Glasgow - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Upcoming UK Event: Aliette de Bodard in Glasgow!

Posted on Friday, January 13th, 2023

On January 23rd, Waterstones Glasgow will be hosting Aliette de Bodard for an event to celebrate the author’s latest acclaimed novel, THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE!

In the UK launch for her brilliant new space opera, multiple-award-winning author Aliette de Bodard joins us to discuss The Red Scholar’s Wake, the incredible first Xuya novel! This incredible science fiction romance is a galaxy-spanning Vietnamese-inspired piratical romp, moving and action-packed by turns, and Aliette joins us in an exclusive event to discuss the book, its inspirations and inception, and much more!

The first full-length Xuya novel, THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE is published by Gollancz in the UK (cover at top) and JABberwocky in North America (cover below). Here’s the synopsis…

Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates’ enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xích Si and herself.

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xích Si’s help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xích Si means Rice Fish can offer Xích Si protection, in exchange for Xích Si’s technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it.

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xích Si find themselves falling for each other. As the interstellar war against piracy intensifies and the five fleets start fighting each other, they will have to make a stand-and to decide what kind of future they have together…

An exciting space opera and a beautiful romance, from an exceptional SF author.

The novel has already enjoyed a considerable amount of acclaim — from critics, other authors, and fans alike. Here is just a small selection of that praise…

‘A read-in-one-sitting novel with a beautifully-realized setting amid a complex examination of power and consequences, all intertwined with an intense and gripping romance.’ — Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun

‘THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE is a fizzingly inventive space opera, quite unlike anything I’ve encountered before, and told with style, grace, and a big dose of heart. SF is lucky to have Aliette de Bodard.’ — Alastair Reynolds

‘Thrillingly exciting and achingly romantic, THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE is rich with political intrigue and piratical adventure. It took my breath away!’ — Stephanie Burgis, author of Snowspelled and Scales and Sensibility

‘Confident, sexy, and touching – THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “star-crossed lovers”!’ — Max Gladstone

‘Pirates, politics, sentient ships and unlikely romance all collide in Aliette de Bodard’s sapphic space opera THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE… With more tense political and social manoeuvring than rip-roaring action, events progress at a pace that maintains momentum while allowing plenty of time to revel in the texture and wonder of this rich, fascinating setting… With a unique world, a thought-provoking plot and a fragile, achingly believable relationship forming against the odds in the midst of rampant inequality and ever-present danger, this is a perfect novel for readers wanting emotional complexity, warmth and heartache in their space opera.’ — BSFA

‘A top-notch science fiction romance… THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE spins a thrilling yarn about pirate rivalries and epic battles, while proving a more-than-worthy addition to the canon of post-human space opera. And the romance is really, really hot. You’ll want to read this one twice: First to hold your breath as these two wives discover each other. And second to soak up all the clever ideas and lovely moment that feel totally human, even in this star-spanning context.’ — Washington Post

‘[W]hen she subtitles THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE “a Xuya Universe Romance” we can reasonably expect some of the high passions, miscommunications, betrayals, heartbreaks, sex, and reconciliations that seem to be checkboxes of that genre, and de Bodard delivers on all of them… de Board places the melodrama against the backdrop of flat-out space opera, which she excels at… The last third of the novel, with its space battles, navigational trickery, ship-boardings, sabotage, and desperate last-minute negotiations, is as colorful and satisfying as anything from the classic examples of the form.’ — Locus

‘Aliette de Bodard summons the spirit of HG Wells… in some far-flung future galaxy, love blossoms between two lesbian space pirates, one human, the other a sentient ship… Soon the pair are navigating the tricky waters of mutual attraction and virtual sex but must also deal with shifting allegiances among the pirate clans and rescue Xich Si’s daughter Khanh from slavery.’ — Financial Times (Best New Science Fiction Novels, January 2023)

