Literary agency
Today, we have a two-part Forbidden Planet interview with Ben Aaronovitch, which was held to mark the tenth anniversary of RIVERS OF LONDON, the critically-acclaimed, best-selling first novel in the Peter Grant series.
Enjoy!
The series has grown quite a bit over ten years, as you’d expect. It now includes eight novels (a ninth is on the way!), three novellas, and multiple short stories — many of which have been published in translation all over the world.
Just a very quick post, today, to let you know about Ben Aaronovitch‘s upcoming book tour dates! He’s celebrating the release of WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER, his first novella starring Abigail Kamara; and also the 10th Anniversary edition of the first Peter Grant novel, RIVERS OF LONDON! Both books are published by Gollancz in the UK.
September 13th:
September 14th:
September 15th:
In just two weeks, Head of Zeus are due to publish the 10th Anniversary edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s World Fantasy Award-winning novel, OSAMA! In addition to the striking new cover, this edition includes a new introduction and three short stories! Here’s the synopsis…
It’s a rainy day when the woman approaches Joe. He is a private detective and she is looking for someone, as these things often go. Her quarry is the obscure author of a series of pulp novels featuring one Osama bin Laden: Vigilante.
Joe’s quest will take him across the world in search of the writer. And every step of the way – from the backwaters of Laos to Paris and London – he is plagued, by assailants he cannot name, by questions he cannot hope to answer and by ghostly entities he cannot seem to shake.
Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he will find in New York and atop a quiet hill above Kabul, nor for the choice he will have to make there…
Here are just a few of the great reviews OSAMA has received since it was first published…
‘He is a political writer, an iconoclast and sometimes a provocateur … OSAMA is a remarkable and ambitious work.’ — China Mieville
‘… deserves to be widely read.’ — Adam Roberts
‘A provocative and fast moving tale that raises good questions not only about the heritage of Al Qaeda, but about the slippage between reality and sensational fiction that sometimes seems to define our own confused and contorted experience of the last couple of decades.’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus
‘A roller-coaster ride… [a] fabulous opium-soaked political thriller… pulls out all the stops.’ — Rolling Stone (Germany)
‘Moving seamlessly between intense realism and equally intense surrealism, OSAMA is a powerful and disturbing political fantasy by a talent who deserves the attention of all serious readers.’ — Strange Horizons
‘I would make this required reading.’ — SF Signal
‘OSAMA is written with both an obvious affection for genre fiction and a sense of wild-eyed disbelief at the insanity of a world where people fly planes into skyscrapers. 4.5/5 stars.’ — SFX
‘Offers perhaps the weirdest fictional take yet on Osama Bin Laden in this offbeat and enigmatic thriller.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘OSAMA is exceptional. Compelling, confrontational, and surprisingly moving, it is one of the best novels yet on terror in our times.’ — World Literature Today
Head of Zeus also publishes Tidhar’s acclaimed BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in his Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet. The second novel in that series, THE HOOD, is due to be published October.
BY FORCE ALONE is also available in North America, published by Tor Books.
In just two weeks, Head of Zeus are due to publish the 10th Anniversary edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s World Fantasy Award-winning novel, OSAMA! In addition to the striking new cover, this edition includes a new introduction and three short stories! Here’s the synopsis…
It’s a rainy day when the woman approaches Joe. He is a private detective and she is looking for someone, as these things often go. Her quarry is the obscure author of a series of pulp novels featuring one Osama bin Laden: Vigilante.
Joe’s quest will take him across the world in search of the writer. And every step of the way – from the backwaters of Laos to Paris and London – he is plagued, by assailants he cannot name, by questions he cannot hope to answer and by ghostly entities he cannot seem to shake.
Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he will find in New York and atop a quiet hill above Kabul, nor for the choice he will have to make there…
Here are just a few of the great reviews OSAMA has received since it was first published…
‘He is a political writer, an iconoclast and sometimes a provocateur … OSAMA is a remarkable and ambitious work.’ — China Mieville
‘… deserves to be widely read.’ — Adam Roberts
‘A provocative and fast moving tale that raises good questions not only about the heritage of Al Qaeda, but about the slippage between reality and sensational fiction that sometimes seems to define our own confused and contorted experience of the last couple of decades.’ — Gary K. Wolfe, Locus
‘A roller-coaster ride… [a] fabulous opium-soaked political thriller… pulls out all the stops.’ — Rolling Stone (Germany)
‘Moving seamlessly between intense realism and equally intense surrealism, OSAMA is a powerful and disturbing political fantasy by a talent who deserves the attention of all serious readers.’ — Strange Horizons
‘I would make this required reading.’ — SF Signal
‘OSAMA is written with both an obvious affection for genre fiction and a sense of wild-eyed disbelief at the insanity of a world where people fly planes into skyscrapers. 4.5/5 stars.’ — SFX
‘Offers perhaps the weirdest fictional take yet on Osama Bin Laden in this offbeat and enigmatic thriller.’ — Publishers Weekly
‘OSAMA is exceptional. Compelling, confrontational, and surprisingly moving, it is one of the best novels yet on terror in our times.’ — World Literature Today
Head of Zeus also publishes Tidhar’s acclaimed BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in his Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet. The second novel in that series, THE HOOD, is due to be published October.
BY FORCE ALONE is also available in North America, published by Tor Books.
Today, the 10th anniversary special edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON is out in the UK! Published by Gollancz, and the first in novel to feature Peter Grant, this new hardcover edition contains four new illustrations, a brand-new map, an illuminating introduction from the author, and stunning illustrated endpapers.
Here’s the synopsis…
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying…
Since its publication in 2011, Rivers of London has grown into an international phenomenon. Embark on your journey to a magical London with this special edition, the perfect escape from the real world to a place you’ll never forget.
Gollancz has published all of the novels and novellas in the series in the UK. The series has been published widely in translation, and has been a bestseller in multiple countries.
In case you happened to miss the news earlier this week, Gollancz has announced a new, special tenth anniversary edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON! Due to be published on August 12th, in the UK, it’s the first novel in his acclaimed, best-selling Peter Grant series. Here’s the synopsis…
This 10th anniversary special edition contains four masterful illustrations, a brand-new map, an illuminating introduction from author Ben Aaronovitch and stunning illustrated endpapers.
My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit – we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to – and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluble, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.
Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.
The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos – or die trying.
Since its publication in 2011, Rivers of London has grown into an international phenomenon. Embark on your journey to a magical London with this special edition, the perfect escape from the real world to a place you’ll never forget.
The Peter Grant series has expanded to include eight novels, three novellas, a short story collection, and an ongoing comic series. RIVERS OF LONDON and the other books are available in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Here is a selection of its covers…
Finally, here’s a fancy reveal clip from the publisher…
Lavie Tidhar‘s CENTRAL STATION will soon be available in Poland! Published by Zysk i S-Ka as STACJA CENTRALNA, here’s the synopsis…
U podstawy kosmoportu “Stacji Centralnej”, powstałego w przyszłościowym mieście na pograniczu między izraelskim Tel Awiwem a arabską Jaffą, zamieszkało ćwierć miliona ludzi. Rozmaite kultury zderzają się tu ze sobą, w świecie realnym i wirtualnym.
Ludzi, maszyny i Innych łączy ze sobą strumień cyfrowej świadomości. Życie może być tanie, ale dane są tańsze…
Gdy Boris Chong z oporami wraca do Tel Awiwu z Marsa, zastaje tu całkowity chaos. Jego była kochanka wychowuje dziwnie znajome dziecko, które potrafi jednym dotknięciem palca podłączyć się do strumienia danych umysłu. Jego ojciec dał początek wielopokoleniowej zarazie umysłowej i choruje na przeciążenie pamięci. Jego podróżująca po kosmosie kuzynka zakochała się w robotniku, żołnierzu-cyborgu. A nieobliczalna kobieta będąca wampirem danych podążyła za nim do domu…
Nad tym wszystkim góruje Stacja Centralna, stanowiąca połączenie między nieustannie się zmieniającym Tel Awiwem, ogromnym światem wirtualnym oraz koloniami kosmicznymi, do których przenieśli się ludzie uciekający przed nędzą i wojną. A wszystko to łączą ze sobą Inni, obce jestestwa, których nieustannie zmieniający się strumień świadomości stanął na progu fundamentalnej zmiany.
