International Editions - Zeno Agency Ltd.

Aliette de Bodard nominated for Prix de l’Uchronie!

Posted on Monday, October 16th, 2017

THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS by Aliette de Bodard, the award-winning first novel in the Dominion of the Fallen series, has been nominated for the Prix de l’Uchronie! Published in France by Fleuve as LA CHUTE DE LA MAISON AUX FLÈCHES D’ARGENT, here’s the synopsis…

Paris n’est que ruines et décombres depuis la Grande Guerre magique qui a opposé les Maisons régnant sur la capitale. Et celles-ci n’ont pas été épargnées : elles ne sont plus que l’ombre de leur splendeur d’antan. La Maison aux Flèches d’Argent fut la plus puissante parmi toutes. Mais sa position est précaire dans l’équilibre fragile qui s’est instauré. Et en son coeur, au sein de Notre-Dame, une malédiction terrible est dissimulée, prête à se déchaîner sur elle.

Son destin est désormais lié à celui d’un jeune homme aux mystérieux pouvoirs et d’une nouvelle Déchue.

La puissante magie de l’ange suffira-t-elle à les sauver de la chute?

The winner of the award will be announced at Rencontres de l’Imaginaire de Sèvres, on November 25th.

THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS and its sequel, THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS are published in the UK by Gollancz and in the US by Roc Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Multi-award winning author Aliette de Bodard, brings her story of the War in Heaven to Paris, igniting the City of Light in a fantasy of divine power and deep conspiracy…

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

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

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

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

‘Will grab readers and force them to pay attention to the amazing writing and the phenomenal characters. de Bodard will sweep you up into the dark and dirty world Paris has become. The characters are very vivid and will stay with you until long after the last page, as each of them is fighting and longing for something. The writing style rendered the characters’ feelings and emotional turmoil beautifully. Watching Philippe and Isabelle work through their “connection” is fascinating and lovely. There’s so much going on, and every character has their own past, their own tragic history. It’s a whirlwind, it’s heartbreaking and it’s one of the best fantasy novels of 2015.’ — RT Book Reviews (Top Pick August 2015) on THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS

‘A gripping tragedy of forlorn individuals caught up in an angelic version of the Cold War… The story holds up well as a standalone, with clear possibilities but no pressing need for a sequel. De Bodard aptly mixes moral conflicts and the desperate need to survive in a fantastical spy thriller that reads like a hybrid of le Carré and Milton, all tinged with the melancholy of golden ages lost.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS

‘De Bodard… has spun a fascinating Paris of decay and cruelty. Phillippe is a marvel of a character, unreliable as a narrator but compelling in his flaws and his deep well of homesickness.’ — Library Journal (Starred Review) on THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS

‘A beautifully crafted novel full of complex characters, set in a post apocalyptic Paris – the image of which is truly haunting… vivid and fast-paced battles and intense political manoeuvrings… with carefully crafted characters both with layers and depth, De Bodard reflects the best and worst of human nature in her novel… an intriguing mystery, elegantly written… Something any avid fantasy reader with an open mind will devour!’ — Guardian on THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS

‘De Bodard’s writing is very precise, like a well-oiled machine. The tempo is piston perfect, with the prose style having a strong and steady rhythm throughout. The emotional journey is relatively predictable (especially when we get into a marriage sequence), but the narrative is not. In other words, you can pretty much tell that the big emotions are coming, but the how and the why is what keeps you on edge. This is not a villains book; this is a powerful sequel that shows us that the incredibly complex world of the last novel is even more involved than we first expected. Strong stuff which you won’t stop reading till the end.’ — Starburst on THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS

‘The author spins a tale that’s rich, emotional and gripping, and delivers that rare thing: a superior sequel… This is an incredibly rich novel. Even as the scheming, double-crossing and action set pieces unfold, the author never loses sight of the people whose lives are on the line… There’s just so much going on here: social commentary, myths and fairytales that often feel under-represented in genre fiction, a gripping genre adventure and an affecting love story. The author has gone from strength to strength and we can’t wait for this story to continue.’ — SciFi Now (5/5*) on THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS

‘Meddling gleefully in the affairs of devils and dragons, this affective sequel to 2015’s THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS touches the heart as often as it cuts throats… Having fully crafted her world, de Bodard is now completely in control: she can move swiftly from gentle poetic touches to bloody Grand Guignol gestures, and she sure-handedly holds the reader by exposing the vulnerabilities and needs that drive even the seemingly all-powerful figures of rebel angels and ancient serpents to surrender to a higher collective power. In this world lacking signs of heaven, redemptions are painful but possible.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS

Hebrew edition of CENTRAL STATION out now!

