DAW Books - Zeno Agency Ltd.

BROKEN HOMES now in Paperback! (UK)

Posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2014

BROKEN HOMES, the fourth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s critically-acclaimed and Sunday Times bestselling Peter Grant/Rivers of London series, is now available in mass market paperback! The first four books in the series – RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDER GROUND, and BROKEN HOMES – have all been published in the UK by Gollancz. Gollancz will also be publishing the next in the series, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, which is due to be released in just a couple months (July 2014). Here’s the synopsis, in case you’ve managed to miss all the attention the series has rightfully been receiving…

A mutilated body in Crawley. Another killer on the loose. The prime suspect is one Robert Weil; an associate of the twisted magician known as the Faceless Man? Or just a common or garden serial killer?

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load.

So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection? And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

Full of warmth, sly humour and a rich cornucopia of things you never knew about London, Aaronovitch’s series has swiftly added Grant’s magical London to Rebus’ Edinburgh and Morse’s Oxford as a destination of choice for those who love their crime with something a little extra.

BROKEN HOMES is published by DAW Books in the US, J’ai Lu in France, and DTV in Germany.

Kari Sperring to be Guest of Honour at Novacon 44!

Posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

We’re delighted to report that Kari Sperring is the Guest of Honour at this year’s Novacon! The convention will be held at the Park Inn Hotel in Nottingham, from November 14-16, 2014. Still early days, so details are thin on the ground, but be sure to check out the Novacon website, Twitter and Facebook page for information over the coming weeks and months.

Kari is the author of two acclaimed fantasy novels, LIVING WITH GHOSTS and THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE. In case you weren’t aware of the novels (shame!), here is some information and reviews…

LIVING WITH GHOSTS (DAW Books, 2009)

This highly original, darkly atmospheric fantasy novel immerses readers in a world where ghosts and other malevolent spirits seek entry into mortal realms— invisible to all but those who are not entirely human themselves. Drawn into the ancient city of Merafi, yet barred from entering by an ancient pact sealed in blood, these hungry haunts await their opportunity to break through the magical border and wreak havoc on the city’s innocent denizens.

And as a priestess and prince weave a sorcerous plot to shatter the pact and bring ruin on Merafi, only a failed assassin-priest who is now a courtesan, a noble lord married into the ruling family of Merafi, an officer of the city guard, a woman warrior who was the former lover of a now-dead lord, and the ghost of that lord himself stand between Merafi and the tidal wave of magic that may soon bring ruin flooding down upon the city.

Here’s some of what critics have said about the novel…

‘… a brilliantly atmospheric novel with complex yet understandable characters and a dark setting filled with sensation. A recommended read for those with a taste for something a little different.’ — Mithril Wisdom

‘The characterization in particular is well above what I normally expect from SF&F. The magic is interesting too: very subtly done… a very impressive debut. Here’s hoping there are more books to come.’ — Cheryl Morgan

‘From suffering husband to sneering dominatrix, there’s a character for every taste in Ghosts, but the vulnerable, bisexual Gracielis is by far the standout… the characters are so appealing that you hang on every twist of their carmined lips… [a] beguiling, bewildering novel…’ — Strange Horizons

‘… if you love a tale that concentrates on the feelings and emotional aspect of the characters then this is a book for you. Well written with the authors enthusiasm clearly coming through the tale its definitely a story that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.’ — Falcata Times

THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE (DAW Books, 2012)

A return to the same amazing and atmospheric world of LIVING WITH GHOSTS, a story set several hundred years later.

When a wealthy young woman, obsessed with a childhood vision of a magical Shining Palace, sets out with her true love to search for a legendary land, she discovers the devastated WorldBelow – the realm of the Grass King – and the terrifying Cadre, who take her prisoner, and demand she either restore the king’s concubine… or replace her.

Here’s a selection of the critical response…

‘Readers who are looking for a beautiful and original work of fantasy should pick up THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE… an enjoyable read, and I think that fans of thoughtful fantasy should give THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE a try.’ — Strange Horizons

‘This is a rather wonderful book… a beguiling sub-plot… Sperring has created an unusual world that surprises at every turn, giving the pleasures of high fantasy whilst avoiding the worn-out tropes.’ — Living in the Maniototo

Cover Reveal – Tanya Huff’s VALOUR’S TRIAL

Posted on Friday, February 7th, 2014

Hot on the heels of the UK publication of THE HEART OF VALOUR, we’re delighted to be able to share with you the new cover for Tanya Huff‘s VALOUR’S TRIAL, the fourth novel in the adventure- and action-packed science fiction Confederation series! As with the first three novels in the series, this will be published by Titan Books, and is due to hit shelves on April 4th 2014.

