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James P. Blaylock’s RIVER’S EDGE and THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY out now as eBooks!

Posted on Monday, April 6th, 2020

UK Blaylock and steampunk fans rejoice: RIVER’S EDGE and THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY are now available as eBooks in the UK! The two books are novellas in James P. Blaylock‘s Langdon St. Ives series. Published by JABberwocky, here’s the synopsis for RIVER’S EDGE…

When poison fish begin to wash ashore along the River Medway, Langdon St. Ives sets out to investigate the Majestic Paper Mill and their corrupt owners. The body of a young girl is found dead in the river, and mystery grows darker and even more deadly, opening a door onto possible human sacrifice, witchcraft, and a growing threat to his family and friends. He finds himself fighting to save his wife Alice’s life, and prevent the ruination of his friends, his once idyllic life devolving into a dark puzzle for which there is no clear solution.

… and here’s the synopsis for THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY…

When coffins bearing what might be living corpses are discovered in a sea cave long used by smugglers, Langdon St. Ives and his wife Alice are precipitated into a hellish mystery involving an ages-old house standing on the chalk cliffs of the Kentish coast. The strange house, shunned by the people Broadstairs and Margate, caters to a century-old eating society that offers a secret catalogue of corpses for sale and a menu for wealthy members with… eccentric tastes. When the society sets out to entrap St. Ives, an onrushing adventure ensues as Alice and the formidable Frobishers fight for their lives — an adventure that seems to ensure a deadly ending.

JABberwocky has also published the first three novellas in the series: THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, and THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES.

THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY and Blaylock’s other Langdon St. Ives novellas are also published in North America by Subterranean Press.

The Langdon St. Ives novels are published in the UK and North America by Titan Books: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYLESFORD SKULL, and BENEATH LONDON.

Charlie Human’s Baxter Zevcenko second outing, KILL BAXTER returns!

Posted on Thursday, July 11th, 2019

The new eBook edition of KILL BAXTER, the second novel in Charlie Human‘s acclaimed Baxter Zevcenko series, is available again in the UK! Published through the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

The world been massively unappreciative of sixteen-year-old Baxter Zevcenko’s efforts. His bloodline may be a combination of ancient Boer mystic and giant shape-shifting crow, and he may have won an inter-dimensional battle and saved the world, but does the world care? No.

Instead he’s packed off to Hexpoort, a magical training school for MK6 agents. Part reformatory, part military school, and just like Hogwarts (except with more sex, drugs, and better internet access) Hexpoort is a much bigger game than your average high-school, and has much more dangerous players.

An attack on his new school by a dark figure called the Muti Man reunites Baxter with supernatural bounty hunter Jackson ‘Jackie’ Ronin and puts on them on the trail of the Obayifo, a tribe of supernatural media moguls and fashion designers. Together Baxter and Jackie are plunged into the most disgusting, terrifying and dangerous situation they’ve encountered yet: Cape Town Fashion Week.

APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, the first in the series, is also available in eBook via JABberwocky. The two novels are available in the US, published by Titan Books (covers at end).

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

‘Like its predecessor, KILL BAXTER is laugh out loud funny and fiendishly creative. The anti-Hogwarts of Hexpoort gives Human the opportunity to riff more directly on pop culture, but so do the porn addict support groups, pretentious fashion shows and possessed nerds. The further we delve into the supernatural world and its politics, with its psychotic fairies and violent luckdragons, the more engrossing the book becomes. Baxter himself is as entertaining a companion as ever, struggling with heartbreak and desperately trying to go against his own nature and be a good person, even as he travels through his own psyche with his psychosexual development funk band guides to fulfil his potential… tighter and more focused, and just as gloriously insane. Dark, mad, imaginative, and hilarious; KILL BAXTER is a joy.’ — SciFiNow

‘Just as the author punctures holes in the twee/charming class system of magical boarding schools, Human also goes after many of the other traditions of epic fantasy. The warrior-mages of KILL BAXTER struggle with PTSD. The “rescued” girlfriends don’t feel particularly swoony or appreciative. The quest to master “the power within” involves a funk band. Baxter himself sees himself as the center of the universe (saviour for all, chosen one, etc. etc.) — but is also wise enough to seek out professional therapy for that sensation. APOCALYPSE NOW NOW was a very clever, extremely dark book with an underpinning of real insight into the teenage mind. KILL BAXTER is a step beyond – a viciously sharp adventure that combines explosive entertainment with cutting satire; the best traditions of contemporary fantasy with the truth of what it actually means to be contemporary. The odd book that should appeal to those who love fantasy and those that hate it. And I would heartily recommend it either way.’ — Pornokitsch

