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Five Peter Grant novels available as a UK Kindle “Gold Box” today only!

Posted on Sunday, January 5th, 2020

The first five novels in Ben Aaronovitch‘s critically-acclaimed, beloved Peter Grant series are available as a UK Kindle “Gold Box” today! Each novel is priced at 99p: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, and FOXGLOVE SUMMER!

In case you haven’t had the chance to read the series, this is a fantastic way to get started (and hooked) on Ben’s great, entertaining and gripping novels! Here’s the synopsis for the first novel, to whet your appetite…

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 voluble, 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.

The novels are published in the UK by Gollancz; in North America by Del Rey and DAW Books; and widely in translation. Ben has also written two novellas, which are published by Gollancz in the UK and Subterranean Press in North America. The eighth novel, FALSE VALUE, is due to be published next month by Orion (UK) and DAW Books (North America).

If you’re already caught up and can’t wait for FALSE VALUE, Orion has made an excerpt available! You can find that here.

If you love the series and characters, be sure to also check out the Rivers of London comic series, published by Titan Comics!

ARCANUM UNBOUNDED on sale all month!

Posted on Monday, December 2nd, 2019

Brandon Sanderson‘s ACANUM UNBOUNDED, a collection of short fiction set across his Cosmere universe, is a Kindle monthly deal in the UK! This is a great way to sample Brandon’s work, as well as gain extra insight into his various settings. 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.

Gollancz has published a considerable number of Brandon’s books in the UK, including his best-selling and fan-favourite Mistborn series, the Stormlight Archive, the Reckoners series, and most recently the Skyward series.

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

Ian McDonald’s RIVER OF GODS is joining the SF Masterworks ranks!

Posted on Thursday, November 28th, 2019

One of Ian McDonald‘s modern classic sci-fi novels, RIVER OF GODS will soon join the ranks of SF Masterworks! A new edition is due to be published by Gollancz as part of the Masterworks series, on March 19th, 2020. Here’s the synopsis…

August 15th, 2047. Happy Hundredth Birthday, India … On the eve of Mother India’s hundredth birthday, ten people are doing ten very different things. In the next few weeks, all these people will be swept together to decide the fate of the nation. From gangsters to government advisors, from superstitious street-boys to scientists to computer-generated soap stars, River of Gods shows a civilization in flux – a river of gods.

RIVER OF GODS is an epic SF novel as sprawling, vibrant and colourful as the sub-continent it describes. This is an SF novel that blew apart the narrow Anglo- and US-centric concerns of the genre and ushered in a new global consciousness for the genre.

The novel is also available in North America, published via the JABberwocky eBook Program. The second novel in the series, CYBERABAD DAYS., is also available via Gollancz and JABberwocky.

Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received…

‘A staggering achievement, brilliantly imagined and endlessly surprising … A brave, brilliant and wonderful novel.’ — Christopher Priest, Guardian

‘This ambitious portrait of a future India from British author McDonald (Desolation Road) offers multitudes: gods, castes, protagonists, cultures… readers will become increasingly hooked as the pieces of McDonald’s richly detailed world fall into place. Already nominated for both Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke awards, this is sure to be one of the more talked-about SF novels of the year.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Hugely adventurous and entertaining, sumptuously inventive and full of heart… it is likely to rank as Ian McDonald’s finest creative achievement.’ — Locus

‘An ambitious science fiction thriller set in a futuristic India that is fabulously rewarding… in terms of risk-taking, sheer scale, ideas, detail, inventiveness, and intellectual scope there are few recent books to match River of Gods, and as a novel about India, there is nothing like it… [It’s] not just the definitive thriller set in India but the most richly imaginative thriller about India.’ — The Hindu (India’s National Newspaper)

‘[A] bold, brave look at India on the eve of its centennial, 41 years from now… McDonald takes his readers from India’s darkest depths to its most opulent heights, from rioting mobs and the devastated poor to high-level politicians and lavish parties. He handles his complex plot with flair and confidence and deftly shows how technological advances and social changes have subtly changed lives. RIVER OF GODS is a major achievement from a writer who is becoming one of the best sf novelists of our time.’ — Washington Post

‘[P]erhaps his most accomplished novel to date. It’s a dense and sometimes difficult read, reminiscent of William Gibson in full-throttle cultural-immersion mode, packed with technical jargon, religious and sociological observation and allusions to art both high and low. But RIVER OF GODS amply rewards careful consideration and more than delivers its share of straight-ahead entertainment. Already a multiple-award nominee following its British publication, McDonald’s latest ranks as one of the best science fiction novels published in the United States this year.’ — San Francisco Chronicle

Brandon Sanderson’s STARSIGHT is out now in the UK!

