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BEST OF WORLD SF Volume 3 Out in Three Weeks!

Posted on Monday, September 18th, 2023

The third volume in the acclaimed, Lavie Tidhar-edited BEST OF WORLD SF series is out in just three weeks! Due to be published by AdAstra/Head of Zeus, on October 12th, here’s the synopsis…

The Best of World SF series is a fixture on the global science fiction scene. If you want to find the most exciting SF authors writing today, look no further.

In this third instalment, you’ll discover alien artists, rioting dinosaurs, shape-shifting rabbits, heartbreak-harvesting cafes and one robot on a quest for meaning. You will be transported to the stars and back down to Earth and sideways, with the order of the world turned upside down.

Featuring authors from Austria, Bulgaria, China, Finland, Ghana, Greece, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore and South Africa, this collection’s stories have been selected by award-winning writer, editor and World SF expert Lavie Tidhar.

The most exciting science fiction on the planet comes from all corners of the globe. And it’s all in the Best of World SF series.

AdAstra/Head of Zeus also publish the first two volumes in the series; both are out now in paperback.

Here is the full table of contents for the third anthology:

“A Minor Kalahari” by Diana Rahim (Singapore)
“Behind Her, Trailing Like Butterfly Wings” by Daniela Tomova (Bulgaria)
“Cloudgazer” by Timi Odueso (Nigeria)
“The EMO Hunter” by Mandisi Nkomo (South Africa)
“Tloque Nahuaque” by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas (Mexico) — translated by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
“The Walls of Benin City” by M.H. Ayinde (UK)
“The Foodie Federation’s Dinosaur Farm” by Luo Longxiang (China) — translated by Andy Dudak
“The Day The World Turned Upside Down” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (The Netherlands) — translated by Lia Belt
“The Worldless” by Indrapramit Das (India)
“Now You Feel It” by Andrea Chapela (Mexico) — translated by Emma Törzs
“Act of Faith” by Fadzlishah Johanabas (Malaysia)
“Godmother” by Cheryl S. Ntumy (Ghana)
“I Call Upon the Night as Witness” by Zahra Mukhi (Pakistan)
“Sulfur” by Dmitry Glukhovsky (Russia) — translated by Marian Schwartz
“Proposition 23” by Efe Okogu (Nigeria)
“Root Rot” by Fargo Tbakhi (US)
“Catching the K-Beast” by Chen Qian (China) — translated by Carmen Yiling Yan
“Two Moons” by Elena Pavlova (Bulgaria) — translated by Kalin M. Nenov and Elena Pavlova
“Symbiosis Theory” by Choyeop Kim (Korea) — translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort
“My Country is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Greece)
“Old People’s Folly” by Nora Schinnerl (Austria)
“Echoes of a Broken Mind” by Christine Lucas (Greece)
“Have Your #Hugot Harvested at This Diwata-Owned Café” by Vida Cruz (Philippines)
“Order C345” by Sheikha Helawy (Palestine) — translated by Raphael Cohen
“Dark Star” by Vraiux Dorós (Mexico) — translated by Toshiya Kamei
“An excerpt from ‘A Door Opens: The Beginning of the Fall of the Ispancialo-in-Hinirang (Emprensa Press: 2007)’ by Salahuddin Alonto, Annotated by Omar Jamad Maududi, MLS, HOL, JMS.” by Dean Francis Alfar (Philippines)
“Ootheca” by Mário de Seabra Coelho (Portugal)
“Where The Trains Turn” by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen (Finland) — translated by Liisa Rantalaiho

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

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

‘Rare and wonderful’ — The Times (UK)

‘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

‘Tidhar has assembled a weighty and impressive collection of 26 stories by authors from around the world, several of them appearing in English for the first time. The variety and diversity of the material on offer is refreshing, the quality does not waver, and the translations are top-notch.’ — Financial Times (Summer Books of 2021: Science Fiction)

‘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)

‘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

‘… offers robots, spaceships, time travel, and a few weird stories, showcasing authors from five continents and over twenty countries. On top of that is plenty of optimism, plenty of stories that start as one thing and then become something completely different, and plenty of envelope pushing… Once you read one story by some of these folks, you’ll be itching for more. A truly enjoyable anthology with something for everyone…’ — Apex Magazine

‘Tidhar brings together another outstanding assortment of international sci-fi shorts, showcasing 29 thought-provoking stories… This sweeping survey rewards the time it demands of its readers with a bold and powerful argument for non-Anglophone SF’s potential to push the genre’s boundaries.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘“Fresh” is an overused word in book reviews, but Lavie Tidhar’s second trawl of recent science fiction from around the world earns the compliment… For my money, this volume is stronger than the last. It is certainly creepier… The few comic tales here sparkle against a dark ground… We need this anthology, and we need editors like Tidhar.’ — The Times (Book of the Month, November 2022)

THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 Paperback Out This Week!