Posted on Thursday, October 12th, 2017

This week, Yaniv Publishing has published a Hebrew edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s award-winning, critically-acclaimed novel CENTRAL STATION! Published as תחנה מרכזית, 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.

CENTRAL STATION is published in English by Tachyon Publications. Here are just a few of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Tidhar’s prose draws the reader in, bringing this world to life with ease… Tidhar is reminiscent of an early William Gibson, not just in sharing that short and punchy style, but in his ability to create a world where the speculation is believable enough to fit seamlessly into the narrative; somehow, despite being set centuries into the future, it feels just around the corner… cement[s] Lavie Tidhar as one of science fiction’s great voices, an author who creates scenarios and characters that feel destined to become classics, ones that readers will be happy to revisit time and time again. It’s a compelling collection that mixes the epic and the intimate, one that succeeds at being profound, incredibly moving and, quite simply, stunning.’ (10/10) — Starburst

‘CENTRAL STATION is without question the best assemblage of short stories I’ve read in recent memory. Sublimely sensual, emotionally moreish, and composed with crystalline clarity irrespective of its incredible complexity.’ — Tor.com

‘[Tidhar] has created a textured and original future that echoes real historical and economic tensions while satisfying veteran readers with deliberate echoes of classic science fiction… Deeply humane.’ — Chicago Tribune

‘Magnificently blends literary and speculative elements in this streetwise mosaic novel set under the towering titular spaceport… Tidhar gleefully mixes classic SF concepts with prose styles and concepts that recall the best of world literature. The byways of Central Station ring with dusty life, like the bruising, bustling Cairo streets depicted by Naguib Mahfouz. Characters wrestle with problems of identity forged under systems of oppression, much as displaced Easterners and Westerners do in the novels of Orhan Pamuk. And yet this is unmistakably SF. Readers of all persuasions will be entranced.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.’ — NPR

‘The stories include some of Tidhar’s most beautiful prose, and his future Tel Aviv is among the most evocative settings in recent SF… Somehow, CENTRAL STATION combines a cultural sensibility too long invisible in SF with a sensibility which is nothing but classic SF, and the result is a rather elegant suite of tales.’ — Locus

CENTRAL STATION coming soon to Germany!

Posted on Friday, October 6th, 2017

Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed, multi-award winning novel CENTRAL STATION is due to be published in Germany in January 2018! To be published by Heyne, here’s the synopsis…

Die Menschheit ist ins All aufgebrochen. Der Mars wurde besiedelt, der Asteroidengürtel wird ausgebeutet, und virtuelle Spielewelten haben sich zu Paralleluniversen entwickelt. Die Menschheit ist fortschrittlicher, schillernder und kaputter denn je. In dieser Zukunft kommt Boris Chong nach langjähriger Abwesenheit vom Mars zurück auf die Erde zur Central Station — um einen seit Generationen andauernden Familienfluch abzuwenden, um einer alten Liebe wiederzubegegnen, und um vielleicht sein Schicksal zu finden.

The novel 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.

CENTRAL STATION coming soon in Czechia!

Posted on Friday, September 8th, 2017

Above you can see the striking cover for the Czech edition of Lavie Tidhar‘s critically-acclaimed CENTRAL STATION! Due to be published by Argo in December 2017, here’s the synopsis…