Posted on Tuesday, November 26th, 2019

STARSIGHT, the sequel to Brandon Sanderson‘s acclaimed SKYWARD, is out today in the UK! Published by Gollancz, it is the second book in an action-packed sci-fi adventure series, which Kirkus has called “great fun”. Here’s the synopsis…

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she’s a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing. The rumours of his cowardice are true – he deserted his flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.

Spensa is sure there’s more to the story. And she’s sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars – and it was terrifying. What she learned turned her world upside down. Everything Spensa’s been taught is a lie.

But Spensa also learned a few things about herself – and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

SKYWARD is also published in the UK by Gollancz.

Publishers Weekly published a Q&A with Brandon about the new series, in case you’d like to read a bit more about it. Here, too, are just a couple of reviews for the first book in the series…

‘Sanderson… plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.’ — Kirkus (Starred Review)

‘Readers will enjoy his hallmark cinematic writing style, with plenty of strong visuals throughout the story, along with humor… The story races to an exciting conclusion once the famous Sanderson Avalanche starts.’ — Tor.com

‘… brought together all of the things that we have come to love about [Sanderson’s] writing – his intricate worldbuilding and magic systems, beautifully crafted characters, and captivating storylines which leave us breathless and wanting more… SKYWARD captivated me unlike any other book has in the past decade… left me wanting more…’ — Fantasy Book Review

Gollancz has published a considerable number of Brandon’s novels in the UK — including the modern classic Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series. You can find more information over on his author page.

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

Ben Aaronovitch’s DIE GLOCKE VON WHITECHAPEL and DER OKTOBERMANN are up for a Leserpreis 2019!

Posted on Monday, November 25th, 2019

Further to the news on Friday that Ben Aaronovitch‘s WHISPERS UNDER GROUND has been adapted into a full-cast audio drama, we are very happy to share more news out of Germany: two of Ben’s critically-acclaimed, best-selling books have been nominated for Der Leserpreis 2019!

To be awarded tomorrow by LovelyBooks, Germany’s premier online book community, both DIE GLOCKE VON WHITECHAPEL and DER OKTOBERMANN are nominated in the Fantasy & Science Fiction category!

Both are published in Germany by DTV, and are of course available now. Read on for more details…

DIE GLOCKE VON WHITECHAPEL is published in English as LIES SLEEPING by Gollancz in the UK and DAW Books in North America. Here’s the German synopsis…

Constable und Zauberlehrling Peter Grant steht vor seiner größten Herausforderung: Das Schicksal Londons steht auf dem Spiel. Der gesichtslose Magier, verantwortlich für grauenvolle übernatürliche Verbrechen, ist zwar endlich demaskiert und auf der Flucht. Doch er verfolgt einen perfiden Plan, der ganz London in den Abgrund stürzen könnte. Um den Gesichtslosen zu stoppen, muss Peter all seine magischen Kräfte aufbieten – und einen bösen alten Bekannten kontaktieren: Mr. Punch, den mörderischen Geist des Aufruhrs und der Rebellion.

… and the English synopsis…

A deadly history.
A dangerous mystery.
And a dark plan coming to light.

IN LONDON, THE PAST IS NEVER DEAD.
IT ONLY… LIES SLEEPING

Martin Chorley – aka the Faceless Man – wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run. Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring Chorley to justice.

But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that Chorley, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan. A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.

To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague – Lesley May – who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch…

DER OKTOBERMANN is THE OCTOBER MAN, a novella introducing a new protagonist — Tobias Winter — published by Gollancz in the UK and Subterranean Press in North America. Here’s the German synopsis…

›Die Flüsse von London‹ fließen nach Deutschland …

… denn auch hierzulande gibt es magische Vorkommnisse! Das deutsche Pendant zu Peter Grant heißt Tobi Winter und arbeitet beim BKA (Abteilung für komplexe und diffuse Angelegenheiten, sprich: Magie). Tobi bekommt es mit seltsamen Bräuchen in den Weinbergen rund um Trier zu tun – und mit einem übernatürlichen Rätsel, das schon Hunderte von Jahren alt ist. Selbstverständlich hat in dieser Gegend auch die Mosel ein Wörtchen mitzureden, wenn es magisch wird.

… and the English-language synopsis…

Trier is famous for wine, Romans and for being Germany’s oldest city. So when a man is found dead with, his body impossibly covered in a fungal rot, the local authorities know they are out of their depth.

Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything.

Enter Investigator Tobias Winter, whose aim is to get in, deal with the problem, and get out with the minimum of fuss, personal danger and paperwork. With the help of frighteningly enthusiastic local cop, Vanessa Sommer, he’s quick to link the first victim to a group of ordinary middle aged men – and to realise they may have accidentally reawakened a bloody conflict from a previous century. But the rot is still spreading, literally and with the suspect list extending to people born before Frederick the Great solving the case may mean unearthing the city’s secret magical history.

. . . so long as that history doesn’t kill them first.

New, cast production of EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET out next week!

