Ben Aaronovitch - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Covers & Details: RIVERS OF LONDON: BLACK MOULD Issue 1

Posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2016

The third comic story-arc in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s Rivers of London series is due to be published this October! RIVERS OF LONDON: BLACK MOULD will be published by Titan Comics. Above and below are the five variant covers for the first issue, which is tentatively scheduled to hit shelves on October 12th. Here’s the synopsis…

It creeps! It crawls! It ooooozes! Something dark and slimy is dripping through the walls of suburban London. Not usually a police matter but there’s something very weird about this mould. Police Constable Peter Grant and his unwilling partner, Sahra Guleed, soon find themselves knee deep in killer muck! Meanwhile, their boss, Thomas Nightingale, is preparing to do battle against a haunted ice cream van. Good times.

Titan Comics have also published the first two Rivers of London comic series: BODY WORK and NIGHT WITCH.

Ben’s Peter Grant series, of which the Rivers of London comics are a part, are published in the UK by Gollancz; in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6); in Germany by DTV; and widely in translation. For more editions available, check out Ben’s author page.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #5 Out Today!

Posted on Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

The final issue in RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out today! Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, the second Peter Grant comic series is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

Press-ganged into helping a Russian oligarch hunt his missing daughter, PC Peter Grant and his boss, Thomas Nightingale, London’s only wizarding cops, find themselves caught up in a battle between Russian gunmen, a monstrous forest creature – and their nemesis: The Faceless Man. But as Grant and Nightingale close in on the missing girl, they discover that nothing about this case is what it seems!

Artwork for the series is by Lee Sullivan and Paul McCaffrey.

NIGHT WITCH issues #1-4 are out now in print and digital. The first Peter Grant comic series, BODY WORK, is also available now as a paperback collection. The NIGHT WITCH collected edition is due to be published on October 19th, 2016. The third Rivers of London comic series, BLACK MOULD, is also due to debut in October 2016.

The RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH series is set between FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE — published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by DAW Books.

New Peter Grant Audiobook in Germany

Posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2016

Today, GoyaLiT/DTV release a dual-audiobook edition of Ben Aaronovitch‘s third and fourth Peter Grant novels. Published in Germany as EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET and DER BÖSE ORT, here’s the synopsis…

Ein Wispern unter Baker Street: Ein junger Mann wird im U-Bahn-Tunnel nahe der Station Baker Street erstochen aufgefunden. Peter Grant, Constable und Zauberer in Ausbildung, wird frühmorgens an den Tatort gerufen. Der unbekannte Tote stellt sich als Sohn eines US-Senators heraus und ehe man noch »internationale Verwicklungen« sagen kann, hat Peter bereits die FBI-Agentin Kimberley Reynolds am Hals.

Der böse Ort: Seltsame Dinge geschehen im Skygarden Tower, einem berüchtigten Sozialwohnblock in Südlondon. Zunächst geht es nur um ein gestohlenes altes Buch über Magie, das aus der Weißen Bibliothek zu Weimar stammt. Doch dann weitet sich der Fall rasant aus. Denn der Erbauer des Towers, Erik Stromberg, ein brillanter, wenngleich leicht gestörter Architekt, hatte sich einst nicht nur mit Design, sondern auch mit Magie beschäftigt.

The novels are published in the UK as WHISPERS UNDERGROUND and BROKEN HOMES by Gollancz; and in the US by Del Rey and DAW Books, respectively. They are also available as audio-books in the UK (narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and US.

