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Upcoming US Event: McDonald & Snodgrass at The Last Bookstore

Posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015

This Thursday, Ian McDonald and Melinda Snodgrass will be hosted by The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles for interviews and book signing. The event is on September 24th, and starts at 7pm (full details at the link above).

Ian McDonald is the author of, most recently, LUNA: NEW MOON. The first in a two-part science fiction series set on the moon, it is published today in the US by Tor Books, and in the UK by Gollancz. Here’s the synopsis…

The Moon wants to kill you. Whether it’s being unable to pay your per diem for your allotted food, water, and air, or you just get caught up in a fight between the Moon’s ruling corporations, the Five Dragons. You must fight for every inch you want to gain in the Moon’s near feudal society. 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, at the twilight of her life, Adriana finds her corporation, Corta Helio, surrounded 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.

You can read an excerpt from the novel, here. Here’s a selection of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘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)

‘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

‘A refreshing and complex science fiction of the best kind – one that is universally clever and thought provoking, and one that stays with you long after you close the final page.’ — Upcoming4Me

Melinda Snodgrass is the author of the critically-acclaimed Edge series: THE EDGE OF REASON, THE EDGE OF RUIN, THE EDGE OF DAWN. Published in the US by Tor Books, it is published in the UK by Titan Books. Here’s the synopsis for the first in the series…

A contemporary fantasy that explores the tensions between science and rationality, religion and superstition. An intelligent blend of Dante’s Inferno and Urban Fantasy…

Richard Oort is a cop. He’s also the last Paladin: a reluctant hero, fated to defend the world against demonic forces that threaten to plunge us into another Dark Age.

Richard is on patrol one night when he leaps to the defense of a terrified young woman fleeing something impossible: beings that can only be described as monsters. Beings that can only have been created by magic. But in saving the beautiful Rhianna, he gets drawn into the machinations of a mysterious billionaire who just might be Prometheus and Lucifer. And who claims to be waging a millennia-old war on the side of reason and light, defending humanity from others of his kind who want nothing more than to see us destroy ourselves with superstition, religion, darkness, fear.

But when Richard discovers he’s a Paladin — product of a genetic fluke that enables him to wield Lucifer’s sword — he becomes a central figure in the battle between Light and Darkness. But is he strong enough to bear the burden?

Here’s a selection of reviews the Edge series has received…

‘[A] gritty narrative of a war between light and dark… Balanc[es] a harsh critique of organized religion with touches of humor and a good-hearted priest who grounds his faith in the Golden Rule…’ — Publishers Weekly on THE EDGE OF REASON

‘Snodgrass has a thick, meaty writing style that will satisfy the hungriest reader… she deftly weaves [her characters’] stories together to bind the interest and excitement of the story. Events in this novel will challenge the beliefs and thought systems of many and leave readers questioning themselves – but in a highly satisfying manner.’ — RT Book Reviews on THE EDGE OF RUIN

‘A rousing finale… A terrific conclusion to this epic urban fantasy, Snodgrass continues to define the genre on her own terms. This is one book readers should grab on to now, because it might prove to be a harbinger for the next phase of urban fantasy. Recommended.‘ — SF Revu on THE EDGE OF DAWN

Zeno represents Melinda Snodgrass in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Kay McCauley at Aurous, Inc.

Ian McDoanld’s LUNA: NEW MOON out tomorrow in US

Posted on Monday, September 21st, 2015

Ian McDonald‘s long-awaited new SF novel, LUNA: NEW MOON, is out tomorrow in the US! Published by Tor Books, here’s the synopsis…

You can read an excerpt from the novel, here. The novel has already received some fantastic reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, from fans and critics alike. Here is just a small selection…

‘LUNA: NEW MOON is the best moon novel I’ve seen in many years… Inasmuch as it challenges one of the cherished master narratives of SF, in which the moon is only a stepping-stone, and despite what it owes to the tropes of ’70s-era social melodrama, McDonald’s novel has some formidable SF stingers not far beneath its densely textured surface.’ — Locus

‘I foresee great things for this book and award nominations a-plenty. Recommended.’ — SFF World

‘Between the grandeur of the lunar habitats, the unforgiving nature of the surface environment, the joyously genderqueer nature of lunar society, and the thoughtless brutality of the ruling oligarchs, NEW MOON is one hell of a science fiction novel. It is well worth reading, and has plenty in it to keep you thinking long after you have done so.’ — Cheryl Morgan

‘LUNA provides an amazing, futuristic universe set in 2110…The story is innovative and fresh, on top of being pleasantly well written…The best part of this book, hands down, would have to be the diversity of the characters.’ — Portland Book Review

The novel is published in the UK by Gollancz, and is out now.