Posted on Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Audible Germany continues its range of cast productions for Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, best-selling Peter Grant series with a new edition of WHISPERS UNDER GROUND! Published in Germany as EIN WISPERN UNDER BAKER STREET, on November 28th, here’s the synopsis…

Die Urban-Fantasy-Reihe des britischen Erfolgsautors Ben Aaronovitch geht weiter: Nach dem Erfolg von “Die Flüsse von London” und “Schwarzer Mond über Soho” ermittelt Peter Grant in seinem dritten magischen Fall in den mystischen Katakomben des Londoner Untergrunds. Ein Audible Original Hörspiel mit den Sprechern Leonard Hohm, Victoria Mayer und Tim Schwarzmaier, der schon Harry Potter seine Stimme lieh, uvm.

Ein Toter im U-Bahn-Tunnel der legendären Baker Street hinterlässt magische Spuren und ruft damit Peter und seine Kollegen von der Drei-Mann-Spezialeinheit für Übernatürliches auf den Plan. Als wären Ermittlungen in Abwasserkanälen nicht schon schrecklich genug, bekommt das Team Verstärkung durch FBI-Agentin Kimberley Reynolds.

Als sich herausstellt, dass der Vater des ermordeten Kunststudenten ein hohes Tier im US-Senat ist, werden mit amerikanischer Autorität sämtliche Register gezogen. Peter muss all sein diplomatisches Geschick aufbringen, um die Völkerfreundschaft durch unkonventionelle und leicht magische Ermittlungsmethoden nicht zu gefährden. Aber das Wispern der gequälten Geister unter Baker Street macht es ihm nicht leicht alles unter Kontrolle zu behalten…

The first two novels are also available in cast production editions, published by Audible.

WHISPERS UNDER GROUND is published in print and audio in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Del Rey; and is available in print in Germany, published by DTV.

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.

Here are just a few of the reviews the novel has received since it was first published…

‘One of the most refreshing things about former Doctor Who writer Aaronvitch’s Rivers of London series of magical procedurals is that they are blessedly free of manufactured rivalries. Instead, Police Constable (and freshly minted wizard) Peter Grant works for a supernatural branch of the London police department that is more interested in solving crimes than creating drama. In Grant’s third outing (after Moon over Soho), he gets called in to help with a magic-linked murder at an Underground station. The victim turns out to be the son of a U.S. senator, with a sketchy, not-quite-human roommate. To solve the murder, Grant and his associates, including disfigured fellow magician Lesley May and trigger-happy FBI agent Kimberley Reynolds, plumb the city’s depths as well as its secret history. This fast, engrossing novel is enjoyable, cheerful, and accessible to new readers.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘… the Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch are a great way to feel like you’re actually visiting the city by the Thames… Ben Aaronovitch writes some of the funniest prose in current fantasy. These books are extremely entertaining, mainly because narrator Peter Grant has a hilarious voice and a sly sense of humor… quirkily effective prose and dry humor, making it a pure pleasure to read… I’m usually not a big fan of urban fantasy, but this series is so much fun that I always look forward to the next installment. If you’re looking for a fast-moving, entertaining urban fantasy that’ll make you feel like you’re visiting London vicariously this summer, pick up series opener MIDNIGHT RIOT / RIVERS OF LONDON. And if you’ve already read the first two books, you’ll probably be glad to hear that the newest installment WHISPERS UNDER GROUND is just as good.’ — Tor.com

‘The voice is persuasive and funny as all get-out, and the reader is engaged with the narrative from the very first page. Aaronovitch has written a diverse cast of characters who all feel like real people with their own specific motivations. This book is simply wonderful.’ — RT Book Reviews

‘Aaronovitch… improves with each novel he does; this is the best so far, and the previous books were a lot of fun as well.’ — Starburst

‘The quality of the writing is superb with an instantly engaging style and subtle humour that makes reading the novel a real joy and almost impossible to resist… The ending is pretty dramatic and very much a seat-of-your-pants cliff hanger that really does leave you wanting more, I can’t wait to read more in the life of Peter Grant.’ 5/5 — SF Book Reviews

‘The prose is witty, the plot clever and the characters incredibly likeable…’ — Time Out

Ben Aaronovitch’s LONDRA NEHİRLERİ is out now!

