Category: Random Stuff

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.

Freda Warrington on the JEWELFIRE TRILOGY

Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2020

Today, we have a short piece by Freda Warrington, who reflects upon her Jewelfire Trilogy. Originally published by Earthlight (Simon & Schuster), the series is also now available as audiobooks via Audible:

  1. THE AMBER CITADEL (1999)
  2. THE SAPPHIRE THRONE (2000)
  3. THE OBSIDIAN TOWER (2001)

*

Meet the Bhahdradomen:

They consume life to the bare bones, even consume space itself, but at the end of it they are still thin, still hungry.

It’s strange to reflect on backlist books that came out around 20 years ago. I came across parts I don’t even remember writing! And the thought process that brought them to fruition is hazed by time. While I’ve written in different subgenres, the Jewelfire series is my only truly traditional Fat Fantasy Trilogy – well, we all have to write one, don’t we?

After writing various other things – vampires, supernatural, one-offs and contemporary fantasy fiction – various factors made me decide it was trilogy time. And I wanted to make mine a bit different, not the usual fare of elves, wizards and dark lords. Of course there has been an explosion of fantasy series since then, in every possible permutation – not least “grimdark”, which covers all the pearl-clutching territory where Tolkien dared not tread – but 20-something years ago, I suspect that different approaches were thinner on the ground. THE AMBER CITADEL of course has a dark lord, but is he truly evil or trying to regain territory that his people, the Bhadradomen, lost in battle centuries ago? And this land, Aventuria, has a king who is not lost but who has lost the plot, to put it mildly. Here’s a short summary of the story:

Two hundred and fifty years ago, humans defeated the shape-changing Bhahdradomen in the War of the Silver Plains. Although they are exiled, the shapechangers’ hatred and jealousy of humans live on. Now, in the failings of a human king, they find a way to assuage that hatred. Meanwhile a third race, the mysterious Aelyr, although they also consider the Bhahdradomen enemies, keep apart from human realms.

Tanthe and Ysomir are sisters, living in the village of Riverwynde, two thousand miles from the capital city Parione. While Ysomir is in love with Lynden, son of the village leader, Tanthe is bored with rural life and longs for the wonders of Parione. But the growing madness of King Garnelys and the Bhahdradomen’s wiles soon lead to terrible events, the abduction of Ysomir, and the beginning of a long journey for Tanthe, Lynden and his brother Rufryd, as they set out for the Amber Citadel of Parione.

THE AMBER CITADEL was well received. It was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel 1999, and Waterstone’s review magazine described it as, ‘By far the best mainstream fantasy I’ve read this year!’

THE SAPPHIRE THRONE – Book Two. I really enjoyed writing this book. It’s not a volume of filler between books one and three; on the contrary, all the characters are on voyages of discovery and meanwhile… the Bhahdradomen are rising! Because I didn’t have to build the story to a monumental climax – I still had the final novel to do all that – I was more relaxed in the writing of it and I think my enjoyment shows. Quick summary:

The destinies of Tanthe and Ysomir, sisters whose journeys from their village home of Riverwynde had a massive impact on the war, have driven them apart. Ysomir is held in the Citadel, accused of murder. Tanthe is pulled through a portal to the realm of the mysterious Aelyr who have schemes of their own. Rufryd, meanwhile, rages against the world and becomes Helananthe’s ambassador to the Bhahdradomen on the island of Vexor, where a terrifying fate awaits him.

This also received some approving comments, despite Tanthe not always making the best decisions! David Langford wrote, ‘Warrington plays ironic games with fantasyland expectations… Even the traditional quest for a cache of ultimate weapons against evil goes unexpectedly awry… By the end, after multiple betrayals, Aventuria is in blacker trouble than ever. Warrington’s trickiness and energy breathe life into the sometimes tired genre of mainstream commercial fantasy.’ And a reviewer from Helensbookshelf.co.uk also enjoyed the adventure: ‘The story is exciting and well paced and Freda Warrington throws surprises in almost every chapter. She turns the expected fantasy storylines on their heads and writes something a bit different with a strong personality – often sorely lacking in the fantasy realm. The ending leaves things in such a desperate state I NEED to get my hands on the next book to find out what happens.’

There wasn’t too long to wait for Book Three, THE OBSIDIAN TOWER. All seems lost, of course:

The shape-changing Bhahdradomen have invaded their lands and usurped their Queen, aided by the Aelyr lord Falthorn. Queen Helananthe has been forced to stand down or see the deaths of her mother and brother.