‘The antidote to Harry Potter is back in Charlie Human’s bawdy new novel: a lively elaboration of the mad as pants brand of South African urban fantasy advanced in APOCALYPSE NOW NOW… everything Human’s debut did well, KILL BAXTER does better… the setting, again, is superlative… the way in which South African folklore figures into the fiction is fantastic — the dreamwalking bits are abundantly brilliant — and KILL BAXTER is a markedly more brutal book… more than a match for Charlie Human’s addictive debut. This, then, is urban fantasy on magical meth. You will want more.’ — Tor.com

‘The sequel to the jubilantly violent APOCALYPSE NOW NOW… Moments of glorious distaste come thicker and faster in KILL BAXTER, with goblin fights and hysterical trips into the protagonist’s warped psyche filling the pages at every turn. The supporting characters are more memorable this time too, from Uzi-wielding conjoined twins, Faith and Chastity, to Baxter’s own personal pet, Gigli, a snake-like dragon who possesses a stubborn attitude to match his conflicted partner. Even after brushing with the apocalypse, this emerging series hasn’t lost its frenzied bite. KILL BAXTER is leaner, meaner and shows an unrestrained zest for dizzying, carnivalesque violence… this is an irresistible ride which has lost all control of the brakes. Either cling to the handrail or be splattered in the dust.’ — Starburst

‘It’s mad, dark, irreverent and wonderfully twisted in all the right ways.’ — Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

‘I don’t even know how to describe reading this book, so just look at my wide eyes and my silently mumbling mouth and take my shell-shock as a good sign that you need to read this book right now.’ — Chuck Wendig, author of Blackbirds

‘With a wild imagination and savage glee, Charlie Human throws us into a school yard battle zone that’s part teenage wasteland, part Lovecraft fever dream. Rock and Roll High School meets the apocalypse.’ — Richard Kadrey, author of Sandman Slim

‘Think Lauren Beukes meets Neil Gaiman, with bounty hunters.’ — Wired (UK)

APOCALYPSE out NOW NOW (again) in the UK!

Posted on Tuesday, February 12th, 2019

Charlie Human‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel, APOCALYPSE NOW NOW, is available again in the UK! Published in eBook by JABberwocky, here’s the synopsis…

Baxter Zevcenko is your average 16-year-old boy. If by average you mean kingpin of a porn-peddling schoolyard syndicate and a possible serial killer who suffers from weird historical dreams.

Baxter is the first to admit that he’s not a nice guy. After all, high school is a gaping, icy abyss and Baxter is not about to allow anybody to drag him down. That is until his girlfriend, Esme, is kidnapped and the clues point toward supernatural forces at work. Faced with navigating the increasingly bizarre landscape of Cape Town’s supernatural underworld, Baxter turns to the only person drunk enough to help: bearded, booze-soaked, supernatural bounty hunter, Jackson “Jackie” Ronin.

On a mission that takes them through the realms of impossibility, they face every conceivable nightmare to rescue Esmé, including the odd brush with the Apocalypse.

The sequel, KILL BAXTER, will be available again soon as well — we’ll share the cover, etc., as soon as we have it. Both Baxter Zevcenko novels are available in the US, published by Titan Books.

Here is just a small selection of the aforementioned critical-acclaim heaped on APOCALYPSE NOW NOW…

‘It’s mad, dark, irreverent and wonderfully twisted in all the right ways.’ — Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls

‘Brilliantly entertaining.’ — British Fantasy Society

‘… a riot — a firebomb of a novel, exploding with sick humour, violence and depravity… it’s never less than very funny, and the ongoing question of Baxter’s sanity adds a degree of mystery. There’s warmth here, too – you’ll likely feel sympathy for Bax by the end.’ — SFX Magazine

‘APOCALYPSE NOW NOW is the gloriously twisted novel from writer Charlie Human. Imaginative, slightly demented and wonderfully odd, it’s a striking debut that delivers a dark monster-filled tale at a frenetically enjoyable pace… the voice of the main protagonist prevents the madness from taking control. His intelligent quips and cocky smart-arse attitude provides an incredibly entertaining backbone to a story that slowly reveals his heart and his struggles to grasp the world around him… If you want the dark imaginative wonder of Gaiman injected with the reckless, carefree abandon of a Tarantino flick, you’d be a fool not to hitch a ride into the mysterious world of Charlie Human’s South Africa.’ — Starburst

‘Think Lauren Beukes meets Neil Gaiman, with bounty hunters.’ — Wired (UK)

‘… wonderfully detailed scenarios, it’s fantastic… APOCALYPSE NOW NOW is often hilarious and tremendous fun… its target audience will have a blast.’ — SciFi Now

‘… breakneck pace and mad imagination… APOCALYPSE NOW NOW [is] such an addictive experience. As one of an associate of Ronin’s remarks: “There’s no pause button, you understand? … Once it starts you have to see it through.” All too true!’ — Tor.com

THE RELIC GUILD omnibus now available!

