Random Stuff - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Upcoming Event: Ben Aaronovitch in Harrogate this Saturday! (12th)

Posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Great news! This Saturday, Ben Aaronovitch will be appearing at the Raworths Harrogate Literary Festival! Ben will be speaking at the St. George Hotel at 2.00pm. Tickets are only £8 (and currently 2-for-1!). You can book your tickets (and find more details) here.

‘Ever wondered what books your favourite crime writers read? Or what your favourite books say about you?’ Ben will be speaking on these topics and more with Ella Berthoud in a session of Bibliotherapy: LIVE! ‘Ella Berthoud believes that reading the right book could help ease pain, settle your mind or mend a broken heart. Sit back and relax as she diagnoses what ails best selling writer Ben Aaronovitch and recommends the perfect books for him…’

Ben is the author of the fan-favourite and critically-acclaimed London-based urban fantasy Peter Grant Series. The next novel in the series, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz in September 2014. It follows RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND and BROKEN HOMES (all published in the UK by Gollancz, as well).

Tomorrow: Matthew Hughes’s TO HELL AND BACK Trilogy is an Amazon Kindle Daily Deal…

Posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

Tomorrow, Amazon US and Canada will be offering Matthew Hughes‘s super-hero urban fantasy trilogy To Hell And Back as their Kindle Daily Deal! This is your heads-up to get ready! (We’ll remind you all via our Twitter feed, too.) Published by Angry Robot Books, the series includes THE DAMNED BUSTERS, COSTUME NOT INCLUDED and HELL TO PAY.

Here’s the synopsis for the first book in the series…

After accidentally summoning a demon while playing poker, the normally mild-mannered Chesney Anstruther refuses to sell his soul… which leads through various confusions to, well, Hell going on strike. Which means that nothing bad ever happens in the world – and that actually turns out to be a really bad thing.

There’s only one thing for it. Satan offers Chesney the ultimate deal – sign the damned contract, and he can have his heart’s desire. And thus the strangest superhero duo ever seen – in Hell or on Earth – is born!

And, in case you needed more convincing, here is just a small selection of praise that has been heaped on the series…

‘Hughes continues to carve out a unique place for himself in the fantasy-mystery realm. A droll narrative voice, dry humor and an alternative universe that’s accessible without exposition make this a winner.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘You’re missing out if you haven’t bought this book yet. Pure and simple.’ — Founding Fields

‘A witty superhero story that’s just plain fun.’ — SF Signal

‘Part mystery, part comic book, part religious treatise, and part crime drama, Hughes manages to work in entertaining twists and character confrontations on a regular basis without overloading his story.’ – Sacramento & San Francisco Book Review

‘The first book in the series was very good, the second was better. The events of those books were leading up to this final volume in the trilogy and it’s the best yet.’ — British Fantasy Society on HELL TO PAY

‘A highly enjoyable read, with some interesting philosophical underpinnings and surprising twists. The book makes for a satisfying ending to the To Hell & Back series, which gave us a quirky, off-beat story about an unlikely super hero, with unexpected depths.’ — Fantastical Librarian on HELL TO PAY

An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that Amazon UK was offering the series as a Kindle Daily Deal. It is, in fact, Amazon US and Canada. Apologies for the mistake.

German eBook Cover for Lavie Tidhar’s THE BOOKMAN

Posted on Monday, July 7th, 2014

Continuing our coverage of our clients’ foreign editions, today we have the German cover for Lavie Tidhar‘s THE BOOKMAN in eBook. Published by Fahrenheit Books, it is the first novel in Lavie’s Bookman Histories, published in the UK and US by Angry Robot Books. Here’s the German synopsis…

Als die Frau, die er liebt, in seinen Armen stirbt, beschließt Orphan, seine Lucy zu rächen und aus dem Reich der Toten zurückzuholen. Doch seine Reise in die viktorianische Unterwelt ist mehr als riskant: Dort herrscht der Bookman, der gefährlichste Terrorist Londons. Er ist schuld an Lucys Tod und steht kurz davor, das englische Königshaus zu stürzen und eine vernichtende Rebellion über das Reich zu bringen. Orphan beschließt, den Bookman aufzuhalten – und deckt dabei die unglaublichste Verschwörung auf, die das Ewige Empire je gesehen hat … Lavie Tidhar schöpft aus allem, was Literatur, Steampunk und Science-Fiction zu bieten haben, und schafft damit ein atemberaubendes phantastisches Abenteuer!

