Category: Random Stuff

Catch E.J. Swift in Holland this week!

Posted on Monday, September 24th, 2018

This Thursday (27th), E.J. Swift will be giving a talk as part of the Terra Fiction convention in Amsterdam!

Terra Fiction is the second installment of FIBER’s ongoing Coded Matter(s): Worldbuilding project. These lecture events question the design of contemporary world visions and technological narratives, which are contributing to greater socio-economic inequality and environmental destruction

Swift is the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project trilogy and, most recently, the new novel PARIS ADRIFT. The Osiris Project novels are published in the UK by Del Rey, and available in the US via the JABberwocky eBook Program. PARIS ADRIFT is published in the UK and US by Solaris Books.

Here are some of the reviews Emma’s books have received so far…

‘[A]n effervescent blend of revisionist history, fantasy and science fiction… Hallie’s newfound family and bar life is utterly charming, and it’s this that holds your attention even as the plot meanders. The stakes — world-destroying as they may be — never feel higher than whether Hallie will make it through a shift at Millie’s.’ — Washington Post

‘E.J. Swift’s PARIS ADRIFT is her best novel yet: a time-travelling adventure that, despite the cosmic stakes, is bravely and beautifully intimate. Despite the apocalyptic backdrop, PARIS is also wistfully hopeful – a novel of ordinary, extraordinary heroism… PARIS ADRIFT uses science fiction’s largest and most unwieldy mechanic for its smallest and most intimate stakes: this isn’t about the world, it is about Hallie. PARIS is a story about significance at every level, individually and collectively; ultimately, whether that’s in time, life, or simply one’s outlook – this is a poetic demonstration of how little changes make big differences. Despite being a novel that’s – literally! – timeless, you couldn’t find a work more wonderfully fitting for 2018.’ — Pornokitsch

‘[A] really gripping book that was also really thought provoking and moving… [The novel] deals with many themes which are very relevant right now and Hallie’s time travel to a bleak 2042 felt too plausible… [I] loved reading about Hallie’s expeditions to 1875. Paris really came alive for me and I just loved all the sub stories going on, particularly Millie’s. PARIS ADRIFT also touches on what it’s like to feel adrift and alone in this big world, whether we’re living the best versions of ourselves. This story is about getting lost in order to find yourself. There’s a good message in this book, that doing small deeds to help strangers can have huge effects later on and the future is something we should all be thinking about.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘Swift (the Osiris Project series) delivers both an unusual take on time travel and solid characters, including a fantastic protagonist… Swift keeps things moving briskly, throwing out innocuous tidbits while scene setting that lead to surprising later payoffs.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Marvelously well done. A glittering first novel: a kind of flooded Gormenghast treated with the alienated polish of DeLillo’s Cosmopolis. The result is a gripping novel, beautiful, politically engaged and wholly accomplished. Swift is a ridiculously talented writer… the fact that it’s her first novel is belied by how accomplished and well-written it is.’ — Adam Roberts on OSIRIS

‘What a bare summary of the novel’s premise obscures is the amount of space Swift creates for her protagonists to simply live in their world and experience it for us – in other words, how textured the novel is. The world-building has a playfully oceanic flavor throughout… but is most compelling when it is sketching out the psychology of Osiris’ citizens… Swift demonstrates a much more sophisticated control of pace and tone, an ability to rapidly shift gears within scenes, and a willingness to undercut one scene with another: most notably, the prologue removes ambiguity from one of the major questions facing the protagonists and requires Swift to show one character in particular as much more obsessive and less sympathetic than would otherwise be the case. In the end it’s that choice, perhaps, more than anything else in this nuanced, intriguing, occasionally frustrating book, that makes me think Night Shade have found another worthy writer…’ — LA Review of Books on OSIRIS

‘A fantastic blend of world-building, excellent storytelling and complex characters… An engrossing story from start to finish… OSIRIS would still be good if all it had was world-building, but it offers so much more by way of plot and storytelling. The thrust of the narrative is the motivation of the characters… forces readers to ask themselves what it would take to spur them to action. Now combine this with the other interesting elements of the book like political intrigue, subterfuge, the way the story is told from alternating viewpoints… and you can see why OSIRIS shines. It’s that kind of impressive storytelling that makes OSIRIS hard to put down, and when you have to put it down, something that you remain eager to pick up again.’ — SF Signal