DTV has published all of Ben’s Peter Grant novels to date, and are due to published the sixth, DER GALGEN VON TYBURN, in 2017. Here are the covers:

Cover Reveal: DER GALGEN VON TYBURN by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2016

Ben Aaronovitch‘s sixth Peter Grant novel, THE HANGING TREE, now has a German cover! The novel is due to be published in February 2017 by DTV, as DER GALGEN VON TYBURN. Here’s the synopsis…

In seinem sechsten Fall muss der fabelhafte Peter Grant

– ein verschollenes altes Buch wiederfinden einen verdächtigen Todesfall auf einer Party der Reichen und Schönen Londons aufklären

– versuchen, es sich dabei nicht völlig mit Lady Ty zu verderben

– vermeiden, vom Gesichtslosen ins Jenseits befördert zu werden

– sich mit einem ganzen Haufen rauflustiger Amerikaner herumschlagen, die definitiv zu viel ›24‹ gesehen haben.

Kurz: Peter bekommt die einzigartige Gelegenheit, es sich mit alten Freunden zu verderben und sich dabei jede Menge neue Feinde zu machen. Mal vorausgesetzt, er überlebt die kommende Woche.

THE HANGING TREE is due to be published in early 2017 by Gollancz (UK) and DAW Books (US). The first five novels in the series are out now: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. The comic series BODY WORK and NIGHT WITCH are also available, published by Titan Comics.

WHISPERS UNDERGROUND Now Available in Hungary

Posted on Monday, June 27th, 2016

WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, Ben Aaronovitch‘s third Peter Grant novel, is out now in Hungary. Published by Gabo as FÖLD ALATTI SUTTOGÁS, here’s the synopsis…

A londoni rendőrök holttestre bukkannak a Baker Street-i metróállomás távoli végénél: az áldozat egy amerikai cserediák, James Gallagher, akinek politikailag befolyásos családja érthető módon mielőbb a végére akar járni a hátborzongató gyilkosságnak. A probléma csak az, hogy senki sem tudja, ehhez milyen mélyre kell ásniuk – senki, kivéve a közrendőr és mágustanonc Peter Grantet. Nightingale főfelügyelő, Anglia utolsó bejegyzett varázslójának támogatásával Peter neki is áll feltérképezni a legnagyobb, legrégibb, és újabban legveszedelmesebb metróhálózat bugyrait. Ráadásul segítséget is kapnak az FBI-tól Kimberley Reynolds különleges ügynök személyében, aki azonban nem repesne az örömtől, ha tudná, mi minden zajlik a felszín alatt.

Gabo have also published the first two novels in the series, RIVERS OF LONDON (LONDON FOLYÓI) and MOON OVER SOHO (SOHO FELETT A HOLD). WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is published in the UK by Gollancz (who publish the whole series), and in the US by Del Rey. It has also been published widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Peter Grant is learning magic fast. And it’s just as well – he’s already had run-ins with the deadly supernatural children of the Thames and a terrifying killer in Soho. Progression in the Police Force is less easy. Especially when you work in a department of two. A department that doesn’t even officially exist. A department that if you did describe it to most people would get you laughed at. And then there’s his love life. The last person he fell for ended up seriously dead. It wasn’t his fault, but still.

Now something horrible is happening in the labyrinth of tunnels that make up the tube system that honeycombs the ancient foundations of London. And delays on the Northern line is the very least of it. Time to call in the Met’s Economic and Specialist Crime Unit 9, aka ‘The Folly’. Time to call in PC Peter Grant, Britain’s Last Wizard.

The Peter Grant series, to date, includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. It also includes the comic series RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK and NIGHT WITCH, published by Titan Comics.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #4 Out Next Week!

Posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

The fourth issue in NIGHT WITCH, Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s second RIVERS OF LONDON comic series, is out next week (July 22nd)! Released with a couple of covers (above), it is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

A police vehicle on a routine prison transfer in north London is stormed by Russian hoodlums seeking to free a very particular prisoner. Their target is a witch. A very powerful witch who doesn’t want to be free. Things rapidly turn very ugly for the hoods and it’s soon a job for full-time police constable and part-time wizard, Peter Grant.