Posted on Wednesday, November 20th, 2019

The first book in Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed, best-selling Peter Grant series, RIVERS OF LONDON is now available in a Turkish edition! LONDRA NEHİRLERİ is out now, published by Epsilon Yayınları…

Stajyer polis memuru Peter Grant’in tek bir hayali vardır: Bir gün Londra Metropolitan Polis Teşkilatı’nda dedektif olmak. Ne yazık ki teşkilattaki üstleri onunla aynı fikirde değildir. Peter karşılaşacağı en büyük tehlikenin kâğıt kesiğinden öteye geçmeyeceği Vaka Takip Birimi’nde görevlendirilir. Artık bu sıkıcı ve pek de arzu etmediği vazifeyi sürdürmek zorundadır, ta ki tüm hayatını değiştirecek o karmaşık cinayete kadar… Peter, hayalet olan görgü tanığından cinayetle ilgili çok özel bilgiler edinmeyi başarır ve bu becerisi onun teşkilattaki konumunun tekrar gözden geçirilmesini sağlar. Aramızdan ayrılamamış ölülerle iletişim kurabilmesi, onu büyü ve tekinsizlerin diğer tezahürleriyle alakalı suçların soruşturmalarını yürüten Başmüfettiş Thomas Nightingale’in ilgi odağı haline getirir. Londra çok zor günler geçirmektedir. Acımasız ve tuhaf cinayetler dört bir yanı sarmış; uzun süredir gizlenen bir karanlık, artan büyü dalgasıyla yeniden harekete geçmiştir. Tanrıların ve tanrıçaların ölümlülerle iç içe yaşadığı bu gizemli ve karanlık dünyada Peter kendi yolunu bulmak zorundadır.

RIVERS OF LONDON is published in the UK by Gollancz (who also publish Ben’s other novels in the UK), and in North America by Del Rey — as MIDNIGHT RIOT. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

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.

The Peter Grant series is now up to seven novels, with the eighth due to be published in February 2020: FALSE VALUE, due to be published by Orion (UK) and DAW Books (North America).

Here are just a few of the reviews the novel has received since it was first published in 2011…

‘In this fast-paced paranormal police procedural, Aaronovitch introduces Peter Grant, a rookie cop who can see ghosts. This unusual talent saves him from a potential life of office work when Chief Insp. Thomas Nightingale sends him for wizard training. Britain’s police force has long known of the supernatural, and Grant is to assist Nightingale in solving many of London’s magical problems—most notably, the mysterious string of violent attacks that tend to end with the perpetrator’s face falling off. As the brutal epidemic spreads, Grant must race to finish his magic lessons and solve an ages-long dispute between the rivers of Britain. Though the novel sometimes feels just a little too jam-packed with plot points and adventures, it’s witty, fun, and full of vivid characters, and the plot twists will keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘… thoroughly entertaining… An engaging (if occasionally violent) mix of magic and police procedural, this is a great kick-off to a very promising series, as well as the most satisfying fantasy thriller to hit bookshelves in quite some time.’ — SFX

‘… sweet relief for readers allergic to cliché.’ — Locus

‘RIVERS OF LONDON is a classic British police procedural blended with a unique twist of urban fantasy in so far as it replaces the expected testosterone with intelligence and the angst with wit… Deep down, amidst the murder and the mayhem, the anarchy and the supernatural, Aaronovitch has written a love letter to the wonder of London, reminding us of the magic that lives there, all the while warning us to keep an eye out for its nasty side.’ — Fantasy Faction

‘Highly recommended… Very nicely done. The books are police procedurals set in a London where magical creatures exist and are known to the police but hidden from the public, with a wisecracking, apprentice magician police officer as the hero. But, of course, the trick in all these things is in the execution, and I found these to have been executed very well… I gave it a try, and I’m glad I did.’ — Washington Post (Prof. Eugene Volokh)

‘The quality of the prose is incredible and there is a very light, dry humour running throughout with makes the novel a joy to read, it’s delightfully clever and leaves the reader in a “feel good” mood, even in the darker moments of the story. The characters are also just spot on, from the enigmatic Nightingale to the imprudent Beverley everyone lives and breathes within the pages.’ — SF Book Reviews

Ben Aaronovitch’s ZVONY LONDÝNA out now!

Posted on Monday, November 18th, 2019

Czech fans of Ben Aaronovitch‘s fantastic Peter Grant series can rejoice: LIES SLEEPING, the seventh novel in the series, is now available in Czechia! Published by Argo as ZVONY LONDÝNA, here’s the synopsis…

Muž bez tváře, pachatel mnoha vražd, podvodů a zločinů proti lidskosti, byl demaskován a je na útěku. Peter Grant, londýnský detektiv a čarodějnický učeň, nyní hraje klíčovou roli v bezprecedentní operaci bezpečnostních sil, která má Muže bez tváře dostat před soud. Peter mezitím zjišťuje, že Muž bez tváře není ještě ani…

Argo has published all of the previous books in the series as well (in addition to the novella THE FURTHEST STATION).

LIES SLEEPING and the other Peter Grant books are published in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by Del Rey (#1-3), DAW Books (#4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas). The series has been published widely around the world, and recently passed one million sales in Germany!

Here’s the English-language synopsis for LIES SLEEPING…

A deadly history.
A dangerous mystery.
And a dark plan coming to light.