‘… the soulful latest instalment in The Osiris Project and a superior sequel… new lead characters, a fresh story and some real action… CATAVEIRO has a soulful, lonely quality as Taeo and Ramona embark on their solitary missions, haunted by memories of the past and visions of what lies ahead… Their imperfections keep them grounded and likeable, preventing EJ Swift from slipping into predictable and clichéd characterisation… as dystopian fiction goes it is an intriguing world to get lost in.’ — SciFiNow

‘E. J. Swift is an awesome author… stunning…’ — Tor.com on TAMARUQ

‘A series I find myself sad to have finished… but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed visiting the world that Swift has created. I’ve fallen in love with her characters and found myself turning page after page to see what happens to them. It was all depicted so vividly that I found it to be a really immersive series… a brilliant setting with wonderful characters…’ — SF Crowsnest on TAMARUQ

REAL MURDERS, real steal (today only)

Posted on Monday, September 10th, 2018

REAL MURDERS by Charlaine Harris is a Bookbub special deal, today! Only 99p in the UK (eBook), it is the first novel in the author’s Aurora Teagarden series of mysteries. Published in the UK by Piatkus, here’s the synopsis…

Lawrenceton, Georgia, may be a growing suburb of Atlanta, but it’s still a small town at heart. Librarian Aurora ‘Roe’ Teagarden grew up there and knows more than enough about her fellow townsfolk, including which ones share her interest in the darker side of human nature…

With those fellow crime buffs, Roe belongs to a club called Real Murders, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It’s a harmless pastime — until the night she finds a member dead, killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss.

As other brutal “copycat” killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims…

Piatkus has published all of the Aurora Teagarden novels to date, in the UK.

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

‘Harris has a knack for writing a compelling mystery… REAL MURDERS is a fantastic start to the Aurora Teagarden series and we can’t wait to continue working our way through the rest of the books… Written in a snappy, gripping and humour-filled style, REAL MURDERS is a real page turner and the most addicted we’ve been to a book in ages.’ — Entertainment Focus

‘Clever pacing along with ample red herrings and judiciously placed clues keep the story moving briskly. Let’s hope for another fast-paced mystery featuring Aurora and her friends.’ — School Library Journal

‘Teagarden is a quirky but likeable character. Enjoyable from beginning to end.’ — Critical Mass

Piatkus are also due to publish Harris’s next new novel (and first in a new series), AN EASY DEATH, on October 2nd.

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

Robotics Through Science Fiction: Ian Tregillis interviewed

Posted on Friday, September 7th, 2018

Today, we wanted to share with you this great interview with Ian Tregillis, for Robotics Through Science Fiction, in which he discusses his incredible Alchemy Wars series:

Ian is the critically-acclaimed author of the Milkweed Triptych and the aforementioned Alchemy Wars fantasy series, both of which are published in the UK by Orbit Books. Here are the covers, as well as just a few of the great reviews that the series have received…

‘Tregillis has journeyed into that most overtilled field, World War II alternate history, and in the process he has created a unique, unsettling, and deeply atmospheric setting; populated it with a diversity of grimly fascinating characters; and turned up the heat with the sort of plot that requires those characters to keep shoveling frantically if they are ever to stay in advance of the needs of the firebox… These are the book’s strengths – its atmosphere, its setting, the vividly imagined consequences of immoral and desperate actions… All in all, this is an excellent first book, and I am eagerly awaiting number two.’ — Tor.Com (Elizabeth Bear) on BITTER SEEDS

‘The engrossing second book in Tregillis’s Milkweed Triptych… Tregillis ably mixes cold war paranoia with his mythology, also nicely expanding characters (particularly Gretel)… The monstrous, extra-dimensional Eidolons add a genuinely convincing menace that transcends the more banal evil motivations of the political game players, although Gretel’s more complicated motivations really drive the action. A few nice twists keep things interesting, and the cliffhanger ending sets up the concluding volume quite well…’ — Publishers Weekly on THE COLDEST WAR

