Next Thursday, July 8th, J. T. Greathouse will be taking part in an event with Brian Staveley. Hosted by the Broken Binding, it’s a free event — however, you should reserve your spot ASAP, here.
J. T. Greathouse’s debut novel, THE HAND OF THE SUN KING is due to be published by Gollancz in the UK, on August 5th, 2021. The first book in the Pact and Pattern series, here’s the synopsis…
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path… a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves…
Here are just a few reviews the novel has received so far…
‘THE HAND OF THE SUN KING fundamentally explores the right to make our own choices in life, to make sacrifices to serve the greater good and to use power to uplift the oppressed. Greathouse delivers a debut full of complexities, passion and grace, and I’m already longing for more.’ — Fantasy Hive
‘Sublime prose and pin-sharp characterisation combined to produce a captivating epic of conflicted loyalties and dangerous ambition’ — Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author
‘Hands down the best debut of the year. Scratch that; this is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read’ — Novel Notions
‘A great coming of age story about a foolish boy who seeks to unravel the secrets of magic and maybe do something good in the process. I absolutely loved it’ — Nick Martell
‘An excellent mix of classic and modern fantasy with a grimdark undertone of despair.’ — Grimdark Magazine
Zeno represents J. T. Greathouse in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
In case you missed it, Aliette de Bodard took part in this year’s TorCon 2021! Specifically, the author contributed to the ‘Conjuring the Diaspora: Myths, Legends, and Classics Reimagined’ panel (which you can watch above), and also a ‘Cooking the Books’ segment (below).
Aliette’s latest book is FIREHEART TIGER, an acclaimed fantasy novella published by Tor.com. Here’s the synopsis…
Fire burns bright and has a long memory….
Quiet, thoughtful princess Thanh was sent away as a hostage to the powerful faraway country of Ephteria as a child. Now she’s returned to her mother’s imperial court, haunted not only by memories of her first romance, but by worrying magical echoes of a fire that devastated Ephteria’s royal palace.
Thanh’s new role as a diplomat places her once again in the path of her first love, the powerful and magnetic Eldris of Ephteria, who knows exactly what she wants: romance from Thanh and much more from Thanh’s home. Eldris won’t take no for an answer, on either front. But the fire that burned down one palace is tempting Thanh with the possibility of making her own dangerous decisions.
Can Thanh find the freedom to shape her country’s fate — and her own?
Here are just a handful of the reviews FIREHEART TIGER has received so far…
‘[A] high-stakes lesbian love triangle in this tightly plotted fantasy novella… convincingly combines sex, politics, and betrayal. This is an ideal pick for fantasy fans longing for non-European settings.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘FIREHEART TIGER… is a delicate novella with threads of imperial politics, magical beings, queer romance and the psychology of trauma. It’s a bit of a miracle to feel as if you’ve read a six-book fantasy series in so few pages. This book is elegant and hypnotic as the flame of a candle, and I’ll be thinking for some time about the shadows it throws into relief.’ — New York Times Book Review
‘A fascinating story filled with strong female characters and lush prose, the relationships woven around Thanh evolve into themes of reclaiming the self and recognizing that love can hide the truth about people… a story of love, power, and what burns within. Highly recommended.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)
‘De Bodard…, as she so often does, packs the world-building and emotional punch of an epic into a shockingly slim novella. This touching romance with the delicate negotiations of a small country’s survival against an imperial adversary would be a lovely place to start with de Bodard’s work, and fans will find more of what they’ve come to love about her stories.’ — Booklist
To celebrate the release of THE BEST OF WORLD SF, a superb collection of science fiction stories from around the world, edited by Lavie Tidhar, Head of Zeus CEO and publisher Nicolas Cheetham hosted Tidhar, and anthology contributors Lauren Beukes, Francesco Verso, Taiyo Fujii and R.S.A. Garcia for a discussion about the book and the international science fiction scene.
The anthology is out now in the UK and North America, published by Head of Zeus’s Aries imprint. Here’s the full synopsis…
Twenty-six new short stories representing the state of the art in international science fiction.
The future is coming. It knows no bounds, and neither should science fiction.
They say the more things change the more they stay the same. But over the last hundred years, science fiction has changed. Vibrant new generations of writers have sprung up across the globe, proving the old adage false. From Ghana to India, from Mexico to France, from Singapore to Cuba, they draw on their unique backgrounds and culture, changing the face of the genre one story at a time.