Celosvětová diaspora čtvrt milionů lidí žije u paty vesmírné stanice. Město bez pravidel bují doslova jako plevel. Život má pramalou cenu a data ještě menší. Když se Boris Chong vrátí z Marsu do Tel Avivu, rychle pozná, že se hodně věcí změnilo. Borisova bývalá milenka se stará o podivně povědomé dítě, které se dovede pouhým dotykem prstu napojit na datový proud. Borisova sestřenice je zamilovaná do robotnika – poškozeného kyborgovského vojáka, který taktak že nechodí žebrat o součástky. Borisův otec trpí smrtelným multigeneračním mozkovým morem. A hledaná datová upířice pronásledovala Borise až do míst, kam má zakázaný návrat. Nad těmi všemi se tyčí Centrální stanice, meziplanetární uzel, ve kterém se protíná všechno: konstantně se proměňující Tel Aviv; mocná virtuální kolbiště; a vesmírné kolonie, kam lidstvo prchlo před bídou a válkou. Propojení zajišťují „Druzí“: mocné mimozemské entity, které prostřednictvím Konverzace – pohyblivého, plynoucího proudu vědomí – právě zahajují nezvratnou změnu. U Centrální stanice se lidé a stroje se adaptují, vzkvétají… a dokonce se vyvíjejí

CENTRAL STATION is published in English by Tachyon Publications, and is also available in a special hardcover edition via PS Publishing. 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.

CENTRAL STATION has received a flood of praise since it was first published, winning the 2017 John W. Campbell Award, and it was in the running for both the Arthur C. Clarke Award and British Science Fiction Award. It was also an NPR Best Books of 2016, an Amazon Featured Monthly Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books, a Barnes and Noble Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2016, and was on the 2016 Locus Recommended Reading List.

‘Magnificently blends literary and speculative elements in this streetwise mosaic novel set under the towering titular spaceport… Tidhar gleefully mixes classic SF concepts with prose styles and concepts that recall the best of world literature. The byways of Central Station ring with dusty life, like the bruising, bustling Cairo streets depicted by Naguib Mahfouz. Characters wrestle with problems of identity forged under systems of oppression, much as displaced Easterners and Westerners do in the novels of Orhan Pamuk. And yet this is unmistakably SF. Readers of all persuasions will be entranced.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘A fascinating future glimpsed through the lens of a tight-knit community. Tidhar changes genres with every outing, but his astounding talents guarantee something new and compelling no matter the story he tells.’ — Library Journal (starred review)

‘Tidhar’s prose draws the reader in, bringing this world to life with ease… Not only intelligent, it’s emotional too, telling of loves lost and those only just begun, of those wishing to escape their past and those hoping to bring it back… Tidhar is reminiscent of an early William Gibson… cement[s] Lavie Tidhar as one of science fiction’s great voices… a compelling collection that mixes the epic and the intimate, one that succeeds at being profound, incredibly moving and, quite simply, stunning.’ (10/10) — Starburst

‘CENTRAL STATION is without question the best assemblage of short stories I’ve read in recent memory. Sublimely sensual, emotionally moreish, and composed with crystalline clarity irrespective of its incredible complexity.’ — Tor.com

‘[Tidhar] has created a textured and original future that echoes real historical and economic tensions while satisfying veteran readers with deliberate echoes of classic science fiction… Deeply humane.’ — Chicago Tribune

‘A fantastic mosaic novel.’ — New York Review of Science Fiction

Tomorrow, Roger Zelazny’s 24 (French) VIEWS OF MT. FUJI!

Posted on Wednesday, August 30th, 2017

Tomorrow, Bélial are due to publish Roger Zelazny‘s classic short novel 24 VIEWS OF MT. FUJI, BY HOKUSAI. Published in French as 24 VUES DU MONT FUJI, PAR HOKUSAI, here’s the synopsis…

Son époux est mort. Ou disons qu’en tout cas, il n’est plus en vie… Pour Mari, le temps du deuil est venu. Un double deuil… Armée d’un livre, Les Vues du mont Fuji, par Hokusai, elle se met dans les traces du célèbre peintre japonais afin de retrouver vingt-quatre des emplacements depuis lesquels l’artiste a représenté le volcan emblématique — autant de tableaux reproduits dans l’ouvrage. Un pèlerinage immersif, contemplatif, au cœur des ressorts symboliques de cette culture si particulière, un retour sur soi et son passé. Car il lui faut comprendre… et se préparer. Comprendre comment tout cela est arrivé. Se préparer à l’ultime confrontation. Car si son époux n’est plus en vie, il n’en est pourtant pas moins présent… Là. Quelque part. Dans un ailleurs digital. Omnipotent. Infrangible. Divin, pour ainsi dire…

The novella, first published in Asimov’s in July 1985, won the Hugo Award for Best Novella, and was nominated for the Nebula and Locus Best Novella Awards.