‘With all the flair he showed in his debut novel, Tregillis continues the tale, bringing to it that same marvellous plotting, immersive sense of place, and above all, wonderful characters. One of the characters introduced in the first novel is a precognitive, and in this volume – which revolves around her long plots – we are shown that the power to see the future is the most corrupting power of them all. Tregillis’s oracle is one of the most chilling psychopath villains of literature, a delicious monster who drives the book forward. As with the earlier volume, I tore through this one in a day and a half. Tregillis is a major new talent in the field, and this is some of the best – and most exciting – alternate history I’ve read. Bravo.’ — BoingBoing on THE COLDEST WAR

‘In this bleak fantasy, World War II was fought between Nazis with devastating psychic powers and British warlocks employing Eidolons, irresistible demons beyond time and space – a struggle the British ultimately lost… intensity of the narrative, the torments of the protagonist or the deviously alluring storyline. Darkly fascinating… A thoroughly satisfying conclusion to an imaginative tour de force.’ — Kirkus on NECESSARY EVIL

‘The masterful conclusion… There are so many small details throughout the book (and series as a whole, actually) that help make the characters more-real, and the time more vivid. Gretel is an absolutely fascinating character, and one of my favourites in any book or series: she is both star and villain; Machiavellian in the extreme and ultimately tragic… Tregillis brings the novel and series to a brilliant close. The ending of NECESSARY EVIL is heart-wrenching… but it feels right, given what’s come before. The Milkweed Triptych is one of my all-time favourite series. It is a must-read. Very highly recommended.’ — Civilian Reader

‘The first thing readers will say after finishing this splendid book is: “Wow.” The second thing will probably be: “When can I read the next one?” … This is a rousing SF/fantasy adventure, with a brilliantly imagined and beautifully rendered alternate world. Although he keeps the pace moving at a brisk clip, the author is able to work in some Big Ideas, asking us to think about what we mean when we speak about souls and free will. This isn’t Tregillis’ first venture into alternate history — the Milkweed Triptych is set during WWII and features an alternate time line — but, in terms of the quality of writing and cleverness of ideas, this new book constitutes a major leap forward.’ — Booklist (Starred Review) on THE MECHANICAL

‘… launches a series with this superb alternate history filled with clockwork men and ethical questions on the nature of free will… Tregillis’s complex setting is elegantly delivered, and the rich characters and gripping story really make this tale soar.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on THE MECHANICAL

‘The chases, the battles, the brutal violence, and the scheming are nonstop. As always, Tregillis offers richly textured and genuinely likable personalities with shades-of-gray morality; it’s clearly no accident that the most purely good person in the novel is the mechanical Jax, although even his sterling qualities are severely tested by the terrible situations he faces. Middle volumes are always tricky; they can often read as an obstacle to overcome on the way to the forgone conclusion of the third installment. Tregillis commendably avoids this trap, deepening his story and keeping it moving along toward an unknown horizon. Part 3 can’t come too soon.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review) on THE RISING

‘Tregillis’s splendid sequel to THE MECHANICAL is a vivid alternate history tale filled with action sequences, fascinating characters, and great worldbuilding… engrossing, with plenty of mid-story twists, and it’s well worth the ride.’ — Publishers Weekly on THE RISING

‘THE LIBERATION brings to a violent, triumphant conclusion Ian Tregillis’s epic Alchemy Wars Trilogy: one of the most entertaining, original, and thought-provoking series of recent years… It’s a wonderfully realized world, packed with fascinating characters, and Tregillis uses alternative history brilliantly to explore concerns we still have over new technologies and their potential effect, for good and ill, on our freedom.’ — Toronto Star 

‘The thoughtful, blood-soaked conclusion to an alternate-history trilogy… A frighteningly frank and brutal consideration of slavery, post-slavery, and colonialism in metallic garb.’ — Kirkus on THE LIBERATION

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

SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD is a Kindle Deal in the US and UK!

Posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2018

This month, Aliette de Bodard‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel is a Kindle Monthly Deal in the US! SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, the first novel in the Obsidian & Black trilogy, is only 99c! The novel is also on sale in the UK for Kindle. Published through the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead–except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

The other two novels in the trilogy are also available in eBook: HARBINGER OF THE STORM and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS.

Aliette’s latest book is THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, the critically-acclaimed novella set in the author’s Xuya science fiction universe. Published in the US by Subterranean Press, it is also available in the rest of the world as an eBook, published through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Aliette’s latest series is the award-winning Dominion of the Fallen, published in the UK by Gollancz and in North America by Roc Books: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS.

French Documentary series about ALAN TURING, featuring Andrew Hodges

Posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

Earlier this month, France Culture broadcast a mini-documentary series about Alan Turing, the genius mathematician who cracked Germany’s Enigma Code (among other achievements). Andrew Hodges, author of ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was a contributor to the series. All of the episodes are available from the France Culture website.

Hodges’s Turing biography published by Michel Lafon in France (and Canada),  Here’s the synopsis…

Génie de l’informatique et héros de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Alan Turing est célèbre pour avoir décrypté les communications codées de l’armée allemande en venant à bout d’Enigma, la machine de chiffrement utilisée par les nazis, réputée inviolable.

Il faut dire que lorsqu’il « casse » le code secret allemand, à moins de 30 ans, le mathématicien n’en est pas à son premier coup d’éclat. Déjà, en 1936, il a dessiné les contours d’une première machine programmable, ou « machine de Turing », capable d’effectuer n’importe quel calcul mathématique : c’est l’ancêtre de l’ordinateur.

Après la guerre, Alan Turing poursuit ses recherches et se consacre en pionnier aux possibilités offertes par l’intelligence artificielle. Mais l’ex-héros national est persécuté à cause de son homosexualité et condamné en 1952 à la castration chimique. Deux années plus tard, à l’âge de 41 ans, Alan Turing met fin à ses jours en croquant une pomme empoisonnée au cyanure.

Cette biographie, qui mêle histoire des sciences, politique et philosophie, nous dévoile la vie hors norme de l’inventeur, longtemps méconnu, qui a révolutionné nos vies.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published by Vintage in the UK, and Princeton University Press in the US. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

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.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing.

Ben Aaronovitch is embarking on a huge UK book tour for LIES SLEEPING!

Posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

This November, Ben Aaronovitch is going to embark on an extensive UK book tour to celebrate the release of the highly-anticipated seventh Peter Grant novel: LIES SLEEPING! Gollancz, his UK publisher, has put together the funky graphic above marking all the stops. That’s a lot of stops, and a lot of miles…

These are ticketed events (hence the early warning), and we expect them all to be very popular. So, if you’re interested in going we recommend you book your spot(s) ASAP! Here are more details, including links to appropriate sites for booking…

  • Monday 12th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Inverness. More info here
  • Monday 12th Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Aberdeen. Book your tickets here
  • Tuesday 13th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Edinburgh. More info here
  • Tuesday 13th Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Glasgow Argyle St. Book your tickets here
  • Wednesday 14th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Newcastle. More info here
  • Wednesday 14th Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at York Literary Festival. Book your tickets here
  • Thursday 15th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Leeds. More info here
  • Thursday 15th Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Lincoln. Book your tickets here
  • Friday 16th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Nottingham. More info here
  • Friday 16th Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Birmingham. Book your tickets here
  • Saturday 17th Nov: Signing 1pm – 2pm at Forbidden Planet London. More info here
  • Saturday 17th Nov: Talk & signing 6pm at Foyles, Charing Cross, London. Book your tickets here
  • Wednesday 21st Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Southampton. More info here
  • Wednesday 21st Nov: Talk & signing 8pm at Toppings Bath. Book your tickets here
  • Thursday 22nd Nov: Short talk and signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Octavo’s Bookshop and Café, Cardiff. Book tickets here
  • Thursday 22nd Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Swansea. Book your tickets here
  • Friday 23rd Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Crewe. More info here
  • Friday 23rd Nov: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Liverpool. Book your tickets here
  • Saturday 24th Nov: Signing 12:30pm – 1:30pm at Waterstones Sheffield. More info here
  • Monday 26th Nov: Talk & signing 7:30pm at David’s Bookshop, Letchworth Garden City. Book your tickets here
  • Tuesday 4th Dec: Talk & signing 6:30pm at Waterstones Epsom. Book your tickets here
  • Or if you can’t make it along in person to meet Ben, signed editions of LIES SLEEPING can be pre-ordered directly from Waterstones here

