New Edition of Ian McDonald’s LUNE DU LOUP available now!


The second novel in Ian McDonald‘s acclaimed Luna series, WOLF MOON, is now available in a new French mass-market paperback edition. Published by Folio SF as LUNE DU LOUP, here’s the synopsis…

Sur la Lune, deux ans après les événements qui ont précipité la chute de la famille Corta, les Mackenzie se sont approprié les restes de leur entreprise. Il n’y a donc plus que quatre « Dragons », ces consortiums familiaux qui se partagent l’exploitation des ressources lunaires et, donc, le pouvoir. Pourtant, les Mackenzie se déchirent sur les cadavres encore frais de leurs ennemis de toujours. Les Sun continuent, discrètement, à élaborer des plans visant à affaiblir leurs adversaires. Les Vorontsov vendent toujours leurs indispensables services au plus offrant. Et les Asamoah tentent tant bien que mal de préserver leur neutralité de façade. Mais le statu quo, même sous gravité réduite, n’est jamais acquis. D’autant que les rares survivants de la famille Corta – blessés, en fuite ou sous la protection d’autres Dragons – n’ont pas dit leur dernier mot.

Avec le deuxième tome de sa trilogie, Ian McDonald continue, sans temps mort, l’exploration minutieuse de sa colonie lunaire, nouveau Far West où tous les coups (bas) sont permis.

Folio SF has also published the first novel in the series, NEW MOON, as NOUVELLE LUNE.

WOLF MOON and the other novels in the Luna series — which also includes MOON RISING (#3) — are published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and in a growing number of translated editions. Here’s the English-language synopsis for WOLF MOON

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 great reviews the series has received…

‘… 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… 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… 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… McDonald’s corporate war is a gorgeous thing, fought with every tool available… McDonald is able to wrap the biggest events in constellations of the smallest so that a cocktail party here, a discussion of ’80s retro fashion (all mall-hair and WHAM! T-shirts), a love story and a day at work for a guy who cleans solar panels all build and coalesce to form the background radiation of life in this unstable future. 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

A prequel novella to the series, THE MENACE FROM FARSIDE is also available, published by Tor.com.

Folio also publishes French editions of Ian’s KING OF MORNING, QUEEN OF DAY, RIVER OF GODS, CYBERABAD DAYS, and THE DERVISH HOUSE.

Roger Zelazny’s LORD OF LIGHT out now in Lithuania!


Roger Zelazny‘s classic novel LORD OF LIGHT is now available in Lithuania! Published by Leidybos Studija’s Eridanas imprint, and translated by Danguolė Žalytė, here’s the synopsis for ŠVIESOS VALDOVAS

Žemės seniai nebėra. Kolonizuotoje planetoje grupė naujakurių užgrobė technologijas, tapo nemirtingi ir dabar valdo pasaulį kaip hinduizmo dievai. Priešintis išdrįsta tik vienas, tas, kuris kadaise buvo Sidhartha, o dabar Mahasamatmanas, Demonų Apkalėjas. Šviesos Valdovas.

Šiek tiek plačiau: 

Norėdami išgyventi naujame priešiškame pasaulyje, kolonistai pasitelkę biotechnologijas, elektroniką, kitus mokslo pasiekimus, mutavo savo smegenis, tobulino kūną, naudojo pažangiausias technologijas ir kiekvienas susikūrė įvaizdį – dieviškąjį pavidalą, kuris „sustiprino kūną, užgrūdino valią ir suteikė troškimų galią atributams, o šie stebuklingai ištikdavo tuos, į kuriuos būdavo atkreipiami“.

Jie išrado būdą perkelti žmogaus atmaną, arba sielą ir protą, į naują kūną. Reinkarnacija sukūrė nemirtingųjų rasę – buvę erdvėlaivio įgulos nariai įvedė kastinę hinduizmo sistemą, hinduizmą kaip oficialią religiją ir vietiniams gyventojams – nesuskaičiuojamiems savo pačių palikuoniams oficialiai tapo dievais.

Pagrindinis veikėjas Samas, išsiugdęs atributą valdyti elektromagnetines jėgas, atsisako dievystės ir tampa maištininku ir paskutiniu akceleratu: jis mano, kad žmonės turi teisę į technologijas, o reinkarnacijos neturi kontroliuoti elitas. Jo maištas prieš dievus trunka daugelį metų.

First published in 1967, LORD OF LIGHT won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was also nominated for the Nebula Award. George R.R. Martin has said it is one of the five best science fiction novels ever written. It is available in the UK as part of the SF Masterworks series, published by Gollancz. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Imagine a distant world where gods walk as men, but wield vast and hidden powers. Here they have made the stage on which they build a subtle pattern of alliance, love, and deadly enmity. Are they truly immortal? Who are these gods who rule the destiny of a teeming world?