Prepare yourself for a journey through the wildest reaches of the imagination, to visions of Earth as it might be and the far corners of the universe. Along the way, you will meet robots and monsters, adventurers and time travellers, rogues and royalty.
In The Best of World SF, award-winning author Lavie Tidhar acts as guide and companion to a world of stories, from never-before-seen originals to award winners, from twenty-three countries and seven languages. Because the future is coming and it belongs to us all.
Finally, here are just a few of the great reviews the collection has received…
‘Rare and wonderful’ — The Times
‘This excellent anthology proves editor Tidhar’s assertion that science fiction should no longer be thought of as “white, male, and American” with 26 exemplary stories from 21 countries… Worthwhile both as a survey of international sci-fi and on a story-by-story level, this wonderful anthology should be a hit with any sci-fi fan.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
‘Vital and exciting, THE BEST OF WORLD SF blows the blast panels off the dusty, well-worn tropes of popular science fiction and lets in a dazzling burst of lunar light.’ — Foreword Review
‘There is not a poor story here… nice balance between light and harder stories… IMMERSION by Aliette de Bodard reads like hard Sci Fi but digs a little deeper… As a group, the stories on offer within THE BEST OF WORLD SF Volume 1 are so strong… This is a great introduction to what the rest of the world has to offer.’ — SF Book Reviews
‘Stories like these are the ones you sometimes want to foist upon readers who claim not to like SF, and The Best of World SF: Volume 1 reminds us that such stories can come from anywhere these days, if only we get to see them. I look forward to future volumes.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)
‘In addition to being an award-winning sci-fi writer, Israeli-born UK-based Lavie Tidhar is also a tireless champion of international sci-fi… an excellent, lovingly curated collection that is also uniformly well translated.’ — Financial Times
‘Now this book exists, it feels absurd it didn’t exist sooner… hefty, beautifully presented collection… an excellent samples and delight in itself… fizzes with great ideas and wonderful writing.’ — SFX (5*)
‘[Tidhar] is really a pioneer… He was looking at writers from Malaysia, from Africa, from China, from Japan when no one was really doing that. You might get some stories here and there from other parts of the world. But the way that he constructed this global structure of science fiction and looked at science fiction not as a monoculture but as a vibrant sphere for people to speak from all over the world, and the promotion he gave that over the long term and pushing it on and on in an independent space, is exciting to see and inspiring.’ — Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In case you missed the news on Friday, we wanted to just remind fans of Brandon Sanderson that Waterstones has a limited number of signed copies of CYTONIC available for pre-order. The highly-anticipated third novel in the author’s Skyward sci-fi series, it’s due to be published in the UK by Gollancz, on November 25th. Here’s the synopsis…
Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary.
She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell – the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she travelled light-years from home as a spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home. Now, the Superiority – the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life – has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa has seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant.
Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.
Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy. The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.
To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.
The first two books in the series, SKYWARD and STARSIGHT are out now, also published in the UK by Gollancz.
Zeno represents Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
In case you missed it, we wanted to raise awareness that Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant series of novels and novellas are available in Germany as audiobooks. This includes the latest novel, FALSE VALUE, which is published in Germany as an audiobook by Jumbo Verlag. Narrated by Dietmar Wunder, here’s the synopsis for EIN WEISSER SCHWAN IN TABERNACLE STREET…
Peter Grant, unser Lieblings-Bobby und Zauberlehrling, ist suspendiert und zumindest für eine Weile kein Bobby mehr. Dafür wird er in Zukunft im Privatleben umso mehr gefordert sein, was ihn zu gleichen Teilen mit Panik und Begeisterung erfüllt. Um nicht untätig herumzusitzen und Nägel zu kaufen, heuert er bei der Serious Cybernetics Company an, dem neuesten Projekt des Internet-Genies Terrence Skinner. Und prompt holt die Magie ihn wieder ein. Denn in den Tiefen der SCC ist ein Geheimnis verborgen, eine geheime magische Technologie, die zurückreicht bis weit ins 19. Jahrhundert, das Zeitalter von Ada Lovelace und Charles Babbage. Und die brandgefährlich ist für die Welt.
