABberwocky (#3) in North America, and in a growing number of translated editions. They are also available as audiobooks.

John Berlyne Interviewed on Coode Street Podcast!

Posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

Zeno Managing Director and Agent John Berlyne has been interviewed for Jonathan Strahan’s Coode Street Podcast! Part of the “10 Minutes With” series of episodes, it is intended to bring together ‘readers and booklovers from around the world talk about what they’re reading right now and what’s getting them through these difficult times.’

The episode covers a lot of ground (it is actually over 30 minutes), many books, and the state of publishing today.

We hope you enjoy the interview!

If you’d like more Zeno-related podcast goodness, both Ian McDonald and Lavie Tidhar have also also been guests for the 10 Minutes With series…

Ian is the author of, most recently, the critically-acclaimed Luna series, published by Tor Books (North America), Gollancz (UK) and Tor.com (prequel novella).

Lavie is the author of, most recently BY FORCE ALONE — out now in the UK, published by Head of Zeus; and due to be published in North America by Tor Books in August. He is also the author of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND and THE VIOLENT CENTURY, which are published in North America and in the UK by Tachyon Publications.

‘Ten Minutes with Lavie Tidhar’ Podcast Interview

Posted on Friday, May 1st, 2020

A little while ago, Jonathan Strahan interviewed Lavie Tidhar for Coode Street’s “Ten Minutes With…” series of podcast episodes. You can listen to the interview on the podcast’s website, but we’ve also embedded the interview below…

Lavie’s latest novel, the acclaimed BY FORCE ALONE, is out now in the UK (Head of Zeus) and due to be published in North America in August 2020 (Tor Books). In case you’ve missed the coverage, here’s the synopsis…

Britannia, AD 535.

The Romans have gone. While their libraries smoulder, roads decay and cities crumble, men with swords pick over civilisation’s carcass, slaughtering and being slaughtered in turn.

This is the story of just such a man. Like the others, he had a sword. He slew until slain. Unlike the others, we remember him. We remember King Arthur.

This is the story of a land neither green nor pleasant. An eldritch isle of deep forest and dark fell haunted by swaithes, boggarts and tod-lowries, Robin-Goodfellows and Jenny Greenteeths, and predators of rarer appetite yet.

This is the story of a legend forged from a pack of self-serving, turd-gilding, weasel-worded lies told to justify foul deeds and ill-gotten gains.

This is the story – viscerally entertaining, ominously subversive and poetically profane – of a Dark Age myth that shaped a nation.

Here’s just a small selection of the aforementioned acclaim for BY FORCE ALONE…

‘Drawing on everything from wushu movies to The Wire by way of Tarkovsky and Tarantino, BY FORCE ALONE is wild, surprising and entertaining, and a hugely immersive read.’ — M.R. Carey

‘A twisted Arthur retelling mixing the historical and the magical with a very modern eye. Brutal and vicious, funny, Peaky Blinders of the Round Table.’ — Adrian Tchaikovsky

‘Profane, hilarious, brutal… kills as both sheer entertainment and canny political statement. To my fellow writers: the Arthurian Revision category is now closed. Take your ball and go home.’ — Daryl Gregory

‘Uther is a chancer and a shagger… [Arthur] is ruthless in pursuit of power… His Lancelot… is a ninja warrior, his Guinevere a killer — the writer is clearly having fun… Tidhar never lands direct political punches… but the very tone and shape of the book are a reminder that we need to treat national myths with caution… this is a novel that demands your attention and proves that sometimes when a writer has the audacity to revisit stories that others would avoid for fear of over-familiarity, they can steal the power of the oldest tales.’ — SFX (4.5*/5)

‘A violent, funny, absurd epic – Tidhar remains an utterly original voice in contemporary fiction.’ — Daniel Polansky

‘Tidhar saturates this epic adventure with profanity, dark humor, sword-sharp twists, and unexpected moments of pathos. Readers who hold King Arthur dear to their hearts will be gratified by Tidhar’s attention to detail amidst the innovation. This dark, imaginative take on a classic is sure to impress.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Lavie Tidhar has built a career out of not playing it safe. Over the last decade he has written bold, provocative novels… with a flair for metafiction and inspired by the pulps (both hard-boiled and genre)… given the political nature of his work, it’s not entirely surprising that he would shift his focus to the question of nationalism and Brexit… with his latest novel, BY FORCE ALONE, Tidhar takes a mythology the English hold dear, the legend of King Arthur, and goes to town with it… For all its foul language and radical deconstruction, of which I’ve provided only a taste (you should see what Tidhar does with the Holy Grail), BY FORCE ALONE isn’t a desecration of the Arthurian romances. Instead, he pays homage to the writers and poets – Robert Wace, Chretien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach, and Thomas Mallory (just to name a few) – who took their turn in adapting and refining Monmouth’s text… BY FORCE ALONE is a jolt of pure entertainment, a brilliant, revisionist blend of magic, crime syndicates and Kung-fu knights.’ — Locus

‘The novel is a bloody, bravura performance, which Tidhar pulls off with graphic imagery and modern vernacular… a salutary antidote to the more romantic glossings of recent modern fantasy.’ — Guardian

Check out this video of Ben Aaronovitch at Prague Comic-Con!

Posted on Thursday, February 13th, 2020

A few days ago, Ben Aaronovitch attended Prague’s Comic-Con! Ben’s Peter Grant series, published by Argo, has been very well received by the Czech public. To celebrate, he was interviewed for the event.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to embed the video, but you can watch it at Česká televize’s website. Ben’s portion of the clip begins at the 1:57 mark. (The clip is not in English, but Ben is clearly audible under the translation.)