Convention Appearances: Aliette de Bodard in Oct/Nov

Posted on Friday, September 18th, 2015

Aliette de Bodard is hitting the convention circuit over the next couple of months, and we wanted to share with you some details.

Guest of Honour at Stranimondi in Milan, on October 10-11th
Guest at Utopiales, in Nantes, from October 31st-November 1st
Eschacon, Amsterdam, American Book Centre, from November 5th-November 7th (no website yet)

Aliette will also be participating in this year’s Gollancz Festival.

Looking further ahead, Aliette is a Guest of Honour at Eastercon (in Manchester, March 25th-28th, 2016) and also Eurocon (in Barcelona, November 4th-6th, 2016).

In the meantime, Aliette’s latest novel, THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, was published last month by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US. Here’s the novel’s synopsis…

Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black, thick with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation; or the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

The author’s most recent novella, THE CITADEL OF WEEPING PEARLS is the cover-story in the Oct/Nov 2015 issue of Asimov’s.

LUNA: NEW MOON by Ian McDonald Out Tomorrow in UK

Posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2015

Tomorrow, Gollancz publishes Ian McDonald‘s highly-anticipated sci-fi novel, LUNA: NEW MOON. The first in two-part series, here’s the UK synopsis…

The new novel from a multi-award-winning writer: a corporate SF thriller and the deepest evocation yet of the terrors and rigours of life on the moon.

Having woven intricate and gripping plots around thought provoking looks at the future of countries like India, Brazil and Turkey, Ian McDonald now turns his attention to the moon. Luna is a gripping thriller about five corporate families caught in a bitter battle for supremacy in the harsh environment of the moon. It’s very easy to die on the moon but with its vast mineral wealth its also easy to make your fortune. This is SF that will be perfect for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson and Ken Macleod alike.

Told over two volumes this will do for the moon what the award winning River of Gods did for India, the award-winning Brasyl for Brazil and the award winning The Dervish House for Turkey – it will give it a vibrant, extraordinary and believable future.

LUNA: NEW MOON is due to be published in the US by Tor Books, on September 29th, 2015 (cover below). The series has already been optioned for TV by CBS, as we reported here. In addition, the novel has been receiving some great early reviews…

‘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 gives sci-fi its sense of wonder back, and creates a landscape in which nothing can be taken for granted’ — Independent

You can read an article by the author about the society he’s created on the moon for the novel, here. In addition, Ian spoke about the novel on the Coode Street podcast, which you can listen to below or here…

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK #3 Out Tomorrow

Posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2015

The third issue in Ben Aaronovitch‘s RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK comic series is out tomorrow. Based on his best-selling and critically-acclaimed Peter Grant urban fantasy series, the comics are published by Titan Comics (in print an digital). Here’s the synopsis for #3…

The members – all two of them – of London’s most secret police force are on the trail of a self-driving killer car. But it takes something weird to catch something weird and soon they are behind the wheel of – The Most Haunted Car in England!

The series is co-authored by Andrew Cartmel; art by Lee Sullivan; colours by Luis Guerrero.

RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK is set between books four and five — BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. The series is published in the UK by Gollancz; in the US by Del Rey and DAW Books; and has been published widely in translation. (More details can be found on his author page, and by contacting us.) The next novel in the series will be THE HANGING TREE.

Aliette de Bodard’s CITADEL OF WEEPING PEARLS in Asimov’s SF

Posted on Monday, September 14th, 2015

Aliette de Bodard‘s newest novella, THE CITADEL OF WEEPING PEARLS, is the cover story in the new October/November 2015 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction! Here’s the description…

Aliette de Bodard’s October/November 2015 cover story is an enormous new novella that plunges us into a far future where various factions struggle to find the lost “Citadel of Weeping Pearls.” Success will require travel through time and space. The journey could result in death, or it could give the empire the weapon it needs in a war against archenemies.

You can read a length excerpt from the novella here.

Aliette de Bodard is the author of many critically-acclaimed and award-winning and -nominated short stories and novellas; as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy of Aztec historical fantasy.

Most recently, she is the author of the critically-acclaimed new novel, THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS — published in the US by Roc Books, and in the UK by Gollancz (covers below). Aliette is currently working on a follow-up novel, but has also written a pair of short stories set in the same world. The stand-alone story OF BOOKS, AND EARTH, AND COURTSHIP was released this past weekend, and you can read more about that here.