Posted on Friday, November 16th, 2018

An eBook omnibus edition of Edward Cox‘s Relic Guild trilogy has been released by Gollancz! Here’s the synopsis…

Magic caused the war. Magic is forbidden. Magic will save us.

It was said the Labyrinth had once been the great meeting place, a sprawling city at the heart of an endless maze where a million humans hosted the Houses of the Aelfir. The Aelfir who had brought trade and riches, and a future full of promise. But when the Thaumaturgists, overlords of human and Aelfir alike, went to war, everything was ruined and the Labyrinth became an abandoned forbidden zone, where humans were trapped behind boundary walls 100 feet high.

Now the Aelfir are a distant memory and the Thaumaturgists have faded into myth. Young Clara struggles to survive in a dangerous and dysfunctional city, where eyes are keen, nights are long, and the use of magic is punishable by death. She hides in the shadows, fearful that someone will discover she is touched by magic. She knows her days are numbered. But when a strange man named Fabian Moor returns to the Labyrinth, Clara learns that magic serves a higher purpose and that some myths are much more deadly in the flesh.

The only people Clara can trust are the Relic Guild, a secret band of magickers sworn to protect the Labyrinth. But the Relic Guild are now too few. To truly defeat their old nemesis Moor, mightier help will be required. To save the Labyrinth — and the lives of one million humans — Clara and the Relic Guild must find a way to contact the worlds beyond their walls.

The trilogy includes the novels: THE RELIC GUILD, THE CATHEDRAL OF KNOWN THINGS and THE WATCHER OF DEAD TIME.

Here are just some of the reviews the series has received…

‘Ed Cox has created a lush, detailed world while also hinting at a larger backstory that will be revealed in volumes to come’ — SFX

‘An exiting blend of steampunk, fantasy, horror and pulp adventure… an intriguing, original and enjoying book’ — Starburst

‘A terrific debut novel, with plenty of scope for expansion and some really good world-building. Most importantly, lots of fun’ — Joanne M Harris, author of Gospel of Loki

WAKE UP AND DREAM in digital…

Posted on Monday, November 12th, 2018

Ian R. MacLeod‘s modern classic WAKE UP AND DREAM is now available in eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program! Here’s the synopsis…

All failed actor and unlicensed private eye Clark Gable has to do is impersonate a wealthy scriptwriter for a few hours, and sign a contract for the biopic of the inventor of a device which has transformed the world of entertainment. What could go wrong? True, he’s seeing ghosts, but so’s everyone else these days, at least when they go to the Feelies. And Europe is devastated by war, and America in sleep-walking toward Fascism. But what’s that got to do with him? A great deal, it turns out, as he stumbles into a world of glamour, danger, preternatural forces and political intrigue.

A dazzling blend of mystery, fantasy and history, and by turns witty, eerie and romantic, Wake Up and Dream is film noir with Technicolor wraiths.

JABberwocky has also published Ian’s THE SUMMER ISLES, SONG OF TIME, THE GREAT WHEEL and RED SNOW in eBook, which are available everywhere now!

Today, get trapped IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE!

Posted on Tuesday, October 16th, 2018

Aliette de Bodard‘s latest book, IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is out today! A dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, the book is published by the JABberwocky eBook Program in the UK, US and France. Here’s the synopsis…

In a ruined, devastated world, where the earth is poisoned and beings of nightmares roam the land…

A woman, betrayed, terrified, sold into indenture to pay her village’s debts and struggling to survive in a spirit world.

A dragon, among the last of her kind, cold and aloof but desperately trying to make a difference.

When failed scholar Yên is sold to Vu Côn, one of the last dragons walking the earth, she expects to be tortured or killed for Vu Côn’s amusement.

But Vu Côn, it turns out, has a use for Yên: she needs a scholar to tutor her two unruly children. She takes Yên back to her home, a vast, vertiginous palace-prison where every door can lead to death. Vu Côn seems stern and unbending, but as the days pass Yên comes to see her kinder and caring side. She finds herself dangerously attracted to the dragon who is her master and jailer. In the end, Yên will have to decide where her own happiness lies — and whether it will survive the revelation of Vu Côn’s dark, unspeakable secrets…

You can read an excerpt from the novel, here.

The book has already received some advance praise, too…

‘This intriguing, Sapphic, Vietnamese take on Beauty and the Beast is recommended for fans of De Bodard’s previous works or readers who enjoy diverse, lushly described fantasy.’ — Library Journal

‘Another stellar offering by Bodard. Her signature intensity is on display in this tale of people (and dragons) struggling to survive in the ruins of an alien conquest. Emotionally complex relationships interweave with richly drawn and deftly nuanced world-building.’ — Kate Elliott, Author of the Court of Fives series

‘A transformative experience. With dragons.’ — Fran Wilde, Hugo and Nebula nominated author of The Bone Universe and The Gemworld series

The book is available from Amazon UK, US and France, and also Kobo.