Posted on Monday, April 10th, 2023

The paperback edition of THE BEST OF WORLD SF, Volume 2 is out this week! Edited by Lavie Tidhar, it is published by Head of Zeus/AdAstra on April 13th. 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 in paperback, published by AdAstra/Head of Zeus.

Short Fiction Watch: INFINITY WARS, feat. Aliette de Bodard and E.J. Swift

Posted on Tuesday, October 24th, 2017

In our latest instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to INFINITY WARS, a new anthology published recently by Solaris Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Conflict is eternal

We have always fought. War is the furnace that forges new technologies and pushes humanity ever onward. We are the children of a battle that began with fists and sticks, and ended on the brink of atomic Armageddon. Beyond here lies another war, infinite in scope and scale.

Zeno’s own Aliette de Bodard and E.J. Swift have stories included in the collection — “In Everlasting Wisdom” and “Weather Girl”, respectively.

Aliette de Bodard is the author, most recently, of the award-winning Dominion of the Fallen series: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS, published by Gollancz (UK) and Roc Books (US).

E.J. Swift is the author of the critically-acclaimed Osiris Project sci-fi trilogy: OSIRIS, CATAVEIRO and TAMARUQ, published by Del Rey (UK) and available as eBooks via the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Swift’s next novel is PARIS ADRIFT, which will be published next year by Solaris. Here’s the gorgeous cover by Joey Hi-Fi…

Brandon Sanderson’s ARCANUM (un)bound in paper

Posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2017

Brandon Sanderson‘s recent anthology of short fiction, ARCANUM UNBOUNDED is out today in paperback! Published in the UK by Gollancz, here’s the synopsis…

Welcome to New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller Brandon Sanderson’s first collection of short fiction.

These wonderful works, originally published individually, have been collected for the first time and convey the true expanse of the Cosmere. Telling the exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, Arcanum Unbounded include the Hugo Award-winning novella ‘The Emperor’s Soul’, an excerpt from the graphic novel ‘White Sand’, and the never-before-published Stormlight Archive novella ‘Edgedancer’.

The collection will include nine works in all:

– ‘Edgedancer’ (Stormlight Archive)

– ‘The Hope of Elantris’ (Elantris)

– ‘The Eleventh Metal’ (Mistborn)

– ‘The Emperor’s Soul’ (Elantris)

– ‘Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania’ (excerpt; Mistborn)

– ‘White Sand’ (excerpt; Taldain)

– ‘Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell’ (Threnody)

– ‘Sixth of Dusk’ (First of the Sun)

– ‘Mistborn: Secret History’ (Mistborn)

This superb collection also includes essays and illustrations which offer an insight into the numerous worlds in which the stories are set.

In addition to the upcoming, recently-unveiled collectors’ hardcover for Brandon’s second Mistborn novel, Gollancz has published an extensive list of Brandon’s fiction in the UK. Sanderson’s next new novel is OATHBRINGER, due out in the UK on November 14th.

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

Short Fiction Watch: GALACTIC EMPIRES

Posted on Wednesday, December 28th, 2016

Next month, the GALACTIC EMPIRES anthology will hit shelves, and we wanted to highlight it because it features work by a couple of our clients (and also some by clients who we represent in the UK and Commonwealth). It has also been quite some time since we last posted a Short Fiction Watch.

Specifically, this new anthology includes Aliette de Bodard‘s “The Waiting Stars” and Ian McDonald‘s “Verthandi’s Ring” are included.

From E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensman, to George Lucas’ Star Wars, the politics and process of Empire have been a major subject of science fiction’s galaxy-spanning fictions. The idiom of the Galactic Empire allows science fiction writers to ask (and answer) questions that are shorn of contemporary political ideologies and allegiances. This simple narrative slight of hand allows readers and writers to see questions and answers from new and different perspectives.