Desperate to find his missing daughter, Russian oligarch Nestor Yakunin has resorted to extreme methods – he has kidnapped innocent civilians to force Peter Grant and Thomas Nightingale – London’s elite wizarding policemen – to help in the search. But you play with magic, you’re going to get burnt…

The first three issues of the series are, of course, still available in print and digital editions — so there’s some time to catch up! The first RIVERS OF LONDON comic series, BODY WORK, is also now available in a collected edition.

New Czech Edition of WHISPERS UNDERGROUND Coming Soon!

Posted on Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

In September, Ben Aaronovitch‘s WHISPERS UNDERGROUND will be available in Czech. To be published by Argo, here’s the synopsis for ŠEPOT PODZEMÍ…

Tentokrát to začne mrtvým tělem na konci stanice metra Baker Street, vším, co zůstalo po americkém studentovi Jamesi Gallagherovi. Jeho zámožná a politicky vlivná rodina se chce pochopitelně dostat této hrůzné vraždě na kloub, potíž však tkví v tom, že Jamesova smrt představuje ještě větší a nepřirozenější záhadu, než kdo vůbec tuší… tedy kromě londýnského konstábla a čarodějova učně Petera Granta.

Jelikož je inspektor Nightingale, poslední oficiální čaroděj v Anglii, zaneprázdněn pátráním po nevyzpytatelném kouzelníkovi známém také jako Muž bez tváře, je pouze na Peterovi, aby začal zkoumat strašidelné hlubiny nejstarší, největší a nyní i nejvražednější podzemní dráhy na světě. Ovšem nebude na to sám. Kdepak, FBI mu posílá pomocnici. Mladou, ctižádostivou, krásnou křesťanku, která má sklony vnímat veškerá kouzla jako dílo ďáblovo. No, to tedy bude…

The Czech editions of the first two novels in the series — ŘEKY LONDÝNA and MĚSÍC NAD SOHO — have also been published by Argo.

Here’s the English-language synopsis for WHISPERS UNDERGROUND…

Peter Grant is learning magic fast. And it’s just as well — he’s already had run-ins with the deadly supernatural children of the Thames and a terrifying killer in Soho. Progression in the Police Force is less easy. Especially when you work in a department of two. A department that doesn’t even officially exist. A department that if you did describe it to most people would get you laughed at. And then there’s his love life. The last person he fell for ended up seriously dead. It wasn’t his fault, but still.

To date, the series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. The Peter Grant novels are published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The series has also been published widely in translation.

RIVERS OF LONDON Wins Two New Awards!

Posted on Thursday, May 19th, 2016

We’re very happy to report that Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON has won two awards from the Czech Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror! Presented at Prague Book Fair, the novel — published in Czech by Argo as ŘEKY LONDÝNA — won in the Best Fantasy/Horror Novel of the Year, and the cover (above) won Best Artistic Achievement!

Here’s the synopsis…

Jedna z nejúspěšnějších městských fantasy uplynulého desetiletí vás zavede do Londýna, ve kterém u policie slouží čarodějové a po ulicích se prohánějí zlovolní duchové či božstva na válečné stezce.

Jmenuji se Peter Grant. Ještě nedávno jsem byl obyčejný četnický zelenáč v řadách londýnské Metropolitní policie. Jedné noci jsem se ale při vyšetřování jisté vraždy pokusil získat svědeckou výpověď od muže, který byl sice mrtvý, ale jinak znepokojivě výřečný, což mi zajistilo pozornost vrchního inspektora Nightingalea, posledního čaroděje Anglie. A právě tehdy začal můj příběh. Nyní jsem policejní detektiv a čarodějův učeň, první učedník za padesát let, a můj svět už není zdaleka tak jednoduchý, jak býval.

RIVERS OF LONDON and MOON OVER SOHO (MĚSÍC NAD SOHO) are both available now in Czech, published by Argo. WHISPERS UNDERGROUND is due to be published by Argo on September 30th, 2016, as ŠEPOT PODZEMÍ.

The Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The next novel in the series, THE HANGING TREE, is due out later this year. In case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s the English-language synopsis for RIVERS OF LONDON…

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 voluable, 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.

Ian Tregillis‘s BITTER SEEDS, the first in his Milkweed Triptych, was a runner up for Best Fantasy/Horror novel. Published by Argo as HOŘKÁ SETBA, here’s the synopsis…

Píše se rok 1939. Na straně nacistů se k boji chystají nadlidé, na straně Britů démoni. Co čeká obyčejného člověka, který se mezi ně připlete?
Britského tajného agenta Rayboulda Marshe pronásleduje vzpomínka na Němku, kterou těsně před koncem španělské občanské války letmo zahlédl v barcelonském přístavu. Mrkala na něho jako stará známá. A do otvorů v lebce jí vedly dráty.

Krátce po vypuknutí druhé světové války nasadí Třetí říše na zvláštní mise vojáky s nadpřirozenými schopnostmi.<brJe právě na Marshovi, aby svoji vlast uchránil před ženou, která se umí učinit neviditelnou, před mužem procházejícím zdmi a před onou neznámou z Barcelony, které její schopnost nahlížet do budoucnosti umožňuje přetvářet přítomnost. Aby odvrátil bezprostředně hrozící invazi, vystopuje Marsh britské čaroděje, hrstku podivínů tajících svoji existenci před světem. Každé kouzlo si ovšem žádá oběť, a Británie možná za svou obranu zaplatí stejně strašlivou daň jako za opravdovou bitvu…

Argo are due to publish the second and third books in the Milkweed series this year: THE COLDEST WAR (NEJSTUDENĚJŠÍ VÁLKA) and NECESSARY EVIL (NUTNÉ ZLO).

The Milkweed Triptych are published in the UK by Orbit Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first novel…

The year is 1939. Raybould Marsh and other members of British Intelligence have gathered to watch a damaged reel of film in a darkened room. It appears to show German troops walking through walls, bursting into flames and hurling tanks into the air from afar.

If the British are to believe their eyes, a twisted Nazi scientist has been endowing German troops with unnatural, unstoppable powers. And Raybould will be forced to resort to dark methods to hold the impending invasion at bay.

But dealing with the occult exacts a price. And that price must be paid in blood.

Zeno represents Ian Tregillis in the UK and Translation, on behalf of Kay McCauley at Aurous, Inc.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #3 Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2016

The third issue in RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out today! Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

With a Russian Night Witch in custody, Peter and Nightingale should be having a lot more luck chasing down a rogue Leshy – a murderous spirit of the forest. But when the Russian Mafia are involved, nothing goes smoothly! Even worse, Lesley is back in London – and it’s anyone’s guess as to her agenda.

NIGHT WITCH is the second of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s comic-series, based on Ben’s Peter Grant urban fantasy series. This comic series is set between FOXGLOVE SUMMER, and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE (out later this year). The first comic-series, RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, is available now as a collected trade paperback, also published by Titan Comics.

The novels are published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6) — they have also been published widely in translation.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #2 Out Tomorrow!

Posted on Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

The second issue in Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH comic series is out tomorrow! Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

Following a disastrous attempt to ‘recruit’ the witch, Vavara, a Russian oligarch turns his sights on Peter Grant and Thomas Nightingale – two of London’s finest policemen and its only wizards – to help recover his daughter – apparently kidnapped by dark elemental forces. But for Peter and Nightingale, a dark betrayal from the past is about rear its ugly head…

Ben’s Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The next book in the series is THE HANGING TREE, due out this summer. The series has also been published widely in translation (see Ben’s author page, or contact us for details).

FINGERHUT-SOMMER is a Readers’ Choice Winner in Germany!