A widow makes a pilgrimage in Japan to some of the locations of Hokusai’s views of Mt. Fuji, ultimately attempting to confront her former husband who had become a nearly all-powerful digital being.

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

FOXGLOVE SUMMER coming soon in Czech!

Posted on Monday, August 28th, 2017

Above is the great Czech cover for Ben Aaronovitch‘s fifth Peter Grant novel, FOXGLOVE SUMMER. Due to be published by Argo as ZÁLUDNÉ IÉTO, here’s the synopsis…

Když se ve vesnici Rushpool v západní Anglii začnou pohřešovat dvě jedenáctileté dívky, konstábl Peter Grant musí vytáhnout paty z Londýna, aby zjistil, jestli se na jejich zmizení nepodílelo něco nadpřirozeného. Jde o rutinní opatření a Nightingale je přesvědčený, že Peter bude mít v případu do večera jasno. Jenže Peter lidi v nesnázích nikdy neopouští, takže i když neobjeví žádné zjevné stopy po magických aktivitách, nabídne místnímu policejnímu sboru své služby, neboť ví, že při pátrání po nezvěstných je potřeba každé volné ruky. Netrvá však dlouho a ocitá se ve zběsilém závodě s časem, ve světě, kde hranice mezi realitou a světem skřítků a víl nikdy nebyly prostupnější…

The book is scheduled for publication on October 19th. Argo has also published the first four novels in the series, and the Czech edition of the first Rivers of London comic series, BODY WORK.

FOXGLOVE SUMMER is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in the US by DAW Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

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

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

‘The main story functions as an interesting thriller, and the additional commentary on the way the UK handles major incidents like the disappearance of children is both thought-provoking and carefully handled… FOXGLOVE SUMMER is evocative, mysterious, engaging, and, mostly, enormous amounts of fun. Fans of the Peter Grant series will not be disappointed, and those new to the books should start with Rivers in London, safe in the knowledge that the sequels are just as good.’ — Starburst

‘Ben Aaronovitch is in top form in this fifth Peter Grant novel… 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)

‘[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

Germany’s REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS…

Posted on Friday, August 25th, 2017

Ben Aaronovitch‘s bestselling, fan-favourite Doctor Who novel, REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS, has been translated into German! Published by Bastei Lübbe as DIE HAND DES OMEGA, here’s the synopsis…

Nein, die Vergangenheit ist noch längst nicht abgeschlossen – und so kehrt der Siebte Doktor dorthin zurück, wo alles begann: an die Coal Hill School in London im Jahr 1963. Das letzte Mal, als er hier war, hat er etwas zurückgelassen: ein mächtiges Artefakt der Time Lords, der Schlüssel zu nichts Geringerem als dem Geheimnis der Zeitreisen. Kann der Doctor das Artefakt bergen, bevor zwei rivalisierende Fraktionen der Daleks es aufspüren? Und selbst wenn – wie will er verhindern, dass sich ganz London in ein Schlachtfeld verwandelt, sobald die Daleks aufeinandertreffen?

The novel is published in English by BBC Books. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind – a powerful Time Lord artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel. Can the Doctor retrieve it before two rival factions of Daleks track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a war zone as the Daleks meet in explosive confrontation?

Ben is also the author of the best-selling Peter Grant urban fantasy series, published in the UK by Gollancz, in Germany by DTV, and in the US by Del Rey (1-3) and DAW Books (4-6).

DINOSAUR KNIGHTS ride out in Brazil!

Posted on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

Victor Milán‘s DINOSAUR LORDS have been unleashed in Brazil! The second novel in the Dinosaur Lords series, it is published by Dark Side Books as OS CAVALEIROS DOS DINOSSAUROS. Here’s the synopsis…

O Paraíso é um mundo extenso, diversificado, muitas vezes cruel. Existem seres humanos no Paraíso, mas predominam os dinossauros: animais selvagens, monstros, animais de carga e de guerra. Cavaleiros blindados conduzem dinossauros para batalhar legiões de tricerátopos treinados pela guerra e suas equipes camponesas.

