JABberwocky eBook Program - Zeno Agency Ltd.

New Lavie Tidhar StoryBundle Now Available!

Posted on Friday, June 10th, 2022

Continuing our rather Lavie Tidhar-themed week, there is a new StoryBundle available featuring up to 12 of the author’s books! Comprised of a collection of award-winning novels and novellas, available individually via Tachyon Publications and the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s what Lavie had to say about the bundle…

The real streets of Central Station in Tel Aviv inspired the novel of that name. Living on the Mekong in Vientiane inspired much of the atmosphere of GOREL & THE POT-BELLIED GOD, and a fascination with the game of poker led to the writing of THE BIG BLIND.

The world of UNHOLY LAND was much informed by the years I spent in south and east Africa, just as my adopted home city of London was a fundamental character in THE VIOLENT CENTURY and THE VANISHING KIND.

But I cannot, in truth, claim ever to have lived in the Doinklands of THE ESCAPEMENT.

These are some of my favourite novels and novellas of the past decade or so. I wrote them variously in Laos, in Israel, in Vanuatu and in London. A key part of UNHOLY LAND was written in Korea, at the Toji Cultural Centre whose founder, the author Pak Kyongni, inspired in turn the writing of NEW ATLANTIS.

The bundle includes my earliest novella, AN OCCUPATION OF ANGELS, with a brand-new edition and a cover by artist Paul McCaffrey, who worked with me on the graphic novel Adler. It also includes an exclusive sampler of my latest work, the forthcoming SF novel NEOM, which was inspired by my visits to Egypt over the years, and my dreams of what lay on the other side of the Red Sea.

When you buy the bundle, you will also have a chance to donate a portion of the proceeds to The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees!

The novel NEOM is Lavie’s latest novel, which is due to be published by Tachyon Publications in November 2022 — the bundle includes an exclusive teaser as a bonus. Here’s the synopsis…

The city known as Neom is many things to many beings, human or otherwise. Neom is a tech wonderland for the rich and beautiful; an urban sprawl along the Red Sea; and a port of call between Earth and the stars.

In the desert, young orphan Saleh has joined a caravan, hoping to earn his passage off-world from Central Station. But the desert is full of mechanical artefacts, some unexplained and some unexploded. Recently, a wry, unnamed robot has unearthed one of the region’s biggest mysteries: the vestiges of a golden man.

In Neom, childhood affection is rekindling between loyal shurta-officer Nasir and hardworking flower-seller Mariam. But Nasu, a deadly terrorartist, has come to the city with missing memories and unfinished business.

Just one robot can change a city’s destiny with a single rose — especially when that robot is in search of lost love.

The Bundle is live/available for the rest of June.

AN OCCUPATION OF ANGELS by Lavie Tidhar is out now!

Posted on Tuesday, June 7th, 2022

Lavie Tidhar‘s novella AN OCCUPATION OF ANGELS is out now! Published by JABberwocky, it is available as an eBook and print on demand. Here’s the synopsis…

A British secret agent is caught in a plot to assassinate archangels who settled Earth after WWII in this classic thriller from the World Fantasy Award winning author!

In 1945, the Archangels materialised over the battlefields of Europe, ushering in a new Cold War. Fifty years later, they are being killed off… one by one.

But who – or what – can kill an angel?

Killarney is a shadow executive for the Bureau, British Intelligence’s most secret organisation. She is the best – and she always works alone. Sent on a desperate mission to locate a missing cryptographer who may prove the key to the murders, Killarney finds herself running for her life, from London to Paris to Moscow, leading to a confrontation with a very human evil in the frozen wastelands of Novosibirsk.

Plagued by dreams of a different world, and haunted by a swastika adorned with angel wings, it could take all of Killarney’s resources to survive, when Heaven itself may be threatened, and God herself may be walking the earth…

‘Sharp, brutal, cool — yet also stunningly imaginative and perfectly realised.’ — Michael Marshall, bestselling author of The Straw Men trilogy

Ian McDonald’s Award-Winning CYBERABAD DAYS Out Now in Italy!