Posted on Tuesday, April 5th, 2016

Ben Aaronovitch‘s fifth Peter Grant novel, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, has been selected as BücherTreff readers’ choice best fantasy novel of 2015! Published in Germany as FINGERHUT-SOMMER by DTV, here’s the synopsis…

Schwarzer Humor trifft auf schwarze Magie

Obwohl sich Police Constable Peter Grant schon unwohl fühlt, wenn er Londons Skyline auch nur ein paar Kilometer weit hinter sich lässt, wird er jetzt in die tiefste Provinz geschickt: in einen kleinen Ort in Herefordshire – wo sich Fuchs, Hase und der Dorfpolizist Gute Nacht sagen. Aber es werden zwei Kinder vermisst, und ihr Verschwinden erfolgte womöglich unter magischen Umständen. Also muss Peter notgedrungen sein angestammtes Biotop verlassen. Mit der Flusstochter Beverley Brook begibt er sich mutig nach Westen, hinein ins ländliche England…

DTV have also published the first four books in the series.

FOXGLOVE SUMMER is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by DAW Books, and in France by J’ai Lu. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

In the fifth of his bestselling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London – to a small village in Herefordshire where the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the London copper out of London you can’t take the London out of the copper.

Travelling west with Beverley Brook, Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more all the shops are closed by 4pm…

The six book in the series, THE HANGING TREE, is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz (July) and in the US by DAW Books (August).

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK Out Now in US

Posted on Tuesday, March 29th, 2016

The collected paperback of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK is out now in the US! It had already been available digitally, but it hits shelves today in dead-tree format. Published by Titan Comics, here’s the synopsis…

Peter Grant looks look your average London police officer, but he is actually a part-time wizard in a very elite branch of the Metropolitan Police. It’s his job to investigate those crimes that regular cops don’t like to talk about because they often involve vampires or strange things in Underground tunnels.

Peter’s latest case features a self-driving killer automobile, a Serbian refugee, the Most Haunted Car in England, a handsome drug dealer with a nice paisley scarf and a seemingly harmless wooden bench with a dark past!

The comic series is set between books four and five in Ben’s Peter Grant urban fantasy series — BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER, both of which are published by Gollancz in the UK and DAW Books in the US. Here is the series to-date, including the upcoming THE HANGING TREE:

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1 Out Now!

Posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2016

The first issue of RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH is out now! Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, this is the second comic series set in Ben’s best-selling urban fantasy world. The series is published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis…

Titan Comics also published RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, which is now available as a collection. This afternoon, between 6-7pm, Ben and Andrew will be at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London, signing copies of the collection and also RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1. At the event, a special edition of the comic will be available. Here’s the exclusive variant cover…

Ben’s Peter Grant series is published in the UK by Gollancz. So far, the series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, and the upcoming THE HANGING TREE. The series is also published in the US by Del Rey (books 1-3) and DAW Books (4-6). The series has also been published widely in translation.

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK Signing Next Week

Posted on Friday, March 11th, 2016

An important date for your calendars: Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel will be at London’s Forbidden Planet next week, signing copies of the RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK collection and issues of RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH #1 — including an exclusive Ben Oliver variant (pictured below)! Ben and Andrew’s comic series are published by Titan Comics. Here’s the synopsis for BODY WORK…

Here, too, is the synopsis for the first issue of NIGHT WITCH…

Things rapidly turn very ugly for the hoods and it’s soon a job for full-time police constable and part-time wizard, Peter Grant.

RIVERS OF LONDON: NIGHT WITCH issue one is published on March 16th, 2016. Series artwork is by Lee Sullivan and Luis Guerrero.

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK is out now…

Posted on Friday, March 4th, 2016

The first collected edition of Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel‘s Rivers of London comic series is available now in the US and digitally in the UK. Published by Titan Comics, it collects the six issues of RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK. Here’s the synopsis…

Ben and Andrew’s second Rivers of London comic series, NIGHT WITCH, starts later this month (check back soon for more details). Here are the covers for the RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK single issues and variant covers…