Aliette is also the award-winning author of the Dominion of the Fallen series, published by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in North America; the critically-acclaimed THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, published by Subterranean Press and the JABberwocky eBook Program; and also the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, also published as eBooks through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Backlist Plug: Ian McDonald’s CHAGA series

Posted on Friday, October 12th, 2018

Today, we wanted to draw your attention to Ian McDonald‘s classic Chaga series: CHAGA, KIRINYA and TENDELÉO’S STORY. The trilogy is now available in eBook, published by the JABberwocky eBook Program, and the first two books are also published in Germany by Heyne.

CHAGA, originally called EVOLUTION’S SHORE, was first published in 1995 and was nominated for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Here’s the synopsis…

On the trail of the mystery of Saturn’s disappearing moons, network journalist Gaby McAslan finds herself in Africa researching the Kilimanjaro Event: a meteor-strike in Kenya which caused the stunning African landscape to give way to something equally beautiful – and indescribably alien. Dubbed the ‘Chaga’, the alien flora destroys all man-made materials, and moulds human flesh, bone and spirit to its own designs. But when Gaby finds the first man to survive the Chaga’s changes, she realizes it has its own plans for humankind… Against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, McDonald weaves a staggering tale of keen human observation and speculation, as the Kilimanjaro Event changes the course of the human race by exposure to something beyond its imagination.

Here are some of the reviews CHAGA received…

‘McDonald… consistently explores new territory with his breathtaking images and incisive language. Both form and substance blend fortuitously in a work that features strong characters, a suspenseful story, and a profound message of hope and transformation. A priority purchase for SF collections.’ — Library Journal

‘One of the finest writers of his generation, who chooses to write science fiction because that is how he can best illuminate the world.’ — New Statesman

‘Optimistic near-future alien-contact yarn… McDonald’s tale is also inventive and challenging… a dense, complex, rather weighty, often fascinating piece of speculation.’ — Kirkus

You can also read an excerpt from the novel here.

KIRINYA (1998) was showered with similar accolades when it was published: the novel was described by SFX as ‘a huge and ambitious novel’ and ‘the work of a supremely talented writer’, and McDonald was hailed as an ‘outstanding writer’ and ‘marvellous talent’ by The Times...

The end of the universe happened at around ten o’clock at night on 22 December, 2032. It’s just that humanity hasn’t realized it yet. And the Chaga, the strange flora deposited from the stars, is still busy terraforming the tropics into someone else’s terra. Gaby McAslan was once a hungry news reporter who compromised her relationship with UNECTA researcher Dr. Shepard for the sake of her story… but Gaby is no longer a journalist and she doesn’t want to be a full-time mother, even though her child Serena is her last link with Shepard. Gaby’s fire has gone out; she’s gone soft. But the massive political and military upheavals rocking the world are about to drag her back into the action.

The final book in the Chaga series, TENDELÉO’S STORY is a novella that was originally published by PS Publishing in 2000.

From the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, an alien force begins to spread, turning the land into an unrecognizable alien landscape. Tendeléo is nine years old when this first package comes down, and before she reaches adulthood the Chaga will change her life forever.

Ian’s latest series is Luna, of which the first two books are out now: NEW MOON and WOLF MOON, published by Gollancz in the UK and Tor Books in North America. The series is also available in a growing number of translated editions.

SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD is a Kindle Deal in the US and UK!

Posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2018

This month, Aliette de Bodard‘s critically-acclaimed debut novel is a Kindle Monthly Deal in the US! SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, the first novel in the Obsidian & Black trilogy, is only 99c! The novel is also on sale in the UK for Kindle. Published through the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

Year One-Knife, Tenochtitlan the capital of the Aztecs. Human sacrifice and the magic of the living blood are the only things keeping the sun in the sky and the earth fertile.

A Priestess disappears from an empty room drenched in blood. It should be a usual investigation for Acatl, High Priest of the Dead–except that his estranged brother is involved, and the the more he digs, the deeper he is drawn into the political and magical intrigues of noblemen, soldiers, and priests-and of the gods themselves…

The other two novels in the trilogy are also available in eBook: HARBINGER OF THE STORM and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS.

Aliette’s latest book is THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE, the critically-acclaimed novella set in the author’s Xuya science fiction universe. Published in the US by Subterranean Press, it is also available in the rest of the world as an eBook, published through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Aliette’s latest series is the award-winning Dominion of the Fallen, published in the UK by Gollancz and in North America by Roc Books: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS.

THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE will see you now…

Posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2018

Aliette de Bodard‘s latest novella, THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is out now outside of the US! Available as an eBook via the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

Once, the mindship known as The Shadow’s Child was a military transport. Once, she leapt effortlessly between stars and planets, carrying troops and crew for a war that tore the Empire apart. Until an ambush killed her crew and left her wounded and broken.