Free Audiobook: CHAMPION OF DEAD TIME by Edward Cox

Posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015

In advance of the release of THE CATHEDRAL OF KNOWN THINGS, the highly-anticipated sequel to THE RELIC GUILD, Edward Cox has released a free audio-short story via Audible: CHAMPION OF DEAD TIME. Here’s the (very short) synopsis…

In the heart of the Retrospective, a demon is awakened from never-ending war with a terrible new purpose…

The story is a stand-alone prologue to THE CATHEDRAL OF KNOWN THINGS, which is due to be published by Gollancz in the UK, on October 15th, 2015. Here’s the synopsis for the novel…

In the end, all things are known. Return to the world of THE RELIC GUILD with this remarkable fantasy novel

Divided, hunted and short on resources, the surviving members of the Relic Guild are in real trouble. Their old enemy, the Genii, and their resurrected master have infiltrated Labrys Town and taken over the police force.

So the Relic Guild must flee their home, and set off on a dangerous journey across the worlds of the Aelfir. One that will lead them to a weapon which might destroy the Genii. Or the whole universe…

And forty years before all this, the war which led to the fall of the Genii continues. And what happens to the Relic Guild during that conflict will change the course of their desperate flight.

Cox also wrote another short story, HEMLOCK, which was released as a free audiobook to coincide with the release of THE RELIC GUILD. The two short stories and both novels are narrated by Imogen Church.

Praise for THE RELIC GUILD…

‘A terrific debut novel, with plenty of scope for expansion and some really good world-building. Most importantly, lots of fun. Looking forward to the next one.’ — Joanne Harris

‘An intriguing, original and enjoyable book, a daring mix of genres…’ — Starburst

‘A formidable debut from an author with huge potential, and I will be one of the first clamouring for a copy of the sequel.’ — Fantasy Faction

all kinds of magic: alchemy, illusion, lycanthropy, necromancy, sorcery and thaumaturgy; this book has magic in its DNA… full of flavour… a high concept fantasy packed with ideas, weird and wonderful characters and a mix of styles, at times evoking noir, urban fantasy, flavours of steampunk… Thought you knew where modern fantasy was at? THE RELIC GUILD will challenge your assumptions.’ — British Fantasy Society

Short Fiction Watch: Zeno Clients Recently in Clarkesworld

Posted on Tuesday, September 8th, 2015

Short fiction is a great way to try out authors for the first time, and many of our clients frequently have their short stories published in leading SFF zines and outlets. We haven’t featured as much short fiction recently, but we wanted to take this opportunity to share some links to work that has appeared in Clarkesworld — all of it available to read for free online. So, without further ado, here are just three of the latest…

Lavie Tidhar‘s THE BOOK SELLER
Aliette de Bodard‘s THREE CUPS OF GRIEF, BY STARLIGHT (also available in audio)
Ian R. MacLeod‘s NEVERMORE

Lavie Tidhar is the award-winning author of OSAMA (PS Publishing), THE VIOLENT CENTURY (Hodder/Thomas Dunne Books) and A MAN LIES DREAMING (Hodder/Melville House – forthcoming in 2016).

Aliette de Bodard is the author of multiple short stories and novellas, as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, and the critically-acclaimed THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, which was published last month by Gollancz in the UK and Roc Books in the US.

Ian R. MacLeod is the award-winning author of multiple novels, including THE LIGHT AGES, THE SUMMER ISLES and SNODGRASS. Many of his novels are available as eBooks, published by Open Road Media. His most recent book is FROST ON GLASS, published by PS Publishing.

Cover: EARTHQUAKE WEATHER by Tim Powers

Posted on Friday, September 4th, 2015

Above is the new cover for the third book in the acclaimed Fault Lines Sequence by Tim Powers. Now available as part of Gollancz‘s Fantasy Masterworks series, here’s the synopsis…

A young woman possessed by a ghost has slain the Fisher King of the West, Scott Crane. Now, temporarily freed from that malevolent spirit, she seeks to restore the King to life.

But Crane’s body has been taken to the magically protected home of Pete and Angelica Sullivan, and their adopted son, Koot Hoomie. Kootie is destined to be the next Fisher King, but he is only 13 years old — too young, his mother thinks, to perform the rituals to assume the Kingship.

