Category: Release

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 Out Now in North America!

Posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2022

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 is out now in North America! Edited by Lavie Tidhar, it is published by Head of Zeus/AdAstra (the UK edition was published back in October). Here’s the synopsis…

Twenty-nine new short stories representing the state of the art in international science fiction.

The second annual instalment to the ‘rare and wonderful’ (The Times) The Best of World SF Volume 1, this collection features twenty-nine stories, including eight written exclusively for this collection. This is not a retrospective of what science fiction around the world used to look like. This is a snapshot of what some of it looks like now. And it’s never been more exciting.

Navigating around the globe, The Best of World SF Volume 2 features writers from: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Bolivia, China, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Each story has been selected by World SF expert and award-winning author Lavie Tidhar in a collection which traces the ever-changing meaning of the genre from some the most exciting voices writing today.

Here’s the full Table of Contents…

  • Nadia Afifi, THE BAHRAIN UNDERGROUND BAZAAR (Bahrain)
  • Lavanya Lakshminarayan, THE TEN-PERCENT THIEF (India)
  • Frances Ogamba, AT DESK 9501 (Nigeria) *
  • Isabel Yap, MILAGROSO (The Philippines)
  • Saad Z. Hossain, BRING YOUR OWN SPOON (Bangladesh)
  • Yukimi Ogawa, BLUE GREY BLUE (Japan)
  • Xing He, YOUR MULTICOLORED LIFE (China), trans. Andy Dudak
  • Nalo Hopkinson, THE EASTHOUND (Jamaica)
  • Pan Haitian, DEAD MAN, AWAKE, SING TO THE SUN! (China), trans. Joel Martinsen *
  • Jacques Barcia, SALVAGING GODS (Brazil)
  • Edmundo Paz Soldán, THE NEXT MOVE (Bolivia), trans. Jessica Sequeira *
  • Dilman Dila, THE CLAY CHILD (Uganda) *
  • Natalia Theodoridou, TO SET AT TWILIGHT IN A LAND OF REEDS (Greece)
  • Bef, THE BEAST HAS DIED (Mexico), trans. Brian L. Price
  • Alberto Chimal, TWENTY ABOUT ROBOTS (Mexico), trans. Fionn Petch
  • Wole Talabi, THE REGRESSION TEST (Nigeria),
  • William Tham Wai Liang, KAKAK (Malaysia)
  • Usman T. Malik, BEYOND THESE STARS OTHER TRIBULATIONS OF LOVE (Pakistan)
  • Julie Novakova, A FLAW IN THE WORKS (Czech Republic), trans. by author *
  • Cassandra Khaw, WHEN WE DIE ON MARS (Malaysia)
  • Karen Lord and Tobias S. Buckell, THE MIGHTY SLINGER (Barbados/Grenada)
  • T.L. Huchu, CORIALIS (Zimbabwe)
  • Clelia Farris, THE SUBSTANCE OF IDEAS (Italy), trans. Rachel S. Cordasco
  • Agnieszka Hałas, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (Poland), trans. by author *
  • Samit Basu, WAKING NYDRA (India) *
  • Neon Yang, BETWEEN THE FIRMAMENTS (Singapore)
  • Bo-Young Kim, WHALE SNOWS DOWN (South Korea), trans. Sophie Bowman
  • Hassan Blasim, THE GARDENS OF BABYLON (Iraq), trans. Jonathan Wright
  • K.A. Teryna, THE FARCTORY (Russia), trans. Alex Shvartsman *

(Stories indicated with an * are original for this volume.)

Here are some of the reviews the first has volume received…

‘This handsome volume from Head of Zeus is a major step on a 45-year journey to bring global speculative fiction to Anglophone attention… The print edition of THE BEST OF WORLD SF: Volume 1 is truly a thing of beauty, providing gravitas and a wider audience for the authors it collects… There are many striking stories in the collection… This anthology is just the start of a whole new game for speculative fiction authors around the world’ — LA Review of Books

‘An excellent, lovingly curated collection that is also uniformly well translated’ — Financial Times

‘Tidhar gives a cheerful, fannish introduction to the stories, drawn from 26 countries on five continents, and encompassing a dizzying range of tones and approaches’ — The Times

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 1 is also out now, available in paperback.