The eBook is also, currently, available for just €0.99!

Lavie’s latest novel is THE VIOLENT CENTURY, published in the UK by Hodder Books. His next opus is A MAN LIES DREAMING, coming later this year also from Hodder Books.

Upcoming Event: Breaking the Sci-Fi Industry

Posted on Friday, July 4th, 2014

On July 13th, as part of the much-anticipated London Film & Comic Con, Zeno client Edward Cox will be participate in the ‘Breaking the Sci-Fi Industry‘ panel. Edward is the author of the superb gothic new fantasy novel, THE RELIC GUILD.

On the panel, Edward joins fellow Gollancz debut authors Den Patrick and Jon Wallace to discuss their experiences ‘writing their first novel, finding an agent, securing a publishing deal and starting the publishing adventure.’ Along with tips for aspiring writers, attendees will have the chance to win copies of each of the debut novels from these three talented genre writers. The panel will be moderated by Gollancz Publishing Director Gilllian Redfearn, and will take place on the Book Zone Stage, at 10.45am on Sunday 13th July. Tickets are free and can be collected at the Book Zone info point from 9am on Sunday morning.

The first in a trilogy, THE RELIC GUILD is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz in September 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

Magic caused the war. Magic is forbidden. Magic will save us.

It was said the Labyrinth had once been the great meeting place, a sprawling city at the heart of an endless maze where a million humans hosted the Houses of the Aelfir. The Aelfir who had brought trade and riches, and a future full of promise. But when the Thaumaturgists, overlords of human and Aelfir alike, went to war, everything was ruined and the Labyrinth became an abandoned forbidden zone, where humans were trapped behind boundary walls 100 feet high.

Now the Aelfir are a distant memory and the Thaumaturgists have faded into myth. Young Clara struggles to survive in a dangerous and dysfunctional city, where eyes are keen, nights are long, and the use of magic is punishable by death. She hides in the shadows, fearful that someone will discover she is touched by magic. She knows her days are numbered. But when a strange man named Fabian Moor returns to the Labyrinth, Clara learns that magic serves a higher purpose and that some myths are much more deadly in the flesh.

The only people Clara can trust are the Relic Guild, a secret band of magickers sworn to protect the Labyrinth. But the Relic Guild are now too few. To truly defeat their old nemesis Moor, mightier help will be required. To save the Labyrinth – and the lives of one million humans – Clara and the Relic Guild must find a way to contact the worlds beyond their walls.

Be sure to check out the Goodreads THE RELIC GUILD giveaway, too.

Upcoming TURING Event featuring Andrew Hodges

Posted on Monday, June 30th, 2014

On August 17th, Andrew Hodges will give a talk on ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, his critically-acclaimed, definitive biography of the founder of computer science. The event will be held at Bletchley Park.

Here’s how the venue’s description of the event and Hodges’s work:

Hodges tells how Turing’s revolutionary idea of 1936–the concept of a universal machine–laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. How this work was directly related to Turing’s leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic story of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment programme – all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.

After Andrew’s talk at 14.00, there will be a Q & A Session (15:00) and also a book signing after Tea & Cake.

Tickets for the day are £20 per person, which includes admission to Bletchley Park’s exhibitions and galleries (open from 9:30am). There is also a Bundle Ticket option, for £28, which includes a copy of the book. More information can be found here.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage Books, and in the US by Princeton University Press. It has also been translated for other markets. More information can be found on Hodges’s author page. The book is currently being adapted for a film, THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, due for release later this year. The book was also chosen by Michael Holroyd as part of a list of 50 ‘essential’ books in The Guardian.

Be Among the First to Read Edward Cox’s THE RELIC GUILD!

Posted on Friday, June 27th, 2014

Would you like to be among the first people to read Edward Cox‘s debut fantasy novel, THE RELIC GUILD? Well, Goodreads is running a giveaway! In order to be in with a chance to win one of twenty available copies, head on over here. You will need a Goodreads account to enter, though. The giveaway closes on August 16th, 2014.

