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International Edition: Ben Aaronovitch’s MOON OVER SOHO in Russian!

Posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2015

MOON OVER SOHO, the second novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s Sunday Times-bestselling Peter Grant series is now available in Russian! Published by Фантастика Книжный Клуб as Луна над Сохо, it is out now. Фантастика Книжный Клуб also published a Russian edition of RIVERS OF LONDON (Реки Лондона, Бен Ааронович).

Here’s the English-language synopsis for MOON OVER SOHO…

Peter Grant is not just a lowly Detective Constable, he’s also apprenticed to the last wizard in Britain: policing will never be the same again!

I was my dad’s vinyl-wallah: I changed his records while he lounged around drinking tea, and that’s how I know my Argo from my Tempo. And it’s why, when Dr Walid called me to the morgue to listen to a corpse, I recognised the tune it was playing. Something violently supernatural had happened to the victim, strong enough to leave its imprint like a wax cylinder recording. Cyrus Wilkinson, part-time jazz saxophonist and full-time accountant, had apparently dropped dead of a heart attack just after finishing a gig in a Soho jazz club. He wasn’t the first.

No one was going to let me exhume corpses to see if they were playing my tune, so it was back to old-fashioned legwork, starting in Soho, the heart of the scene. I didn’t trust the lovely Simone, Cyrus’ ex-lover, professional jazz kitten and as inviting as a Rubens’ portrait, but I needed her help: there were monsters stalking Soho, creatures feeding off that special gift that separates the great musician from someone who can raise a decent tune. What they take is beauty. What they leave behind is sickness, failure and broken lives.

And as I hunted them, my investigation got tangled up in another story: a brilliant trumpet player, Richard ‘Lord’ Grant – my father – who managed to destroy his own career, twice. That’s the thing about policing: most of the time you’re doing it to maintain public order. Occasionally you’re doing it for justice. And maybe once in a career, you’re doing it for revenge.

Published in the UK by Gollancz and in the US by Del Rey, MOON OVER SOHO has also been published in German (DTV), French (J’ai Lu), Japanese (Hayakawa), Portuguese and Polish.

If you are in London on Monday (January 26th), Blackwell’s will be hosting Ben Aaronovitch for an evening of SFF discussion. You can find details of that event here.

The Peter Grant series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER, with more novels on the way! Here are the UK covers for the five available novels…

International Editions: Justina Robson in Finnish!

Posted on Monday, January 19th, 2015

Here are the rather striking Finnish covers for the first two novels in Justina Robson‘s Quantum Gravity series: KEEPING IT REAL and SELLING OUT. Published by Jalava as AITOA PELIÄ and PANOKSENA SIELU, respectively, they are out now.

Here’s the English-language synopsis for KEEPING IT REAL…

A heroine who’s half robot and all attitude, a world of quantum strangeness; SF that has remembered how to have fun from the UK’s most successful female SF writer.

The Quantum Bomb of 2015 changed everything. The fabric that kept the universe’s different dimensions apart was torn and now, six years later, the people of earth exist in uneasy company with the inhabitants of, amongst others, the elven, elemental and demonic realms. Magic is real and can be even more dangerous than technology. Elves are exotic, erotic, dangerous and really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. Elementals are a law unto themselves and demons are best left well to themselves.

Special agent Lila Black used to be pretty but now she’s not so sure.

Her body is now more than half restless carbon and metal alloy machinery. A machine she’s barely in control of. It goes into combat mode, enough weapons for a small army springing from within itself, at the merest provocation.

As for her heart… well ever since being drawn into a Game by the elven rockstar she’s been assigned to protect, she’s not even sure she can trust that anymore either.

The Quantum Gravity series — which also includes GOING UNDER, CHASING THE DRAGON and DOWN TO THE BONE — is published in the UK by Gollancz. Here are the UK covers…

Justina Robson’s highly anticipated next novel is GLORIOUS ANGELS, due to be published in the UK by Gollancz, on March 19th, 2015.

Aliette de Bodard’s HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS Acquired by Roc!

Posted on Thursday, January 15th, 2015

We are very happy to report that Roc Books, a division of Penguin, has acquired US rights to Aliette de Bodard‘s upcoming THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS! The two-book deal was negotiated by John Berlyne at the Zeno Agency and editor Jessica Wade, and the novel is due to be published in hardcover in August 2015.

‘I am very happy that THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is getting a US release,’ Aliette said about the deal. ‘Jessica is an awesome editor, and this is going to be fantastic all around.’