Tanthe, imprisoned with her friends in the Amber Citadel, must face great peril as they make desperate plans to escape. But even if they succeed, her sister Ysomir is still imprisoned at the mercy of the terrifying Bhahdradomen leader, Vaurgroth. One by one all strands of hope are cut. Deserted by allies, betrayed by Falthorn’s dark machinations, the Nine Realms appear doomed. Human, Aelyr and shape-shifter alike are haunted by visions of the final portent, the mysterious Obsidian Tower; a Bhahdradomen myth, a place that may or may not exist, and the heart of Tanthe’s darkest fears.

Here it is, then, the grand climax of the trilogy, which weighs in at a whopping 708 pages! I think I produced a fitting end to the story… I certainly put heart and soul into it. If there’s anything I’d change about this book – without spoilers – I would make the ending rather less bleak. I think I went too far with one of the characters. However, maybe I should stick to my guns; after all, in real life, untimely and tragic deaths do happen. In mitigation, I should add that this wasn’t meant to be the end of the Aventuria tales… it was always a case of ongoing struggle rather than happy-ever-after!

So will there be any more from the Jewelfire world? I honestly don’t know. However, these are the last of my backlist novels yet to be reissued in eBook formats. Reissuing means a fresh read through, plus re-editing and polishing. It may even mean small changes to the plot, putting right bits where the author thinks, ‘Gaah, I wish I’d done that differently!’ You might think of reissued novels as the Director’s Cut!

Watch this space.

Lavie Tidhar launches The World SF 3 Bundle!

Posted on Saturday, July 11th, 2020

In case you missed its announcement yesterday: Lavie Tidhar has launched The World SF 3 Bundle! Curated by Lavie, it not only helps highlight SFF talent from around the world, but proceeds also go to a good cause. Here’s what Lavie had to say about the bundle…

I’m delighted to be launching a third World SF bundle in what I can only hope is by now an annual tradition. In the midst of some extraordinary turmoil across the globe, it takes writers from all corners of the Earth to weave profound new truths out of fantasies and paint new futures out of difficult pasts and turbulent presents.

The writers here come from Botswana and Bangladesh; Russia, Italy and France; Mexico, Spain, Israel and India. They are all of them fantastic, and I couldn’t be happier sharing their work with you.

It shouldn’t need saying, and yet it does: Black Lives Matter. I couldn’t think of a better match for this bundle than to partner up with the African Speculative Fiction Society and associated Nommo Awards for our chosen charity. The ASFS is an organization of African writers, editors, comic and graphic artists and filmmakers in the fields of speculative fiction. As spokesperson (and fantastic author) Chinelo Onwualu says on the society site, it’s there to “provide a place where writers, readers, and scholars can come together to find information, connect with each other, and act as watchdogs for their collective interests.”

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE…

  • The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase
  • Love and Other Poisons by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
  • IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE by Aliette de Bodard (the critically-acclaimed novella!)
  • The Heart of the Circle by Keren Landsman

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all four of the regular books, plus six additional books…

  • The Simoqin Prophecies by Samit Basu
  • Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain
  • Poison Fairies by Luca Tarenzi
  • NEW ATLANTIS by Lavie Tidhar (with a gorgeous cover by Sarah Anne Langton)
  • Alphaland by Cristina Jurado
  • Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia

This bundle is available only for a limited time via StoryBundle — where you can also find more information about each of the titles included in the two bundle tiers. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other eReaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub, .mobi) for all books.

The bundle will be available until August 1st.

Short Fiction Watch: Lavie Tidhar in THE BEST OF BRITISH FANTASY 2019!

Posted on Friday, July 3rd, 2020

We’re happy to report that Lavie Tidhar has a story included in Newcon Press‘s THE BEST OF BRITISH FANTASY 2019, which is out now! Specifically, his story DEM BONES is included in the anthology. Here’s the book’s synopsis…

Editor Jared Shurin has determined to uncover the very best work published by British and British-based authors in 2019, ending up with as diverse and surprising a set of stories as you are likely to find anywhere. Full of wonder, wit, delight and malevolence. These stories range from traditional to contemporary fantasy, written by a mix of established authors and new voices, combining to provide a veritable potpourri of the fantastical.