THE RELIC GUILD, the first in a trilogy, is due to be published by Gollancz on September 18th, 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

If you aren’t lucky enough to win a copy, then there is other great news! THE RELIC GUILD is included in Gollancz’s 2014 Debut eBook Promotion, and will be available from e-vendors for just £1.99 until a week after publication.

New International Covers for Ian Tregillis!

Posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2014

Ian Tregillis‘s Milkweed Triptych has been praised far and wide – by critics, contemporaries and almost everyone at his publisher! We are very pleased, therefore, to share with you information about and artwork for the growing number of international editions. All three novels in the trilogy – BITTER SEEDS, THE COLDEST WAR and NECESSARY EVIL – are out now in the UK, published by Orbit Books.

First, we have a complete set of German covers, published by Festa Verlag, an acquisition we announced back in February…

Next, here are the French, Polish and Latvian covers for BITTER SEEDS…

BITTER SEEDS is published in France by Eclipse, Poland by MAG, and Latvia by Ventspils Biblioteka. We’ll share the next covers for these territories as soon as they are unveiled.

And, finally, we have an Italian cover for Ian’s supernatural noir thriller, SOMETHING MORE THAN NIGHT, published by Asengard…

Ian’s next novel, THE MECHANICAL, is due out in the UK in November 2014, and will also be published by Orbit Books. It is the first in a new, exciting fantasy-steampunk series.

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

Cover Reveal: THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN

Posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2014

Above is the UK cover for Mark Hodder‘s latest steampunk adventure! THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN is published in the UK by Del Rey UK, on August 7th, 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

Spring Heeled Jack is jumping back!

It’s 9 p.m. on February 15, 1860, and Charles Babbage, the British Empire’s most brilliant scientist, performs an experiment. Within moments, blood red snow falls from the sky and Spring Heeled Jack pops out of thin air in London’s Leicester Square. Though utterly disoriented and apparently insane, the strange creature is intent on one thing: hunting Sir Richard Francis Burton!

Spring Heeled Jack isn’t alone in his mental confusion. Burton can hardly function; he’s experiencing one hallucination after another – visions of parallel realities and future history. Someone, or something, is trying to tell him about … what?

When the revelation comes, it sends Burton and his companions on an expedition even the great explorer could never have imagined – a voyage through time itself into a twisted future where steam technology has made a resurgence and a despotic intelligence rules over the British Empire!

THE RETURN OF THE DISCONTINUED MAN is the author’s fifth novel in the Burton & Swinburne series, following: THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING-HEELED JACK, THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE CLOCKWORK MAN, EXPEDITION TO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON and THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI. The series is published by Pyr Books in the US.

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

Cover Reveal: HURRICANE FEVER by Tobias Buckell

Posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2014

This July 3rd, Del Rey UK are due to publish the anticipated follow-up to Tobias Buckell’s superb ARCTIC RISING: HURRICANE FEVER. The novel returns to Buckell’s near-future Earth, and is a thrilling blend of James Bond-meets-Michael Crichton action adventure! And today, we’re very happy to share with you the cover. Here is the synopsis…

When a freelance spy is yanked out of comfortable retirement aboard his boat following the death of a friend, he stumbles upon a deadly terrorist plot to use a private space delivery platform in Barbados to launch a deadly genetic virus.

As one of the largest hurricanes to hit the Caribbean sweeps through the area, one man must battle the world’s deadliest natural phenomenon, mercenaries and a deadly biological agent, to save the world.

Can’t wait until July? Well, Tor.com have published an excerpt from the novel, which you can read here. Below are a couple of early reviews…

‘Buckell solidly links the political and the personal, both exemplified by subtle race-related interactions (for instance, at upper-crust parties, Roo is frequently mistaken for a servant). The scenes of sailing and spying action move quickly, and the climax, set on a supersized satellite-launching cannon, is one white cat shy of a Bond movie.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘A stormy, aptly named thriller set in the Caribbean of the near future… The stakes are higher than one might expect, and even the specter of racism comes into play. Buckell has written a smart and well-constructed tale that’s filled with excitement and the flavor of the Caribbean isles… So don’t wait for a dark and stormy night to read this novel; you’ll have plenty of fun.’ — Kirkus, Starred Review