‘What made this truly stand out to me was Aliette’s writing. As mentioned above, Aliette’s prose is outstanding. It is descriptive and evocative without being overwrought, it is witty and full of emotion. Every character, every scene comes to life immediately and plastically, drawing the reader into this world of space pirates, family biological and found and relationships of all sorts. It is at times delicate, and at other times matter of fact and then again it will make you laugh out loud with dry wit. The characters’ maturity makes them stand out in a market saturated with coming-of-age stories across young adult and adult publishing, and it is a true breath of fresh air to read about protagonists coming into their story after a life well-lived, with attachments and history, knowing who they are and what they want. I could not recommend THE RED SCHOLAR’S WAKE more.’ — Grimdark Magazine

‘[A]n intriguing, compelling character study that’s gentle on the face of things and deeply powerful beneath the surface.’ — Track of Words

Jim Shields and PS Publishing Launch BABY STRANGE

Posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

At the recently-held Eastercon in Glasgow, Zeno client Jim Shields‘s new novel, BABY STRANGE, was launched. Published by PS Publishing, it is a pretty awesome, unique novel. As the publisher’s newletter stated, ‘Jim did an absolutely superb reading.’ The event, which also included a short reading (see right), seems to have done just the trick – increasing interest in and raising awareness of Jim’s new book.

The two chapters that Jim read, as well as some clips of Jim’s reading are apparently soon to hit the internet. We’ll be sure to share them here with you as soon as we can. Just in case you can’t recall seeing our artwork reveal for the novel, here’s the synopsis for BABY STRANGE…

A Dark Intelligence Has Been Poisoning Carefully Selected Lives.

The Con Man: ‘Reverend’ Joe McGill claims he’s a healer, but he’s chosen the wrong man to con.

The Psychotic Gangster: Arthur Bewlay has cancer eating away at his face. He’s in no mood to be messed around—either by fake miracle workers or his dead brother Tommy—and he’ll stop at nothing in his desperate desire to live.

The Eccentric Recluse: Maryam Clemenceau is just what both McGill and Bewlay need—a real miracle worker with a bona fide gift. But it comes at a considerable cost.

The Architect: The sinister link between a Maryam’s Gothic apartment block, and Bewlay’s boarded up, abandoned Victorian pub—buildings that are contaminated with fear and the echoes of old and ominous power.

Baby Strange opens with Joe beaten and bound in the back of a car, on his way to an appointment with a cement pit under a Glasgow flyover . . . this is not to be the lowest point of his day.

Jim Shields is a director/producer living and working in his home town of Glasgow. His work has been BAFTA-nominated and he has spent much of his career happily killing people who aren’t real and blowing stuff up. BABY STRANGE is his debut novel.

Artwork Reveal – Jim Shields’s BABY STRANGE

Posted on Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

We’re delighted to finally be revealing the new artwork for the limited edition of Jim Shields‘s BABY STRANGE. Spooky and gothic, we think it’s rather perfect. Jim Shields is a multiple award winning and multi BAFTA nominated director/writer. BABY STRANGE is his first novel. He lives in Glasgow.

Due to be published by PS Publishing to coincide with EasterCon 2014 (aka Satellite4) in Glasgow, BABY STRANGE is a real attention-grabbing and genre-mashing novel, mixing elements of a contemporary supernatural thriller, hard-as-nails gangland crime, an unlikely romance, and gonzo grotesques. Here’s some more info on the novel:

Con Man: ‘Reverend’ Joe McGill claims he’s a healer, but he’s chosen the wrong man to con.

Psychotic Gangster: Arthur Bewlay has cancer eating away at his face. He’s in no mood to be messed around – either by fake miracle workers or his dead brother Tommy… and he’ll stop at nothing in his desperate desire to live.

Eccentric Recluse: Maryam Clemenceau is just what both McGill and Bewlay need – a real miracle worker with a bona fide gift. But it comes at a considerable cost.

Architect: the sinister link between a Maryam’s Gothic apartment block, and Bewlay’s boarded up, abandoned Victorian pub – buildings that are contaminated with fear and the echoes of old and ominous power.

BABY STRANGE opens with Joe beaten and bound in the back of a car, on his way to an appointment with a cement pit under a Glasgow flyover… and this is not to be the lowest point of his day…

We believe BABY STRANGE is going to make waves, thanks to its dark brilliance. It is due to be published in April 2014, by PS Publishing.