In February, TorDotCom are due to publish the latest novella by Ian McDonald: BOY, WITH ACCIDENTAL DINOSAUR! The book is “How to Train Your Dragon meets Mad Max in [a] story of an orphan in a fractured Southwest who just wants to ride a dinosaur under the lights.” Here’s the synopsis…

Come one, come all to the dinosaur rodeo!

Tif Tamim wants nothing more than to be a dinosaur buckaroo. An orphan in search of a place to rest his head and a job to weigh down his pockets, Tif has bounced from circus to circus, yearning for a chance to ride a prehistoric beauty under the sparkling lights of a big-top.

To become a buckaroo, Tif needs to learn the tools of the trade, yet few dino maestros want to take a scrawny nobody from nowhere under their wing. But when Tif frees a dino from an abusive owner and braves the roving gangs of the formerly-American west to bring the dino to safety, he catches someone’s eye. And boy, how those eyes dazzle Tif from the back of a bucking carnotaur.

The novellas has already received a couple of great reviews!

‘Combining the futuristic wastelands and clan wars of Mad Max with a gate to John Scalzi’s Kaiju Preservation Society, this story of found family, big dreams, and the inevitable heartbreak of responsibility will appeal to readers of coming-of-age novels with a twist and anyone who knows they couldn’t resist loving a wild creature even as they try to return it to where it belongs.’ — Library Journal (starred review)

‘Bejeweled, dinosaur-riding buckaroos are the stars of the show in this equal-parts rollicking and poignant sci-fi novella…. Dinosaur lovers and sci-fi fans are sure to fall for this inventive coming-of-age story.’ — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Ian’s latest novel is THE WILDING, which is out now in paperback, published by Gollancz.