But not too young, perhaps, to assist in reuniting Scott Crane’s body and spirit, and restoring him to life…

EARTHQUAKE WEATHER is due to be published on November 12th, 2015. The other two novels in the Fault Lines Sequence — LAST CALL and EXPIRATION DATE — are also published by Gollancz as Fantasy Masterworks.

Zeno represents Tim Powers in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Russell Galen at the Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.

Ian McDonald’s DERVISH HOUSE in Japanese

Posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

With the publication of LUNA: NEW MOON fast approaching, we thought we’d take a moment to share the Japanese covers and information for Ian McDonald‘s THE DERVISH HOUSE. Published by Tokyo Sogensha as 旋舞の千年都市, here’s the synopsis…

犠牲者ゼロの奇妙な自爆テロがすべての始まり！？　テロ以降精霊が見えるようになった青年、テロの謎を探る少年探偵と老経済学者、一大ガス市場詐欺を企むトレーダー、伝説の蜜漬けミイラ「蜜人」を追う美術商、ナノテク企業の売込みと家宝のコーラン探しに奔走する新米マーケッターの６人が、ＥＵに加盟し天然ガス＆ナノテク景気に沸く近未来のイスタンブールを駆け回る。

The novel is published in the UK by Gollancz and in the US by Pyr Books (covers above). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

It begins with an explosion. Another day, another bus bomb. Everyone it seems is after a piece of Turkey. But the shock waves from this random act of twenty-first-century pandemic terrorism will ripple further and resonate louder than just Enginsoy Square.

Welcome to the world of The Dervish House—the great, ancient, paradoxical city of Istanbul, divided like a human brain, in the great, ancient, equally paradoxical nation of Turkey. The year is 2027 and Turkey is about to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its accession to the European Union, a Europe that now runs from the Arran Islands to Ararat. With a population pushing one hundred million, and Istanbul alone swollen to fifteen million, Turkey is the largest, most populous, and most diverse nation in the EU, but also one of the poorest and most socially divided. It’s a boom economy, the sweatshop of Europe, the bazaar of central Asia, the key to the immense gas wealth of Russia and central Asia.

The Dervish House is seven days, six characters, three interconnected story strands, one central common core — the eponymous dervish house, a character in itself — that pins all these players together in a weave of intrigue, conflict, drama, and a ticking clock of a thriller.

The aforementioned LUNA: NEW MOON is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz on September 17th, and in the US by Tor Books on September 29th.

RIVERS OF LONDON Now Available in Czech!

Posted on Monday, August 31st, 2015

RIVERS OF LONDON, the best-selling first novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant urban fantasy series, has been published by Kosmas in Czech. Published as ŘEKY LONDÝNA, here is the synopsis…

Jmenuji se Peter Grant. Ještě nedávno jsem byl obyčejný četnický zelenáč v řadách londýnské Metropolitní policie. Jedné noci jsem se ale při vyšetřování jisté vraždy pokusil získat svědeckou výpověď od muže, který byl sice mrtvý, ale jinak znepokojivě výřečný, což mi zajistilo pozornost vrchního inspektora Nightingalea, posledního čaroděje Anglie. A právě tehdy začal můj příběh.

Nyní jsem policejní detektiv a čarodějův učeň, první učedník za padesát let, a můj svět už není zdaleka tak jednoduchý, jak býval.

The cover design is by Ktaiwanita, who has posted a selection of variants online. Here’s the full-cover wrap…

RIVERS OF LONDON (and the rest of the series) is published in the UK by Gollancz and Del Rey in the US (as MIDNIGHT RIOT). The novel has been published widely in translation, too — see Ben’s author page for details. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (and as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit — we do paperwork so real coppers don’t have to — and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I’m a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden… and there’s something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it’s falling to me to bring order out of chaos — or die trying.

The Peter Grant series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES, FOXGLOVE SUMMER and THE HANGING TREE. There is also a comic series published by Titan Comics, RIVERS OF LONDON: BODY WORK, which takes place between books four and five.

Aliette de Bodard Interviewed on Coode St Podcast

Posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

Last week, Aliette de Bodard was interviewed by Jonathan Strahan for the Coode Street Podcast. You can listen to the episode below or at the cast’s website.

The interview coincided with the release of THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, which is out now in the UK (Gollancz) and the US (Roc Books). Here’s the synopsis…

Paris has survived the Great Houses War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.