The stories in this book do just that. What social, political, and economic issues do the organizing structure of “empire” address? Often the size, shape, and fates of empires are determined not only by individuals, but by geography, natural forces, and technology. As the speed of travel and rates of effective communication increase, so too does the size and reach of an Imperial bureaucracy. Sic itur ad astra—“Thus one journeys to the stars.”

At the beginning of the twentieth century, writers such as Kipling and Twain were at the forefront of these kinds of narrative observations, but as the century drew to a close, it was writers like Iain M. Banks who helped make science fiction relevant. That tradition continues today, with award-winning writers like Ann Leckie, whose 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice hinges upon questions of imperialism and empire.

Empire: How? Why? And to what effect?

GALACTIC EMPIRES is published by Night Shade Books, on January 17th, 2017.

Aliette de Bodard is the award-winning author of, most recently, THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS. The novel is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Roc Books. The sequel, THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS, is due to be published in 2017.

Ian McDonald is the award-winning author of the acclaimed LUNA: NEW MOON and the upcoming sequel, WOLF MOON. Both are published by Gollancz in the UK, and Tor Books in the US.

Cover & Details: THE BEST OF IAN McDONALD

Posted on Friday, March 25th, 2016

Due out next month, PS Publishing has unveiled the cover and details for the upcoming THE BEST OF IAN McDONALD anthology! Here’s the synopsis…

Ian McDonald, the author of such landmark novels as Desolation Road, Chaga, River of Gods, and The Dervish House, has long been regarded as one of Britain’s finest SF writers. Just like those full-length works, his shorter fiction has commanded much admiration, and now, in this massive retrospective volume, the best McDonald tales are assembled in glittering array.

Represented here are all the phases of McDonald’s career: the poetic early retro-visions that in the late Eighties signalled the arrival of a marvellously fluent new stylistic voice; the virtuoso Nineties riffs on themes such as the Irish Troubles, nanotechnology, alternate history, and alien sexuality; the bold post-millennial ventures into the futuristic politics of Third World countries such as Kenya, India, and Brazil, as well as far afield to alien solar systems; and recent, dazzlingly conceived variations on the Arab Spring, the nature of superheroes, and Mars as pulp SF writers once fondly imagined it to be. The treasures are abundant, each presented in McDonald’s addictive, immersive prose — language at once elegantly timeless and edgily contemporary.

As the synopsis says, Ian McDonald is a highly-respected author. His most recent novel is LUNA: NEW MOON, which is published by Gollancz in the UK and Tor Books in the US. Gollancz publishes a number of his other novels in the UK. Open Road Media has also published a selection of Ian’s backlist in eBook.

Ian’s fans in the United States can also rejoice, for Subterranean Press has acquired some copies of the book for sale in North America.

Out Now: FROST ON GLASS by Ian R. MacLeod

Posted on Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

This past weekend, PS Publishing released Ian R. MacLeod‘s new anthology FROST ON GLASS. Here’s the synopsis…

In the title novella of this collection, a famous, creatively-blocked novelist faces exile or execution unless he can write a new story, and the theme of writing threads through the pages of this dazzling new collection.

The book contains eleven stories that explore strange pasts and new futures, plus non-fiction pieces drawn from the writer’s life, substantial commentaries on the origins and development of each of the stories, and a major new essay on how ideas are developed.

Both a magnificent gathering of fiction and a penetrating examination of the craft of writing, FROST OF GLASS memorably showcases and analyses the storytelling genius of Ian R MacLeod.

The cover for the anthology is of course above. Below, we have a photo from the book’s launch — Ian MacLeod reading from the anthology, with fellow Zeno client Ian McDonald listening intently…

Ian R. MacLeod is the award-winning author of a number of novels and short stories, including THE LIGHT AGES, THE SONG OF TIME, SNODGRASS and more. A number of Ian’s novels were recently released as eBooks by Open Road Media.