Not only that, but the first eight books in the Peter Grant series are now available in a collected box set, also published by Argo!

Argo has published the first eight books in the series (including the novella THE FURTHEST STATION), as well as the first two story-arcs of the Rivers of London comic series (co-written with Andrew Cartmel).

Book Tour Details for Ben Aaronovitch’s FALSE VALUE Release!

Posted on Saturday, February 1st, 2020

To celebrate the release of FALSE VALUE, the highly-anticipated eighth Peter Grant novel, Ben Aaronovitch is embarking on an extensive book tour in the UK!

First up, though, the book is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz on February 20th. 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.

And here are the UK Tour dates…!

February 16th…

February 17th…

February 18th…

February 19th…

February 20th (Official Release Day!)…

February 21st…

February 22nd…

February 23rd…

February 24th…

February 27th…

February 28th…

North American fans of the novel will have to wait until the following week (February 25th) to get their hands on the novel, published by DAW Books.

Next Weekend: Andrew Hodges Event!

Posted on Friday, September 13th, 2019

Next Sunday, September 22nd, Andrew Hodges will be at MK Lit Fest! The author of the best-selling biography ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, Andrew will be in conversation with Sir Dermot Turing, Alan Turing’s nephew. The event is ticketed, and you can find more information about it, here.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is out now, published by Vintage in the UK and Princeton University Press in the US. The biography was also the basis for the Oscar-winning movie, THE IMITATION GAME.

Alan Turing was the mathematician whose cipher-cracking transformed the Second World War. Taken on by British Intelligence in 1938, as a shy young Cambridge don, he combined brilliant logic with a flair for engineering. In 1940 his machines were breaking the Enigma-enciphered messages of Nazi Germany’s air force. He then headed the penetration of the super-secure U-boat communications.

But his vision went far beyond this achievement. Before the war he had invented the concept of the universal machine, and in 1945 he turned this into the first design for a digital computer.

Turing’s far-sighted plans for the digital era forged ahead into a vision for Artificial Intelligence. However, in 1952 his homosexuality rendered him a criminal and he was subjected to humiliating treatment. In 1954, aged 41, Alan Turing took his own life.

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

‘A first-rate presentation of the life of a first-rate scientific mind… it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful and warm biography than this one.’ — New York Times Book Review

‘One of the finest scientific biographies I’ve ever read: authoritative, superbly researched, deeply sympathetic and beautifully told.’ — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

‘Andrew Hodge’s book is of exemplary scholarship and sympathy. Intimate, perceptive and insightful, it’s also the most readable biography I’ve picked up in some time.’ — Time Out

‘One of the finest scientific biographies ever written.’ — New Yorker

‘This rather shadowy figure has now finally been lifted into the light of day… it has to be said that Andrew Hodges has put together an extraordinary story.’ — Sunday Telegraph

‘Life and work are both made enthralling by Hodges, himself a scientist.’ — Sunday Times

‘Andrew Hodges, in this fine biography… brings Turing the thinker and Turing the man alive for the reader and thus allows us all to share in the privilege of knowing him.’ — Financial Times

Anne Griffin interviewed for Audible Sessions! WHEN ALL IS SAID also a Waterstones Book of the Month!

Posted on Friday, July 12th, 2019

Anne Griffin — the author of the critically-acclaimed, best-selling debut WHEN ALL IS SAID — has been interviewed for Audible’s Sessions series of author interviews. You can get the interview, for free, direct from Audible (UK, US).

Joining us at Audible Studios is Anne Griffin, debut author of the next great Irish novel, When All Is Said.   

Griffin’s novel depicts an Irish farmer who orders five drinks over the course of one night to toast each of the five most important people in his life. His life is laid bare, in its loves and feuds, regrets and triumphs, all through the five people who have left him behind.   

We spoke about her inspiration for the book, her literary career so far and what her plans are for the future. 

WHEN ALL IS SAID was recently released in paperback in the UK and Ireland (Sceptre), and is a Waterstones Book of the Month!

It is also available in hardcover in the US (St. Martin’s Press). It is also, of course, available in audiobook formats in both territories. The novel has also been conquering other territories, and has been released in a number of translated editions (with more on the way!).

Here’s the 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 some of the great responses to the novel 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

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

‘Beautifully written, unhurried and thoughtful, a lonely man truthfully wrought and a character you love from the off, in spite of his flaws or maybe because of them… a terrific debut.’ — Kit de Waal, award-winning author of My Name is Leon

‘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

‘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

‘Pitch-perfect prose… Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut.’ — Mail on Sunday

‘It’s all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book.’ 5* — Sunday Express

‘A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful.’ — Grazia

This Friday: Anne Griffin will be at Cork World Book Fest!

Posted on Wednesday, April 24th, 2019

Just a quick announcement/reminder, to let you know that Anne Griffin will be at Cork World Book Fest this Friday (26th) at 8pm! Anne will be taking the stage with Kit de Waal and in conversation with Paul McVeigh.

Anne is the author of WHEN ALL IS SAID, the best-selling, critically-acclaimed debut novel. de Waal was one of the first people to read and praise the novel, describing it as ‘Beautifully written… a terrific debut.’

The novel is out now in the UK and Ireland, published by Sceptre. Here’s the 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.

The novel has also been published in North America (Thomas Dunne Books), France (Delcourt Littérature) and the Netherlands (Harper Collins).

Here is just some of the aforementioned critical acclaim that WHEN ALL IS SAID has received…

‘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

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

‘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

‘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