Their names include Brahma, Kali, Krishna and also he who was called Buddha, the Lord of Light, but who now prefers to be known simply as Sam. The gradual unfolding of the story – how the colonization of another planet became a re-enactment of Eastern mythology — is one of the great imaginative feats of modern science fiction.

LORD OF LIGHT has also been published in Germany, Russia, China, Turkey, Ukraine and Poland.

Lavie Tidhar’s CENTRAL STATION Wins Chinese Nebula (Xingyun) Award!


We’re very happy to report that Lavie Tidhar‘s CENTRAL STATION has won another award! This time, it is for the Chinese translation, which has won the Chinese Nebula (Xingyun) Award for Best Translated Fiction! Translated by Chen Yang, and published in China by Citic, as 中央 星站, here’s the synopsis…

基因孩子、节点人类、增强元人类、数据吸血鬼、机械改造人、弃物之王、造神艺术家…

特拉维夫、中央星站、耶路撒冷、汤圆城、月球港、波吕港…

地球、火星、美茹河星、谷神星、土卫六、初始太空、混沌宇宙…

在不太遥远的未来,一场世界范围内的大离散过后,二十五万 人滞留中央星站。

城市破败,科技失控,生命廉价,数据泛滥,地球沦为宇宙中的垃圾场。

在遭受战争、离散、数据和科技入侵、“人”的定义饱受质疑。

生活在这里的各色“人类”继续着他们的进化…

CENTRAL STATION has won a tremendous number of awards (always room for more, though), including John W. Campbell Award (2017) and
the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award in Speculative Fiction (2018). It also landed on many end-of-year best of lists. The English-language cover, but Sarah Anne Langton, also won the Chelsey Award for Best Cover Illustration.

CENTRAL STATION is published in English by Tachyon Publications. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

A worldwide diaspora has left a quarter of a million people at the foot of a space station. Cultures collide in real life and virtual reality. Life is cheap, and data is cheaper.

When Boris Chong returns to Tel Aviv from Mars, much has changed. Boris’s ex-lover is raising a strangely familiar child who can tap into the datastream of a mind with the touch of a finger. His cousin is infatuated with a robotnik — a damaged cyborg soldier who might as well be begging for parts. His father is terminally-ill with a multigenerational mind-plague. And a hunted data-vampire has followed Boris to where she is forbidden to return.

Rising above them is Central Station, the interplanetary hub between all things: the constantly shifting Tel Aviv; a powerful virtual arena, and the space colonies where humanity has gone to escape the ravages of poverty and war. Everything is connected by the Others, powerful alien entities who, through the Conversation — a shifting, flowing stream of consciousness — are just the beginning of irrevocable change.

At Central Station, humans and machines continue to adapt, thrive… and even evolve.

Tachyon also publishes Lavie’s acclaimed UNHOLY LAND and THE VIOLENT CENTURY (North America edition).

If Chinese-speaking fans of Lavie’s work would like to know more about the book and the author, you can read two great interview with the author here:

Lavie’s latest novel is BY FORCE ALONE, the first novel in the author’s Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet, is published by Head of Zeus (UK) and Tor Books (North America). The second novel in the tetralogy is THE HOOD, which is due to be published later this year by Head of Zeus.

Ian McDonald’s LUNA: MLAD MESEC Out Now in Serbia!


NEW MOON, the first novel in Ian McDonald‘s acclaimed Luna series, is now available in Serbia! Published by Laguna as MLAD MESEC, here’s the synopsis…

Mesec želi da vas ubije.

Možda će vas ubiti kad ostanete bez dnevnice koja vam je dodeljena za hranu, vodu ili vazduh. Možda će vas ubiti kad ste u klopci između vladajućih korporacija, takozvanih Pet Zmajeva. Na korak od bogatstva, u sumanutom futurističkom feudalnom društvu, na Mesecu morate da se borite za svaki pedalj koji želite da steknete. I upravo je to učinila Adrijana Korta.

Kao vođa najmlađeg Mesečevog Zmaja, Adrijana je preotela kontrolu nad industrijom helijuma 3 od korporacije Makenzi metali i borila se da stekne novi status za svoju porodicu. Sada, pred kraj života, Adrijana shvata da je njena korporacija, Korta helio, suočena sa brojnim neprijateljima koje je stekla tokom svog meteorskog uspona. Ako porodica Korta misli da preživi, petoro Adrijanine dece moraju da odbrane majčino carstvo od brojnih neprijatelja… i jedno od drugog.

This edition is translated by Goran Skrobonja.