Rebecca Brownlie’s ABANDONED IRELAND Out Next Week & Nominated for Irish Book Award!

Posted on Friday, October 28th, 2022

We’re very happy to report that, not only is Rebecca Brownlie‘s ABANDONED IRELAND is due to be published next week by Merrion Press, but it is also nominated for an Irish Book Award! Specifically, the book is nominated for the TheJournal.ie Best Irish Published Book of the Year 2022.

Many congratulations to Rebecca!

Here’s the synopsis for the book…

Abandoned Ireland travels the length and breadth of the island of Ireland visiting and documenting our forgotten buildings, highlighting their social importance, and bringing their stories back to life through the medium of photography.

From Big Houses to humble cottages, schools to prisons, churches to dance halls, these buildings may now be abandoned, but they are far from empty. As a photographer, Brownlie’s instincts are remarkable. In the seemingly ruined and mundane she finds diamonds in the rough; her images of the ordinary ephemera of past lives – dusty love letters, rusting spectacles, photographs yellowed and curled with age – paint the pictures of real people and full lives.

Rebecca Brownlie’s photography reverberates with the echoes of our ancestors. Bursting with engaging and often surprising details, each haunting photograph is an invitation to immerse yourself  in history, and an Ireland long gone.

THE PERIPHERAL Tie-In Edition Out Tomorrow in the UK!

Posted on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

The new, tie-in edition of William Gibson‘s acclaimed novel THE PERIPHERAL is out tomorrow! Published by Penguin, here’s the synopsis…

Flynne Fisher lives in the rural American South, working at the local 3D printing shop, while earning much needed extra money playing VR games for rich people. One night she dons a headset and finds herself in futuristic London-a sleek and mysterious world, alluringly different from her own hardscrabble existence. But this isn’t like any game she’s ever played before: Flynne begins to realize it isn’t virtual reality… it’s real.

Someone in London, seventy years in the future, has found a way to open a door to Flynne’s world. And as utterly beguiling as London is… it’s also dangerous. As Flynne searches to discover who has connected their worlds, and for what purpose, her presence here sets dangerous forces into motion… forces intent on destroying Flynne and her family in her own world.

The Peripheral is master storyteller William Gibson’s dazzling, hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind — and what lies beyond.

THE PERIPHERAL is on sale in the UK for all of October, in eBook — Amazon, Kobo.

The TV show launched on Amazon Prime, on October 21st. You can check out the trailer, below…

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

‘His writing has been refined over the years, but Gibson still maintains that sparse, edgy style that has been a characteristic of his work from the very beginning… Gibson remains as unnervingly prophetic as ever, making his futures feel like they’re just around the corner, products of humankind’s inability to act when necessary, transforming a sci-fi whodunit into a work of fiction that feels both ahead of its time and frighteningly relevant to today’s world.’ 9/10*  —  Starburst

‘Seminal cyberpunk author Gibson, who has spent the last several years writing the more-or-less present-day Zero History series of novels, returns to the future with this slow-burning thriller, ambitiously structured on either side of an economic and ecological collapse… All of Gibson’s characters are intensely real, and Flynne is a clever, compelling, stereotype-defying, unhesitating protagonist who makes this novel a standout.’  —  Publishers Weekly

‘In THE PERIPHERAL, William Gibson’s first futuristic novel since 1999’s ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES, we experience the fantastic synthesis of a 20th century writer — the Gibson of NEUROMANCER, eyeball-kicks of flash and noir; and the Gibson of PATTERN RECOGNITION, arch and sly and dry and keen… A perfect fusion of Gibson’s pulp heritage with his fine-tuned design and social sensibilities… From the microscale word choices to the macroscale plot, structure and themes, the book is strange and contemporary in a perfectly futuristic way.’  —  Boing Boing

‘Dramatic, scary, creepy,violent, and finally satisfying… like any really well-designed thrill ride or mystery tour (or sonnet or string quartet), as soon as you get off, you want to get right on for another go-round.’  —  Locus

‘A smart, nuanced twist on time travel… THE PERIPHERAL is a fast-paced murder investigation and political thriller… pithy, poetic prose. THE PERIPHERAL also feels more accessible than his last several books.’  —  The Verge

