Gollancz - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Brandon Sanderson’s STEELHEART is out now (in the UK)!

Posted on Thursday, September 26th, 2013

Sanderson-SteelheartUK-Blog

The wait is finally over! Today, Gollancz publishes Brandon Sanderson‘s highly-anticipated super-hero novel, STEELHEART!

STEELHEART is the first in a projected series set in the same world. Here is the synopsis…

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart – the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning – and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

In case that didn’t whet your appetite, Gollancz have also shared an excerpt on their blog.

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

Happy Publication Day, Brandon Sanderson

Posted on Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Happy Publication Day to Brandon Sanderson! Brandon’s novellas LEGION and THE EMPEROR’S SOUL, previously only available in the UK as eBooks, have now been collected by Gollancz into a very nice-looking hardcover collection. Here is the artwork, by long-time Brandon illustrator, Sam Green…

In related news, in addition to a Hugo Award nomination, we’ve just heard that THE EMPEROR’S SOUL has been nominated for a 2013 World Fantasy Award in the Best Novella Category! Congratulations, Brandon!

The internationally bestselling author of the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series presents two very different novellas that nevertheless showcase his remarkable gift for gripping narrative, world-building and empathetic characters. Available for the first time in one volume, a publishing event for all his many fans.

LEGION

Stephen Leeds, AKA ‘Legion,’ is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his ‘aspects’ are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. The action ranges from the familiar environs of America to the ancient, divided city of Jerusalem. Along the way, Sanderson touches on a formidable assortment of complex questions: the nature of time, the mysteries of the human mind, the potential uses of technology, and the volatile connection between politics and faith.

THE EMPEROR’S SOUL

When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos.

Shai is given an impossible task: to create – to Forge – a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber, guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. Shai’s only possible ally is the emperor’s most loyal councillor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent.

Time is running out for Shai. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape…

Brandon Sanderson is represented on behalf of JABberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Ben Aaronovitch’s BROKEN HOMES sets a new record!

Posted on Wednesday, August 7th, 2013

BROKEN HOMES, the fourth novel in Ben Aaronovitch‘s hugely popular PC Peter Grant series of supernatural London-based crime novels, has set an Orion Books Group record! As reported on Book Trade, the novel, published by Gollancz (Orion’s SFF imprint), has ‘sold 8,064 eBooks in the week of publication against 5,194 hardbacks (Nielsen BookScan), taking it to number three on The Sunday Times bestseller charts. The sales trend has continued in its second week with 2,500 physical copies sold (Nielsen BookScan) compared to 3,500 eBooks. The book this week is at number 6 on The Sunday Times bestseller lists.’

The success is just the latest bit of great news for the series. As we reported recently on the website, the series has also been optioned for TV by the company behind an upcoming adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell for the small screen (Feel Films). All four titles from the Peter Grant series – RIVERS OF LONDON, MOON OVER SOHO, WHISPERS UNDER GROUND, and BROKEN HOMES – have now sold over 400,000 copies across all formats and turned Ben, a former London bookseller and Doctor Who scriptwriter (REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS), into one of Gollancz’s most popular authors.

‘All four novels have appeared in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller lists, but the digital sales for BROKEN HOMES are incredible,’ said Lisa Milton, Managing Director of Orion General. ‘With higher digital sales than physical in the first two weeks of publication are we starting to see a new trend develop? That said, however anyone reads Ben’s books we don’t mind; we just want everyone to try him. With London appearing as a major character and all the best elements of police procedurals combined with a healthy serving of the supernatural, Ben Aaronovitch delivers perfect escapist fiction with each novel.’

Ben Aaronovitch’s BROKEN HOMES hits Best Seller list!

Posted on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Congratulations to Ben Aaronovitch on a superb first week for his new novel BROKEN HOMES, published by Gollancz, the fourth title in his supernatural crime series featuring Peter Grant, apprentice to the last wizard in the Met.

We just got news that BROKEN HOMES will chart in this week’s hardcover best seller list at number three – an extraordinary achievement!

On Monday, Ben appeared as a guest on BBC Breakfast. As well as publicising the new book, we’ve seen a fabulous spike in sales of RIVERS OF LONDON which has been steadily climbing the Amazon UK rankings. The BBC has just shared the clip, so we recommend you head over for a look…

BROKEN HOMES on iTunes (and on shelves tomorrow!)