IN LONDON, THE PAST IS NEVER DEAD.
IT ONLY… LIES SLEEPING

Next Month: STARSIGHT by Brandon Sanderson!

Posted on Friday, October 25th, 2019

Next month, Gollancz are due to publish STARSIGHT — the sequel to Brandon Sanderson‘s acclaimed SKYWARD! The second book in an action-packed sci-fi adventure series, here’s the synopsis…

But Spensa also learned a few things about herself – and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

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

Ian McDonalds NEW MOON out now in Croatia!

Posted on Thursday, October 17th, 2019

The first novel in Ian McDonald‘s acclaimed Luna series, NEW MOON, is out now in Croatia! Published as MLADI MJESEC by Vorto Palabra, and translated by Kristian Vlasic, here’s the synopsis…

Mjesec je, bez sumnje, novo i uzbudljivo mjesto za život. Ne postoji kriminalno ni građansko pravo, već samo ugovorno i sve je, od braka i rastave pa do ubojstva, podložno pregovorima. Kultura Mjesečevih elita premrežena je (seksualnim) vezama koje ne pitaju za spol, a sve je začinjeno koktelima, dizajnerskim drogama i visokom modom isprintanom u 3D-u. No, Mjesec vas želi i ubiti. Svake sekunde u danu. Ne samo svojim negostoljubivim okolišem, iako je i on sam po sebi zastrašujuće i opasno mjesto za život. Račun za vodu, prostor, podatke i kisik svake sekunde raste, mjeri i naplaćuje svaki gutljaj i svaki san, svaku misao i udah. A možda se uz sve to nađete i usred sukoba vladajućih dinastija, poznatih pod nazivom Pet zmajeva. Morate se krvavo boriti kako biste se snašli u ovom gotovo feudalnom društvu. A to je upravo ono što je Adriana Corta i učinila.

Kao vođa najnovijeg, petog Mjesečevog Zmaja, Adriana je uspostavila čvrstu kontrolu nad industrijom helija koja daleku Zemlju opskrbljuje prijeko potrebnom električnom energijom. Ali za taj se status krvavo izborila. Sada, na zalasku života, Adriana otkriva kako je njezina korporacija, Corta Hélio, okružena mnogim neprijateljima koje je stekla tijekom svog meteorskog uspjeha. Ako joj posao i obitelj želi preživjeti, njezino petero djece mora obraniti majčino carstvo od tih neprijatelja… ali i obraniti se jedni od drugih.

NEW MOON and the other novels in the series — WOLF MOON and MOON RISING — are published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and in a growing number of translations. Here’s the English-language synopsis for the first novel…

The scions of a falling house must navigate a world of corporate warfare to maintain their family’s status in the Moon’s vicious political atmosphere.

The Moon wants to kill you.

Maybe it will kill you when the per diem for your allotted food, water, and air runs out, just before you hit paydirt. Maybe it will kill you when you are trapped between the reigning corporations-the Five Dragons-in a foolish gamble against a futuristic feudal society. On the Moon, you must fight for every inch you want to gain. And that is just what Adriana Corta did.

As the leader of the Moon’s newest “dragon,” Adriana has wrested control of the Moon’s Helium-3 industry from the Mackenzie Metal corporation and fought to earn her family’s new status. Now, in the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation-Corta Helio-confronted by the many enemies she made during her meteoric rise. If the Corta family is to survive, Adriana’s five children must defend their mother’s empire from her many enemies… and each other.

Ian’s forthcoming new novella, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE (Tor.com, November 11th), is also something of a prequel to the series.

NEW MOON (and the series as a whole) has been met with a tremendous amount of praise and good reviews. Here are but a handful, to give you an idea…

‘Smart, funny, passionate and at times quite dark, McDonald brings the touch we’ve seen in RIVER OF GODS and DERVISH HOUSE to an entirely new culture as it evolves in a distant hostile place where business or family rules all… it’s terrific. My only complaint: it leaves you wanting the second book right now!’ — Jonathan Strahan

‘McDonald… begins his superb near-future series… scintillating, violent, and decadent world. McDonald creates a complex and fascinating civilization featuring believable technology, and the characters are fully developed, with individually gripping stories. Watch for this brilliantly constructed family saga on next year’s award ballots.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘Mafia-style mining families clash in a compelling fantasy that offers up all the pleasures of a cut-throat soap opera in space…That McDonald is able to spin a compelling story from this unforgiving set-up is testament to his skill as a writer… One thing Luna does exceptionally well is to puncture Old Heinlein’s assumption that a frontier society based on the primacy of the family and a disregard of conventional laws would end up like idealised smalltown America. Luna argues that any realistic future colonisation of the moon will be much more The Sopranos than The Waltons. LUNA is as gripping as it is colourful, and as colourful as it is nasty.’ — Guardian