Karyl Bogomirsky é um cavaleiro que optou por reunir aqueles que buscam uma saída para a jornada de guerra e loucura. Mas o Império da Nuevaropa anunciou uma cruzada religiosa contra este reino pacífico e as pessoas que desejam viver em paz. Todos devem ser convertidos ou destruídos.

As coisas realmente desandam quando os temidos Anjos Cinzas, antiquadas armas dos deuses que criaram o Paraíso, surgem em cena após quase um milênio. Todos achavam que se tratava de fábulas para assustar crianças. Mas eles são muito reais. E vieram para livrar o mundo do pecado… incluindo todos os humanos que manifestaram esses vícios.

Dark Side Books has also published the first in the series, DINOSAUR LORDS — OS SENHORES DOS DINOSSAUROS.

DINOSAUR KNIGHTS is published in English by Tor Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Paradise is a sprawling, diverse, often cruel world. There are humans on Paradise but dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden, and of war. Armored knights ride dinosaurs to battle legions of war-trained Triceratops and their upstart peasant crews.

Karyl Bogomirsky is one such knight who has chosen to rally those who seek a way from the path of war and madness. The fact that the Empire has announced a religious crusade against this peaceful kingdom, the people who just wish to live in peace anathema, and they all are to be converted or destroyed doesn’t help him one bit.

Things really turn to mud when the dreaded Grey Angels, fabled ancient weapons of the Gods who created Paradise in the first place come on the scene after almost a millennia. Everyone thought that they were fables used to scare children. They are very much real.

And they have come to rid the world of sin… including all the humans who manifest those vices.

‘Milán continues writing terrific battle scenes that make full use of the knights’ saurian mounts. Those waiting for George R.R. Martin’s next book may find a new favorite in this explosive saga of brutal warfare and mythology come to life.’ — Publishers Weekly on DINOSAUR KNIGHTS

Zeno represents Victor Milán in translation, on behalf of Kay McCauley at Aurous, Inc.

Roger Zelazny’s BLOOD OF AMBER available now in Russia

Posted on Tuesday, August 15th, 2017

The Russian edition of Roger Zelazny‘s BLOOD OF AMBER is out now! Published by Эксмо as Кровь Амбера, here’s the synopsis…

Юный Мерлин — сын Корвина и Дары из Хаоса — продолжает разыскивать своего пропавшего отца, несмотря на то что кто-то пытается его убить. В этот раз юношу ждет еще более суровое испытание — он заточен в Хрустальном Гроте, где не может использовать магию…

BLOOD OF AMBER, the seventh novel in Zelazny’s classic Chronicles of Amber series, was first published in 1986. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Pursued by a fiendish enemy, Merle must battle through an intricate web of vengeance and murder that threatens more than the San Francisco Bay area. For Merle Corey of California is also Merlin, son of Corwin, vanished Prince of Amber; and the forces, seeking to destroy the royal house, have unleashed sorceries that can strike anywhere, especially at the very heart of Amber.

Эксмо have also published the first six novels in the series, and a selection of stand-alone novels.

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

France to see 24 VIEWS OF MT FUJI, by Zelazny!

Posted on Monday, August 7th, 2017

On August 31st, Roger Zelazny‘s 24 VIEWS OF MT FUJI, BY HOKUSAI is due to be released in France! Published by Le Bélial as 24 VUES DU MONT FUJI, PAR HOKUSAI, here’s the English-language synopsis…

A widow makes a pilgrimage in Japan to some of the locations of Hokusai‘s views of Mt. Fuji, ultimately attempting to confront her former husband who had become a nearly all–powerful digital being.

First published in 1985, the novella won the Hugo Award for Best Novella, and was nominated for Nebula and Locus best novella wards. The novella is published as part of Bélial’s Une Heure-Lumière collection, which also includes Ian R. MacLeod‘s POUMON VERT (BREATHMOSS).

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles Of Amber coming to Germany!