Posted on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

In the run up to the highly-anticipated release of Ben Aaronovitch‘s fourth Peter Grant thriller, BROKEN HOMES, iTunes have selected it for their ‘Great Crime Novels Set in London’ banner! Check it out…

BROKEN HOMES is due to be published by Gollancz in the UK tomorrow!

Announcing Charlaine Harris’s UK Book Tour…

Posted on Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

We are pleased to share with you the details of Charlaine Harris‘s upcoming UK book tour! Celebrating the release of her final Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) novel, DEAD EVER AFTER, and the previously announced re-issues for her other mystery series, this is sure to be very popular. Here are the details…

Monday 15th July

– 6.30pm: Signing at Waterstones Gower Street, London

Tuesday 16th July

– 1pm: Signing at Waterstones Manchester Arndale Centre

– 7pm: Talk/Q&A and signing at Waterstones Liverpool One

Wednesday 17th July

– 1pm: Signing at Glasgow Sauchiehall Street – 1pm signing

– 7pm: Talk/Q&A and signing at Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Place, Edinburgh EH1 2AD, Supported by Waterstones Edinburgh West End

Thursday 18th July

– 12.30pm: signing at WHSmith, Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield

– 7.30pm: Talk/Q&A and signing at Waterstones Birmingham New Street

Friday 19^th July

– 12:30pm: Signing at WHSmith, 124/126 Victoria Centre, Nottingham

Sunday 21^st July

– 11.30am: Charlaine’s event at the Harrogate Crime Festival

As we mentioned above, this is sure to be very popular, so be sure to arrive early!

The author’s novels are published in the UK by Gollancz (Sookie) and Orion (the mysteries). Charlaine Harris is is represented by Zeno in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Jabberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Cover Reveal (New Editions): Charlaine Harris’s Three Mystery Series…

Posted on Monday, July 8th, 2013

So you’ve read all of Charlaine Harris‘s Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series, which has just come to an end. But you want more books by Charlaine? Well, never fear! A new wave of re-issues are on their way from Gollancz, Charlaine’s UK publisher! Over the course of this year, the Harper Connolly, Lily Bird, and Aurora Teagarden novels are being released with new covers.

First up, we have the Harper Connelly series: GRAVE SIGHT, GRAVE SURPRISE, AN ICE COLD GRAVE, and GRAVE SECRET

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The five Lily Bird novels – SHAKESPEARE’S LANDLORD, SHAKESPEARE’S CHAMPION, SHAKESPEARE’S CHRISTMAS, SHAKESPEARE’S TROLLOP, and SHAKESPEARE’S COUNSELOR

And finally, the eight Aurora Teagarden Mysteries – REAL MURDERS, A BONE TO PICK, THREE BEDROOMS ONE CORPSE, THE JULIUS HOUSE, DEAD OVER HEELS, A FOOL AND HIS HONEY, LAST SCENE ALIVE, and POPPY DONE TO DEATH

Charlaine Harris is represented by Zeno in the UK and Commonwealth, on behalf of Jabberwocky Literary Agency in New York.

Cover Reveal: Tim Powers’ LAST CALL…

Posted on Thursday, June 27th, 2013

Tim Powers‘ 1993 World Fantasy Award winner LAST CALL will be re-released in October as part of Gollancz‘s Fantasy Masterworks series. This classic novel from the author of THE ANUBIS GATES and DECLARE, brings the Fisher King legend to 90’s Las Vegas and is a must read for all modern fantasy fans…

Here is the synopsis…

Twenty years ago Scott Crane abandoned his career as a professional poker player and went into hiding, after a weird high-stakes game played with Tarot cards. But now the cards – and the supernatural powers behind them – have found him again.

Crane’s father killed gangster Bugsy Siegel in 1948 to become the Fisher King, and to keep that power he is determined to kill his son. Now Scott Crane must cross the Mojave Desert to his father’s Perilous Chapel in Las Vegas, and take up the cards again for one last poker duel. And the stakes are the highest he’s ever played for… his soul.

Happy Publication Day, MAGGIE FUREY…

Posted on Thursday, May 16th, 2013

Maggie Furey‘s EXODUS OF THE XANDIM, the highly-anticipated sequel to HERITAGE OF THE XANDIM is published by Gollancz today. This brand new novel takes readers back into the history of her much loved Aurian fantasy world.