‘No one writes like Ian McDonald, and no one’s Moon is nearly so beautiful and terrible… Ian McDonald’s never written a bad novel, but this is a great Ian McDonald novel… McDonald has ten details for every detail proffered by other sf writers. Not gratuitous details, either: gracious ones. The fashion sense of William Gibson, the design sense of Bruce Sterling, the eye for family drama of Connie Willis, the poesie of Bradbury, and the dirty sex of Kathe Koja and Samuel Delany… McDonald’s moon is omnisexual, kinky, violent, passionate, beautiful, awful, vibrant and crushing. As the family saga of the Cortas unravels, we meet a self-sexual ninja lawyer, a werewolf who loses his mind in the Full Earth, a family tyrant whose ruthlessness is matched only by his crepulance, and a panoply of great passions and low desires. LUNA: NEW MOON is the first book of a two-book cycle. Now I’m all a-quiver for the next one.‘ — BoingBoing

‘Fans of cerebral, high-concept science fiction will love this exploration of society on the moon many decades after it has been colonized. The focus is more on concept and plot than on character, but the former are compelling enough to make this an addictive page-turner. Including the stories of many characters gives the reader important insights into different facets of society, and although the book starts at a slow pace, it accelerates into a mesmerizing political thriller.’ — RT Book Reviews

Ian McDonald’s ORDASHOLD out now in Hungary!

Posted on Friday, October 4th, 2019

Ian McDonald‘s second Luna novel, WOLF MOON, is out now in Hungary! Published by Gabo as ORDASHOLD, here’s the synopsis…

A Corta Hélio, a Holdat uraló öt családi vállalat egyike elbukott, vagyonát ellenségei osztották fel egymás között, túlélői szétszóródtak a világban. Tizennyolc hónappal a tragédia után az életben maradt Corta gyerekek közül Lucasinho és Luna az Aszamóa család védelme alatt áll, míg Robson lényegében túsz a Mackenzie-k kezében. Az örökös, Lucas Corta pedig eltűnt a Hold színéről.

Gabo has also published the first novel in the series, NEW MOON, as ÚJHOLD.

The Luna series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and widely in translation. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Corta Helio, one of the five family corporations that rule the Moon, has fallen. Its riches are divided up among its many enemies, its survivors scattered. Eighteen months have passed.

The remaining Helio children, Lucasinho and Luna, are under the protection of the powerful Asamoahs, while Robson, still reeling from witnessing his parent’s violent deaths, is now a ward – virtually a hostage – of Mackenzie Metals. And the last appointed heir, Lucas, has vanished from the surface of the moon.

Only Lady Sun, dowager of Taiyang, suspects that Lucas Corta is not dead, and – more to the point – that he is still a major player in the game. After all, Lucas always was a schemer, and even in death, he would go to any lengths to take back everything and build a new Corta Helio, more powerful than before. But Corta Helio needs allies, and to find them, the fleeing son undertakes an audacious, impossible journey – to Earth.

In an unstable lunar environment, the shifting loyalties and political machinations of each family reach the zenith of their most fertile plots as outright war between the families erupts.

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

‘… powerful sequel… compelling throughout. Each of McDonald’s viewpoint characters is made human in fascinating and occasionally disturbing detail, and the solar system of the 22nd century is wonderfully delineated. Fans of the first volume will love this one and eagerly look forward to the next.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘NEW MOON was one of the most interesting sci-fi novels of 2015, with smart ideas on humanity and economies matched by street smarts, political brawls and murder in the streets. LUNA: WOLF MOON turns that up to eleven – it’s a fascinating story, which is also a tense, enthralling read.’ — Sci-Fi & Fantasy Review

‘The fights and vengeance that follow are more vicious and intricate than anything in Game of Thrones, full of great acts of self-sacrifice and viciousness alike, brave cavalry charges and last stands, cowardice and avarice. McDonald’s great gift is to hold the micro- and macro-scale in his hand at once. Starting with his debut novel, 1988’s Desolation Road, McDonald has used his intense, finely crafted and small personal stories of his vast casts of characters as the pixels in an unimaginably vast display on which he projects some of the field’s most audacious worldbuilding — never worldbuilding for its own sake, either, but always in the service of slyly parodying, critiquing or lionizing elements of our present-day world.’ — Boing Boing

‘No one builds a world like Ian McDonald does. Piece by piece and brick by brick. Spare, simple, elegant when he needs to be…, deep and meaty when he wants to be…, he does his work like an artisan pulling a sculpture from stone. There are no wasted moves, nothing that isn’t vital because, in the end, everything is vital. Everything matters… it is fascinating, all of it. Because McDonald has made a world that is ruthless in its consistency and living, breathing reality, and then made characters who are not just living in it, but wholly and fully of it… Every moment with his characters makes them precious, real and alive.’ — NPR

‘Luna: New Moon was a “magnificent bastard of a book,” as I put it in my review. Part two, it’s my pleasure to tell you, is just as awesome, and just as masterfully nasty.’ — Tor.com

Ben Aaronovitch & Gollancz Have Launched new BAME SFF Award!