‘While placed firmly in the sci-fi genre of his earlier works, Gibson’s latest retains the social commentary from his more recent novels… This is quintessential Gibson: gonzo yet cool, sharp-edged, sophisticated…’  —  Kirkus

‘William Gibson is one of the smartest writers around… THE PERIPHERAL starts off by throwing the reader into the deep end of a complex story set in a future world rich in highly-advanced technology. Or, actually, two future worlds. Only gradually do the pieces fall into place and you begin to understand what is going on… Gibson is not a difficult writer but he is demanding, and here those demands are well rewarded. THE PERIPHERAL is intellectual entertainment of the first order, a pop SF thriller that will make you think.’  —  Toronto Star

THE PERIPHERAL is the first in a series, too: the second novel, AGENCY is out now, published by Penguin in the UK.

Aliette de Bodard’s HISTORIAS DE XUYA is Out Now!

Posted on Thursday, October 20th, 2022

Today, Red Key Books publish HISTORIAS DE XUYA, a Spanish collection of Aliette de Bodard‘s Xuya novellas LA MAESTRA DEL TÉ Y LA INVESTIGADORA (THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE) and SEVEN OF INFINITIES!

La maestra del té y la investigadora + Seven of Infinities, de Aliette de Bodard

Dos novelas cortas de la afamada escritora Aliette de Bodard llegan juntas en unos meses: La maestra del té y la investigadora y Seven of infinities.

Son dos novelas muy reconocidas y valoradas, con las que Aliette nos abre la puerta de manera magistral a su Universo Xuya. Ciencia ficción, investigación, un futuro alternativo, sugerentes ideas, una trama elaborada… Pocos adjetivos son para estas dos obras. Hablaremos de ellas más adelante. Pero si queréis ir conociendo a esta autora y a su obra, os invitamos a pasaros por el programa en el que Leticia Lara, quien podemos considerar la entrevistadora oficial de Aliette de Bodard en España, nos acompaña en nuestro programa vigésimo quinto para ilustrarnos sobre ella.

If you’d like to learn more about the books, check out an episode of the Red Key Books podcast, here.

Both THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE and SEVEN OF INFINITIES are available in English, published by Subterranean Press and JABberwocky. Here’s the synopsis for THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, which won the British Fantasy and Nebula Awards for Best Novella (2019)…

Once, the mindship known as The Shadow’s Child was a military transport. Once, she leapt effortlessly between stars and planets, carrying troops and crew for a war that tore the Empire apart. Until an ambush killed her crew and left her wounded and broken.

Now the war is over, and The Shadow’s Child, surviving against all odds, has run away. Discharged and struggling to make a living, she has no plans to go back into space. Until the abrasive and arrogant scholar Long Chau comes to see her. Long Chau wants to retrieve a corpse for her scientific studies: a simple enough, well-paid assignment.

But when the corpse they find turns out to have been murdered, the simple assignment becomes a vast and tangled investigation, inexorably leading back to the past–and, once again, to that unbearable void where The Shadow’s Child almost lost both sanity and life…

And the synopsis for SEVEN OF INFINITIES, which was a finalist for the Locus Best Novella Award (2021)…

On a string of orbitals called the Scattered Pearls Belt lives Sunless Woods—sentient spaceship, master of disguise, and master thief who chafes against the obscurity that comes with her retirement. There, too, lives Vân, a poor scholar with little confidence but plenty of heart, and whose income comes from tutoring a wealthy student.

Their lives are turned upside down when Vân finds a corpse in her student’s quarters and Sunless Woods, intrigued by Vân’s sense of justice, offers her help. Scholar and spaceship must chase the mystery around the empire’s forgotten edge: from rundown teahouses to ascetic havens, and even in the wreck of a spaceship—and all the while, they begin to fall for each other in earnest. But the secrets they’ve kept from each other are large and devastating—will they and their love survive the revelations?

Upcoming Tobias Capwell Events & New Publication!

Posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022

We’re very happy to report that Tobias Capwell has a rather busy schedule for the next couple of months! First of all, he has contributed a chapter to the new book, THE FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF HENRY V AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY: THE ARMS AND ARMOUR OF DEATH, which is published by Boydell & Brewer. The author’s chapter is ‘The Funerary Helm of King Henry V: A Helm for the Joust of Peace, c.1390-1420’. Here’s the book’s synopsis…

Ground-breaking new studies of Henry V’s chapel, tomb and funeral service have new revelations and insights into the time.