Now the war is over, and The Shadow’s Child, surviving against all odds, has run away. Discharged and struggling to make a living, she has no plans to go back into space. Until the abrasive and arrogant scholar Long Chau comes to see her. Long Chau wants to retrieve a corpse for her scientific studies: a simple enough, well-paid assignment.

But when the corpse they find turns out to have been murdered, the simple assignment becomes a vast and tangled investigation, inexorably leading back to the past–and, once again, to that unbearable void where The Shadow’s Child almost lost both sanity and life…

THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is published in the US by Subterranean Press, as a hardcover and eBook. Here are some of the reviews the book has received so far…

‘De Bodard constructs a convincingly gritty setting and a pair of unique characters with provocative histories and compelling motivations. The story works as well as both science fiction and murder mystery, exploring a future where pride, guilt, and mercy are not solely the province of humans.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘This slim volume packs a visceral punch. Absorbing prose pulls readers into the dark, frigid space between stars, where ships can fail, physically and emotionally, as easily as people… this novella offers sf fans an imaginative read.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review)

‘THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE is the Sherlock Holmes retelling I always wanted and now I have it. And I want so much more of it.’ — Kirkus

‘This is a measured, almost stately story, right up until a conclusion that explodes in fast-paced tension. It preserves the empathy and the intensity of the original Sherlockian stories, while being told in de Bodard’s sharp prose and modern style. The worldbuilding — this novella is set in de Bodard’s Xuya continuity, like On A Red Station, Drifting and The Citadel of Weeping Pearls — sparkles. The characters have presence: they’re individual and compelling. And it ends it a way that recalls the original Holmes and Watson, while being perfectly appropriate to itself.’ — Tor.com

‘As a classical blend of far-future SF and traditional murder mystery, The Tea Master and the Detective should satisfy readers unfamiliar with the Xuya universe, but at the same time it’s an intriguing introduction to that universe, much of which seems to lie just outside the borders of this entertaining tale.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

We believe you will want to read this novella. The decision is simply… elementary, my dear reader.

Wider release for Aliette de Bodard’s THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE next week!

Posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2018

Next week — April 2nd, to be exact — Aliette de Bodard‘s critically-acclaimed new Xuya novella, THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE will be available as an eBook outside of the US! The new edition also has a new cover, as can be seen above, by Dirk Berger.

Currently available only in the US via Subterranean Press (cover at end), the book will be released via the JABberwocky eBook Program in the UK and other territories. Here’s the synopsis…

But when the corpse they find turns out to have been murdered, the simple assignment becomes a vast and tangled investigation, inexorably leading back to the past — and, once again, to that unbearable void where The Shadow’s Child almost lost both sanity and life…

Here, too, is some of that aforementioned critical acclaim…

‘A science-fictional ode to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, where the Holmes figure is a sharp and biting disgraced aristocratic scholar with a solid core of empathy, and the Watson-figure is a mindship with post-traumatic stress disorder from her war experiences… This is a measured, almost stately story, right up until a conclusion that explodes in fast-paced tension. It preserves the empathy and the intensity of the original Sherlockian stories, while being told in de Bodard’s sharp prose and modern style. The worldbuilding… sparkles. The characters have presence: they’re individual and compelling. And it ends it a way that recalls the original Holmes and Watson, while being perfectly appropriate to itself.’ — Tor.com

‘De Bodard revisits her far-future Xuya universe setting with this gripping novella about damaged characters driven to search for the truth… De Bodard constructs a convincingly gritty setting and a pair of unique characters with provocative histories and compelling motivations. The story works as well as both science fiction and murder mystery, exploring a future where pride, guilt, and mercy are not solely the province of humans.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘De Bodard’s world building glitters, and her characters are deeply compelling… This is a really satisfying story, deeply invested in choosing to do the right thing – and in the importance of kindness. I strongly recommend it.’ — Locus

‘The Tea Master and the Detective is the Sherlock Holmes retelling I always wanted and now I have it. And I want so much more of it.’ — Kirkus

JABberwocky have also released the eBook editions of Aliette’s debut trilogy, Obsidian & Blood: SERVANT OF THE UNDERWORLD, HARBINGER OF THE STORM and MASTER OF THE HOUSE OF DARTS.

Travel the multiverse with the Everness crew!