As mentioned above, Gollancz is due to publish LIES SLEEPING in the UK (November 15th). The novel is also due to be published in North America by DAW Books (November 13th). Here’s the synopsis…

Martin Chorley, aka the Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run.

Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring Chorley to justice.

But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that Chorley, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan.

A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.

To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague – Lesley May – who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch…

We’ll share information with you about other editions of the novel (and series as a whole) as soon as we have it.

John Berlyne Kaffeeklatsch at Worldcon!

Posted on Monday, August 13th, 2018

Are you heading to Worldcon 76 in San Jose this weekend? Do you want to learn more about the agent-side of the industry? Well, John Berlyne will be hosting a kaffeeklatsch at the convention, at 3pm on Sunday 19th!

Space is limited for the event, so you will have to sign up before. Here are the instructions from the Worldcon website:

‘Signups in person at the convention in advance are required because the number of participants at each individual gathering is limited.  The signup process is designed to give many people a chance to participate in at least one of the sessions. Signups will open approximately a half day or so before the actual event. Signups for Thursday evening sessions will be available on Thursday morning, Friday morning sessions will be available on Thursday afternoon  and so on. We may limit the number of sessions which any one member may join and reserve the right to decline to accept signups.’

More information on the Kaffeeklatsches & Literary Beers, as well as the convention program, can be found on the Worldcon 76 website, here.

The convention will take place on August 16th-20th, 2018, at San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center.

THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS snares ESFS Award!

Posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2018

Last week, we shared the news that Aliette de Bodard‘s THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS had been nominated for the ESFS Award for Best Work of Fiction. Today, we are delighted to share the news that Aliette won!

THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS is the second novel in the Dominion of the Fallen fantasy series, published by Gollancz (UK), Roc Books (US), Pocket  (France), Knaur (Germany — only the first book is out at the moment), and Host (Czech). Here’s the synopsis for the novel…

As the city rebuilds from the onslaught of sorcery that nearly destroyed it, the great Houses of Paris, ruled by Fallen angels, still contest one another for control over the capital.

House Silverspires was once the most powerful, but just as it sought to rise again, an ancient evil brought it low. Phillippe, an immortal who escaped the carnage, has a singular goal — to resurrect someone he lost. But the cost of such magic might be more than he can bear.

In House Hawthorn, Madeleine the alchemist has had her addiction to angel essence savagely broken. Struggling to live on, she is forced on a perilous diplomatic mission to the underwater dragon kingdom — and finds herself in the midst of intrigues that have already caused one previous emissary to mysteriously disappear…

As the Houses seek a peace more devastating than war, those caught between new fears and old hatreds must find strength — or fall prey to a magic that seeks to bind all to its will.

Please join us in wishing Aliette a very happy congratulations on her definitely-deserved win!

Aliette de Bodard’s THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS has been nominated for an ESFS Award!

Posted on Monday, July 16th, 2018

We’re delighted to report that Aliette de Bodard‘s THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS has been nominated for an ESFS Award for Best Work of Fiction! The winner of the award will be announced on Saturday July 21st, at Eurocon Nemo 2018.

The second novel in Aliette’s Dominion of the Fallen series, it’s published in the UK by Gollancz. Here’s the synopsis…

As the city rebuilds from the onslaught of sorcery that nearly destroyed it, the great Houses of Paris, ruled by fallen angels, still contest one another for control over the capital.

House Silverspires was once the most powerful, but just as it sought to rise again, an ancient evil brought it low. Phillippe, an immortal who escaped the carnage, has a singular goal — to resurrect someone he lost. But the cost of such magic might be more than he can bear.