CENTRAL STATION, which is a finalist for both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and John W. Campbell Award, is published by Tachyon Publications. Here’s the English-language 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.
The Tachyon cover, below, won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Cover 2016. The artwork and design are by Sarah Anne Langton.
‘Magnificently blends literary and speculative elements in this streetwise mosaic novel set under the towering titular spaceport… Tidhar gleefully mixes classic SF concepts with prose styles and concepts that recall the best of world literature. The byways of Central Station ring with dusty life, like the bruising, bustling Cairo streets depicted by Naguib Mahfouz. Characters wrestle with problems of identity forged under systems of oppression, much as displaced Easterners and Westerners do in the novels of Orhan Pamuk. And yet this is unmistakably SF. Readers of all persuasions will be entranced.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
‘It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.’ — NPR
‘The stories include some of Tidhar’s most beautiful prose, and his future Tel Aviv is among the most evocative settings in recent SF… Somehow, CENTRAL STATION combines a cultural sensibility too long invisible in SF with a sensibility which is nothing but classic SF, and the result is a rather elegant suite of tales.’ — Locus
‘A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community. Tidhar changes genres with every outing, but his astounding talents guarantee something new and compelling no matter the story he tells.’ — Library Journal (starred review)
‘Tidhar’s prose draws the reader in, bringing this world to life with ease… characters are never sacrificed in favour of the technology; in fact, the two of them combine seamlessly to create a unique vision, one that will leave the reader thinking long after the final page. Not only intelligent, it’s emotional too, telling of loves lost and those only just begun, of those wishing to escape their past and those hoping to bring it back… Tidhar is reminiscent of an early William Gibson, not just in sharing that short and punchy style, but in his ability to create a world where the speculation is believable enough to fit seamlessly into the narrative; somehow, despite being set centuries into the future, it feels just around the corner… cement[s] Lavie Tidhar as one of science fiction’s great voices, an author who creates scenarios and characters that feel destined to become classics, ones that readers will be happy to revisit time and time again. It’s a compelling collection that mixes the epic and the intimate, one that succeeds at being profound, incredibly moving and, quite simply, stunning.’ (10/10) — Starburst
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UK publication of Brandon Sanderson‘s THE FINAL EMPIRE, Gollancz is releasing a collectors edition hardcover! The cover is above, and here’s the synopsis…
A beautiful, collectible new hardback edition of one of the greatest fantasy novels of the past decade which revolves around a simple question: What if the Dark Lord won?
Brandon Sanderson’s epic fantasy trilogy overturns the expectations of readers and then goes on to tell the epic story of evil overturned in a richly imagined world.
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields.
But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy — the magic that lies in all metals.
Gollancz has published the six novels that currently comprise the Mistborn series: THE FINAL EMPIRE, THE WELL OF ASCENSION, THE HERO OF AGES, THE ALLOY OF LAW, SHADOWS OF SELF and THE BANDS OF MOURNING.
Zeno represents Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.
The 10th Anniversary Edition of Brandon Sanderson‘s fantastic debut, ELANTRIS is out today in the UK! Published by Gollancz, here’s the synopsis…
Elantris is the novel which began Brandon Sanderson’s career – and now, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its first publication, comes the definitive edition with 10,000 words of bonus content!
Elantris was built on magic and it thrived. But then the magic began to fade and Elantris began to rot. And now its shattered citizens face domination by a powerful Imperium motivated by dogged religious views. Can a young Princess unite the people of Elantris, rediscover the lost magic and lead a rebellion against the imperial zealots?
Brandon Sanderson’s debut fantasy showed his skill as a storyteller and an imaginer of baroque magical systems to be fully developed from the start.
Gollancz also publishes an extensive range of Brandon’s other novels, including the Mistborn series, the Stormlight Archives series, the Reckoners series, and the stand-alone novel WARBREAKER.
Zeno represents Brandon Sanderson in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of the JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.