Posted on Tuesday, February 15th, 2022

Ian McDonald‘s Philip K. Dick Award-winning CYBERABAD DAYS is now available in Italy! Published by Urania as I GIORNI DI CYBERABAD, here’s the synopsis…

“I giorni di Cyberabad” è una raccolta di sette racconti ambientati nell’India del futuro.

Cyberabad, fratturata in una dozzina di staterelli in guerra tra loro, è una terra traboccante di affascinanti contraddizioni, che spaziano dall’estrema povertà alle più innovative tecnologie, dalla siccità dilagante alle piscine lussuose, da antiche credenze a nuovi sgargianti orizzonti sul futuro dell’umanità.

E mentre un ragazzino di Ahraura sogna di diventare un robotwallah e poter pilotare un bot da guerra nel conflitto che si abbatte sul suo villaggio, il figlioletto di un ingegnere americano sgattaiola fuori dalle alte mura dell’Accantonamento per sbirciare quel mondo esterno e tanto estraneo, come un Siddharta in miniatura, immergendosi in una cultura per lui aliena, che sulle sponde del fiume Gange mescola i colori della vita e della morte in modi inimmaginabili, avvolti in una accecante quanto struggente bellezza.

Allo stesso modo, la solitudine di una innocente dea bambina, scongiurata da folle adoranti di far scendere la pioggia su un mondo flagellato dalla siccità e dai cambiamenti climatici, è fin troppo simile a quella provata dall’unica figlia di una ricca e potente dinastia che l’acqua la controlla, e che ha trasformato la bambina in un’arma contro la famiglia rivale.

Tra IA di contrabbando e una nuova casta di brahmini geneticamente modificati, ogni racconto si schiude e richiude come un fiore di loto, una carezza e un pugno al tempo stesso, nel drammatico chiaroscuro di tradizione e futuro tracciato dalla penna di uno dei migliori scrittori di fantascienza del nostro tempo.

Ecco i titoli dei racconti contenuti nel volume:

- “Sanjeev e i robotwallah”
- “Kyle incontra il fiume”
- “L’assassino di polvere”
- “Un buon partito”
- “La piccola dea”
- “La moglie del djinn”
- “Vishnu e il circo dei gatti”

CYBERABAD DAYS, the second novel in McDonald’s India 2047 duology (the first is RIVER OF GODS), is published in the UK by Gollancz, and in North America by JABberwocky. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

The world: ‘Cyberabad’ is the India of 2047, a new, muscular superpower of one and a half billion people in an age of artificial intelligences, climate-change induced drought, water-wars, strange new genders, genetically improved children that age at half the rate of baseline humanity and a population where males out-number females four to one. India herself has fractured into a dozen states from Kerala to the headwaters of the Ganges in the Himalayas. Cyberabad is a collection of 7 stories:

- The Little Goddess. Hugo nominee Best Novella 2006. In near future Nepal, a child-goddess discovers what lies on the other side of godhood.
- The Djinn’s Wife. Hugo nominee and BSFA short fiction winner 2007. A minor Delhi celebrity falls in love with an artificial intelligence but is it a marriage of heaven and hell?
- The Dust Assassin. Feuding Rajasthan water-rajas find that revenge is a slow, subtle process.
- Jasbir and Sujay go Shaadi. Love and marriage should be plain-sailing when your matchmaker is a soap-star artificial intelligence
- Sanjeev and Robotwallah. What happens to the boy-soldier roboteers when the war of Separation is over?
- Kyle meets the River. A young American in Varanas learns the true meaning of ‘nation building’ in the early days of a new country.
- Vishnu at the Cat Circus. A genetically improved ‘Brahmin’ child finds himself left behind as he grows through the final generation of humanity.