Posted on Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

Starting in October, Klett-Cotta will begin releasing Roger Zelazny‘s classic, beloved Chronicles of Amber series in Germany! The first five novels will be published one-per-month until February 2018:

NINE PRINCES OF AMBER — DIE NEUN PRINZEN VON AMBER (October 14th)
THE GUNS OF AVALON — DIE GEWEHRE VON AVALON (November 11th)
SIGN OF THE UNICORN — IM ZEICHEN DES EINHORNS (December 9th)
THE HAND OF OBERON — DIE HAND OBERONS (January 13th)
THE COURTS OF CHAOS — DIE BURGEN DES CHAOS (February 10th)

Here is the synopsis for the first novel, DIE NEUN PRINZEN VON AMBER…

Nach einem Autounfall wacht Corwin, seiner Erinnerungen beraubt, in einer obskuren Klinik im Staate New York auf – er ist auf der Erde gestrandet, die zu den Schattenwelten gehört. Schnell findet Corwin heraus, dass er Teil der großen Königsfamilie von Amber ist, und er unternimmt alles, um in sein Reich zurückzukehren und seinen Bruder Eric vom Thron zu stürzen.

Prinz Corwin lebte nach einem Gedächtnisverlust über Jahrhunderte auf der Erde, ohne zu wissen, wer er ist. Als eines Tages ein Mitglied seiner Familie versucht, ihn zu töten, beginnt er, nach seiner Vergangenheit zu forschen.

Und so setzt er alles daran, in das Königreich Amber zurückzukehren. Bald schon erfährt er, dass seine Verwandtschaft über einige sehr ungewöhnliche Kräfte verfügt. Alle Nachfahren des Königshauses können zwischen Amber, den Schattenwelten und dem Chaos hin- und herreisen, indem sie die Realität manipulieren. Sie benutzen magische Spielkarten, um zu kommunizieren und sich an andere Orte zu versetzen. Aber vor allem sind sie alle in einen erbarmungslosen Kampf um den Thron verstrickt. Und nicht zuletzt muss das Geheimnis um das Verschwinden ihres königlichen Vaters Oberon aufgedeckt werden.

First published in 1970, here’s the English-language synopsis for NINE PRINCE IN AMBER…

Awakening in an Earth hospital unable to remember who he is or where he came from, Corwin is amazed to learn that he is one of the sons of Oberon, King of Amber, and is the rightful successor to the crown in a parallel world

Amber, the one real world, wherein all others, including our own Earth, are but Shadows. Amber burns in Corwin’s blood. Exiled on Shadow Earth for centuries, the prince is about to return to Amber to make a mad and desperate rush upon the throne.

From Arden to the blood-slippery Stairway into the Sea, the air is electrified with the powers of Eric, Random, Bleys, Caine, and all the princes of Amber whom Corwin must overcome. Yet, his savage path is blocked and guarded by eerie structures beyond imagining; impossible realities forged by demonic assassins and staggering horrors to challenge the might of Corwin’s superhuman fury.

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

Aliette de Bodard’s DAS HAUS DER GEBROCHENEN SCHWINGEN out now in Germany!

Posted on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017

Aliette de Bodard‘s award-winning THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS is out now in Germany! Published by Droemer Knaur as DAS HAUS DER GEBROCHENEN SCHWINGEN, here’s the synopsis…

Paris liegt nach dem großen magischen Krieg in Trümmern. Gefallene Engel kämpfen um die Herrschaft über die zerstörte Stadt. Noch steht Selene an der Spitze der Macht, doch seit dem Verschwinden ihres Mentors Lucifer Morningstar trachten andere nach ihrem Thron. Als ein tödlicher Fluch entfesselt wird, scheint Selenes Ende gekommen. Drei Außenseiter könnten ihre Rettung sein: der gefangene Magier Philippe, die junge Gefallene Isabelle und die Alchimistin Madeleine, deren menschlicher Körper abhängig ist von Engels-Essenz, einer zerstörerischen magischen Droge. Doch mit ihrem Wissen und ihren Fähigkeiten könnten sie Selene auch endgültig zu Fall bringen…

The first book in de Bodard’s Dominion of the Fallen series is published in the UK by Gollancz, and by Roc Books in the US. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

In the late twentieth century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins, the aftermath of a Great War between arcane powers. Those that survived the carnage still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.