John had the following to say: ‘I’m thrilled that Roc are going to be publishing Aliette’s wonderful novel. They’re the perfect publisher to introduce her fantastic talent to the wider US market.’

‘I’m utterly delighted to have acquired Aliette de Bodard for the Roc list,’ Jessica Wade said. ‘She’s a tremendously talented writer who I’ve been watching for some time. THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is a gorgeous novel. It’s moving, engaging, and unexpected, and I absolutely fell in love with the alternate Paris Aliette creates.’

THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is the first in an urban fantasy duology set in a Paris ravaged by a war in heaven. As described on Aliette’s website, it is a novel of ‘Fallen angels, Vietnamese dragons, and entirely too many dead bodies…’

Here’s the synopsis…

A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out – literally – of a war in Heaven.

Paris has survived the Great Magicians 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…

As we reported a little while ago, Gollancz has acquired UK rights for the two novels, and is also due to publish THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS in August 2015.

Aliette de Bodard is a prolific writer of award-winning short fiction and novellas, as well as the Obsidian & Blood trilogy published by Angry Robot Books.

Cover Reveal: WORDS OF RADIANCE by Brandon Sanderson (Paperback Editions)

Posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Today, we have the covers for the paperback editions of Brandon Sanderson‘s WORDS OF RADIANCE. The Sunday Times-bestselling second volume in the Stormlight Archives series, the two volumes are due to be published in the UK by Gollancz, on March 5th, 2015.

Here’s the synopsis…

From the bestselling author who completed Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time series comes a new, original creation that matches anything else in modern fantasy for epic scope, thrilling imagination, superb characters and sheer addictiveness.

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.

Huge, ideas-filled, world-spanning fantasy from a master of the genre.

WORDS OF RADIANCE is the sequel to THE WAY OF KINGS, also published in the UK by Gollancz.

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

FIREFIGHT by Brandon Sanderson Out Now in the UK!

Posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2015

Brandon Sanderson‘s FIREFIGHT, the highly-anticipated sequel to STEELHEART, is released today in the UK! Published by Gollancz, it is a superb new instalment in the Reckoners series. Here’s the synopsis…

They told David it was impossible – that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart – invincible, immortal, unconquerable – is dead. And he died by David’s hand.

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realise he has questions. Big ones. And there’s no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David’s willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David’s heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic – Firefight. And he’s willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

Gollancz also published the first two books in the series, STEELHEART and the novella MITOSIS.

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

US Publication Day: FOXGLOVE SUMMER by Ben Aaronovitch

Posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2015

The wait is finally over for book lovers in North America: Ben Aaronovitch‘s much-anticipated FOXGLOVE SUMMER is published today by DAW Books! Published to great acclaim in the UK by Gollancz, in November of last year, many across the Atlantic have been clamouring to return to the bestselling Peter Grant series. Here’s the synopsis…

When two young girls go missing in rural Herefordshire, police constable and wizard-in-training Peter Grant is sent out of London to check that nothing supernatural is involved.

It’s purely routine — Nightingale, Peter’s superior, thinks he’ll be done in less than a day. But Peter’s never been one to walk away from someone in trouble, so when nothing overtly magical turns up he volunteers his services to the local police, who need all the help they can get. But because the universe likes a joke as much as the next sadistic megalomaniac, Peter soon comes to realize that dark secrets underlie the picturesque fields and villages of the countryside and there might just be work for Britain’s most junior wizard after all.

Soon Peter’s in a vicious race against time, in a world where the boundaries between reality and fairy have never been less clear…

Here’s a selection of the great reviews the novel has already received…

‘[Aaronovitch’s] ability to construct a fast, tense, readable police procedural (with magic) is inarguable. The combination—and frequently, the clash—of modern policing methods with magic and folklore remains a compelling juxtaposition, one that’s funny more often than not… Peter’s voice remains compelling. It’s one of the most appealing things about this series. In removing him from his usual stomping grounds to the countryside, Aaronovitch takes the opportunity to cast a minor side-eye at the white uniformity and unthinking assumptions of part of Britain: as a mixed-race lad from London, Peter sticks out in Leominster… It’s amusing. It’s diverting. It’s fun…’ — Tor.com

‘Ben Aaronovitch is in top form in this fifth Peter Grant novel, as his beloved police constable ventures into the wilds of the English countryside. As ever, the realistic police procedural details ground the plot, but the wonderful and unexpected fantasy world that lurks just below the surface of reality makes this tale the rousing success that it is. The tension is high from the opening of this unpredictable story, but the gravity of Grant’s newest case doesn’t keep his snarky humor or his wry insight from shining through, making this a book that new readers and fans alike will relish.’ — RT Book Reviews (January 2015 Top Pick)