Jumbo Verlag has published the audiobooks for all of Ben’s Peter Grant/Rivers of London books in Germany, to date. The German print and eBook editions are published by DTV.
Audible Germany has also been producing some full-cast audio dramas, the first four of which are out now: DIE FLÜSSE VON LONDON, SCHWARZER MOND ÜBER SOHO, EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET, and DER BÖSE ORT.
Today, we wanted to share with you Jack Campell‘s discussion about his upcoming novel, BOUNDLESS. The first in his latest series set in the Lost Fleet universe, the interview was conducted for Forbidden Planet.
BOUNDLESS is due to be published by Titan Books in the UK, on June 23rd. Here’s the synopsis…
The master of military science fiction returns.
Admiral John ‘Black Jack’ Geary carries evidence of crimes which could destroy the Alliance he has fought so hard to save. Now his battle-weary fleet returns to Unity, the seat of the Alliance government.
But instead of a hero’s welcome, he faces assassination attempts and political threats. His arrival ignites a furious Senate trial, and Geary must use all his guile to ensure the guilty are brought to justice, without himself becoming judge and jury. All the while forces lurk in the shadows, poised to strike at any moment.
Unsure of who he can trust, Geary is sent on a dangerous mission to lead his fleet through the shattered Syndicate Worlds, and beyond to alien-controlled space. As the Alliance faces the failures of its past, Black Jack must confront its legacy – distrust and rebellion.
Zeno represents Jack Campbell in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
This is just a quick post to let people know, in case they missed it, that Waterstones have signed copies of THE DESERT PRINCE, Peter V. Brett‘s highly anticipated next novel, available for pre-order!
Due to be published in the UK by Voyager, on August 3rd, the novel is set in the same world as Brett’s best-selling, acclaimed Demon Cycle series — this time, focused on the next generation of heroes. Here’s the synopsis…
Fifteen years have passed since the end of the war with demons, creatures of darkness who have hunted the night and plagued humanity for time out of mind. The heroes of mankind’s hour of need have become legend, and those that remain struggle to escape their shadows.
Olive Paper and Darin Bales have grown up in this new, peaceful world. Demons have all but been destroyed, but dangers still lurk for the children of heroes.
Olive, Princess of Hollow, has her entire life planned out by her mother, Duchess Leesha Paper.
A steady march on a checklist to prepare her for succession. The more her mother writes the script, the more Olive rails against playing the parts her mother assigns.
Darin faces challenges of a different kind. Though free to choose his own path, the weight of legacy hangs heavy round his shoulders. It isn’t easy being the son of the man people say saved the world. Everyone expects greatness from Darin, but the only thing he’s ever been great at is hiding.
But when Olive and Darin step across the wards one night, they learn the demons are not all gone, and those that remain hunger for revenge. Events are set in motion that only Prophecy can foresee as Olive and Darin seek to find their own places in the world in time to save it again.
Voyager has published all of Brett’s books in the UK to date. The Demon Cycle series includes the novels THE PAINTED MAN, THE DESERT SPEAR, THE DAYLIGHT WAR, THE SKULL THRONE, and THE CORE; and the novellas THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, MESSENGER’S LEGACY, and BARREN.
‘An intricately crafted tale of intrigue and courage where one’s station and lineage determines everything, good and bad. An exciting read. Peter Brett has outdone himself with this first book in a new series.’ — Terry Brooks
‘THE DESERT PRINCE is a deeply intimate, yet epic adventure. Heart-wrenching, smart, and modern, this book kept me wide-eyed and wide awake for many-a-nights as I struggled step-for-step alongside Olive and Darin from the green lands to the desert pits to the darkest recesses of the demon minds. THE DESERT PRINCE has set a new standard for fantasy.’ — Wesley Chu
Zeno represents Peter V. Brett in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
We’re very happy to share the news that Lavie Tidhar has been appointed Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer-in-Residence at Richmond, the American International University in London! Lavie will be teaching for Richmond’s MA Film: Science Fiction & Fantasy storytelling classes.
Lavie is a prolific author of short fiction and novels, and has received an incredible number of awards and nominations across his work. His upcoming 2021 titles include THE LUNACY COMMISSION, THE HOOD, and THE ESCAPEMENT — published by JABberwocky, Head of Zeus (UK), and Tachyon Publications, respectively.