Posted on Friday, March 23rd, 2018

Great news for fans of Ian McDonald: the Everness trilogy is available again in eBook in the US! Published via the JABberwocky eBook Program, all three novels are available once again: PLANESRUNNER, BE MY ENEMY and EMPRESS OF THE SUN. Here’s the synopsis for the first novel…

When Everett Singh’s scientist father is kidnapped from the streets of London, he leaves young Everett a mysterious app on his computer: the Infundibulum, the map of all the parallel earths, the most valuable object in the multiverse. There are dark forces in the Plenitude of Known Worlds who will stop at nothing to get it. They’ve got power, authority, and the might of ten planets at their fingertips. He’s got wits, intelligence, and a knack for Indian cooking. To rescue his dad from Charlotte Villiers and the sinister Order, this Planesrunner’s going to need friends. Friends like Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, her adopted daughter, Sen, and the crew of the airship Everness. Can they rescue Everett’s father and get the Infundibulum to safety? The game is afoot!

The trilogy is published in the UK by Jo Fletcher Books. JABberwocky have also published a few of Ian’s other novels in eBooks for the US market (follow the link above for more information). We’ll post some more information about these novels on the site over the next couple of weeks.

Here’s just a small selection drawn from the incredible reviews the series has received since the novels’ publication…

‘Also appropriating airships, larger‑than-life characters and breakneck action is Ian McDonald’s PLANESRUNNER…, the opening volume in the Everness series and his first foray into Young Adult fiction. This is vintage McDonald, with beautifully drawn settings, complex characters and deft plotting. When Everett Singh’s scientist father is kidnapped, Everett’s investigations lead him to discover that his father was working to open portals between multiple worlds. Everett finds a map linking the worlds, which various sinister organisations desire – and the thrilling chase is on.’ — Guardian

‘The book begins with its young and likeably geeky protagonist, Everett Singh (named for physicist Hugh Everett, who came up with the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics back in the ‘50s) witnessing the kidnapping of his scientist father. But why would anyone want to drag an apparently unimportant academic off the street in London? Because, it turns out, Singh Sr has created the Infundibulum, a map of all known parallel Earths. Soon, Everett heads through a gateway and into a steampunk-tinged adventure. And yes, an airship is involved. But don’t hold that against McDonald, because this is a novel that’s knowing in the way it uses SF tropes without ever coming close to being condescending towards its intended audience. Science nerds of all ages may balk at the amount of exposition in the early chapters (arguably necessary, considering we’re talking quantum here), but most will be too busy getting lost in a cracking adventure story.’ — SFX on PLANESRUNNER

‘A pacy book filled with tropes McDonald takes from across the genre and makes his own, whether it is AI or nanotech, unpeopled Earths or post-apocalyptic worlds. The airship which is the series home has a real three dimensionality whilst the jump gun acts as pure plot device. In softer hands these books could become a “monster of the week” series but here there are consequences, none more so than when Everett is punched in the stomach by an authority figure. This basic, personal violence is a reminder that this is not a game and that even a genius can’t get through unscathed. I can’t wait to see what happens next.’ — Strange Horizons

‘McDonald proves the concept of his world of the Infundibulum has legs, and provides some intriguing new ideas amid an entertaining adventure… Lots of ideas thrown out and explored; good development of main characters… Malevolent Nanotech. More world hopping. A solidly entertaining second volume to the series… With all of these ideas, concepts and worldbuilding, McDonald, in terms of his core characters, provides us with meaty development and growth… I was more than satisfied with the book and anyone, young adult or otherwise, who has read the first book will find much to love here, and will likely be as eager as I for the next volume in the series.’ — SF Signal

‘[A]bsolutely triumphant sequel to Ian McDonald’s pulse-pounding young-adult science fiction novel PLANESRUNNER. PLANESRUNNER — a rollicking, multidimensional tale of a young boy who holds the key to infinite universes, seeking to rescue his physicist father from sinister powers — finished on a brutal cliffhanger, leaving its readers gasping and cursing for more. Now we have it. In BE MY ENEMY, there’s a lot more of what made PLANESRUNNER great — tremendous action scenes, cunning escapes, genius attacks on the ways that multidimensional travel might be weaponized, horrific glimpses of shadowy powers and sinister technologies. But BE MY ENEMY also has more of what makes McDonald’s adult fiction some of the best work I’ve ever read: a gifted ear for poesie that makes the English language sing, the unapologetic presumption of the reader’s ability to understand what’s going on without a lot of hand-holding, and a technological mysticism that never explicitly says when the literal stops and the fantasy starts… If you held off on reading PLANESRUNNER because you didn’t want to commit to a series without knowing if the author could keep up the quality, have no fear. McDonald has proven himself handily.’ — BoingBoing

‘The marvelous Everness series takes readers to a world with highly evolved dinosaurs in this third voyage through parallel universes… McDonald lets his imagination run rampant without abandoning credibility, tackling real scientific concepts such as confirmation bias, a feature lacking in far too much science fiction. Fans might wish for more focus on the original Everett, but eventually, the three storylines weave themselves together nicely, setting up another sequel with hints of forthcoming romance. Endlessly fascinating and fun.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review) on EMPRESS OF THE SUN