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

Short Fiction Watch: APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF

Posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2014

Today, the Zeno Short Fiction Watch offers something a little different. Rather than highlighting a collection that includes fiction by a client, we wanted to draw your attention to the APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF 3, which is edited by our client Lavie Tidhar. The impressive artwork is by Sophia Tuska. The book was published this week by the Apex Book Company, here’s the synopsis…

These stories run the gamut from science fiction, to fantasy, to horror. Some are translations (from German, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Swedish), and some were written in English. The authors herein come from Asia and Europe, Africa and Latin America. Their stories are all wondrous and wonderful, and showcase the vitality and diversity that can be found in the field. They are a conversation, by voices that should be heard. And once again, editor Lavie Tidhar and Apex Publications are tremendously grateful for the opportunity to bring them to our readers.

And another look at the the artwork, without the cover text and elements…

Lavie is the author of, most recently, the critically-acclaimed THE VIOLENT CENTURY. The novel is published by Hodder in the UK, and US publication rights were recently acquired by Thomas Dunne Books/St.Martin’s Press. His next novel is A MAN LIES DREAMING, which is also due to be published by Hodder.

UK, Ltd. Ed, US Covers

Four Zeno Clients in Sainsbury’s Summer Reading eBook Deals!

Posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

It’s often easy to forget that there are an ever-increasing number of eBook vendors, these days – so dominated is the market by Amazon. One new entrant into the market is Sainsbury’s – that venerable supermarket chain. For the next two days, they are running a Summer Reading sale for eBooks – this campaign seems to have been rather stealthily rolled out, too. Handily split up by genre, we are delighted to report that novels by four Zeno clients are included in the ‘Other Worlds’ Science Fiction and Fantasy selection!

Among the great selection of titles from across the SFF genres, there are six Zeno titles…

Ben Aaronovitch, RIVERS OF LONDON – the first Peter Grant novel (Gollancz) – only £1.99!
Ben Aaronovitch, BROKEN HOMES – the fourth Peter Grant novel (Gollancz)
Peter V. Brett, THE PAINTED MAN – the first Demon Cycle novel (Voyager)
Tim Powers, HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES (Corvus)
Tim Powers, THREE DAYS TO NEVER (Corvus)
Brandon Sanderson, THE FINAL EMPIRE – the first Mistborn novel (Gollancz) – only £1.99!

So, if you’re after some new e-reading for the inconsistent British summer weather, then these would all offer a great starting point for Ben’s, Pete’s, Tim’s and Brandon’s work.

Zeno represents Tim Powers in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. Zeno represents Peter V. Brett and Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Sidewise Award Nomination for Mark Hodder!

Posted on Monday, June 9th, 2014

We are delighted to report that Mark Hodder‘s THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI has been nominated for a 2013 Sidewise Award!

The Awards, presented in recognition of excellence in alternate history, are named after Murray Leinster’s 1934 short story ‘Sidewise in Time’. Each year, there are two categories, Long- and Short-Form, and Mark’s novel has been nominated in the long-form category. The winners in the two categories will be announced at Loncon 3, in London, on August 14th, 2014.

This is the second year in a row in which a Zeno client has been nominated for a Sidewise Award! Last year, Ian R. MacLeod‘s WAKE UP AND DREAM won in the long-form category, too. Ian also won twice for THE SUMMER ISLES – in 1999 for the original short story, and in 2006 for the full-length version. Let us hope that Mark takes home the prize this year!

THE SECRET OF ABDU EL YEZDI, the latest novel in the author’s popular Burton & Swinburne Adventures series, was published in the UK by Del Rey, and in the US by Pyr Books. Here is the synopsis…

Having successfully discovered the source of the Nile, Captain Richard Francis Burton returns to London expecting to marry his fiancé, Isabel Arundell, and be awarded the consulship of Damascus. However, when he’s unexpectedly knighted by King George V, his plans go awry. The monarch requires an agent to investigate a sequence of disappearances, and Burton, whether he likes it or not, is the man for the job.

Engineering and medical luminaries – such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Florence Nightingale – are among the missing, but the most significant absence is that of Abdu El Yezdi, an inhabitant of the Afterlife who, in the two decades since the assassination of Queen Victoria, has been Prime Minister Disraeli’s most trusted advisor.