Before Henry V set out in 1415 on the campaign which culminated in victory at Agincourt, he made a will laying down precise instructions for a chantry chapel to be constructed in Westminster Abbey after his death, so that he could be buried close to his saintly ancestor Edward the Confessor. Seven years later the king died at Vincennes, and his body was brought back for burial in the Abbey; the elaborate funeral took place on 7 November 1422. His chapel was probably finally completed in the 1440s, and remains a distinctive feature of Westminster Abbey to this day.

This book, stimulated by the 600th anniversary of the death of this iconic king, sheds new light on his funeral service and the design of his ornate chantry chapel and tomb. It also considers each of the “funeral achievements” — saddle, helm, shield and sword – traditionally associated with him. Drawing on up-to-date research by experts in each field, with exciting input from new technologies, it investigates the construction and form of the arms and weapons, as well as providing fascinating insights into the material culture and commemoration of royalty in the fifteenth century and beyond.

Capwell will also be taking part in a number of events in October and November. Fans of Tobias’s work should definitely add the following dates to their calendars…

Monday 24 October, 18:00- 20:00 — Wallace Collection, ‘In Conversation’ series — Capwell will be interviewing Philippa Langley, discoverer of the grave and remains of Richard III.

In 2012, Philippa Langley led the successful search for the grave of King Richard III through her ‘Looking For Richard Project’. Following seven and a half years of enquiry, she identified the likely location of the church and grave, leading to the sensational discovery of the remains of Richard III – a story told in the new feature film from Pathé, The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears.

Tuesday 25 October, 18:00-20:00 — THE FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF HENRY V: THE ARMS AND ARMOUR OF DEATH book launch at Westminster Abbey.

Sunday 30 October, 18:00: Interview at the Riverside Cinema in Woodbridge, about his work on THE LOST KING film — a live event introducing the cinema’s first showing of the film.

1-4 November — Capwell will be in Lisbon, speaking at the Institute for Medieval Studies.

Monday 7 November, 18:00-20:00 — Wallace Collection, ‘In Conversation’ series — Capwell will be interviewing author and historian Dan Jones about Richard III, and also discuss the new film THE LOST KING.

Must history be transformed into mythology in order to be remembered? How can we tell the difference? Join curator Tobias Capwell and internationally bestselling author and historian, Dan Jones, as they discuss how the real history of King Richard III has become intertwined with myth and misconception.

Saturday 12 November — Capwell and six of his knights will ride in full plate armour in the Lord Mayor’s Show in London, to mark the 700th anniversary of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers (Capwell is a Freeman of the Company).

Monday 21 November, 18:00-20:00 — Wallace Collection, ‘In Conversation’ series — Capwell in conversation with armourer Fred Ryall and historical costumier Ninya Mikhaila — they discuss THE LOST KING, and their work on the film.

Richard III is one of only two English medieval kings to be slain in battle. His image as a warrior dominates our view of him today – an image reimagined many times in popular culture. Now, a new portrayal has been created for the feature film from Pathé, The Lost King, directed by Stephen Frears. 

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 Out Now in the UK!

Posted on Thursday, October 13th, 2022

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 is out now in the UK! Edited by Lavie Tidhar, it is published by Head of Zeus/AdAstra. Here’s the synopsis…

Twenty-nine new short stories representing the state of the art in international science fiction.

The second annual instalment to the ‘rare and wonderful’ (The Times) The Best of World SF Volume 1, this collection features twenty-nine stories, including eight written exclusively for this collection. This is not a retrospective of what science fiction around the world used to look like. This is a snapshot of what some of it looks like now. And it’s never been more exciting.

Navigating around the globe, The Best of World SF Volume 2 features writers from: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Bolivia, China, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Each story has been selected by World SF expert and award-winning author Lavie Tidhar in a collection which traces the ever-changing meaning of the genre from some the most exciting voices writing today.

The collection will be published in North America on November 1st, also by Head of Zeus/AdAstra.