‘I’ve rarely had as much fun with a Young Adult SF series as I have with Ian McDonald’s Everness — now up to three books with the brand new, shiny addition of EMPRESS OF THE SUN, possibly the best book of the bunch so far… this latest installment, with its sentient space dinosaurs, will delight folks who occasionally yearn for a good old-fashioned pulp adventure… through all of it, the characters continue to shine… I confess that I initially wasn’t too crazy about the whole Doppelgänger plot, but in this novel, it turns into a wonderful part of the overall picture… It was simply a treat to get back into the crazy palari and strange fashions of the Everness books. It may sound bizarre, but this is the first time I’ve read a novel that actually made me feel like writing fan-fic about its characters, just because they’re so utterly fresh and surprising. The Everness series is technically Young Adult, but I believe any science fiction fan, young or old, would get sucked into these adventures.’ — Tor.com

MICHAELMAS out now in France!

Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2017

MICHAELMAS, the classic science fiction novel by Algis Budrys, is out now in France! Published by Milady in eBook, here’s the synopsis…

Michaelmas, reporter adoré des médias, dispose d’une arme d’exception: Domino, un terminal dont il ne se sépare jamais. Grâce à lui, il est capable de traquer et de manipuler l’information sur tous les réseaux et dans toutes les bases de données de la planète.

Il fréquente les puissants et les influents, et rien ne lui est refusé.

En privé, Michaelmas est un homme seul, prudent. Très prudent.

Jusqu’au jour où se dresse devant lui un rival inattendu…

Dans un hôpital suisse, un astronaute revient à la vie après le crash de sa capsule. Un sujet de choix, repris par tous les réseaux, qui ne manque pas d’attiser la curiosité du reporter. Car lui sait que c’est impossible. Mais alors, qui ment? Et pourquoi?

Et si la manipulation débordait des frontières des médias, pour le viser lui, directement?

First published in 1977, MICHAELMAS is now available in eBook, published by Open Road Media. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Published less than a decade into the Internet era, this remarkable science fiction novel foreshadows many of the world’s technological advances

One of the world’s wealthiest and most influential men, journalist Laurent Michaelmas lives in a penthouse overlooking New York City’s Central Park with his super-intelligent computer, Domino. He attained his fame and power after hacking into the worldwide computer network. He then went on to use his unique gifts to create a version of the UN that would ensure global peace. In short, he and Domino secretly run the world. But now he has reason for concern. A Swiss doctor has cured an astronaut believed to have vaporized in a shuttle explosion during an expedition to the outer planets of the solar system. Suspecting that something extraterrestrial is behind this miraculous recovery, Michaelmas uses his immense influence to launch an international investigation.

Are there really aliens in their midst? Is the resurrection of a dead man an attempt to cancel history and destroy the world’s precarious balance of power?

Milady have also published Budrys’s ROGUE MOON and FALLING TORCH in eBook; as LUNE FOURBE and S.O.S. TERRE, respectively…

Open Road Media has published six of Budrys’s novels in eBook: WHO?, FALLING TORCH, ROGUE MOON, THE FURIOUS FUTURE, MICHAELMAS, and HARD LANDING.

Zeno represents Algis Budrys, on behalf of the Budrys Estate.

Roger Zelazny’s DREAM MASTER available in Italy!

Posted on Thursday, December 29th, 2016

In case you missed it, Roger Zelazny‘s classic novel DREAM MASTER is available in Italy in eBook! Published by Mondadori as IL SIGNORE DEI SOGNI, here’s the synopsis…

Una tecnologia elettronica capace di mettere in contatto gli stati psichici di due diversi sistemi nervosi: da questa invenzione emerge una nuova disciplina, la Formazione neuro-condivisa. Charles Render si è affermato da tempo come luminare nel settore ma continua a essere divorato dall’ambizione. Per questo non esita ad accettare lo strano incarico offertogli dalla psichiatra Eileen Shallot, cieca dalla nascita, che vuole imparare da lui l’arte della Formazione. Un proposito ambizioso come pochi, considerando che il lavoro dei neuroformatori consiste nel portare allo scoperto le nevrosi dei pazienti mediante il più immediato dei linguaggi di comunicazione: l’immagine. Il senso della sfida è il motore che spinge il Formatore ad accettare l’incarico, ma con il passare del tempo e con l’aumentare della bravura di Eileen nell’usare il nuovo canale, Render scoprirà a sue spese quanto rischiosa possa essere stata la sua decisione.

First published in 1965 as the Nebula Award-winning novella “He Who Shapes” (the first year that award was given), the story was re-issued as the novel DREAM MASTER a year later, published by Ace Books.