House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…

The novel has received some great reviews so far, and we expect even more to come in. Here’s just a sample…

‘A gripping tragedy of forlorn individuals caught up in an angelic version of the Cold War… De Bodard aptly mixes moral conflicts and the desperate need to survive in a fantastical spy thriller that reads like a hybrid of le Carré and Milton, all tinged with the melancholy of golden ages lost.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘Will grab readers and force them to pay attention to the amazing writing and the phenomenal characters. de Bodard will sweep you up into the dark and dirty world Paris has become… It’s a whirlwind, it’s heartbreaking and it’s one of the best fantasy novels of 2015.’ — RT Book Reviews (Top Pick August 2015)

‘A beautifully crafted novel full of complex characters… vivid and fast-paced battles and intense political manoeuvrings… with carefully crafted characters both with layers and depth, De Bodard reflects the best and worst of human nature in her novel… an intriguing mystery, elegantly written… Something any avid fantasy reader with an open mind will devour!’ — Guardian

Ben Aaronovitch’s FINGERHUT-SOMMER Out Now in Germany!

Posted on Monday, August 24th, 2015

The fifth volume in Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant series, FOXGLOVE SUMMER, is now available in Germany. Published as FINGERHUT-SOMMER by DTV, here’s the synopsis…

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

FOXGLOVE SUMMER is published in the UK by Gollancz, and will be published in the US by DAW Books on January 6th, 2016. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

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

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

The next novel in the series, THE HANGING TREE, is due to be published in the UK by Gollancz on November 19th, 2015.

DTV has also published the first four novels in the Peter Grant series. Here are the covers…

Out This Week: THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS by Aliette de Bodard

Posted on Monday, August 17th, 2015

This week, the wait is finally over: Aliette de Bodard‘s highly-anticipated new novel, THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is publish today in the US by Roc Books (left), and on Thursday in the UK by Gollancz (right). The first in a planned duology, the novel has already been generating some great buzz and early reviews. Here’s the synopsis…

In the late twentieth century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins, the aftermath of a Great War between arcane powers. The Grand Magasins have been reduced to piles of debris, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine has turned black with ashes and rubble and the remnants of the spells that tore the city apart. But those that survived still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

Once the most powerful and formidable, House Silverspires now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.

Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen angel; an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction; and a resentful young man wielding spells of unknown origin. They may be Silverspires’ salvation—or the architects of its last, irreversible fall. And if Silverspires falls, so may the city itself.

Here is just a small selection of the reviews the novel has already received…

‘Will grab readers and force them to pay attention to the amazing writing and the phenomenal characters. de Bodard will sweep you up into the dark and dirty world Paris has become. The characters are very vivid and will stay with you until long after the last page… It’s a whirlwind, it’s heartbreaking and it’s one of the best fantasy novels of 2015.’ — RT Book Reviews (Top Pick August 2015)

‘A Gothic masterpiece of supernatural intrigues, loves and betrayals in a ruined and decadent future Paris — wildly imaginative and completely convincing, this novel will haunt you long after you’ve put it down.’ — Tim Powers

‘This is the perfect novel to read at night, so dark and brooding is the landscape. By turns mysterious, violent and full of suspense this book is a page turner of the best kind… the whole story flows so well… To get maximum effect, read this on a dark and stormy night tucked up in an arm chair. Ambience abounds in this novel.’ — Geek Syndicate

Aliette de Bodard is the author of multiple award-winning and -nominated short stories and novellas, as well as the critically-acclaimed Obsidian & Blood Aztec fantasy trilogy (published by Angry Robot Books). Also, if you happen to pre-order THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, Gollancz are offering a free, exclusive eBook, IN MORNINGSTAR’S SHADOW…

Brandon Sanderson snags second Gemmell Legend Award!

Posted on Monday, August 10th, 2015

On Saturday night, the Gemmell Awards were announced, and we’re very happy to report that Brandon Sanderson‘s WORDS OF RADIANCE won the Legend Award for best fantasy novel! Published in the UK by Gollancz, it is the second in the author’s Stormlight Archive series — the first novel, THE WAY OF KINGS, also won the Legend Award in 2011.

Here’s the synopsis for WORDS OF RADIANCE…

Return to a planet swept by apocalyptic storms, a world tipping into war as aristocratic families move to control the shard blades and shard plates, ancient artifacts from a past civilisation that can win wars.

As the world tips into a war for control of the mythical artifacts of power made from Shard, characters are swept up into new dangers which will threaten their integrity and their lives.

In addition, Sam Green’s artwork for WORDS OF RADIANCE won the Ravenheart Award for best cover!

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

Here’s a photo (from the Gollancz Twitter feed) of Brandon’s award…