‘This book is a great example of how a series and its main character can grow while still retaining everything that makes the previous novels so great. An extraordinary fun ride that’s not to be missed.’ — Bibliosanctum (5* Review)

‘FOXGLOVE SUMMER is a bold and exciting new beginning for Peter Grant and I can’t wait to find out where will Ben Aaronovitch take him next.’ — Upcoming4Me

The first three novels in the series – MIDNIGHT RIOT, MOON OVER SOHO and WHISPERS UNDERGROUND – were published in the US by Del Rey. BROKEN HOMES, the fourth novel, was also published by DAW Books. The whole series is published by Gollancz in the UK. The first four books have been published in Germany by DTV and in France by J’ai Lu.

Cover Reveal: Ian McDonald’s BRASYL comes to Poland

Posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

Above is the Polish cover for Ian McDonald‘s critically-acclaimed novel BRASYL. Due to be published by MAG on February 4th, 2015, here’s the English-language synopsis…

A story that begins in the favelas, the slums of Rio, and quickly expands to take in drugs, corruption, and a frightening new technology that allows access to all the multiple worlds that have slipped into existence in other planes every time we make a decision.

Think Bladerunner in the tropics…

Be seduced, amazed, and shocked by one of the world’s greatest and strangest nations. Past, present, and future Brazil, with all its color, passion, and shifting realities, come together in a novel that is part SF, part history, part mystery, and entirely enthralling.

Three separate stories follow three main characters:

Edson is a self-made talent impresario one step up from the slums in a near future São Paulo of astonishing riches and poverty. A chance encounter draws Edson into the dangerous world of illegal quantum computing, but where can you run in a total surveillance society where every move, face, and centavo is constantly tracked?

Marcelina is an ambitious Rio TV producer looking for that big reality TV hit to make her name. When her hot idea leads her on the track of a disgraced World Cup soccer goalkeeper, she becomes enmeshed in an ancient conspiracy that threatens not just her life, but her very soul.

Father Luis is a Jesuit missionary sent into the maelstrom of 18th-century Brazil to locate and punish a rogue priest who has strayed beyond the articles of his faith and set up a vast empire in the hinterland. In the company of a French geographer and spy, what he finds in the backwaters of the Amazon tries both his faith and the nature of reality itself to the breaking point.

Three characters, three stories, three Brazils, all linked together across time, space, and reality in a hugely ambitious story that will challenge the way you think about everything.

BRASYL has been widely published in translation. It is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by Pyr Books (covers below).

‘BRASYL is classic McDonald: a deep thinking, high-paced adventure story, exploring the quantum universe, combining sassy, believable characters with a captivating delight in language and storytelling. McDonald inhabits the Brazil – or rather, the Brazils – of this world and sweeps you along as no other writer in the field could manage.’ — Guardian

‘British author McDonald’s outstanding SF novel channels the vitality of South America’s largest country into an edgy, post-cyberpunk free-for-all… RIVER OF GODS (2004), set in near-future India, established McDonald as a leading writer of intelligent, multicultural SF, and here he captures Latin America’s mingled despair and hope. Chaotic, heartbreaking and joyous, this must-read teeters on the edge of melodrama, but somehow keeps its precarious balance.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘A beautiful story, one that cries out to be read again and again. McDonald’s light is still shining brightly, and considering the consistent quality of his titles, we say long may it burn.’ — SciFi Now

Zeno Titles in Audible’s 2014 Bestsellers Lists!

Posted on Friday, December 12th, 2014

Ben Aaronovitch‘s FOXGLOVE SUMMER and Brandon Sanderson‘s WORDS OF RADIANCE are among the bestselling audiobooks released in 2014 on Audible UK (of all genres)! Especially incredible is the fact that FOXGLOVE SUMMER makes the list having only been published on November 11th! (Just four weeks ago!)

Additionally, and equally great news, Ben’s RIVERS OF LONDON and BROKEN HOMES and Brandon’s THE WAY OF KINGS are also among the 2014 Best-Sellers – All Time Releases!

RIVERS OF LONDON, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER are the first, fourth and fifth books in Ben’s Peter Grant urban fantasy series, published by Gollancz in the UK. The series is narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Here’s the synopsis for RIVERS OF LONDON…

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 (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 WAY OF KINGS and WORDS OF RADIANCE are the first two novels in Brandon’s Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series, also published by Gollancz in the UK. The series is narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading. Here’s the synopsis for the THE WAY OF KINGS…

According to mythology mankind used to live in The Tranquiline Halls. Heaven. But then the Voidbringers assaulted and captured heaven, casting out God and men. Men took root on Roshar, the world of storms. And the Voidbringers followed…

They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won.

Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself – and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.

On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few day a young spearman forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn’t understand and doesn’t really want to fight.

What happened deep in mankind’s past?

Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?

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

Coming Soon: RIVERS OF LONDON – BODY WORK!

Posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

Ben Aaronovitch‘s Peter Grant series has been a huge success, and only becomes more popular with the release of each new novel. FOXGLOVE SUMMER, the fifth book, was released last month in the UK by Gollancz, and will be published in the US by DAW Books in January. The series has also been optioned for television.

Today, we share with you the cover for the first graphic novel set in the RIVERS OF LONDON universe, BODY WORK! Adapted for the medium by Ben himself and Andrew Cartmel, the book will be published by Titan Comics in 2015. Details are still a little thin on the ground, but we’ll be sure to share them with you as soon as we have them.

The Peter Grant series includes: RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDERGROUND, BROKEN HOMES and FOXGLOVE SUMMER. Ben is currently at work on the next book in the series.

Ben Aaronovitch’s DER BÖSE ORT is a Best of 2014!

Posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014

Ben Aaronovitch‘s DER BÖSE ORT (BROKEN HOMES) has won third prize in German reading community Lovely Reads’ Best Fantasy Books of 2014! This repeats Ben’s success last year, when EIN WISPERN UNTER BAKER STREET picked up a Leserpreis as well.

The fourth novel in Ben’s critically-acclaimed and best-selling Peter Grant series, DER BOSE ORT is published in Germany by DTV, who have also published the first three novels in the series. Here’s the German synopsis…

Seltsame Dinge geschehen im Skygarden Tower, einem berüchtigten Sozialwohnblock in Südlondon. Dinge, die eine magische Anziehungskraft auf Police Constable und Zauberlehrling Peter Grant ausüben. Zunächst geht es nur um ein gestohlenes altes Buch über Magie, das aus der Weißen Bibliothek zu Weimar stammt. Doch dann weitet sich der Fall rasant aus. Denn der Erbauer des Tower, Erik Stromberg, ein brillanter, wenngleich leicht gestörter Architekt, hatte sich einst in seiner Zeit am Bauhaus offenbar nicht nur mit modernem Design, sondern auch mit Magie befasst. Was erklären könnte, warum der Skygarden Tower einen unablässigen Strom von begabten Künstlern, Politikern, Drogendealern, Serienmördern und Irren hervorgebracht hat. Und warum der unheimliche gesichtslose Magier, den Peter noch in schlechtester Erinnerung hat, ein so eingehendes Interesse daran an den Tag legt.

And, for non-German speakers, here’s the English-language synopsis…

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

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

So far so London.

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

Is there a connection?

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

The Peter Grant Series is published in the UK by Gollancz, in the US by Del Rey (#1-3) and DAW Books, and in France by J’ai Lu.

Speaking of the UK editions, we reported a little while ago that Cityreads London had selected RIVERS OF LONDON as their 2015 read. The new Cityreads 2015 website is up and running, complete with information about the event and book! Here’s what Ben had to say about RIVERS OF LONDON‘s selection: ‘As a native Londoner it’s hard to imagine a more exciting honour than having my book selected to be the London Cityread for 2015. Added to that is the sheer pleasure of working with and helping support the public libraries of London.’

Out Now: DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN edited by Charlaine Harris

Posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2014

A fantastic new True Blood anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner, DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN is published in the UK today by Gollancz. Here’s the synopsis…

A fantastic new anthology of tales told in the Sookie Stackhouse universe, to unite all fans of paranormal romance everywhere!

Charlaine Harris’ smash-hit Sookie Stackhouse series may have reached its conclusion, but the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives on in this all-new collection of 15 stories.

Written by a killer line-up of authors, including NYT Bestsellers Seanan McGuire and MaryJanice Davidson

With an introduction by Charlaine Harris herself!

DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN puts your favourite characters, written by some of your favourite authors, centre stage.

The fifth anthology edited by Harris, DEAD BUT NOT FORGOTTEN was released in audiobook back in May 2014. Harris’s other co-edited anthologies are WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE, MANY BLOODY RETURNS, DEATH’S EXCELLENT VACATION and CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT.