Here are some of the reviews CYBERABAD DAYS has received since it was first published, in 2009…

‘The sheer number of ideas and plotlines can sometimes make McDonald’s novels seems dense, but the stories here are sharp, focused and witty.’ — BBC Focus

‘McDonald’s partitioned India of 2047, which he returns to in the seven stories in CYBERABAD DAYS, is a heaving, complexly imagined society that is, helplessly of course, the work of a westerner.’ — Deathray

‘McDonald’s India engulfs you with an overwhelming, perfumed, stinky embrace. A hugely impressive collection. Seven nifty, witty stories.’ — SFX

‘He considers India’s political future as a rising superpower and the cold realities of ethnic and religious diversity turning hot and divisive, with obvious analogies to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. As with all short-story collections, some work better than others, but taken as whole, this is a fascinating read, rich in texture, imagery and language.’ — Dreamwatch Total Sci-Fi

‘All in all, CYBERABAD DAYS is a terrific book and a satisfying return to the world of RIVER OF GODS. Ian McDonald is a genius, pure and simple.’ — Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist

‘McDonald excels at conveying, in a gorgeous melange of sensory impressions, an India transformed by AIs, nanotech, robots and cybernetics: the subcontinent is chaotic and lurid, shot through with devotion to eternal Hindu gods and divided by internecine conflict. McDonald gives a refreshing take on the future from a non-western viewpoint.’ — Guardian

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

‘One of the great pleasures of science fiction is the escape it offers readers from commonplace, everyday surroundings into strange new worlds, and nobody does it better than Ian McDonald. Although CYBERABAD DAYS is set on Earth, and only a few decades into the future, McDonald’s vision of a newly repartitioned India, warring over water and at the cutting edge of technologies based on artificial intelligence, is practically hallucinogenic in style and intensity.’ — Times

Ian’s acclaimed latest series, Luna, is also published in the UK by Gollancz, is published in North America by Tor Books, and is available in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Below is a selection of covers for the various editions of NEW MOON, book one in the series…

Ian R. MacLeod’s AETHER UNIVERSE Novels Available in Poland!

Posted on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021

We’re very happy to announce that Ian R. MacLeod‘s acclaimed Aether Universe novels are available in Poland! Both novels — THE LIGHT AGES and THE HOUSE OF STORMS — are published by MAG, and out now. Read on for mored details.

THE LIGHT AGES (2003), the first novel in the series, was nominated for the World Fantasy Award, and was in third place for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It is published in Poland as WIEKI ŚWIATŁA (cover above)…

Najwybitniejsze dzieło nowego nurtu New Weird. Powieść inspirowana m.in. „Klubem Pickwicka” rozgrywa się w XIX w. w industrialnej Anglii w środowisku lewicowego proletariatu.

Ian MacLeod w „Wieku Światła” pokazuje wpływ magii na rewolucję industrialną i na proces demokratyzacji systemu władzy. Tylko, że MacLeod odrzuca wszystkie ograniczenia konwencji gatunku i sprowadza swoją magię do postaci eteru – kopaliny wydobywanej z ziemi jak kolejny surowiec naturalny. Wszelkie mechanizmy zmian społeczno-ekonomiczno-politycznych poddane są wpływom wynikającym z posiadania, i nie-posiadania tego surowca. System załamuje się gdy złoża się wyczerpują i na moment znowu podlega prawom Historii, aż do odkrycia nowych źródeł eteru. Magia powraca i wszystko ponownie zamiera.

THE LIGHT AGES is published in the UK and North America by JABberwocky. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Aether is industry, industry is magic and the Great Guilds rule the known world.

Raised amid the smokestacks, terraced houses and endless subterranean pounding of the aether engines of the Yorkshire town of Bracebridge, Robert Borrows is nevertheless convinced that life holds a greater destiny than merely working endless shifts for one of the Lesser Guilds. Then, on a day out with his mother to the strange gardens and weirdly encrusted towers of a remote mansion, he encounters a wizened changeling, and the young girl in her charge called Anna, and glimpses a world of wonder, mystery and surprise.