Here’s the full artwork for the FROST ON GLASS hardcover (click to embiggen)…

Short Fiction Watch: Aliette de Bodard in CARBIDE TIPPED PENS

Posted on Monday, December 8th, 2014

In this latest edition of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to draw your attention to the CARBIDE TIPPED PENS anthology, edited by Ben Bova and Eric Choi. Published by Tor Books, it includes Aliette de Bodard‘s A SLOW UNFURLING OF TRUTH. Here’s the book’s synopsis…

Seventeen hard science fiction tales by today’s top authors

Hard science fiction is the literature of change, rigorously examining the impact—both beneficial and dangerous—of science and technology on humanity, the future, and the cosmos. As science advances, expanding our knowledge of the universe, astounding new frontiers in storytelling open up as well.

In Carbide Tipped Pens, over a dozen of today’s most creative imaginations explore these frontiers, carrying on the grand tradition of such legendary masters as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and John W. Campbell, while bringing hard science fiction into the 21st century by extrapolating from the latest scientific developments and discoveries. Ranging from ancient China to the outer reaches of the solar system, this outstanding collection of original stories, written by an international roster of authors, finds wonder, terror, and gripping human drama in topics as diverse as space exploration, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, climate change, alternate history, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, interplanetary war, and even the future of baseball.

From tattoos that treat allergies to hazardous missions to Mars and beyond, from the end of the world to the farthest limits of human invention, Carbide Tipped Pens turns startling new ideas into state-of-the art science fiction.

Aliette is the multi-award winning and nominated author of many short stories and novellas, as well as the critically-acclaimed Obsidian & Blood trilogy published by Angry Robot Books. As we reported last month, Aliette’s next novel, HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, is due to be published by Gollancz in August 2015.

Out Now: DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN edited by Charlaine Harris

Posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2014

A fantastic new True Blood anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner, DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN is published in the UK today by Gollancz. Here’s the synopsis…

A fantastic new anthology of tales told in the Sookie Stackhouse universe, to unite all fans of paranormal romance everywhere!

Charlaine Harris’ smash-hit Sookie Stackhouse series may have reached its conclusion, but the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives on in this all-new collection of 15 stories.

Written by a killer line-up of authors, including NYT Bestsellers Seanan McGuire and MaryJanice Davidson

With an introduction by Charlaine Harris herself!

DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN puts your favourite characters, written by some of your favourite authors, centre stage.

The fifth anthology edited by Harris, DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN was released in audiobook back in May 2014. Harris’s other co-edited anthologies are WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE, MANY BLOODY RETURNS, DEATH’S EXCELLENT VACATION and CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT.

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

Short Fiction Watch: Aliette de Bodard

Posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2014

In this latest instalment of Short Fiction Watch, we wanted to share with you information about THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SF STORIES BY WOMEN, which will include Aliette de Bodard‘s multi-award nominated, and Nebula Award-winning IMMERSION.

Here’s the synopsis for the book…

33 outstanding science fiction stories by women

Travel by train to the Moon, discover living spaceships born in gas giants and explore the constellations, alternate universes and post-apocalyptic worlds of this compelling collection of SF written by women.

Whether crossing the stars or constructing the future of our planet, women have always written powerful, important science fiction. This anthology showcases the most exceptional SF stories written by women in recent decades, from classic stars Ursula K. Le Guin and Angélica Gorodischer; science fiction greats Karen Joy Fowler and Nancy Kress; new award-winning talents Elizabeth Bear, Nnedi Okorafor and Aliette de Bodard; and many more.

The anthology is due to be published in December 2014, by Running Press. Aliette is also the critically-acclaimed author of the Blood & Obsidian trilogy, published by Angry Robot Books, and multiple award-nominated short stories and novellas.

Coming Soon: DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Anthology

Posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

We’re very happy to share information about the next anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner, DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. The anthology features stories set in the same reality as Charlaine’s Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series, and will be published by Gollancz in the UK on November 27th, 2014. The audiobook edition has already been released. Here’s the synopsis…

Charlaine Harris’ smash-hit Sookie Stackhouse series may have reached its conclusion, but the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives on in this all-new collection of 15 stories.

Written by a killer line-up of authors, including: Seanan McGuire, Rachel Caine, Jonathan Maberry, MaryJanice Davidson, and with an introduction by Charlaine Harris herself.

DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN puts your favourite characters, written by some of your favourite authors, centre stage.

Charlaine and Toni’s other anthologies include: WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE, MANY BLOODY RETURNS, CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT, and DEATH’S EXCELLENT VACATION. All of these books are published in the UK by Gollancz.