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

Aliette de Bodard Convention Appearance

Posted on Monday, November 24th, 2014

Hot on the heels of the fantastic news from last week, regarding Gollancz’s acquisition of Aliette de Bodard‘s next two novels, we have some information about an upcoming convention appearance.

Aliette will be attending MIRcon 2014 in Barcelona, from December 6-8th, 2014. Specifically, Aliette will be interviewed in the Auditorium on December 6th, from 4-5pm. You can read the full convention program, here.

Aliette’s Obsidian & Blood trilogy is out now, published by Angry Robot Books. Her next, highly-anticipated novel, HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, is due to be published in August 2015 by Gollancz. Watch this space for news as and when we have it.

Gollancz Acquires Two New Aliette de Bodard Novels!

Posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2014

Gollancz have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to two new novels by multi-award-winning author Aliette de Bodard! The deal was negotiated by Gollancz Publisher Gillian Redfearn, and encompasses HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and an as-yet-untitled sequel, both set in Paris in the aftermath of the Great Magicians War.

Gillian Redfearn had the following to say about the deal and Aliette’s writing: ‘I’ve long admired Aliette’s writing from afar and it’s a dream to be able to publish HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS. It blew me away from the first paragraph, with a rich and wonderful new world, evocative writing and an utterly gripping story. De Bodard is an exceptional and tremendously original writer and we are so proud to be publishing her work.’

‘I’m deliriously excited to be joining the Gollancz list,’ Aliette de Bodard said. ‘HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is a book very dear to my heart – mingling my love of Paris, the Vietnamese tales I read as a child, and my fondness for dark magic with terrible prices – and it couldn’t be in better hands! I can’t wait to work with Gillian and the team.’

Here’s a preliminary synopsis for the first novel…

In HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS, Paris’s streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. De Bodard’s rich storytelling brings three different voices together: a naive but powerful Fallen angel, an alchemist with a self-destructive addition, and a young man wielding spells from the Far East.

HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is due to be published in hardback and eBook on the 20th August, 2015.

Aliette de Bodard is the winner of two Nebula Awards, a Locus Award and a BSFA Award — and has been nominated for many others, for her short and long fiction, often multiple years in a row. A writer by night, by day she is a qualified engineer, specialising in applied mathematics. Her most recent novels were the Obsidian & Blood trilogy, published by Angry Robot Books.

Brandon Sanderson’s MITOSIS Out Today in the UK!

Posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2014

Great news for those of you who loved Brandon Sanderson‘s epic superhero novel STEELHEART, but can’t wait for the upcoming sequel, FIREFIGHT: the novella MITOSIS is out tomorrow in the UK! Set in between the two novels, it is published by Gollancz. It will be available in hardcover, eBook and also audiobook.

Here’s the synopsis…

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of WORDS OF RADIANCE, co-author of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn Trilogy, Brandon Sanderson, comes MITOSIS, a short story set in the action-packed world of STEELHEART: the Reckoners series, exclusively available in a HB collector’s edition. Epics still plague Newcago, but David and the Reckoners have vowed to fight back. Catch all the action before FIREFIGHT, the exciting sequel to STEELHEART, hits the shelves.

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

Edward Cox Event this Wednesday

Posted on Monday, November 17th, 2014

Just a quick post to inform you of an upcoming event with Edward Cox, author of the debut fantasy novel THE RELIC GUILD, which was published in the UK by Gollancz in September 2014. Here’s the synopsis…

In the sealed Labyrinth, a young woman must find a way to control her magic and escape her prison in this remarkable debut fantasy.

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.

Here are just some of the great reviews that keep pouring in for the novel…

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

‘THE RELIC GUILD is an intriguing, original and enjoyable book, a daring mix of genres that initially feels like it shouldn’t work, but is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts.’ — Starburst

‘This is smart, energetic fantasy that grips you from page one and delivers a genuinely memorable experience.’ — Eloquent Page

‘This is a fantastic debut, and one that worked for me on pretty much every level… I really enjoyed this, and definitely think Cox is an author to watch. This is a great first installment, and a must-read of 2014.’ — Civilian Reader

‘THE RELIC GUILD, the debut novel from Edward Cox, is all kinds of magic: alchemy, illusion, lycanthropy, necromancy, sorcery and thaumaturgy; this book has magic in its DNA… it is very much a characteristic of the book that no figure lacks colour, no scene lacks substance and no twist lacks spice… Stylistically it is a rich brew… 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 (in the depiction of anachronistic technology) and grotesque body-horror David Cronenberg would be proud of. Thought you knew where modern fantasy was at? THE RELIC GUILD will challenge your assumptions.’ — British Fantasy Society