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

Here are just a handful of the great reviews THE HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS has received so far…

‘Will grab readers and force them to pay attention to the amazing writing and the phenomenal characters. de Bodard will sweep you up into the dark and dirty world Paris has become. The characters are very vivid and will stay with you until long after the last page, as each of them is fighting and longing for something. The writing style rendered the characters’ feelings and emotional turmoil beautifully. Watching Philippe and Isabelle work through their “connection” is fascinating and lovely. There’s so much going on, and every character has their own past, their own tragic history. It’s a whirlwind, it’s heartbreaking and it’s one of the best fantasy novels of 2015.’ — RT Book Reviews (Top Pick August 2015)

‘A gripping tragedy of forlorn individuals caught up in an angelic version of the Cold War… The story holds up well as a standalone, with clear possibilities but no pressing need for a sequel. De Bodard aptly mixes moral conflicts and the desperate need to survive in a fantastical spy thriller that reads like a hybrid of le Carré and Milton, all tinged with the melancholy of golden ages lost.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

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

‘It’s a testament to De Bodard’s skills that we’re completely immersed in the world almost immediately, without her resorting to a ‘here’s what happened’ information splurge. None of the fallen angels can remember why it was that they fell from Heaven… the Paris of fallen angels that the author has created is so compelling… It’s brimming with ideas, some of which rush by so quickly that you might wish De Bodard had taken a little more time to explore them. This is a good problem to have though. It’s fascinating, moving and hugely readable.’ — SciFi Now

The second novel in the series, THE HOUSE OF BINDING THORNS, has also been published by Gollancz and Roc Books.

New Polish edition of CENTRAL STATION has arrived!

Posted on Wednesday, July 26th, 2017

Lavie Tidhar‘s John W. Campbell Award-winning CENTRAL STATION is now available in Polish! Published by Zysk as STACJA CENTRALNA, here’s the synopsis…

W mieście przyszłości pomiędzy Tel Awiwem a Jaffą powstał kosmoport, zamieszkany przez ćwierć miliona ludzi z całego świata. Stacja Centralna stanowi połączenie między nieustannie zmieniającą się Ziemią, ogromnym światem wirtualnym oraz koloniami kosmicznymi, do których przenieśli się ludzie uciekający przed nędzą i wojną.

Gdy Boris Chong wraca z Marsa na Ziemię, zastaje całkowity chaos. Jego była kochanka wychowuje dziwnie znajome dziecko, które potrafi jednym dotknięciem palca podłączyć się do strumienia danych umysłu. Jego podróżująca po kosmosie kuzynka zakochała się w robotniku, żołnierzu-cyborgu. Na domiar złego śledzi go nieobliczalna wampirzyca danych. A wszystko to łączą ze sobą Inni, obce istoty, których zmienny strumień świadomości jest początkiem nieodwracalnej zmiany…

W Stacji Centralnej ludzie i maszyny ciągle się adaptują i rozwijają, a nawet… ewoluują.

The novel, which has also been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, 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.

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

‘Magnificently blends literary and speculative elements in this streetwise mosaic novel set under the towering titular spaceport… Tidhar gleefully mixes classic SF concepts with prose styles and concepts that recall the best of world literature. The byways of Central Station ring with dusty life, like the bruising, bustling Cairo streets depicted by Naguib Mahfouz. Characters wrestle with problems of identity forged under systems of oppression, much as displaced Easterners and Westerners do in the novels of Orhan Pamuk. And yet this is unmistakably SF. Readers of all persuasions will be entranced.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

‘It is just this side of a masterpiece — short, restrained, lush — and the truest joy of it is in the way Tidhar scatters brilliant ideas like pennies on the sidewalk.’ — NPR

‘The stories include some of Tidhar’s most beautiful prose, and his future Tel Aviv is among the most evocative settings in recent SF… Somehow, CENTRAL STATION combines a cultural sensibility too long invisible in SF with a sensibility which is nothing but classic SF, and the result is a rather elegant suite of tales.’ — Locus

‘Tidhar’s prose draws the reader in, bringing this world to life with ease… Not only intelligent, it’s emotional too, telling of loves lost and those only just begun, of those wishing to escape their past and those hoping to bring it back… Tidhar is reminiscent of an early William Gibson… cement[s] Lavie Tidhar as one of science fiction’s great voices, an author who creates scenarios and characters that feel destined to become classics, ones that readers will be happy to revisit time and time again. It’s a compelling collection that mixes the epic and the intimate, one that succeeds at being profound, incredibly moving and, quite simply, stunning.’ (10/10) — Starburst

‘CENTRAL STATION is without question the best assemblage of short stories I’ve read in recent memory. Sublimely sensual, emotionally moreish, and composed with crystalline clarity irrespective of its incredible complexity.’ — Tor.com

Zelazny’s THE DREAM MASTER available now in Russia!