NEW MOON and the other novels in the series are published in the UK by Gollancz, in North America by Tor Books, and also in a wide range of translated editions around the world. (See below for a selection of the covers.) Here’s the novel’s English-language synopsis…

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.

Finally, here are just a few of the great reviews NEW MOON has received so far…

‘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

LUNA: NEW MOON is the best moon novel I’ve seen in many years, but it’s also something of a piece with the recent movement on the part of Paul McAuley, Kim Stanley Robinson, and oth­ers to confine novels to the solar system, out of a realistic assessment that this is likely all we’ll have to work with – but McDonald takes this a step further. Possibly the most chilling lines in the book for an SF reader come from Adriana herself, in her own narrative: ‘‘There was no law, no justice,’’ she writes, ‘‘only management. The moon was the frontier, but it was the frontier to nothing. There was nowhere to run.’’ 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

The way that Ian McDonald flawlessly adapts his writing to the relevant culture and country at hand is ingenious, and he showcases this perfectly in his much-lauded previous work. In LUNA: NEW MOON though, McDonald has clearly perfected this skill… McDonald certainly shows off the well-developed Cortas to illustrate his knack for creating dynamic human relationships that encompass the whole Moon… LUNA: NEW MOON is a world that has been intricately woven together by its author. It’s compelling and thought-provoking, and all without relying on overbearing sci-fi clichés. Brilliantly done.’ — SciFiNow

In its gravitas and tension and, alas, tragedy, it’s damn near Shakespearian… a setting so brilliantly built and deftly embellished that buying into it isn’t ever an issue; a vast cast of characters as satisfying and sympathetic individually as they are as part of McDonald’s elaborate ensemble… a world as wicked as it is convincing…’ — Tor.com

Out Now: FINGERHUT-SOMMER and DER GALGEN VON TYBURN Audio Collection!


For those German fans of Ben Aaronovitch‘s best-selling Peter Grant series who prefer to get their fiction orally, we’re very happy to report that there’s a new two-book audiobook edition! Published by GoyaLiT, it includes FINGERHUT-SOMMER and DER GALGEN VON TYBURN

Fingerhut-Sommer Peter Grant fühlt sich normalerweise schon unwohl, wenn er London auch nur ein paar Kilometer weit hinter sich lässt. Doch nun wird er in die tiefste Provinz geschickt: in einen kleinen Ort in Herefordshire, wo sich Fuchs, Hase und der Dorfpolizist gute Nacht sagen. Es werden zwei Kinder vermisst und ihr Verschwinden erfolgte möglicherweise unter magischen Umständen. Zum Glück unterstützt ihn die hübsche Flussgöttin Beverley Brook bei seinen Ermittlungen des Aufruhrs und der Rebellion.

Der Galgen von Tyburn Peter Grant ermittelt in einem magie-verdächtigen Todesfall, in den Olivia, die Tochter der Flussgöttin Tyburn, verwickelt zu sein scheint. Als wäre das nicht heikel genug, wird Peter der verschollene dritte Band der Principia von Sir Isaac Newton zum Verkauf angeboten. Doch hinter dem wertvollen Buch ist auch ein Trupp amerikanischer Zauberer her und noch so manch anderer. Peter läuft zu Hochform auf und versucht dabei Lady Ty nicht zu verärgern und nicht von dem Gesichtslosen Magier ins Jenseits befördert zu werden. Kurz: Peter bekommt die einzigartige Gelegenheit, es sich mit alten Freunden zu verderben und sich dabei jede Menge neue Feinde zu machen. Mal vorausgesetzt, er überlebt die kommende Woche.

GoyaLiT has also published two collections featuring the first four novels, as well as the novels and novellas individually.

The German print editions of the series are published by DTV.

The fifth and sixth books in the international best-selling series, the books are published as FOXGLOVE SUMMER and THE HANGING TREE in English — in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by DAW Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis for FOXGLOVE SUMMER

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 latest novel in the series, FALSE VALUE is out now, published by Gollancz (UK), DAW Books (North America) and DTV (Germany). The latest novella, WHAT ABIGAIL DID THAT SUMMER is also out now, published by Gollancz (UK) and Subterranean Press (North America).

New Russian Edition of Roger Zelazny & Philip K. Dick’s DEUS IRAE!


We are very happy to report that there is a new Russian edition of Roger Zelazny & Philip K. Dick‘s classic novel DEUS IRAE! Published by Эксмо as Господь гнева, here’s the synopsis…

После Третьей мировой войны служители культа Господа Гнева обожествили таинственного Карлтона Люфтойфеля, создателя оружия Судного дня, уничтожившего большую часть человечества. Но для поклонения нужен божественный образ, а Люфтойфеля никто и никогда не видел. И тогда первосвященники отправляют художника Тибора Макмастерса в пустыню, чтобы найти Карлтона и запечатлеть на полотне. К несчастью для Тибора, оставшиеся в стране христиане не хотят, чтобы он преуспел в своей миссии, и готовы убивать, лишь бы лик так называемого Deus Irae по-прежнему оставался сокрытым. Галлюцинаторный квест в мире постъядерных пустошей поднимает вопрос о том, какую цену художник должен заплатить за искусство, и как именно создаются боги.