Here’s the full Table of Contents…

  • Nadia Afifi, THE BAHRAIN UNDERGROUND BAZAAR (Bahrain)
  • Lavanya Lakshminarayan, THE TEN-PERCENT THIEF (India)
  • Frances Ogamba, AT DESK 9501 (Nigeria) *
  • Isabel Yap, MILAGROSO (The Philippines)
  • Saad Z. Hossain, BRING YOUR OWN SPOON (Bangladesh)
  • Yukimi Ogawa, BLUE GREY BLUE (Japan)
  • Xing He, YOUR MULTICOLORED LIFE (China), trans. Andy Dudak
  • Nalo Hopkinson, THE EASTHOUND (Jamaica)
  • Pan Haitian, DEAD MAN, AWAKE, SING TO THE SUN! (China), trans. Joel Martinsen *
  • Jacques Barcia, SALVAGING GODS (Brazil)
  • Edmundo Paz Soldán, THE NEXT MOVE (Bolivia), trans. Jessica Sequeira *
  • Dilman Dila, THE CLAY CHILD (Uganda) *
  • Natalia Theodoridou, TO SET AT TWILIGHT IN A LAND OF REEDS (Greece)
  • Bef, THE BEAST HAS DIED (Mexico), trans. Brian L. Price
  • Alberto Chimal, TWENTY ABOUT ROBOTS (Mexico), trans. Fionn Petch
  • Wole Talabi, THE REGRESSION TEST (Nigeria),
  • William Tham Wai Liang, KAKAK (Malaysia)
  • Usman T. Malik, BEYOND THESE STARS OTHER TRIBULATIONS OF LOVE (Pakistan)
  • Julie Novakova, A FLAW IN THE WORKS (Czech Republic), trans. by author *
  • Cassandra Khaw, WHEN WE DIE ON MARS (Malaysia)
  • Karen Lord and Tobias S. Buckell, THE MIGHTY SLINGER (Barbados/Grenada)
  • T.L. Huchu, CORIALIS (Zimbabwe)
  • Clelia Farris, THE SUBSTANCE OF IDEAS (Italy), trans. Rachel S. Cordasco
  • Agnieszka Hałas, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (Poland), trans. by author *
  • Samit Basu, WAKING NYDRA (India) *
  • Neon Yang, BETWEEN THE FIRMAMENTS (Singapore)
  • Bo-Young Kim, WHALE SNOWS DOWN (South Korea), trans. Sophie Bowman
  • Hassan Blasim, THE GARDENS OF BABYLON (Iraq), trans. Jonathan Wright
  • K.A. Teryna, THE FARCTORY (Russia), trans. Alex Shvartsman *

(Stories indicated with an * are original for this volume.)

Here are some of the reviews the first has volume received…

‘This handsome volume from Head of Zeus is a major step on a 45-year journey to bring global speculative fiction to Anglophone attention… The print edition of THE BEST OF WORLD SF: Volume 1 is truly a thing of beauty, providing gravitas and a wider audience for the authors it collects… There are many striking stories in the collection… This anthology is just the start of a whole new game for speculative fiction authors around the world’ — LA Review of Books

‘An excellent, lovingly curated collection that is also uniformly well translated’ — Financial Times

‘Tidhar gives a cheerful, fannish introduction to the stories, drawn from 26 countries on five continents, and encompassing a dizzying range of tones and approaches’ — The Times

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 1 is also out now, available in paperback (UK and North America).

CYTONIC Out Tomorrow in UK Paperback

Posted on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022

The UK paperback edition of CYTONIC, Brandon Sanderson‘s acclaimed third Skyward novel, is out tomorrow in the UK! Published by Gollancz , 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 novels in the series — SKYWARD and STARSIGHT — are also published by Gollancz in the UK; as is SKYWARD FLIGHT, a collection of three novellas in the same setting, co-authored by Janci Patterson.

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

Cierra Block’s LONDON BLOCK BY BLOCK Out Now in North America!

Posted on Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

The North American edition of Cierra Block‘s LONDON BLOCK BY BLOCK is out today! Published by OH! Editions, the book is based on Block’s popular Instagram account, which she launched in 2018. Featuring fantastic, highly-detailed illustrations of some of the best and most interesting spots in London, here’s the synopsis…

For anyone who loves London – whether you’re visiting for the weekend or are a die-hard local – this is the book for you.