Posted on Wednesday, July 19th, 2017

Roger Zelazny‘s classic stand-alone novel THE DREAM MASTER is available in Russia again! Published by Эксмо as ТВОРЕЦ СНОВ, here’s the synopsis…

Чарльз Рендер — успешный врач-невроконтактор, он лечит самые запущенные случаи невроза, погружая своих пациентов в искусственный сон и создавая для них виртуальную реальность, в которой сам является активным участником. Однажды к нему обращается врач-психолог Эйлин Шеллот, слепая от рождения, с просьбой обучить ее невроконтактной терапии. Уступая ее молодости и красоте, Рендер соглашается, несмотря на огромный риск перенять ее психические заболевания…

THE DREAM MASTER was first published in 1966. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

His name is Charles Render, and he is a psychoanalyst, and a mechanic of dreams. A Shaper. In a warm womb of metal, his patients dream their neuroses, while Render, intricately connected to their brains, dreams with them, makes delicate adjustments, and ultimately explains and heals. Her name is Eileen Shallot, a resident in psychiatry. She wants desperately to become a Shaper, though she has been blind from birth. Together, they will explore the depths of the human mind — and the terrors that lurk therein.

Эксмо have published a wide range of Zelazny’s novels, now, including the classic Chronicles of Amber fantasy series. More details can be found here.

Zeno represents Roger Zelazny in translation, on behalf of the Zelazny Estate.

Lavie Tidhar’s OSAMA out now in Czech!

Posted on Tuesday, July 18th, 2017

Lavie Tidhar‘s World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA is now available in Czech! Published by Argo as USÁMA, here’s the synopsis…

Ve světě, kde žádný globální terorismus neexistuje, si neznámá kráska najme soukromého detektiva Joea, aby jí našel jistého muže – tajemného autora brakových románů s hlavním hrdinou jménem Usáma bin Ládin. Tak začíná Joeova cesta kolem světa, a jak se kolem něj utahuje smyčka nebezpečí a tajemství, začíná Joe sám pochybovat o tom, co je fikce a co realita. Odkud se berou uprchlíci, na které naráží v temných koutech nebezpečného světa? Jakou pravdu se dozví na kopci nad Kábulem? Lavie Tidhar v Usámovi brilantně zkoumá podvědomí světa po 11. září a s bravurou sobě vlastní v něm míchá prvky romanu noir, literatury faktu, alternativní historie i thrilleru. Výsledkem je znepokojivý, ale přesto neodolatelný portrét naší doby.

OSAMA is published in English by PS Publishing. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Lavie Tidhar was in Dar-es-Salaam during the American embassy bombings in 1998, and stayed in the same hotel as the Al Qaeda operatives in Nairobi. Since then he and his now-wife have narrowly avoided both the 2005 King’s Cross and 2004 Sinai attacks — experiences that led first to his memorable short story “My Travels with Al-Qaeda” and later to the creation of Osama.

In a world without global terrorism Joe, a private detective, is hired by a mysterious woman to find a man: the obscure author of pulp fiction novels featuring one Osama Bin Laden: Vigilante…

Joe’s quest to find the man takes him across the world, from the backwaters of Asia to the European Capitals of Paris and London, and as the mystery deepens around him there is one question he is trying hard not to ask: who is he, really, and how much of the books is fiction? Chased by unknown assailants, Joe’s identity slowly fragments as he discovers the shadowy world of the refugees, ghostly entities haunting the world in which he lives. Where do they come from? And what do they want? Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he’ll find in New York and, finally, on top a quiet hill above Kabul — nor for the choice he will at last have to make…

In Osama, Lavie Tidhar brilliantly delves into the post-9/11 global subconscious, mixing together elements of film noir, non-fiction, alternative history and international thriller to create an unsettling — yet utterly compelling — portrayal of our times.

Argo also publishes Tidhar’s award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING in Czech, as MUŽ LEŽÍ A SNÍ. This novel is published by Hodder in the UK and Melville House in the US. Argo are also due to publish Lavie’s latest book, CENTRAL STATION, later this year — it is available now in English, published by Tachyon Publications.