Posted on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019

We’re very happy to share the news (in case you missed it) that Ben Aaronovitch and Gollancz have launched a new BAME SFF award! Announced last week via The Bookseller, we wanted to draw people’s attention to it once again as the submissions window has opened!

‘There’s a problem with British speculative fiction – it lacks diversity. It is, in fact, whiter than a polar bear in a snowstorm who’s decided to redecorate their cave with Dulux’s brand new white, with a touch of white collection,’ says Aaronovitch. ‘Since it’s inconceivable that there are no potential SF writers of colour looking to get published, we have to assume that something is getting in their way. A great many somethings, in fact, not least the monolithic monocultural nature of publishing itself and the direct effect racism has on constraining people’s freedom of action. This is a great loss for the writers because they’re not getting published, and a greater loss for British SF because it is denied their talents and perspective.’

Submissions for the prize opened yesterday, October 1st, and will run over several months. Interested applicants should submit entries of between 5,000-10,000 words, consisting of either a self-contained short story or the opening of a novel that fits into the sci-fi, fantasy or horror genres. Submissions will close on midnight, 31st January 2020.

The program will offer writing advice and insights aimed at demystifying publishing across a long submissions period. A shortlist will be announced in spring 2020, with a winner selected in the summer by a panel of well-known SFF authors and industry figures.
The top prize consists of £4,000, a critique of the winning work, and year-long mentoring programme with Gollancz commissioning editor Rachel Winterbottom. The second place author will receive £2,000 and a critique of their work. Five runners-up will receive £800 and a Gollancz goodie bag.
Supported by National Novel Writing Month and the Good Literary Agency, the Award is a response to analysis of Nielsen Bookscan figures showing, of 4,589 sci-fi and fantasy books published during 2018, only five British writers of BAME background were represented.

Ben is the author of the best-selling, critically-acclaimed Peter Grant/Rivers of London series of novels and novellas (published by Gollancz in the UK), and comics (published by Titan Comics). The series is published in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-), and Subterranean Press (novellas). The series has also been published widely in translation.

NECROVILLE: 25 Years of TERMINAL CAFE!

Posted on Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

This month marks quite the amazing milestone: Ian McDonald‘s NECROVILLE was first published 25 years ago! The novel was published in 1994 by Gollancz (UK), and by Spectra (US) as TERMINAL CAFÉ. Both of the first covers are above. Here’s the synopsis…

In the Los Angeles ghetto of Necroville, the yearly celebration of the Night of the Dead – where the dead are resurrected through the miracle of nanotechnology and live their second lives as non-citizens – becomes a journey of discovery and revelation for five individuals on the run from their pasts.

With his customary flair for making the bizarre both credible and fascinating, McDonald tosses aside the line of demarcation between living and dead in a story that confronts the central quandary of human existence: the essence of non-being.

The novel is still available in the UK, published by Gollancz.

The BSFA Award-nominated novel was met with some great reviews when it was first published. Unfortunately, because the internet wasn’t a thing, yet, it makes it a little difficult to find good pull-quotes. We do have a few, though…

‘McDonald’s lush prose paints a vivid and credible Armageddon. World-building SF that’s punk, funky, and frightening: a fantastic acid trip to the end of the world.’ — Kirkus

‘McDonald, who won the Philip K. Dick Award for KING OF THE MORNING QUEEN OF THE DAY, reveals the workings of his bizarre society through the exploits of five friends as they search for the meaning of life in the Necroville at Los Angeles on the Night of the Dead. Sorting through five points of view requires some patience, but it is well rewarded. In the best science fiction tradition, McDonald provokes reexamination of current societal standards through the prism of another time and place.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘McDonald revels in the creation of brilliantly described near-futures and lushly exotic settings, and has more ideas in a book than most writers dream up in a lifetime. Here death is no more: the dead are reborn thanks to nanotechnology in Jesus-tanks and decanted into “techtoplastic” bodies. Drug-designer Santiago Columbar invites his friends to join him in the Terminal café in the suburb of LA known as Necroville, and in the resulting free-wheeling, mind-spinning novel we follow the friends as they travel to meet him, encountering genetically engineered dinosaurs, undead prostitutes, werewolves and an invasion of Earth by resurrected space workers. In Necroville, decay sits next to fabulous invention, terrible privation next to limitless possibility. The book…offers a graphic dystopian vision.’ — Guardian

For those who prefer their books delivered as audiobooks, the novel is also available via Audible, narrated by Christopher Ragland.

The novel has also been published in translation in a number of territories, including Germany where it is published by Heyne.

Ben Aaronovitch’s DER OKTOBERMANN out now in Germany!