Other recent novels include CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND, and THE VIOLENT CENTURY — all published by Tachyon Publications.
The first novel in the author’s Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet, BY FORCE ALONE is out now, published by Head of Zeus (UK) and Tor Books (North America).
Back in March, Enfield Libraries hosted Ben Aaronovitch for a conversation about his books and writing in general. The video for the event has now been posted on YouTube.
Ben is the author of the internationally-bestselling and acclaimed Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, which to date includes eight novels, three novellas, a short story collection, and eight comic story arcs!
At the end of February, Andrew Cartmel was interviewed for Kingston Libraries. In case you missed the event, the video has now been made available online. You can watch it below.
Andrew is the author of the Vinyl Detective mystery series (Titan Books), co-author of the Rivers of London comic series (Titan Comics), and more!
Today, we just want to remind you all that Head of Zeus (via its Ad Astra imprint) is due to publish THE BEST OF WORLD SF, VOLUME 1 next month (April 1st)! Edited and curated by Lavie Tidhar, it’s a superb anthology of 26 short stories by SFF authors from around the world. Here’s the synopsis…
Twenty-six new short stories representing the state of the art in international science fiction, selected by Lavie Tidhar.
The Best of World SF draws together stories from across the spectrum of science fiction – expect robots, spaceships and time travel, as well as some really weird stuff – representing twenty-one countries and five continents.
Lavie Tidhar has selected stories that range from never-before-seen originals to award winners; from authors at every stage of their career; and a number of translations, including a story translated from Hebrew by Tidhar himself.
‘Debtless’ by Chen Qiufan (trans. from Chinese by Blake Stone-Banks)
‘Fandom for Robots’ by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
‘Virtual Snapshots’ by Tlotlo Tsamaase
‘What The Dead Man Said’ by Chinelo Onwualu
‘Delhi’ by Vandana Singh
‘The Wheel of Samsara’ by Han Song (trans. from Chinese by the author)
‘Xingzhou’ by Yi-Sheng Ng
‘Prayer’ by Taiyo Fujii (trans. from Japanese by Kamil Spychalski)
‘The Green Ship’ by Francesco Verso (trans. from Italian by Michael Colbert)
‘Eyes of the Crocodile’ by Malena Salazar Maciá (trans. from Spanish by Toshiya Kamei)
‘Bootblack’ by Tade Thompson
‘The Emptiness in the Heart of all Things’ by Fabio Fernandes
‘The Sun From Both Sides’ by R.S.A. Garcia
‘Dump’ by Cristina Jurado (trans. from Spanish by Steve Redwood)
‘Rue Chair’ by Gerardo Horacio Porcayo (trans. from Spanish by the author)
‘His Master’s Voice’ by Hannu Rajaniemi
‘Benjamin Schneider’s Little Greys’ by Nir Yaniv (trans. from Hebrew by Lavie Tidhar)
‘The Cryptid’ by Emil H. Petersen (trans. from Icelandic by the author)
‘The Bank of Burkina Faso’ by Ekaterina Sedia
‘An Incomplete Guide…’ by Kuzhali Manickavel
‘The Old Man with The Third Hand’ by Kofi Nyameye
‘The Green’ by Lauren Beukes
‘The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir’ by Karin Tidbeck
‘Prime Meridian’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
‘If At First You Don’t Succeed’ by Zen Cho
Lavie’s latest novels is BY FORCE ALONE, published by Head of Zeus in the UK and Tor Books in North America. His first novel for younger readers, CANDY, was recently published by Scholastic in the UK and Peachtree Publishing in North America (as THE CANDY MAFIA).
Lavie is also the author of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning CENTRAL STATION, UNHOLY LAND, THE VIOLENT CENTURY (published by Tachyon Publications), and A MAN LIES DREAMING (published in eBook by JABberwocky).
Head of Zeus are due to re-issue two of Lavie’s classic novels in the UK, next year: the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING. (We’ll share more details — including cover art — on here as soon as we have them.)
Last week, Craig Laurance Gidney took part in an online conversation with P. Djèlí Clark, on ‘Writing Between Genres’. In case you missed it, the Sturgis Library — who hosted the event — has now made the video available online. We’ve embedded it above. Enjoy!