Here’s the synopsis…

Unexpectedly pulled from battle, Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr of the Confederation Marines finds herself in an underground POW camp, where her fellow marine prisoners have lost all will to escape. Now, Torin must fight her way not only out of the prison, but also past the growing compulsion to lie down and give up — not realizing that her escape could alter the entire course of the war.

VALOUR’S TRIAL was first published in the US by DAW Books, in 2008. Here’s just a small sample of what critics have said about the novel…

‘Huff’s appealing heroine is as fiercely maternal as she is fierce in battle. The denoument is not unexpected, but Huff skillfully accomplishes its exposition while still managing a few surprises.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘It’s a great read, a powerful surviving scenario made particularly fascinating by the interactions of multiple species working together.’ — Locus

‘Filled with both action scenes and personal drama, this sf adventure belongs in most libraries.’ — Library Journal

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

US Publication Day – BROKEN HOMES by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on Tuesday, February 4th, 2014

The wait is finally over! Peter Grant fans States-side can now pick up the fourth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s hugely successful and beloved Rivers of London/Peter Grant series! BROKEN HOMES is published in the US today by DAW Books. The novel was released in the UK by Gollancz in July 2013.

Just in case you missed it, here is the synopsis for the novel…

A unique blend of police procedural, loving detail about the greatest character of all, London, and a dash of the supernatural.

Before PC Peter Grant can get his head round the case a town planner going under a tube train and a stolen grimoire are adding to his case-load.

So far so London.

But then Peter gets word of something very odd happening in Elephant and Castle, on an housing estate designed by a nutter, built by charlatans and inhabited by the truly desperate.

Is there a connection?

And if there is, why oh why did it have to be South of the River?

Here’s some of what others have said in praise of BROKEN HOMES…

‘PC Peter Grant and his co-worker Lesley, two of the few policemen in London who can practice magic, are still working under Nightingale, who must be the oldest police officer in England . . . not that he looks it. A low-income housing tower gone awry, an old enemy with a bone to pick . . . and a shocker of an ending – BROKEN HOMES is a delight.’ — Charlaine Harris

‘Aaronovitch has involved his squad with the theatres of Covent Garden, the clubs of Soho and the Underground; now, he takes us south of the River. Here, it’s all about architecture. Those who are sceptical about the massive Modernist housing estates of the Fifties and Sixties as liveable environments will be made to think again – what if some of those architects had entirely other agendas? As always, Aaronovitch is intellectually witty and often delightful in his sparky dialogue. He knows that his characters have to be put in serious jeopardy: this book includes a particularly devastating twist whose emotional logic is overwhelming. Aaronovitch is never less than entertaining, and here he proves he can break our hearts as well.’ — The Independent (Roz Kaveney)

‘BROKEN HOMES,continues in the same rich vein of his brilliant supernatural crime series. Writing about his native London, Aaronovitch has crafted a novel that renders the city in a very different light.’ — BSFA

‘… opens with Aaronovitch’s trademark rapidity and subversive joy with the acronyms and minutiae of modern policing… an enormously fun, fast-paced, witty novel…’ — Tor.com

BROKEN HOMES is also due to be published by J’ai Lu in France and DTV in Germany. Here are the three covers, side-by-side…

New US Deal for Ben Aaronovitch…

Posted on Thursday, June 6th, 2013

We’re delighted to announce that DAW Books have picked up US rights for books four, five and six in Ben Aaronovitch‘s massively successful RIVERS OF LONDON series.

For those out there who have been living under a rock for the past few years, the series follows the adventures of Peter Grant, a London police constable and apprentice wizard. The books were acquired for DAW by publisher Betsy Wollheim, in a deal negotiated by Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky in New York, on behalf of Zeno.

The first title in this deal, BROKEN HOMES, is scheduled to be published in the United States in February 2014. Gollancz continue to publish inthe UK and Commonwealth.

Aaronovitch-PG4-BrokenHomes-Blog

Here is the synopsis…

A unique blend of police procedural, loving detail about the greatest character of all, London, and a dash of the supernatural.

In the new novel DC Peter Grant must head south of the river to the alien environs of Elephant and Castle. There’s a murderer abroad and, as always when Grant’s department are reluctantly called in by CID, there is more than a whiff of the supernatural in the darkness.