Lavie is the multi-award winning author of a growing number of critically-acclaimed novels, novellas and short stories. Three of his recent, award-winning novels are published by Tachyon Publication: UNHOLY LAND, CENTRAL STATION and THE VIOLENT CENTURY.

His most recent novel is BY FORCE ALONE, out now in the UK (Head of Zeus) and due out in August in North America (Tor Books).

ICYMI: HOW TO BE A BOSS AT AGEING with Anniki Sommerville (Podcast)

Posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2020

Above you can hear the trailer for Anniki Sommerville‘s new podcast, How to Be a Boss at Ageing! Launched a little while ago, you may have seen our Tweets about the series, but we wanted to post this reminder, too. Here’s the podcast’s description:

‘How to Be a Boss at Ageing’ is the irreverent and funny podcast by Anniki Sommerville which tackles the question- who the heck am I now that I’m an ‘older’ woman? Each episode tackles a different issue, interviewing different female experts and focusing on how to combat falling out of love with your work, dealing with grief, coping with menopause and look okay without people saying things behind your back.

The podcast is available from most podcast outlets, including Apple and Spotify. The first episode, ‘How to Be Less Grumpy at Work’ is out now.

Anniki Sommerville is the author of MOTHERWHELMED, which is out now published by One Chapter More. The author’s next book, THE B-WORD, is due to be published in September (eBook) and November 2020 (print).

Here are just a few reviews that MOTHERWHELMED has received so far…

‘Had me laughing and crying in equal measure – would recommend to anyone venturing into parenthood or considering it.’ — Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka

‘I love Anniki’s writing on motherhood. It’s funny and totally honest, but also soulful and sometimes quite beautiful. She gets to the heart of the matter of what it feels like to be a mother.’ — Clover Stroud

‘Anniki has the magic touch of saying what many of us are too edited to say whilst also being hilarious – I don’t know many parents that haven’t felt the overwhelm and having someone so brilliantly put it on paper makes me feel like I’m not the only one.’ — Cherry Healey

‘It felt like it was written for me.’ — Kate Hiscox (@wearsmymoney)

‘Hilarious, painful and deeply accurate. . . I was torn between howling with laughter and wincing with pain.’ — Julia Williams

Short Fiction Watch: Ian McDonald in THE YEAR’S TOP HARD SCIENCE FICTION STORIES 4!

Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2020

In this instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to the upcoming collection THE YEAR’S TOP HARD SCIENCE FICTION STORIES 4. Edited by Allan Kaster, it includes THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE by Ian McDonald!

Here’s the relevant portion of the synopsis…

An unabridged collection spotlighting the best hard science fiction stories published in 2019 by current and emerging masters of the genre, edited by Allan Kaster…

… A teenager seeks to maintain her “Captain” status among her non-traditional lunar family by leading her siblings on a dangerous trek to Neil Armstrong’s first footprint on the moon in “The Menace from Farside,” by Ian McDonald.

THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE is the prequel novella in Ian’s Luna series, and was originally published by Tor.com. Here’s the full synopsis…

Remember: Lady Luna knows a thousand ways to kill you, but family is what you know. Family is what works.

Cariad Corcoran has a new sister who is everything she is not: tall, beautiful, confident. They’re unlikely allies and even unlikelier sisters, but they’re determined to find the moon’s first footprint, even if the lunar frontier is doing its best to kill them before they get there.

The highly acclaimed Luna series is published in North America by Tor Books, in the UK by Gollancz, and is available in a growing number of translated editions around the world.

Check out an Audio Clip from Nick Martell’s THE KINGDOM OF LIARS

Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2020

Above, you can listen to an audio excerpt from Nick Martell‘s acclaimed debut novel, THE KINGDOM OF LIARS. Read by Joe Jameson, and published by Orion/Gollancz, the book is out now in the UK!

The first novel in Martell’s Legacy of the Mercenary Kings series, here’s the synopsis…

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…

Here is just a small selection of reviews that the novel has received so far…

‘… 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

‘An obvious strength of this novel is Martell’s worldbuilding prowess as well as his utilization of magic, which is subtle but powerful… a knotty mystery… keeps the pages turning… a story full of relentless action and more than a few jaw-dropping plot twists… An impressive fantasy debut that creates a solid foundation for (hopefully) a much larger narrative to come.’ — Kirkus

‘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, #1 New York Times bestseller author of THE WAY OF KINGS, and The Mistborn Trilogy

‘A symphony of loyalty, greed, family, and betrayal set in an innovative culture!’ — Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter, The Song of the Lioness Quartet

‘… an exciting, action-focused fantasy thriller with intriguing mystery elements… The finale is stunning…’ — Grimdark Magazine

ICYMI: Kristina Pérez’s Las Musas #AskAgent Webinar Video now available!

Posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

In case you missed it last week, the video for Kristina Pérez‘s latest webinar is now available! The event, which was co-hosted by Mayra Cuevas, was a huge success.

Here are some more details of the event…

Las Musas authors Mayra Cuevas and Kristina Perez share everything you need to know about literary agents.

In this webinar they discuss:

-What makes a project publishable?

-The role of an agent

-Query letters that work

-What should be in your synopsis

-Who should I query?

-How to approach agents via cold query emails and writers’ conferences.

-Agency representation agreements

-Your questions answered!

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.

UK Paperback Edition of THE OCTOBER MAN is Out in Two Weeks!

Posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2020

The paperback edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, best-selling THE OCTOBER MAN is out in two weeks in the UK! Published by Gollancz, it is the first book set in the Rivers of London universe with a different protagonist. Specifically, it follows Investigator Tobias Winter in Trier, Germany. Here’s the synopsis…

Trier is famous for wine, Romans and for being Germany’s oldest city. So when a man is found dead with, his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth.

Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything.

Enter Investigator Tobias Winter, whose aim is to get in, deal with the problem, and get out with the minimum of fuss, personal danger and paperwork. With the help of frighteningly enthusiastic local cop, Vanessa Sommer, he’s quick to link the first victim to a group of ordinary middle aged men – and to realise they may have accidentally reawakened a bloody conflict from a previous century. But the rot is still spreading, literally and with the suspect list extending to people born before Frederick the Great solving the case may mean unearthing the city’s secret magical history.

. . . so long as that history doesn’t kill them first.

Gollancz has published all of Ben’s Rivers of London/Peter Grant novels and novellas in the UK to date. They are published in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas); the books have also been published widely in translation — check out Ben’s page for more details.

The comic series set in the same universe, and comprised of new stories, is co-written by Andrew Cartmel, and published by Titan Comics in the UK and North America.

Here are just a few of the great reviews THE OCTOBER MAN has received since it was first released…

‘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

‘Aaronovitch expands the universe of his Rivers of London series (Broken Homes, 2014) to include new characters operating in different countries with ties to supernatural crimes and detective work. THE OCTOBER MAN introduces Tobias Winter, a sanctioned magic practitioner who investigates the supernatural angles of crimes for the Abteilung KDA (which fans will recognize as the German extension of the British Folly)… Aaronovitch delivers yet another classic detective novel rich with the magical world building accomplished in his previous work.’ — Booklist

‘Winter’s stolidness is a feature rather than a bug. While there are moments of adventure and daring, the story of this crime is both a satisfying whodunit and a primer on how magic works in Deutschland. THE OCTOBER MAN would be an interesting place to enter the Rivers of London world. Rather than fae, a new reader would anticipate werewolves, perhaps — and still greatly enjoy Aaronovitch’s work. Those who know the Folly will appreciate this outsider’s view of Grant and Nightingale, as well as learn a bit about how the latter spent the war, while still greatly enjoying Aaronovitch’s work, even if it is set someplace new.’ — Locus (Adrienne Martini)

‘THE OCTOBER MAN is a very well-constructed detective story, simple enough to be told in the span of a novella (granted, at more than two hundred pages, this one’s on the longer side) while still containing plenty of complexity to hold the reader’s attention. In addition, its pacing allows for plenty of fast-paced action and police work, but moments of downtime also provide opportunities to get to know our characters better. Despite being in a new setting and following a new protagonist, I was delighted to feel all the familiar attributes and the fine balance of Ben Aaronovitch’s writing style… Aaronovitch has delivered another fun and captivating Rivers of London mystery… I loved getting to meet Tobias and Vanessa, and it would thrill me greatly to see this corner of the series expanded with more stories in the future.’ — Bibliosanctum

‘Sommer and Winter are an interesting team, the latter especially being a fascinating take of the “ordinary copper” style trope that these books do so well… THE OCTOBER MAN is a must for any fan of the series so far and, unusually, a good introduction to the series. It only marginally connects to the big plot of the main books, but does introduce all the core ideas and distinctive style. More please, and soon.’ — Starburst

This Friday: #AskAgent Live Q&A with Kristina Pérez!

Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020

This Friday, Kristina Pérez will be taking part in an #AskAgent Live Q&A! Part of the Las Musas Webinar series, Kristina will be joined by Mayra Cuevas and together they will ‘share everything you need to know about literary agents’!

Th webinar — which will take place at noon EST (5pm GMT) will discuss the following topics (among any others that arise during the Q&A):

-What makes a project publishable?
-The role of an agent
-Query letters that work
-What should be in your synopsis
-Who should I query?
-How to approach agents via cold query emails and writers’ conferences.
-Agency representation agreements
-Your questions answered!

You need to register for the event, so be sure to do so ahead of time!

ADLER #3 and #4 unfortunately delayed…

Posted on Thursday, May 21st, 2020

Given the ongoing disruption resulting from the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, the next issues in Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed comic series ADLER have been delayed.

Titan Comics has pushed back the release of the third issue (pictured above) to August 12th; and the fourth issue (covers below) is now scheduled for September 16th.

Irene Adler and her team of Victorian heroines encounter a mysterious villain, even more dangerous that Moriarty!

The fifth issue is (tentatively) due to be published on October 14th. The first two issues are, of course, still available in print and digital.

If you still want a Tidhar-fix, then we highly recommend BY FORCE ALONE, his latest novel, which is out now in the UK published by Head of Zeus. (August in North America, via Tor Books.)

LOW ACTION delayed…

Posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2020

Today was supposed to be the release date of Andrew Cartmel‘s fifth Vinyl Detective novel, LOW ACTION. Unfortunately, the novel has been postponed until August 2020. We’ll post a reminder closer to the time, but we wanted to keep everybody informed. The novel will be published by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Semi-retired god of rock guitar and local poseur Erik Make Loud has got himself a new girlfriend. Helene Hilditch – formerly known as Howlin’ Hellbitch – of all-girl punk outfit Blue Tits is a mean guitarist, someone is trying to kill her.

With a rare pressing of their first album to find, the Vinyl Detective and Nevada are soon called into to help but this time the question is who isn’t a suspect. With a trail of grudges behind her, the list of people who could want Helene dead includes her ex-bandmates, their former producer turned record label mogul, the TV presenter that Helene got fired – even their old roadie could be in on it. The only person who isn’t a suspect is Delia Lispector, the Blue Tit’s bass player who has already been murdered…

In the meantime, Titan has published all four of the previous novels in the series, in the UK and North America: WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX, THE RUN-OUT GROOVE, VICTORY DISC, and FLIP BACK. So, there’s still plenty of time to get caught up with this great series!

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

‘This charming mystery feels as companionable as a leisurely afternoon trawling the vintage shops with a good friend.’ — Kirkus on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX

‘… fast-paced, lighthearted adventure… marvelously inventive and endlessly fascinating…’ — Publishers Weekly on WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX

‘Part of the fun of the series is the obsessiveness of record collectors, the contradictions between the mundane places in which they hunt their treasures — charity shops, church bazaars — and the sophisticated sound systems they have set up to play what they find… the Vinyl Detective is proving to be a very amenable companion to have on a treasure hunt. This is one vinyl nerd you won’t mind spending time with.’ — Kirkus on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE

‘… entertaining second record-spinning mystery… Cartmel treats music and records seriously, plays his strange characters for laughs, and provides a bit of danger and some unexpected twists in this affectionate nod to the vagaries of rock stardom.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE RUN-OUT GROOVE

‘… effectively integrates the lead’s unusual specialty of searching out rare records into an intricately constructed plot… the clever resolution of the story lines is impressive. Fair-play fans, even those without an interest in music, will be pleased.’ — Publishers Weekly on VICTORY DISC

‘VICTORY DISC works beautifully both as a sequel and as a standalone novel… The story is splendid, continuing the fine tradition of the series to date of weaving fascinating fact with thrilling fiction… Andrew Cartmel is a fine mystery (and comedy) writer, keeping his readers smiling while never letting the elements of humour obfuscate the more serious moments… if you enjoyed the first two books, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy this one too. The unsolved murder mystery is highly intriguing, the characters introduced throughout are fully formed and a delight to uncover more about, and the chemistry between the Vinyl Detective and his friends is absolutely spot on. In short, VICTORY DISC is beautifully orchestrated and well worth taking for a spin this summer.’ — Alternative Magazine Online