Posted on Friday, September 20th, 2019

Ben Aaronovitch‘s latest novella, THE OCTOBER MAN, is out now in Germany! Published by DTV in German as DER OKTOBERMANN, it is his first book set in Germany, and also stars a new protagonist: Tobias Winter. Here’s the synopsis…

Die Flüsse von London fließen nach Deutschland…

… denn auch hierzulande gibt es magische Vorkommnisse! Das deutsche Pendant zu Peter Grant heißt Tobi Winter und arbeitet beim BKA (Abteilung für komplexe und diffuse Angelegenheiten, sprich: Magie). Tobi bekommt es mit seltsamen Bräuchen in den Weinbergen rund um Trier zu tun – und mit einem übernatürlichen Rätsel, das schon Hunderte von Jahren alt ist. Selbstverständlich hat in dieser Gegend auch die Mosel ein Wörtchen mitzureden, wenn es magisch wird.

The novella is set in the same universe as Ben’s Rivers of London/Peter Grant books, many of which have been bestsellers in Germany. It is published in the UK by Gollancz and in North America by Subterranean Press. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Fortunately this is Germany, where there are procedures for everything.

… so long as that history doesn’t kill them first.

Here are just a couple of the great reviews the novella has received so far…

‘In this enjoyable spin-off from the Rivers of London urban fantasy series, Aaronovitch successfully transfers his blend of the supernatural and humor from England to the Continent as he introduces Tobias Winter, a German police officer who practices magic… Supernatural mystery fans who enjoy more whimsical takes on the paranormal will hope for more of Winter and Sommer.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Aaronovitch expands the universe of his Rivers of London series (Broken Homes, 2014) to include new characters operating in different countries with ties to supernatural crimes and detective work. THE OCTOBER MAN introduces Tobias Winter, a sanctioned magic practitioner who investigates the supernatural angles of crimes for the Abteilung KDA (which fans will recognize as the German extension of the British Folly)… Aaronovitch delivers yet another classic detective novel rich with the magical world building accomplished in his previous work.’ — Booklist

‘Winter’s stolidness is a feature rather than a bug. While there are moments of adventure and daring, the story of this crime is both a satisfying whodunit and a primer on how magic works in Deutschland. THE OCTOBER MAN would be an interesting place to enter the Rivers of London world. Rather than fae, a new reader would anticipate werewolves, perhaps — and still greatly enjoy Aaronovitch’s work. Those who know the Folly will appreciate this outsider’s view of Grant and Nightingale, as well as learn a bit about how the latter spent the war, while still greatly enjoying Aaronovitch’s work, even if it is set someplace new.’ — Locus (Adrienne Martini)

DTV has published all of Ben’s books in Germany to date…

… the series is published by Gollancz in the UK…

… and in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas).

Brandon Sanderson’s SKYWARD is out in paperback this week!

Posted on Monday, September 16th, 2019

The first novel in Brandon Sanderson‘s latest sci-fi series, SKYWARD, is out in paperback on Thursday in the UK! Published by Gollancz, here’s the synopsis…

Spensa’s world has been under attack for hundreds of years. An alien race called the Krell leads onslaught after onslaught from the sky in a never-ending campaign to destroy humankind. Humanity’s only defense is to take to their ships and fight the enemy in the skies. Pilots have become the heroes of what’s left of the human race.

Spensa has always dreamed of being one of them; of soaring above Earth and proving her bravery. But her fate is intertwined with her father’s – a pilot who was killed years ago when he abruptly deserted his team, placing Spensa’s chances of attending flight school somewhere between slim and none.

No one will let Spensa forget what her father did, but she is still determined to fly. And the Krell just made that a possibility. They’ve doubled their fleet, making Spensa’s world twice as dangerous… but their desperation to survive might just take her skyward…

Gollancz are due to publish the sequel, STARSIGHT, in November 2019.

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

‘Readers will enjoy his hallmark cinematic writing style, with plenty of strong visuals throughout the story, along with humor… The story races to an exciting conclusion… an adventure and a half that you won’t want to miss. Even hardcore Cosmere fans will enjoy the special mix of fantasy and sci-fi that unfolds…’ — Tor.com

‘SKYWARD captivated me unlike any other book has in the past decade… Brandon Sanderson has returned to his very best… an easy book to recommend. It contains all the main characteristics of a Sanderson novel from a writer at the top of his game… Above all, this novel is a ton of fun, and it sets up the story for some excellent ideas to explore in the next volume.’ — Fantasy Book Review

‘Sanderson… plainly had a ball with this nonstop, highflying opener, and readers will too.’ — Kirkus (Starred)

‘SKYWARD is … utterly brilliant. I didn’t want to put it down. It is well paced and engaging, full of fun and adventure… The world-building is excellent… This is a great fun read and I’m really looking forward to the next instalment.’ — Fantasy Hive

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