Artist Cierra Block loves to create maps, and this compilation will have you uncovering the best things London has on offer. Featuring the most notable places to eat, what to see, where to walk and what to do, this is a guide like no other.

Vibrantly illustrated, Cierra lists all the top addresses and areas to explore. Find out where to indulge in the best afternoon tea and festive mince pies; jump on a bike and take a spin around Shoreditch or Hampstead like a local; or follow in the footsteps of the Suffragettes.

From haunted spots for true-crime lovers, to the best bookshops, romantic strolls and coffee pit-stops, London, Block by Block will make your next visit to London the most memorable one yet.

The book is also available in the UK (published last week), and Spanish rights have been sold to Editorial Planeta SA.

Roger Zelazny’s ROADMARKS Out Now in Czechia!

Posted on Monday, September 19th, 2022

We’re very happy to report that a new Czech edition of Roger Zelazny‘s ROADMARKS is out now! Published by Laser as POSLEDNÍ ODBOČKA NA BABYLON, and translated by Richard Podaný, here’s the synopsis…

Silnice vede z nepředstavitelně vzdálené minulosti do daleké budoucnosti. Ti, kteří po ní putují, mohou odbočit do jakéhokoliv místa a času – dokonce i do alternativních proudů historie, které se nikdy neudály.

Zrzek Dorakeen jezdí po Silnici tak dlouho, kam až sahá jeho paměť. Před dávnými časy po ní putoval jako starý muž pěšky; nyní, mnohem mladší, veze ve své odřené modré dodávce zbraně Řekům bojujícím proti Peršanům u starověkého Marathónu. Někdo ale po Zrzkovi jde. Tento „někdo“ má právo desetkrát se pokusit Zrzka zavraždit, aniž za to bude podle zákonů Silnice stíhán. Zrzkův skrytý nepřítel prohledal minulost i budoucnost, aby našel deset vrahů – ať už lidí nebo hrůzných stvoření, od vraždícího mnicha po tyranosaura – kteří Zrzka pronásledují, kamkoli ho Silnice zavede…

Proč Draci z Bel’kwinithu Silnici vystavěli, a kdo vlastně jsou, to nikdo neví. Ale Silnice tu vždy byla a bude – pro ty, kteří ji umějí najít…

Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The road leads from the unimaginably distant past to the distant future. Those who travel along it can veer off into any place and time—even into alternate streams of history that never happened.

Redhead Dorakeen has been riding the Road for as long as he can remember. A long time ago, he wandered on foot like an old man; now, much younger, he drives weapons in his battered blue van to the Greeks fighting the Persians at ancient Marathon. But someone is after Zrzko. This “someone” has the right to try ten times to murder Redhead without prosecution under the laws of the Road. Redhead’s hidden enemy has scoured the past and future to find ten assassins—whether human or hideous creatures, from a murderous monk to a tyrannosaurus—who pursue Redhead wherever the Road leads him…

Why the Dragons of Bel’kwinith built the Road, or who they really are, no one knows. But the Road has always been there and always will be — for those who know how to find it…

Cierra Block’s LONDON BLOCK BY BLOCK Out Now in the UK!

Posted on Thursday, September 15th, 2022

The UK edition of Cierra Block‘s LONDON BLOCK BY BLOCK is out today! Based on the author’s popular Instagram account, featuring highly-detailed illustrations of some of the best and most interesting spots in London, it is published by OH! Editions. Here’s the synopsis…

For anyone who loves London – whether you’re visiting for the weekend or are a die-hard local – this is the book for you.

Artist Cierra Block loves to create maps, and this compilation will have you uncovering the best things London has on offer. Featuring the most notable places to eat, what to see, where to walk and what to do, this is a guide like no other.

Vibrantly illustrated, Cierra lists all the top addresses and areas to explore. Find out where to indulge in the best afternoon tea and festive mince pies; jump on a bike and take a spin around Shoreditch or Hampstead like a local; or follow in the footsteps of the Suffragettes.

From haunted spots for true-crime lovers, to the best bookshops, romantic strolls and coffee pit-stops, London, Block by Block will make your next visit to London the most memorable one yet.