The search for the missing ghost soon becomes the least of the explorer’s concerns, for it quickly becomes apparent that he himself is at the centre of increasingly bizarre and interconnected events, and that someone – or something – is intent not only on meddling with history, but also on harming the people Burton values the most.

Mark is currently working on the next novel in the series.

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

Andrew Hodges, Alan Turing & The Pet Shop Boys…

Posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2014

Credits: Vintage Books (Cover), Philadelphia Enquirer (Pet Shop Boys)

On 23 July 2014, the Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe) are set to premiere their latest musical work, A MAN FROM THE FUTURE. The piece was written for orchestra, choir, and electronics and will have a narrator using material based on Andrew Hodge‘s ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA, the critically-acclaimed biography of the wartime code-breaker. Andrew collaborated with Tennant and Lowe on the piece, and the performance incorporates texts and excerpts from Andrew’s book, which will be read by an as-yet-unannounced narrator.

The show will open the season of Late Night Proms in the Albert Hall, London. This particular event has already sold out, but it will of course be broadcast by the BBC. Further details can be found on the Pet Shop Boys’ website.

Speaking about the concert to NME, the Pet Shop Boys said: ‘It is an honour for us to be invited to present some new music at The Proms and to celebrate Alan Turing 60 years after his death.’

A portion of A MAN FROM THE FUTURE has already been performed live: the song ‘He Dreamed of Machines’. Below is a YouTube clip, which includes an introduction about Alan Turing…

More Turing-related music news and information can be found on The Turing Centenary (+ Bicentennial) website. As the site states, ‘Turing has inspired rather a lot of music recently’, and there you can find a number of interesting links.

ALAN TURING: THE ENIGMA is published in the UK by Vintage Books, and in the US by Princeton University Press, and has been translated into multiple languages for publication around the world.

As we have reported before, the biography has also been adapted into a movie, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (below) and Keira Knightley. Production began last year, and we will share more news about both of these projects as it comes in.

Cover Reveal: BENEATH LONDON by James P. Blaylock

Posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014

Above you will see the brilliant, eye-catching cover for James P. Blaylock‘s BENEATH LONDON! The novel, the fourth in the author’s Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, is due to be published by Titan Books in May 2015.

We don’t have a full synopsis for the novel just yet, but we’ll be sure to share it with you as soon as we do, and again closer to the book’s publication. In the mean time, here are just some of the things fellow authors and reviewers have said about the series…

‘… the fastest, funniest, and most colorful and grotesquely horrifying novel that could ever be written about Victorian London.’ — Tim Powers on HOMUNCULUS

‘Blaylock is a true one-of-a-kind original.’ — Neil Gaiman

‘St. Ives has to be one of the most fleshed out Victorian characters ever written, and I’m sincerely hoping that Blaylock isn’t finished with this scientist adventurer. THE AYLESFORD SKULL can easily stand alone without any knowledge of Blaylock’s previous steampunk stories, but you’ll want to hunt down additional St. Ives tales, I’m for certain.’ — Wired.com

‘This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result. Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, THE AYLESFORD SKULL is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’ — SFX.co.uk

‘Nerve-wrenching, deeply moving, and sparked with comic touches… brilliantly achieved.’ — Locus (1992) on LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE

‘St. Ives’s journey through time is very well handled, at once playful and thoughtful’ — Publishers Weekly on LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE

We think you’ll agree that this will look fantastic on your bookshelves alongside the other Titan editions…

Series Spotlight: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS

Posted on Friday, May 30th, 2014

Michael Cobley is perhaps best known for his expansive space opera series, Humanity’s Fire, published in both the UK and US by Orbit Books. The fourth title set in the same universe, ANCESTRAL MACHINES, is due to be published later this year, also by Orbit.

However, before his science fiction series became such a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, he was also a pioneer of Grimdark fantasy: his debut trilogy, Shadowkings, was first published between 2001-5, by Earthlight. Certainly, he was dabbling in the darker, grittier fantasy arena before it gained such prominence and popularity, and doing it very well, too – Jon Courtenay-Grimwood described the series, in his review for the Guardian, as ‘brutal, cruel and realistic in a way genre usually avoids.’ It was also described as ‘unconventional high fantasy’, but this was before the rise of grimdark. Continue reading “Series Spotlight: Michael Cobley’s SHADOWKINGS” →