From then on, as he flees to London in the hope of escape and advancement, and explores its wide streets and dark alleys, and all the tiers of society from the lowest to the highest, he comes to realize that he holds the keys to secrets far bigger than even he imagined.

THE HOUSE OF STORMS, first published in 2005, is called DOM BURZ in Polish. Here’s the synopsis…

Mamy dziewięćdziesiąty dziewiąty rok Wieku Światła. Alice Meynell, wykorzystując wszystkie talenty pięknej kobiety oraz parę innych, bardziej tajemniczych, wywalczyła sobie tytuł arcycechmistrzyni Cechu Telegrafistów. Czyniła to wszystko z myślą o własnym rodzie – jednak jej jedyny syn, Ralph, od dzieciństwa cierpi na suchoty. Nie potrafią ich wyleczyć żadne znane w Europie lekarstwa, zaklęcia ani zabiegi.

W desperacji zawozi go do Invercombe na zachodnim wybrzeżu Anglii. Ma nadzieję, że Ralphowi pomoże ruch i czyste morskie powietrze. Lecz naprawdę pokłada mroczniejszą nadzieję w leżącej nieopodal, na odludziu, znanej niewielu krainie odmieńców: Einfell. Mieszka tam człowiek, który niegdyś ją kochał; teraz potwornie odmieniony przez magię. Alice odwiedza go i dobija targu o życie syna.

The second book in the series was also a contender for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Also available in the UK and North America via JABberwocky, here’s the English-language synopsis…

In the ninety-ninth year of the Age of Light, Alice Meynell has fought her way up to Greatgrandmistress of the Guild of Telegraphers, and is determined not to let even the consumption which is ravaging her son stand in the way. What follows, through a long, hot summer in the great house of Invercombe overlooking the Bristol Channel, changes not only their lives but those of everyone in England, and perhaps the whole known world.

The House of Storms follows on from double World Fantasy Award-winner Ian R MacLeod’s The Light Ages in creating a vividly three-dimensional vision of a landscape and a society both very like, but also wonderfully different from, our own. Part fantasy and part history, and filled with compelling characters and a deep sense of place, the story he tells is uniquely powerful and strange.

Here, too, is a selection of reviews the series has received…

‘… this beautifully written, complex fantasy novel… With its strong character development and gritty, alternate London, this book won’t attract fans of Robert Jordan or Terry Goodkind, but should hold great appeal to readers who love the more sophisticated fantasy of Michael Swanwick, John Crowley or even China Miéville.’ — Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) on THE LIGHT AGES

‘MacLeod’s triumphs come in various ways. First of all is the depth and consistency and physicality of his creation. The 300-year-old world of aetherish England is palpably real, encrusted with hoary traditions, ancient legends (the tale of a redeemer figure known as Goldenwhite is particularly significant, for Anna’s career will parallel Goldenwhite’s) and odd customs. Yet strange and beautiful and resonant as all these counterfactual adornments are, they are perfectly balanced by the things in common with our world: social climbing, Oedipal longings, the allure of the big city for the rural youth. In other words, MacLeod has succeed in fusing Great Expectations (1861) or Look Homeward, Angel (1929) with Peake’s exoticism, producing a book that is at once real literature and real fantasy, betraying neither tradition.’ — SciFi.com on THE LIGHT AGES

‘MacLeod’s descriptive powers are so effective that you can visualize every detail… [He] skillfully incorporates literary influences ranging from William Blake to Dickens to 1984 and the working class novels of the 1950s—and arrives at something original. Magical, visionary and enthralling, THE LIGHT AGES is award-winning stuff.’ — SFX

‘Totally convincing and vividly written, this book invests the dark streets of London with a magic the reader will never forget… a brilliant writer.’ — Tim Powers on THE LIGHT AGES