The book will also available in North America from next week (September 20th – also published by OH! Editions). Spanish rights have been sold to Editorial Planeta SA (we’ll share cover and more details as soon as we have them).

New Rivers Of London Graphic Novel Boxset Out Now!

Posted on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022

The third Rivers of London graphic novel boxset is out now! Collecting the acclaimed 7th, 8th, and 9th collections — ACTION AT A DISTANCE, THE FEY AND THE FURIOUS, and MONDAY, MONDAY — it is published by Titan Comics. Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, and with artwork from an all-star team, here’s the synopsis…

A stunning box set edition of the bestselling graphic novels in the Rivers of London series, starring Ben Aaronovitch’s laconic trainee wizard and budding detective, Peter Grant.

Vol 7: Action at a Distance

Thomas Nightingale is a man of immense power, one of the most highly revered magicians in Europe, but with a guarded past. Hidden within the archives of London Metropolitan Police’s Special Assessment Unit, Detective Constable Peter Grant is about to uncover a brief glimpse into his mentor’s history.

Vol 8: The Fey and the Furious

When a Mitsubishi Eclipse washes up on the shores of the Netherlands, officers are surprised to find some unusual cargo in its boot. Fortunately, unusual cargo just so happens to be wizarding-cop Peter Grant’s speciality. Infiltrating illegal street races, Peter hopes to find the supplier, but instead quickly finds himself speeding into a whole new world of trouble, where old enemies await.

Vol 9: Monday, Monday

What starts as a routine undercover operation to break up an organised teenage pickpocket gang turns into something far more dangerous when the Metropolitan police are confronted by a Swedish werewolf who’ll stop at nothing to avoid capture. Now it’s up to full-time cop and part-time wizard Peter Grant and his cohort of chums to hunt the deadly lycanthrope and bring him to heel!

The first two boxsets are available now, also published by Titan Comics. The latest story-arc in the Rivers of London series — DEADLY EVER AFTER, also co-authored by Celeste Bronfman — is available now in single issues (collected edition out soon).

Mário Coelho’s UNTO THE GODLESS WHAT REMAINS Out This Week!

Posted on Monday, September 12th, 2022

Mário Coelho‘s new novella, UNTO THE GODLESS WHAT LITTLE REMAINS is out this week! Part of Solaris‘s latest series of Satellites Novellas, the novella will be available this Thursday (September 14th). Here’s the synopsis…

The internet is a lonesome god.

Liverloin is a fractured man, a collection of personas — artificial constructs of wants, fears and needs — created by underground science-artists to help him hide in a hyper-connected world. But he can’t hide from Big Momma.

She is the living internet, a benevolent AI who knows everything and everyone… and somehow is in love with Liverloin.

Agent Stevly works for DAIS, an AI on the other side of the internet: the darkness to Big Momma’s light. DAIS’s agents manipulate news, information and media and pull the strings behind world events, but DAIS cannot control Big Momma or understand why she loves Liverloin. Agent Stevly, bound body and soul to DAIS, will stop at nothing to find the answer.

The novella is available as an eBook and a limited, signed special edition.

A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER Audiobook Out Now in North America!

Posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022

The new audiobook edition of Roger Zelzany‘s A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is out now in North America! Published by Recorded Books, the novel is narrated by Matt Godfrey. Here’s the synopsis…

Loyally accompanying a mysterious knife-wielding gentleman named Jack on his midnight rounds through the murky streets of London, good dog Snuff is busy helping his master collect the grisly ingredients needed for an unearthly rite that will take place not long after the death of the moon. But Snuff and his master are not alone. All manner of participants, both human and not, are gathering with their ancient tools and their animal familiars in preparation for the dread night. It is brave, devoted Snuff who must calculate the patterns of the Game and keep track of the Players — the witch, the mad monk, the vengeful vicar, the Count who sleeps by day, the Good Doctor and the hulking Experiment Man he fashioned from human body parts, and a wild-card American named Larry Talbot — all the while keeping Things at bay and staying a leap ahead of the Great Detective, who knows quite a bit more than he lets on.