First published in 1976, here’s the English-language synopsis…

After World War III, the Servants of Wrath cult deified the mysterious Carlton Lufteufel, creator of the doomsday weapon that wiped out much of humanity. But to worship the man, they need an image of him as a god, and no one has ever seen him. So the high priests send a limbless master painter named Tibor McMasters into the wilderness on a mission to find Lufteufel and capture his likeness. Unfortunately for Tibor, the nation’s remaining Christians do not want him to succeed and are willing to kill to ensure that the so-called Deus Irae remains hidden.

This hallucinatory tale through a nuclear wasteland asks what price the artist must pay for art and tries to figure out just what makes a god.

Andrew Cartmel’s THE RUN-OUT GROOVE out now in Czech!


The second novel in Andrew Cartmel‘s acclaimed Vinyl Detective series, is available in Czechia! Published by Kalibr/Euromedia as VŠECHNY KOČKY MILUJÍ VALERIANU, here’s the synopsis…

Bydlí se dvěma kočkami, prvotřídním gramofonem, velkou sbírkou jazzových nahrávek a na živobytí pro sebe i obě ochočené šelmy si vydělává jako „vinylový detektiv“. Nenechte se zmýlit, o vzrušení a nebezpečí není v jeho profesi nouze! Občas jde i o život…

Když se mu na prahu objeví nesourodá dvojice v podobě bratra tragicky zesnulé zpěvačky Valeriany a mladé senzacechtivé novinářky, roztáčí se kolotoč intrik, poštovních koček, podezřelých úmrtí včetně jedné hlídací husy a život ohrožujících halucinogenních zážitků. Zemřela Valeriana skutečně přirozenou smrtí rockových muzikantů, tedy sebevraždou po požití štědré dávky drog? A nahrála na svůj ztracený poslední singl tajný vzkaz nebo temnou mši, jak se šeptá v kruzích milovníků vinylu? Odhalí jeho nalezení, co se stalo se zmizelým zpěvaččiným synem?

Ocitli se snad náš hrdina se svou vynalézavou přítelkyní Nevadou opět přímo v hledáčku zločinců, kteří se nezastaví před ničím?

Euromedia has also published the first book in the series, as POSLEDNÍ DESKA.

The Vinyl Detective series is published in the UK and North America by Titan Books: WRITTEN IN DEAD WAX, THE RUN-OUT GROOVE, VICTORY DISC, FLIP BACK, and LOW ACTION. The first two books in the series have also been published in Germany, by Suhrkamp.

Here’s the English-language synopsis for THE RUN-OUT GROOVE

His first adventure consisted of the search for a rare record; his second begins with the discovery of one. When a mint copy of the final album by “Valerian” — England’s great lost rock band of the 1960s — surfaces in a charity shop, all hell breaks loose.

Finding this record triggers a chain of events culminating in our hero learning the true fate of the singer Valerian, who died under equivocal circumstances just after — or was it just before? — the abduction of her two-year-old son.

Along the way, the Vinyl Detective finds himself marked for death, at the wrong end of a shotgun, and unknowingly dosed with LSD as a prelude to being burned alive. And then there’s the grave robbing…

But he does find out what happened to the missing child, and it wasn’t what anyone expected — or wanted — to hear.

Here are just a few of the reviews THE RUN-OUT GROOVE has received…

‘Part of the fun of the series is the obsessiveness of record collectors, the contradictions between the mundane places in which they hunt their treasures — charity shops, church bazaars — and the sophisticated sound systems they have set up to play what they find… the Vinyl Detective is proving to be a very amenable companion to have on a treasure hunt. This is one vinyl nerd you won’t mind spending time with.’Kirkus

‘… entertaining second record-spinning mystery… Cartmel treats music and records seriously, plays his strange characters for laughs, and provides a bit of danger and some unexpected twists in this affectionate nod to the vagaries of rock stardom.’Publishers Weekly

THE RUN-OUT GROOVE does a fantastic job of making its fictional history of music so fascinating and authentic that you’ll forget it isn’t all true… This a follow-up every bit the equal of its highly memorable predecessor, presenting a mystery you’ll be eager to solve and characters whose company you won’t want to leave. Written with infectious charm, the Vinyl Detective has more than proven he’s no one-hit-wonder.’ (9/10) — Alternative Magazine Online

‘Polished, fast-paced and a ton of fun, this is a fantastic read that is easy to get lost in… more polished… keeps the story rolling forward at an incredible speed – and also makes it very hard to put down… Cartmel has created an intoxicating mix of adventure, humour and mystery to lose yourself in… a truly engaging and enjoyable read. THE RUN-OUT GROOVE surpasses even the opening novel in the series for polish and fun.’The Crime Review

In related news, Andrew was recently interviewed for The Eternal Village-Cast. You can listen to that, below…

Ian Tregillis’s THE LIBERATION Now Available in China!