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ben Aaronovitch‘s first Peter Grant novel, RIVERS OF LONDON. The critically-acclaimed and best-selling series is now up to its eighth novel, third novella, and eight comic series — and its popularity only continues to grow! The series as a whole has sold more than two million copies worldwide, and has been translated into 14 languages. (You can find many of the covers for these worldwide editions on his author page.)
To support this milestone achievement, Gollancz will be reaching out to fans, librarians, booksellers and many more to create an unmissable celebration of one of the most beloved series of recent times. The range of activities will span online and in the real world, with many exciting moments and content that fans of the series will not want to miss. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks ahead.
Not only this, as was reported today by The Bookseller, there are two special anniversary editions on the way! Here’s a description of what fans can expect…
The tenth anniversary special edition of RIVERS OF LONDON will be a Demy Hardback featuring new artwork, specially commissioned endpapers, and an introduction by the author. This edition is perfect for longstanding fans and newcomers alike and will be published this August, the month of the tenth anniversary of the paperback edition of RIVERS OF LONDON. Alongside this, a Deluxe tenth anniversary limited edition of RIVERS OF LONDON will also be published in a very exclusive slipcased edition featuring sprayed edges, new artwork and an original RIVERS OF LONDON map.
Here’s what Ben had to say about reaching this incredible milestone:
‘My expectations for Rivers of London were modest making its surprise success all the more gratifying when it came. I’m amazed both that we are already at the tenth anniversary and that so many readers have gone out of their way to tell me how much they enjoy the books. I’m extremely grateful to John Berlyne my agent, and to all the people at Orion, Gollancz and my foreign publishers past and present for their hard work and support that made this series so successful. Not to mention the brilliant work by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in reading the audio books. I should also mention the enthusiastic support I’ve had from booksellers and librarians across the country and beyond. But I am most grateful for all the thousands of readers who shelled out their own hard-earned cash to buy the books – the most important people of all.’
In addition to his published work, and publishing in the time of COVID, Jonathan Carroll discusses his latest novel: MR. BREAKFAST, which has already been published in Italy and Poland…
It’s a kind of a combination of Borges’s ‘Garden of Forking Paths’ and that film Sliding Doors. In so many cases, so many people’s lives would have been profoundly different if they’d taken a little step to the left or to the right. We don’t think about that, because we’re so fixed on right now and this moment…
Aliette de Bodard discusses her published work — which includes, most recently, FIREHEART TIGER (Tor.com) — and also the importance of parent-child relationships in fiction, and the desire to break the moulds of certain story tropes and frameworks.
Now I think, ‘You know what? Where is it written that a story has to work that way?’ I read a book that suggested putting ‘Where is it written?’ in front of everything you think is a given. If you can pull it off, you can do anything.
The March 2021 issue of Locus Magazine is out now.
We just wanted to take this opportunity to quickly draw your attention to an upcoming online event: next Wednesday (March 3rd), Nick Martell will be a guest on Brandon Sanderson‘s livestream! The event will be broadcast on Brandon’s YouTube page. Keep your eyes on Nick’s, Brandon’s, and our Twitter feeds for updates about timing, etc.
Nick’s upcoming second novel, THE TWO-FACED QUEEN is due to be published by Gollancz on March 25th (eBook) and April 8th (print). It’s the second novel in his acclaimed Legacy of the Mercenary Kings fantasy series. Here’s the synopsis…
Michael Kingman thought he was going to die by the executioner’s axe, forever labelled as a traitor.
Still alive, and under the protection of the Orbis Mercenary company, Michael and his family and friends are deeply involved in the seemingly rival conspiracies that are tearing The Hollows apart.
With the death of the King, both the Corrupt Prince and his sister Serena are vying for the throne, while the Rebel Emperor is spreading lies amongst the people, and all of them want Michael dead. This is a story of betrayal, murder, and rebellion, and in this direct sequel to the debut novel The Kingdom of Liars, also some hope for justice.
Brandon’s latest novel is the best-selling fourth novel in the Stormlight Archive series, RHYTHM OF WAR is also out now published, by Gollancz in the UK.
After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage, and the threat of a betrayal by Dalinar’s crafty ally Taravangian looms over every strategic move.
Now, as new technological discoveries by Navani Kholin’s scholars begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.
At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.
Zeno represents Nick Martell and Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