Boldly original and wildly entertaining, A Night in the Lonesome October is a darkly sparkling gem, an amalgam of horror, humor, mystery, and fantasy. First published in 1993, it was Zelazny’s last book prior to his untimely death. Many consider it the best of the fantasy master’s novels. It has inspired many fans to read it every year in October, a chapter a day, and served as inspiration for Neil Gaiman’s brilliant story “Only the End of the World Again.”

Godfrey has also narrated the new audiobook editions of Zelazny’s ROADMARKS, CREATURES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS, and LORD AND LIGHT (all published by Recorded Books).

The print and eBook editions of the novel are published in the UK by Farrago Books.

THE FIRST BINDING by R.R. Virdi is Out Now in the UK!

Posted on Thursday, August 18th, 2022

R.R. Virdi‘s THE FIRST BINDING is out now! The first novel in the Tales of Tremaine epic fantasy series, it is published in the UK by Gollancz. An immersive and engrossing story, here’s the synopsis…

All legends are born of truths. And just as much lies. These are mine. Judge me for what you will. But you will hear my story first.

I buried the village of Ampur under a mountain of ice and snow. Then I killed their god. I’ve stolen old magics and been cursed for it. I started a war with those that walked before mankind and lost the princess I loved, and wanted to save. I’ve called lightning and bound fire. I am legend. And I am a monster.

My name is Ari.

And this is the story of how I let loose the first evil.

Thus begins the tale of a storyteller and a singer on the run and hoping to find obscurity in a tavern bar. But the sins of their past aren’t forgotten, and neither are their enemies. Their old lives are catching up swiftly and it could cost them the entire world. No one can escape their pasts and all stories must have an ending.

In case you need more convincing, the book has been generating a lot of pre-publication buzz from fellow authors and reviewers alike. Here’s just a small sample…

‘An ode to storytelling, complete with a rich mythology, turbulent adventures, and a flawed hero you’ll root for… Approached with patience, this epic fantasy will satisfy any fan of the genre.’ — Kirkus

‘THE FIRST BINDING is the first volume in a new magnificent and ambitious high fantasy series to obsess over.’ — Novel Notions

‘R.R. Virdi’s THE FIRST BINDING is engrossing and beautiful, joyous and painful—always entertaining, sometimes profound. This book makes me remember why I love epic fantasy.’ — Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Dune: House Atreides

‘Crafted with patience, passion, and most importantly, tremendous love. Read R.R. Virdi!’ — Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dresden Files

‘An epic like no other—grand, sweeping, dramatic, a love letter to fantasy burning with with the dust and heat and mythos of South Asia. It reads like magic and tastes like saffron.’ — Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Washington Post bestselling author of the Salvage Crew and the Commonwealth Empire

‘THE FIRST BINDING was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and I am happy to say that it met my expectations. A worthy Epic South Asian Fantasy to look out for.’ — Book A Fiction

‘[A] new favourite of mine, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!’ — Library of a Viking

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

Roger Zelazny’s THE SECOND CHRONICLES OF AMBER Out Tomorrow in the UK!

Posted on Wednesday, August 17th, 2022

The second Chronicles of Amber omnibus is out tomorrow in the UK! Collecting the final five novels in Roger Zelazny‘s classic series, it is published in the UK by Gollancz, as part of their SF Masterworks series. Here’s the synopsis…

Merlin is a Prince of Chaos and Amber, Corwin’s son and heir. He has grown up knowing that his legacy is to one day follow in his father’s footsteps, live up to his father’s legend.

When Corwin goes missing, that day comes far sooner than he could ever have expected. Merlin must find his own identity as the ruler of the worlds, and discover what kind of King he wants to be. Will he be a warrior like his father, or embrace his own path as a hacker-magician?

A generation after Corwin’s rise to the throne, Merlin is aided by powers beyond anything Corwin could have imagined. The epic magic from The Chronicles of Amber is wielded alongside sentient computers, a vorpal sword, and the ghosts of those who came before.

Featuring the Locus award-winning TRUMPS OF DOOM, the Locus nominated BLOOD OF AMBER and SIGN OF CHAOS, and the final two novels KNIGHT OF SHADOWS and PRINCE OF CHAOS, the Second Chronicles of Amber continues the epic story of Amber and the Shadow worlds.

The first omnibus collection is also published in the UK by Gollancz, and is out now.