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

HarrisKelner-Anthologies1to4UK-Blog

Upcoming New Anthology by Ian R. MacLeod

Posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

We’re very happy to share with you the details of Ian R. MacLeod‘s upcoming new collection, FROST ON GLASS. The book is due to be published by PS Publishing in spring 2015.

Alongside ten of Ian’s best recent stories (each bookended by afterwords by the author) and a selection of his non-fiction, the collection includes a brand new eponymous story – ‘a dystopian novella set on a writers’ commune’ – and also a new essay about ‘that perennial subject of where writers get their ideas from’. This substantial volume, Ian writes, is ‘a big, fat Christmas pudding of a book.’ The title, he continues, ‘reflects the delights and frustrations of writing fiction, which is a theme which runs through much of the rest of FROST ON GLASS‘. Here’s the provisional table of contents (which may change, slightly)…

Introduction: Don’t Look Back.
THE DISCOVERED COUNTRY — Afterword: Silver Machines
HECTOR DOUGLAS MAKES A SALE — Afterword: A Cul-de-Sac in Los Angeles
Foreword: Different Warts and All — A Truncated Life in Books
THE COLD STEP BEYOND — Afterword: The Future isn’t Real
A Concise and Ready Guide — Afterword: Bloody Dragons
An Empty Grey Cell of One’s Own
RE-CROSSING THE STYX — Afterword: On Being Dark
THE TRAVELLER AND THE BOOK — Afterword: On Writing Rubbish
I’ve Got This Idea For A Story…
THE CRANE METHOD — Afterword: Rejection
The Decline of the English Ghost story
LETTER TO WILL — Afterword: Those Who Can’t…
Me and the Mushroom Cloud
TUMBLING NANCY — Afterword: Other Writers
FROST ON GLASS — Afterword: Writer’s Block
ENTANGLED — Afterword: Volcanoes and Dinosaurs

An exact publication date hasn’t yet been set, but we’ll be sure to share it with you as soon as we know. The same goes for the cover art, which is still in production.

Short Fiction Watch: E.J. Swift joins the IRREGULARITY

Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2014

We’re very happy to report that E.J. Swift has a story in Jurassic London‘s latest anthology, IRREGULARITY, which was published today. Emma’s story “The Spiders of Stockholm” joins thirteen other short stories by leading and up-and-coming authors of SFF.

The anthology was edited by Jared Shurin, with a cover by Howard Hardiman. Here’s the synopsis…

Irregularity is about the tension between order and chaos in the 17th and 18th centuries. Men and women from all walks of life dedicated themselves to questioning, investigating, classifying and ordering the natural world. They promoted scientific thought, skepticism and intellectual rigour in the face of superstition, intolerance and abuses of power. These brave thinkers dedicated themselves and their lives to the idea that the world followed rules that human endeavour could uncover… but what if they were wrong?

Irregularity is about the attempts to impose man’s order on nature’s chaos, the efforts both successful and unsuccessful to better know the world.

Fom John Harrison to Ada Lovelace, Isaac Newton to Émilie du Châtelet, these stories showcase the Age of Reason in a very different light.

This anthology is published to coincide with two exhibitions at the National Maritime Museum taking place in 2014: a major exhibition on the story of the quest for longitude at sea and a steampunk show at the Royal Observatory. The Museum is also our partner for the publication of Irregularity, including access to their archives for materials, imagery and inspiration.

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

Short Fiction Watch: Aliette de Bodard & Ian McDonald

Posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2014

This week, Solaris Books publish their latest science fiction anthology, REACH FOR INFINITY, and we’re very happy to report that two of our clients’ work is featured therein!

Here’s the publisher synopsis…

What happens when humanity reaches out into the vastness of space?

The brightest names in SF contribute original new fiction to this amazing anthology from master editor Jonathan Strahan. Including new work by Alastair Reynolds, Greg Egan, Ian McDonald, Ken Macleod, Pat Cadigan, Karl Schroeder, Hannu Rajaniemi, Karen Lord, Adam Roberts, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Aliette de Bodard, Peter Watts, and others!

The two new pieces from Zeno clients are:

Ian McDonald‘s THE FIFTH DRAGON
Aliette de Bodard‘s THE DUST QUEEN

Watch this space for more details about our clients’ short fiction, over the next few weeks (there’s a lot on the way!).