His name is Charles Render. He’s a psychoanalyst, a mechanic of dreams, a Shaper. In a warm womb of metal, his patients dream their neuroses, while Render, intricately connected to their brains, dreams with them, makes delicate adjustments, & ultimately explains & heals. Her name is Eileen Shallot, a resident in psychiatry. She wants desperately to become a Shaper, tho she’s been blind from birth. Together, they will explore the depths of the human mind & the terrors that lurk therein.

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

SHADOWKINGS and THE ELFIN SHIP on sale!

Posted on Friday, November 4th, 2016

James P. Blaylock‘s and Michael Cobley‘s debut novels are on sale at the moment, discounted through Kobo! Both books are published through the JABberwocky eBook Program.

Blaylock’s THE ELFIN SHIP is the first in the author’s Balumnia series, sometimes referred to as the Cheeser series. Here’s the synopsis…

James P Blaylock’s 1982 début novel The Elfin Ship has become a classic of whimsical fantasy. With echoes of Kenneth Graham and Mark Twain, it’s a gentle, eccentric and hilarious novel that will delight readers of all ages.

Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the people of Twombly Town.

But no more…

First, the trading post at Willowood Station was mysteriously destroyed. Then a magical elfin airship began making forays overhead: Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss.

So he set off downriver to deliver the cheeses himself, accompanied by the amazing Professor Wurzle, the irrepressible Dooly, and his faithful dog Ahab. It would have been such a pleasant trip, if not for the weeping skeleton, mad goblins, magic coins, an evil dwarf, a cloak of invisibility – and a watch that stopped time.

Of course, the return trip was not so simple.

Blaylock’s other two Balumnia novels, THE DISAPPEARING DWARF and THE STONE GIANT, are also available.

‘A magical world, magically presented… having journeyed there, you will not wish to leave, nor ever to forget.’ — Philip K. Dick

Jim’s latest novel is BENEATH LONDON, the fourth book in his fan-favourite Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, published by Titan Books.

SHADOWKINGS is the first novel in Michael Cobley’s series of the same name. Here’s the synopsis…

For one thousand bright and fortunate years the Khatrimantine Empire had guaranteed peace and benevolence. Then came the vast hordes of the Mogaun, driven by an evil deity, the Lord of Twilight, corrupter and devourer.

The unprepared Khatrimantine armies could not stand against the brutal might of the invaders, not even with the help of the Empire’s spirit/magical guardians. Yet at the very pinnacle of his triumph, the Lord of Twilight made a fatal mistake, shattering his essence into five parts: five lost souls destined to become the Shadowkings.

Now, sixteen years after the invasion, Mogaun warlords and petty despots squabble amid the ruins. Yet ancient powers are stirring and the Empire’s last valiant defenders are gathering their strength, hoping that one decisive strike can reverse their long, bleak decline. But the forces of Night know well the dance of might, and match them step for step.

The other two novels in the series, SHADOWGOD and SHADOWMASQUE, are also available.

‘There is plenty here to keep any fans of high fantasy happy. The familiar elements are here, but don’t worry about them feeling borrowed or contrived. Cobley has presented his own fantasy world and characters, well rounded, fully explored and absorbing.’ — Eternal Night

‘… unconventional high fantasy trilogy… [Cobley] has taken traditional sword and sorcery to some new and perhaps uncomfortable places… an unusually dark and claustrophobic piece of work…’ — Infinity Plus

Michael’s latest novel is ANCESTRAL MACHINES, a fourth (stand-alone) novel set in his Humanity’s Fire universe. It is published by Orbit Books.

Roger Zelazny’s A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER Now Available in UK!

Posted on Saturday, October 1st, 2016

‘The last great novel by one of the giants of the genre,’ is how George R.R. Martin described Roger Zelazny‘s A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER. Today, Farrago/Prelude Books reissues the novel as an eBook in the UK — the first time it’s been available for some time. Here’s the synopsis…

All is not what it seems…

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut.

And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

A print edition of the novel is due to be published next year, also by Prelude Books. Here are a few of the reviews the novel has enjoyed…

‘A madcap blend of horror tropes and fantasy… There aren’t many authors who would set out to write a novel in which the Wolfman and Jack the Ripper were the two heroes… And I’m not sure anyone else could have made it work.’ — Science Fiction Chronicle

‘Sparkling, witty, delightful. Zelazny’s best for ages, perhaps his best ever.’ — Kirkus Reviews

‘Zelazny’s a charmer… a born storyteller… Gahan Wilson’s illustrations strike just the right tone of amusing ghastliness.’ — Minneapolis Star-Tribune

‘A cheerful, witty, well-crafted fantasy… Its deft, understated good humor and spare, poetic prose reaffirm Zelazny as one of fantasy’s most skilled practitioners.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Jack the Ripper meets Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, and a few other choice individuals in this romp through the annals of literary horror and mystery… Zelazny’s quirky humor and Wilson’s appropriately creepy drawings compliment each other in grand style.’ — Library Journal

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in the UK and Translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.