In House Hawthorn, Madeleine the alchemist has had her addiction to angel essence savagely broken. Struggling to live on, she is forced on a perilous diplomatic mission to the underwater dragon kingdom — and finds herself in the midst of intrigues that have already caused one previous emissary to mysteriously disappear…

As the Houses seek a peace more devastating than war, those caught between new fears and old hatreds must find strength — or fall prey to a magic that seeks to bind all to its will.

The first novel in the series, THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is also published by Gollancz in the UK.

THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS is also published in France by Pocket as L’ASCENSION DE LA MAISON AUBÉPINE…

The first novel in the series is also published in Germany by Knaur, as DAS HAUS DER GEBROCHENEN SCHWINGEN…

The two novels have also been published in Czech by Host, as ŘÁD ZLOMENÝCH KŘÍDEL and ŘÁD VĚČNÝCH TRNŮ…

Finally, for those outside of Europe, the series is also published in the US by Roc Books.

 

Backlist Plug: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS trilogy…

Posted on Thursday, July 12th, 2018

Today, we want to draw your attention to Michael Cobley‘s debut trilogy, the Shadowkings grimdark fantasy trilogy: SHADOWKINGS, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE.

Originally published by Simon & Schuster between 2002-2005, the series is now available in eBook format via the JABberwocky eBook Program; and as audiobooks via Audible. Here’s the synopsis for the first book…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer. At the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings. Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline.

The trilogy is also available in Germany, published by Heyne, as SCHATTENKÖNIGE, SCHATTENGÖTTER and SCHATTENKRIEGER.

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

‘A pacey action and adventure story, packed with battles, rescues and political double-dealing… a refreshing and believable take on the Fight Against Insurmountable Evil Foes sub-genre, without dispensing with any of the familiar staples that make the genre what it is.’ — Infinity Plus on SHADOWKINGS

‘SHADOWKINGS, was brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids. SHADOWGOD, his second, is not only lighter, it is better written and makes good use of the world Cobley has created… writing to rival David Gemmell.’ — Guardian (Jon Courtenay-Grimwood)

‘Unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… Once again Mike has succeeded in producing an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work, though it is a lot less bleak than its predecessors. It is also a lot less convoluted with the battle lines more clearly drawn.’ — Infinity Plus on SHADOWMASQUE

‘[Cobley] drew the characters with verve and style, encouraging the reader to participate in the story he was unfolding. The plot was complex but clearly spun out, providing tantalising teasers at the end of each episode, which made me want to skip ahead to the next time that particular thread was picked up and woven. In my opinion, a clear winner for Michael Cobley.’ — SF Crowsnest on SHADOWMASQUE

Michael is also the best-selling author of the Humanity’s Fire sci-fi series, published in the UK and US by Orbit Books: SEEDS OF EARTH, THE ORPHANED WORLDS, THE ASCENDANT STARS, and the stand-alone ANCESTRAL MACHINES. The next novel in the series, SPLINTERED SUNS, is due out later this year. (We’ll bring you the cover and more details as we have them.) The series has also been published in Germany by Heyne.

Short Fiction Watch: Aliette de Bodard in A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

Posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2018

In this instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to Aliette de Bodard‘s contribution to A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS, a new anthology edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, published by Greenwillow Books. The anthology includes 15 retellings of Asian myths and legends, and Aliette’s contribution is the story “The Counting of Vermillion Beads”, a re-telling of a Vietnamese myth. Here’s the book’s synopsis…

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renée Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place.

From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish.

Aliette’s latest release is the critically-acclaimed novella THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, published by Subterranean Press in the US, and available in eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Aliette’s latest series is the Dominion of the Fallen, currently at two books: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS (winner of the BSFA Award for Best Novel, and Locus Award finalist) and THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS. The series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Roc Books.

Welcoming Jenni Keer! (And a deal!)

Posted on Friday, June 29th, 2018

Today, we are delighted to welcome author Jenni Keer to the Zeno family! Not only that, but we are also able to share with you the excellent news that Jenni has signed a two-book, World Rights deal with Avon Books! The deal was announced this week.