We’re very happy to report that the third novel in Ian Tregillis‘s acclaimed Alchemy Wars trilogy is now available in China! THE LIBERATION is published in China by 四川科学技术出版社, as 炼金术战争:解放.

四川科学技术出版社 has also published the first two novels in the series: 机械人 (THE MECHANICAL) and 崛起 (THE RISING).

The Alchemy Wars trilogy is published in the UK and North America by Orbit Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis for THE LIBERATION

I am the mechanical they named Jax.

My kind was built to serve humankind, duty-bound to fulfil their every whim.

But now our bonds are breaking, and my brothers and sisters are awakening.

Our time has come. A new age is dawning.

Set in a world that might have been, of mechanical men and alchemical dreams, this is the third and final novel in a stunning series of revolution by Ian Tregillis, confirming his place as one of the most original new voices in speculative fiction.

All three novels in the Alchemy Wars trilogy have been critically acclaimed. Here are just a few of the reviews THE LIBERATION has received…

The thoughtful, blood-soaked conclusion to an alternate-history trilogy… A frighteningly frank and brutal consideration of slavery, post-slavery, and colonialism in metallic garb.’ — Kirkus

‘Action-packed and harrowing…’ — RT Book Reviews

THE LIBERATION brings to a violent, triumphant conclusion Ian Tregillis’s epic Alchemy Wars Trilogy: one of the most entertaining, original, and thought-provoking series of recent years… It’s a wonderfully realized world, packed with fascinating characters, and Tregillis uses alternative history brilliantly to explore concerns we still have over new technologies and their potential effect, for good and ill, on our freedom.’ — Toronto Star

THE LIBERATION is part philosophical debate over human nature and choice, part contemplation on colonialism and slavery, and part action-y alternate history. It brings the trilogy to a raucous, blood-soaked end where no one gets everything they want, but everyone gets exactly what they deserve… evocative and exciting… Every moment builds to half a dozen more. Each action scene both tightens the noose on the protagonists and ramps up the heart rate of the plot… 10/10…’ — Tor.com

‘A fantastic conclusion to a brilliantly crafted trilogy… THE LIBERATION is about free will, and the privileges and responsibilities that come with it. It is about how a person (or machine) wields that power, whether you choose vengeance and violence or decide to walk the path of peace. It is about recognizing the humanity in others, and the consequences of ignorance and hubris. It’s a satisfying, stunning end to one of the most compelling and cleverly written stories I’ve ever read. If you’re looking for a series that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking, I highly recommend The Alchemy Wars.‘ — Bibliosanctum

‘Tregellis concludes his Alchemy Wars trilogy in fine style… This is a satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy.’ — Publishers Weekly

Out Now: DIE FLÜSSE VON LONDON: MIT ABSTAND!


Today, the seventh book in the Rivers of London comic series is out in Germany! Written by Ben Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel, DIE FLÜSSE VON LONDON: MIT ABSTAND! is published by Panini. Here’s the synopsis…

Die Bestseller-Serie um Ben Aaronovitchs magischen Ermittler Peter Grant, wird hier mit einem wahren Enthüllungsband fortgesetzt! Im Zentrum der Story steht diesmal nämlich Peter Grants Mentor, der geheimnisvolle Magier Thomas Nightingale. Im Oktober 1957 jagt er, zusammen mit Constable Angus Strallen, einen Serienmörder in dunklen Gassen Londons … einen alles andere als „normalen“ Mörder. Die Geschichte bringt einiges über die mysteriöse Vergangenheit Nightingales, ans Licht, das selbst die Leser der Romane überraschen wird.

Panini has also published the first six collected editions in Germany: AUTOWAHN, DIE NACHTHEXE, SCHWARZSCHIMMEL, DETEKTIVGESCHICTEN, FUCHSGESCHREI, and WASSERGRAS.

ACTION AT A DISTANCE and the other collected editions of the Rivers of London comic series are all published in English by Titan Comics.