The Xandim novels are a perfect introduction to the richness and wonder of Aurian, and tell the story of the genesis of the Artefacts of Power, charting the epic struggle for freedom of a cursed people. Here’s the synopsis…

Return to the lands of Aurian.

Return to a time when even the land was a different shape. When the fabled Artefacts of Power were shaped. And when a race was fighting for freedom…

Corisand, shaman of the Xandim, is locked in a desperate fight to free her tribe from slavery, accompanied by her friend, the blind Wizard Iriana.

They have achieved the first step; the recovery of the powerful Fialan stone, but now the evil Magefolk are plotting a ruinous war, and the Archwizard Cyran wants to take the stone and use it as a weapon.

Will Corisand succeed in mastering the enigmatic Fialan before she and her people are swept up in a conflict that that will change the world for ever?

The Xandim are a people enslaved by the fey and powerful Phaerie, masters of the Old Magic. They were trapped in their horse forms for so long they forgot their human shapes, until their shaman, Windeye, found a way to rouse some of her people and bring them back to their humanity. But the quest to free the Xandim is not over. Indeed, the fight for freedom has only just begun.

***

Back in the mid-1990s, Maggie‘s debut novel, AURIAN, was nominated for three prestigious genre awards – the British Fantasy Award for Best Newcomer (which she won!), the Campbell Award and the LOCUS Award. Since then, she has gone on to publish eleven fantasy novels, each of which were warmly received and some are now considered beloved classics…

‘… a sweeping tale that has such likeable and rich characters, set in a world that is equally endowed with depth and history… Fresh, strong, unique and enjoyable [heroes]. We know who they are and enjoy their journeys immensely. Our heroine is probably one of the strongest and deepest that I’ve had the pleasure of reading… A very beautiful setting with a great history and little secrets to discover.’ — Fantasy Faction on AURIAN (Maggie’s debut)

‘AURIAN is a highly entertaining story that, with a boundless sense of “sky’s the limit” confidence, unapologetically runs the gamut from heroic high adventure to bodice-ripper… It may well be the greatest guilty pleasure the fantasy genre has produced in the last decade… Maggie Furey is an author who understands the magic in fulfilling a wish.’ — SFReviews.net

DEAD EVER AFTER …

Posted on Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

The Wait Is Over…!

Happy Publication Day to the wonderful Charlaine Harris, author of the blockbuster Sookie Stackhouse series.

The hotly anticipated thirteenth, and final, novel in the series, DEAD EVER AFTER, published by Gollancz here in the UK and British Commonwealth, hits bookstore shelves today.

Sookie Stackhouse has one last adventure in store.

Life has taken her from a waitress in Merlotte’s Bar, Bon Temps, to part owner; from social outcast to the heart of her community; from a vampire’s girlfriend to the wife of one of the most powerful vampires in the state.

She has survived explosions, revolutions and attempts on her life. Sookie has endured betrayal, heartbreak and grief…and she has emerged a little stronger, and little wiser, every time.

But with life comes new trials…

The question is, in the end: who will love, who will live, and who will be dead ever after?

To celebrate the completion of the series, Gollancz has posted a series of interview-clips on their blog, featuring Charlaine looking back over the entire series.

Charlaine Harris is represented by Zeno in United Kingdom and British Commonwealth only, on behalf ofthe Jabberwocky Literary Agency.

Yet More Awards News…

Posted on Sunday, July 10th, 2011

Ian McDonald‘s superb novel THE DERVISH HOUSE has scooped yet another accolade. The author adds this year’s John W. Campbell Award to the BSFA Award and the nominations the novel has received for both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Hugo.

Even though Zeno has only been in business for three years, this is the second time a Zeno client has won this coveted prize… in fact, it’s the second time a client called Ian was won it! (See here) – not a back track record, eh?

Huge congratulations to Ian and to publishers, Pyr and Gollancz, who have done such a wonderful job with the novel. Note the UK mass market edition is due out on July 29th.

The Way of Kings Wins The Legend Award…

Posted on Monday, June 20th, 2011

Gosh, anyone would think it’s awards season! And the latest wonderful news we have to impart in this department is that Brandon Sanderson‘s THE WAY OF KINGS has just scooped this year’s David Gemmell Legend Award. WOOT!