‘I am thrilled that Jenni’s wonderful novel will be published with Avon. Jenni writes with such warmth and Avon is the perfect home for her,’ said Louise Buckley at Zeno Agency.

‘I am immensely excited to be working with both the vibrant and dedicated Avon team, who have truly made me feel at home, and my enthusiastic and supportive agent, Louise,’ said Keer. ‘I look forward to sharing Lucy Baker’s world with readers in the New Year.’

The first book covered by this deal is Keer’s debut novel, THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF LUCY BAKER. The novel will be published by Avon as part of its digital-first list, in January 2019.

Avon Editor Katie Loughnane said she was ‘absolutely thrilled’ to welcome Keer to the Avon list, and that ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Jenni Keer to the Avon family.‘ Loughnane also described the novel as ‘an uplifting, utterly charming read that has something for everyone: a wonderful intergenerational friendship, a heart-warming romance, and an enchanting twist. Jenni’s story captured me in an instant and I cannot wait to share it with readers far and wide in 2019.’

We’ll be sure to share with you future updates regarding Jenni’s novel — for example, the cover art — as soon as we have it.

Congratulations to Jenni, and welcome again to the agency! If you’d like to learn more about the author, you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

KIRINYA turns 20!

Posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2018

This week marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of Ian McDonald‘s novel KIRINYA, which was described when released as ‘a huge and ambitious novel, the work of a supremely talented writer approaching the top of his game.’ (SFX) The second book in the author’s Chaga series, it was first published by Gollancz in the UK in 1998. Here’s the synopsis…

The end of the universe happened at around ten o’clock at night on 22 December 2032. It’s just that humanity hasn’t realized it yet. And the Chaga, the strange flora deposited from the stars, is still busy terraforming the tropics into someone else’s terra. Gaby McAslan was once a hungry news reporter who compromised her relationship with UNECTA researcher Dr. Shepard for the sake of her story…but Gaby is no longer a journalist and she doesn’t want to be a full-time mother, even though her child Serena is her last link with Shepard. Gaby’s fire has gone out; she’s gone soft. But the massive political and military upheavals that are rocking the world are about to drag her back into the action.

The release of KIRINYA inspired The Times to describe McDonald as an ‘outstanding’ writer with ‘such marvellous talent, so vivid an imagination’ whose ‘prose sings and zings’.

KIRINYA, as well as the other two books in the Chaga series are available as an eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program, and also via Audible. The first two books have been published in Germany by Heyne.

Ian’s latest series is the critically-acclaimed Luna, published by Gollancz in the UK and Tor Books in the US, as well as in a growing number of translated editions (more details on his author page).

CENTRAL STATION wins an inaugural Neukom Award!

Posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2018

We are delighted to share the news that Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION has won an inaugural Neukom Award! You can read the full press release here.

Dan Rockmore, director of the Neukom Institute, said of the winners, ‘We are proud to have a list of award winners that features such thoughtful artistic visions of the future, both near and far… We all wrestle with the uncertainty of the future, that is what makes speculative fiction such an important and necessary genre, and that is what makes each of these works so special.’

Here’s what Lavie had to say about winning the award…

‘Writing CENTRAL STATION, I was finally able to put into form many of the ideas on the future – of people, of machines, of communication – that occupied me since first loading a command line prompt, and since the first time I heard the siren call of a modem. I’m honored to be among the inaugural recipients of the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards.’

CENTRAL STATION is published by Tachyon Publications in English, and is available in a growing number of translated editions — with more to come (check his author page for more information). Here’s the synopsis…

A worldwide diaspora has left a quarter of a million people at the foot of a space station. Cultures collide in real life and virtual reality. Life is cheap, and data is cheaper.

When Boris Chong returns to Tel Aviv from Mars, much has changed. Boris’s ex-lover is raising a strangely familiar child who can tap into the datastream of a mind with the touch of a finger. His cousin is infatuated with a robotnik — a damaged cyborg soldier who might as well be begging for parts. His father is terminally-ill with a multigenerational mind-plague. And a hunted data-vampire has followed Boris to where she is forbidden to return.