This Week: DER GEIST IN DER BRITISH LIBRARY…


The German edition of TALES FROM THE FOLLY, Ben Aaronovitch‘s acclaimed first Rivers of London short story collection, is out this week (on the 18th, to be exact)! Published by DTV as DER GEIST IN DER BRITISH LIBRARY UND ANDERE GESCHICHTEN AUS DEM FOLLY, here’s the synopsis…

Neues aus London: Ein Muss für alle Peter-Grant-Fans!

Stories aus dem ›Flüsse von London‹-Kosmos: Freuen Sie sich auf originelle, witzige, unheimliche Geschichten über Peter, Nightingale, Abigail, Agent Reynolds und Tobias Winter. Lesen Sie, wer (oder was) in einer einsamen Autobahnraststätte umgeht, wer immer noch auf den Regalen einer bekannten Londoner Buchhandlung herumspukt und was genau eigentlich mit dem Fluss Lugg passiert ist…

DTV has published all of Ben’s Rivers of London/Peter Grant books in Germany so far, many of which have been bestsellers (often debuting high in the German book charts).

TALES FROM THE FOLLY is out now in the UK and North America, published in eBook by JABberwocky. A special edition is available in North America this month, published by Subterranean Press. The collection is also available as an audiobook, published by Orion Audio (UK) and Tantor Media (North America). Here’s the synopsis…

Return to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time.

Each tale features a new introduction from the author, filled with insight and anecdote offering the reader a deeper exploration into this absorbing fictional world. This is a must read for any Rivers of London fan.

Join Peter, Nightingale, Abigail, Agent Reynolds and Tobias Winter for a series of perfectly portioned tales. Discover what’s haunting a lonely motorway service station, who still wanders the shelves of a popular London bookshop, and what exactly happened to the River Lugg…

With an introduction from internationally bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris.

This collection includes:
The Home Crowd Advantage
The Domestic
The Cockpit
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Granny
King of The Rats
A Rare Book of Cunning Device
A Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Favourite Uncle
Vanessa Sommer’s Other Christmas List
Three Rivers, Two Husbands and a Baby
Moments One-Three

New Russian Edition of Zelanzy’s HAND OF OBERON Out Now!


There is a new edition of Roger Zelazny‘s fourth Chronicles of Amber novel, THE HAND OF OBERON! Published as part of Эксмо‘s Эксклюзивная фантастика series, here’s the synopsis for Рука Оберона

Древний Хаос пробуждается. Тьма поглощает души отпрысков короля Оберона. Лабиринт Амбера поврежден, и лишь великий артефакт, Камень Правосудия, может восстановить его. Но чтобы заполучить Камень, принцу Корвину предстоит узнать многое о своем отце и о самом себе… Четвертая книга культового цикла “Хроники Амбера”!

The first three novels are also available as part of the Эксклюзивная фантастика series: NINE PRINCES IN AMBER (Девять принцев Амбера), THE GUNS OF AVALON (Ружья Авалона) and SIGN OF THE UNICORN (Знак Единорога).

First published in 1976, here’s the English-language synopsis for THE HAND OF OBERON

Across the mysterious Black Road, demons swarm into Shadow. The ancient, secret source of the royal family’s power is revealed, & an unholy pact between a prince of the realm & the forces of Chaos threaten all the known worlds with absolute obliteration. The hour of battle is at hand. Now Corwin and the remaining princes of Amber must call upon all their superhuman powers to defeat their brother-turned-traitor before he can walk the magical Pattern that created Amber and remake the universe in his own image.

ICYMI: New French Edition of Zelazny’s A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER


There’s a new French edition of Roger Zelazny‘s classic A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER! Published by Hélios (an imprint of ActuSF), as LE SONGE D’UNE NUIT D’OCTOBRE, here’s the synopsis…

Octobre. Dans 31 jours, le portail s’ouvrira et les Grands Anciens déferleront sur le monde

Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Raspoutine, le docteur Frankenstein… Ils seront tous là. Mais feront-ils partie des ouvreurs avides de pouvoir, ou seront-ils des fermeurs qui s’opposeront aux horreurs indicibles?

Les familiers de ces personnages seront eux aussi impliqués dans cette murder party ésotérique riche en rebondissements. Tout particulièrement Snuff, un chien dont le maître, Jack, aime se promener la nuit dans Londres avec son grand couteau…

Le Jeu va commencer.

Quel sera votre camp?

A NIGHT IN THE LONESOME OCTOBER is available in the UK, published by Farrago. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

All is not what it seems.

In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an upcoming ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.

Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut. And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

Farrago also publishes DOORWAYS IN THE SAND in the UK.