A recent arrival in the awards calendar, the Legend award is three years old now, and is decided by popular vote rather than by a jury. There are three categories – for best newcomer, best artist and the Legend award itself, which is given to the best fantasy novel.

We are absolutely delighted for Brandon and publisher Gollancz who have done a really wonderful job with this thwacking great novel. And Brandon is hard at work on the second volume. Let’s hope the arrival of the very large “Snaga” axe he just won doesn’t distract him!

News From Planet Eastercon…

Posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Zeno clients triumphed at the BSFA awards, which were held at this year’s Eastercon, at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham over the Easter weekend.

First up was Aliette de Bodard, who was on hand to collect the award for Best Short Fiction for her story The Shipmaker, which appeared in Interzone issue #231. I managed to snap this pic of her being dwarfed by David Weber, who was on hand the present the award. (The homeless man to the rear is Paul Cornell prior to the removal of his comedy charity beard – for which he raised an impressive amount of money for, ironically, Shelter!)

No sooner had the applause for Aliette died down than our own Ian McDonald took to the stage to accept for the award for Best Novel for THE DERVISH HOUSE (not ‘The Dervish Nights’ as the convention newsletter later reported!), his 2010 novel published by Gollancz in the UK and by Pyr in the US.

A further layer of coolness was added to these wins when we later learned that both Ian and Aliette have been nominated for this year’s Hugo Awards – this news adding to Aliette’s previously reported Nebula nomination for the same story, and Ian’s Arthur C. Clarke Award nomination.

Huge congratulations to both authors.

There were lots of other Zeno authors at Eastercon – I got to meet our latest clients Anne Lyle and David Tallerman, albeit all too briefly, and the mass signing of Angry Robot authors at Waterstones in the centre of Birmingham was almost a mini ‘Zenocon’ of its own. Present were Aliette, Colin Harvey, John Meaney – or was it Thomas Blackthorn? – and, in a rare UK appearance, one Lavie Tidhar (pictured here next to a banner proclaiming his novels in all their steampunky glory.)

Elsewhere at the con, at readings, on panels and if truth must be told, in the bar, one could find Freda Warrington, Susan Boulton, Michael Cobley and last but by no means least Ian R. MacLeod.

I did a panel called ‘Writing 102: Finding an Agent‘, which was well attended and along with Gollancz Editorial Director Gillian Redfearn, Gollancz author Stephen Deas and author Martin Owton, we fielded a number of excellent questions from the audience. Hope those who were there found it helpful.

Algis Budrys…

Posted on Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Zeno Agency is delighted to announce that we now represent the estate of the late Algis Budrys. Furthermore, Darren Nash at Gollancz has recently acquired ebook rights to A.J.’s backlist and will be making these works available electronicaly for the first time. Publishing dates are still TBC.

In addition to this, A.J.’s best known work ROGUE MOON will be reissued in 2012 in the Gollancz SF Masterworks series and there are also plans afoot for an omnibus trade paperback edition of THE IRON THORN, MICHAELMAS and HARD LANDING – again dates TBC.

TWO Zeno Authors on Clarke Award Shortlist…

Posted on Friday, March 4th, 2011

We’re delighted to announce that two Zeno authors are on the short-list (of six) for this year’s coveted Arthur C. Clarke Award…

Ian McDonald – THE DERVISH HOUSE, published by Gollancz.
Tim Powers – DECLARE, published by Corvus

Not a bad hit rate for us! Ian has been on this shortlist in previous years and THE DERVISH HOUSE, listed in countless year’s best lists, is already winner of the SciFi Now award for best novel is a book on everyone’s lips as a definite contender for this year’s Hugo.

DECLARE is an interesting addition to the Clarke shortlist, not least because it was first published in the US back in 2000, when it won both the World Fantasy Award and the International Horror Guild award. It has taken a lamentably long time for British publishing to see the value in Powers’ work, but with the backing, support and vision of Corvus, DECLARE is now available directly to UK readers, with other books in the pipeline.

Award administrator Tom Hunter said ‘For me this list is a great indication of just how deep, rich and complex the literature of science fiction can be. I think this list is a definite keeper, as they say, and my hope is that twenty-five years from now people will still be coming back to it as a representation of everything that’s best about the diversity and strength of our genre‘