Rising above them is Central Station, the interplanetary hub between all things: the constantly shifting Tel Aviv; a powerful virtual arena, and the space colonies where humanity has gone to escape the ravages of poverty and war. Everything is connected by the Others, powerful alien entities who, through the Conversation — a shifting, flowing stream of consciousness — are just the beginning of irrevocable change.

At Central Station, humans and machines continue to adapt, thrive… and even evolve.

Many congratulations, Lavie, on this latest very-well-deserved honour!

Last week, we shared the stunning cover for Lavie’s next novel, UNHOLY LAND, which will also be published by Tachyon Publications.

Zeno clients among the 2018 Locus Awards Finalists!

Posted on Wednesday, May 9th, 2018

It’s that time of year again: the Locus Award Finalists have been announced! We’re very happy to report that a number of our clients and their work appear in the various categories. Here are the details…

Ian McDonald‘s LUNA: WOLF MOON is a finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel. Published by Tor Books in the US and Gollancz in the UK, here’s the synopsis…

A Dragon is dead.

Corta Helio, one of the five family corporations that rule the Moon, has fallen. Its riches are divided up among its many enemies, its survivors scattered. Eighteen months have passed .

The remaining Helio children, Lucasinho and Luna, are under the protection of the powerful Asamoahs, while Robson, still reeling from witnessing his parent’s violent deaths, is now a ward — virtually a hostage — of Mackenzie Metals. And the last appointed heir, Lucas, has vanished of the surface of the moon.

Only Lady Sun, dowager of Taiyang, suspects that Lucas Corta is not dead, and more to the point — that he is still a major player in the game. After all, Lucas always was the Schemer, and even in death, he would go to any lengths to take back everything and build a new Corta Helio, more powerful than before. But Corta Helio needs allies, and to find them, the fleeing son undertakes an audacious, impossible journey — to Earth.

In an unstable lunar environment, the shifting loyalties and political machinations of each family reach the zenith of their most fertile plots as outright war erupts.

Aliette de Bodard‘s THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS is among the finalists for Best Fantasy Novel. Published in the US by Roc Books and in the UK by Gollancz, here’s the synopsis…

Paris endures the aftermath of a devastating arcane war…

As the city rebuilds from the onslaught of sorcery that nearly destroyed it, the great Houses of Paris, ruled by Fallen angels, still contest one another for control over the capital.

House Silverspires was once the most powerful, but just as it sought to rise again, an ancient evil brought it low. Phillippe, an immortal who escaped the carnage, has a singular goal — to resurrect someone he lost. But the cost of such magic might be more than he can bear.

In House Hawthorn, Madeleine the alchemist has had her addiction to angel essence savagely broken. Struggling to live on, she is forced on a perilous diplomatic mission to the underwater dragon kingdom — and finds herself in the midst of intrigues that have already caused one previous emissary to mysteriously disappear…

As the Houses seek a peace more devastating than war, those caught between new fears and old hatreds must find strength — or fall prey to a magic that seeks to bind all to its will.

Aliette’s CHILDREN OF THORNS, CHILDREN OF WATER, a novelette set in the same Dominion of the Fallen series as the above novel, is also nominated for Best Novelette. You can read the story here.

Ian R. MacLeod‘s RED SNOW, published by PS Publishing, is a finalist for Best Horror Novel. Here’s the synopsis…

In the aftermath of the last great battle of the American Civil War, a disillusioned Union medic stumbles across a strange figure picking amid the corpses, and his life is changed forever…

In the cathedral city of Strasbourg in the years before the French Revolution, a church restorer is commissioned to paint a series of portraits that chart the changing appearance of a beautiful woman over the course of her life, although the woman herself seems ageless…

In Prohibition-era New York, an idealistic young Marxist is catapulted into the realms of elite society, and forced to assume the identity of someone who never existed…

Red Snow is a novel of love and violence, ideas and dreams, and revolves around the mystery of a monster drawn from humanity’s darkest myths which still somehow survives, and thrives, and kills, in this modern age.

Winners will be announced during the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle WA, June 22-24, 2018.