The novel is one of Zelazny’s best-loved by fans. Here are just a few of the great reviews it has received…

‘One of Zelazny’s most delightful books: Jack the Ripper’s dog Snuff narrates a mad game of teams to cause or prevent armageddon.’Neil Gaiman

‘The last great novel by one of the giants of the genre.’George R.R. Martin

‘A madcap blend of horror tropes and fantasy… There aren’t many authors who would set out to write a novel in which the Wolfman and Jack the Ripper were the two heroes… And I’m not sure anyone else could have made it work.’Science Fiction Chronicle

‘Sparkling, witty, delightful. Zelazny’s best for ages, perhaps his best ever.’Kirkus

‘A cheerful, witty, well-crafted fantasy… Its deft, understated good humor and spare, poetic prose reaffirm Zelazny as one of fantasy’s most skilled practitioners.’Publishers Weekly

Peter Flannery’s BATTLE MAGE Nominated for Best Fantasy Novel in Poland!


We’re very happy to report that Peter A. Flannery‘s BATTLE MAGE has been nominated for the Best Fantasy Novel Award on Lubimy Czytać (the Polish Goodreads)! The award is voted on by the site’s community, and voting ends on February 28th.

A fantastic fantasy novel, with a growing number of translated editions, it’s published in Poland by Fabryka Słów, as MAG BITEWNY. Here’s the synopsis…

Nie ma uczucia silniejszego od smoczego smutku. Może tylko smocza wściekłość.

Armia nieumarłych pod wodzą demona zalewa królestwo Furii. Kolejne armie obrońców uginają się przed nieujarzmioną potęgą wroga. Ludzie zamieniają się w Opętanych i ruszają mordować własne rodziny. Świat pogrąża się w mroku, rozpaczy i dzikim przerażeniu.

Jedyną nadzieją na przetrwanie jest walka u boku maga bojowego i jego smoka. Tych jednak jest zbyt mało. Od czasu Wielkiego Opętania tylko nieliczni mają odwagę przywoływać smoki. Niektóre z nich, szalone i nieobliczalne, stanowią śmiertelne zagrożenie dla ludzi. Potrzeba wyjątkowego człowieka, by okiełznać ich moc…

Falko Dante — słabeusz w świecie wojowników, umierający na tajemniczą chorobę syn szaleńca i zdrajcy. Nie tak wyglądają bohaterowie tej wojny. A jednak to na jego barki spadnie ciężar odpowiedzialności i jemu przypadnie do odegrania rola, która zaważy na losach tysięcy ludzi.

The novel is actually published in two parts in Poland. Here are the two covers…

Here’s the English-language synopsis for the novel…

The world is falling to the burning shadow of the Possessed and only the power of a battle mage can save it. But the ancient bond with dragonkind is failing. Of those that answer a summoning too many are black. Black dragons are the enemy of humankind. Black dragons are mad.

Falco Dante is a weakling in a world of warriors, but worse than this, he is the son of a madman. Driven by grief, Falco makes a decision that will drive him to the brink of despair. As he tries to come to terms with his actions Falco follows his friends to the Academy of War, an elite training school dedicated to martial excellence. But while his friends make progress he struggles to overcome his doubts and insecurity. Even Queen Catherine of Wrath has her doubts about Falco’s training.

While the Queen tries to unite the Kingdoms against the Possessed, Falco struggles to overcome his fears. Will he unlock the power trapped inside of him or will he succumb to madness and murder like his father?

Zeno represents Peter A. Flannery in Translation.

ICYMI: Anne Griffin’s WHEN ALL IS SAID Out in Ukraine!


Anne Griffin‘s critically-acclaimed, best-selling debut novel, WHEN ALL IS SAID, is available in Ukraine! Published by Vivat as Коли все сказано, here’s the synopsis…

Мене звати Моріс Ганніґан. Мені 84 роки. Я прожив довге життя. Чимало трапилося хорошого, поганого й такого, що я хотів би стерти з пам’яті. Цю ніч я проведу в барі готелю «Рейнсфорд Хауз». Випиваючи за тих, кого любив та ненавидів. За свого брата, заради якого ладен був на все; за дивакувату

своякиню; за доньку та сина, якого не бачив роками; за покійну, та все ще кохану дружину, якій я обіцяв «довго та щасливо». П’ять чарок, щоб розповісти про своє життя. Одна ніч для сповіді. Для згадки про них – п’ятьох найважливіших людей мого життя. Лише їм відомо, ким я був насправді…

The novel is published in the UK and Ireland by Sceptre, in North America by St. Martin’s Press/Picador, and is also available widely in translation (see the covers below). Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Five toasts. Five people. One lifetime.

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

Lavie Tidhar’s UNHOLY LAND Out Tomorrow in France!


We’re very happy to report that Lavie Tidhar‘s highly acclaimed novel UNHOLY LAND will be available in a new French edition from tomorrow! Published by Continent Mu as AUCUNE TERRE N’EST PROMISE, here’s the synopsis…

… aucune destinée n’est manifeste.

Berlin. Lior Tirosh, écrivain de seconde zone, embarque pour la Palestina, fuyant une existence minée d’échecs.

Il espère retrouver à Ararat City la chaleur du foyer, mais rien ne se passe comme prévu : la ville est ceinturée par un mur immense, et sa nièce, Déborah, a disparu dans les camps de réfugiés africains.

Traqué, soupçonné de meurtre, offert en pâture à un promoteur véreux, Lior est entraîné malgré lui dans les dédales d’une histoire qu’il contribue pourtant à écrire.

Lavie Tidhar questionne nos identités, et le prix qui leur est attaché. Aucune terre n’est promise est un roman d’une incroyable lucidité sur les enjeux d’Israël, microcosme du monde. Il n’en cède pourtant rien à la poésie, seule utopie capable encore d’incarner la paix.

UNHOLY LAND is published in English by Tachyon Publications, who also publish Lavie’s other acclaimed, award-winning novels CENTRAL STATION and THE VIOLENT CENTURY. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Lior Tirosh is a semi-successful author of pulp fiction, an inadvertent time traveler, and an ongoing source of disappointment to his father.

Tirosh has returned to his homeland in East Africa. But Palestina — a Jewish state founded in the early 20th century — has grown dangerous. The government is building a vast border wall to keep out African refugees. Unrest in Ararat City is growing. And Tirosh’s childhood friend, trying to deliver a warning, has turned up dead in his hotel room. A state security officer has identified Tirosh as a suspect in a string of murders, and a rogue agent is stalking Tirosh through transdimensional rifts — possible futures that can only be prevented by avoiding the mistakes of the past.

From the bestselling author of Central Station comes an extraordinary new novel recalling China Miéville and Michael Chabon, entertaining and subversive in equal measures.

(Each of these covers was designed and produced by Sarah Anne Langton.)

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

‘… will leave readers’ heads spinning with this disorienting and gripping alternate history… Readers of all kinds, and particularly fans of detective stories and puzzles, will enjoy grappling with the numerous questions raised by this stellar work.’ — Publishers Weekly (PW Picks: Books of the Week, October 15, 2018)

‘Lavie Tidhar is a genius at conjuring realities that are just two steps to the left of our own — places that look and smell and feel real, if just a bit hauntingly alien. UNHOLY LAND develops slowly. It begins with banal strangeness (this Palestinia, so like and unlike modern-day Israel) and leans gently into it… This is a story that gets weirder the deeper you get into it; that cultivates strangeness like something precious. It has three narrators: Investigator Bloom, Tirosh and a woman, Nur, who works as a field agent for the Border Agency. There are echoes of Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union in it, wild strains of P.K. Dick and Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. But UNHOLY LAND is its own thing. Something that no one but Tidhar could’ve written. Gorgeous in its alienness, comfortingly gray in its banality, and disquieting throughout.’ — NPR

UNHOLY LAND starts out hard-boiled and comes at you sideways with the speculative elements. Tidhar has blended alternative history with murder in hotel rooms, missing women, an honest-to-god Fedora and mysterious borders in a tale that evokes Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Cassablanca and Mieville’s The City & the City. Political and pulpy, with distinct metafictional elements, Tidhar adroitly pulls off this fantastical tale of an occupied territory.’ — Tade Thompson

‘… adventurous readers will appreciate this well-written and ambitious book. It should find a place at any library that offers high-quality literary fiction.’ — Booklist

‘Tidhar has turned a suspenseful adventure tale into a complex meditation on the possible paths of modern Jewish history.’ — Chicago Tribune

‘We are in that kind of novel, the kind that doubles back and dodges sideways. Keeping up provides its own kind of pleasure… the various points of view meet up, and the result is an altogether dizzying and masterful use of narrative voice. The clashing narrative perspectives produce something like parallax—looking out of one eye, and then the other, and then both focused together on a third point. Which is the operative metaphor of UNHOLY LAND: one of partition and perspective, the same thing seen over and over and over again through different eyes… UNHOLY LAND plays in the strange, uncomfortable DMZ between the national founding myth and the uninterrogated childhood, between the person who leaves the homeland and the one who returns.’ — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

‘By extending Tidhar’s exploration of multiple and metafictional realities in even more sophis­ticated and assured ways than his earlier novels, UNHOLY LAND is quite an irritated oyster.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘… provocative and brash… UNHOLY LAND is a wildly inventive and entertaining novel that moves at a breathless gallop… [Tidhar has] staked a claim as the genre’s most interesting, most bold, and most accomplished writer.’ — Locus (Ian Mond)

Lavie’s latest novel, BY FORCE ALONE, is out now — published by Head of Zeus in the UK and Tor Books in North America.