‘… Ian R MacLeod, a seasoned, gritty writer with a great depth of knowledge and understanding, who could teach us all a thing or two about writing a damn good tale… characters are well developed and interesting and, more importantly, highly believable and real. To me it was JG Ballard meets Robert Fripp. Intelligent and yet not pretentious, well written but not academic… It is a plot that is like a journey on British Rail – fraught with perils and dangers, but eventually getting you there… The House of Storms will not win prizes because no prize could do it justice… It is a monumental work of science fiction far superior to Asimov. MacLeod is set to become a writer of the magnitude of Dickens or Tolkien, yet I fear his work will not be truly appreciated for a generation to come.’ — Guardian on THE HOUSE OF STORMS

‘Ian MacLeod writes like an angel. It’s as simple as that. He strings together ideally chosen words into sentences that are variously lush, sparse, subtle, bold, joyous, mournful, comic or tragic. These sentences mount into perfectly balanced paragraphs, which in turn assemble themselves into poised and dramatically organic chapters. The reader is carried along effortlessly on the flow of MacLeod’s prose, internalizing his vision as if in a dream.’ — SciFi.com on THE HOUSE OF STORMS

‘MacLeod’s ability to tell a tale that blends history-in-the-making with the stories of men and women who make that history renders this chronicle of love, war, and human aspiration a strong addition to any fantasy collection.’ — Library Journal on THE HOUSE OF STORMS

‘In the end, as compelling as the plot may be, readers will find themselves slowing down, holding back, turning the pages with deliberate care. For the world MacLeod creates, the characters who live there, the schemes and terrors they find themselves involved in are so real, so beautifully rendered, that readers will not want to leave them behind.’ — Interzone on THE HOUSE OF STORMS

THE LUNACY COMMISSION by Lavie Tidhar Out Now!

Posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2021

Lavie Tidhar‘s new short story collection, starring Wolf, THE LUNACY COMMISSION is out now! Published by JABberwocky, it is available in eBook and print-on-demand editions. Here’s the synopsis…

Lavie Tidhar’s ground-breaking, award winning novel A Man Lies Dreaming introduced Adolf Hitler as a down-at-heels private detective, forced to eke out a miserable living in 1930s London. Forgotten by history, the man now calling himself Wolf is the lowest of the low, suffering fresh humiliations at every turn.

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

Wolf is also the protagonist from Tidhar’s critically-acclaimed, award-winning A MAN LIES DREAMING, which is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus, on April 15th.

Both of the superb JABberwocky editions’ covers are by Sarah Anne Langton.

The eBook edition of THE LUNACY COMMISSION is available from all major retailers (POD edition via Amazon and Barnes & Noble):

UK: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google
US: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble
Canada: Kobo

Lavie Tidhar’s THE LUNACY COMMISSION pushed back to May 25th

Posted on Friday, March 26th, 2021

We wanted to provide an update regarding Lavie Tidhar‘s anticipated new book THE LUNACY COMMISSION. It was originally intended to be published on April 13th, but it has unfortunately been pushed back: JABberwocky are due to publish both the print-on-demand edition and eBook of the short story collection on May 25th.

Starring Wolf, from Tidhar’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING, here’s the synopsis…

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

The eBook edition can be pre-ordered from all major eBook retailers (and the print-on-demand from Amazon and Barnes & Noble):

UK: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google
US: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble
Canada: Kobo

A MAN LIES DREAMING is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will soon be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus, on April 15th.

The covers for the JABberwocky editions are both by Sarah Anne Langton.

Coming Soon: Lavie Tidhar’s THE LUNACY COMMISSION

Posted on Friday, February 19th, 2021

On April 13th, JABberwocky are due to publish a new collection of stories by Lavie Tidhar: THE LUNACY COMMISSION. Starring Wolf, from Tidhar’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed A MAN LIES DREAMING, here’s the synopsis…

Now Wolf is back, in five darkly comic new stories that see him take on blackmail, murder, and theft – not to mention his old comrades.

A brilliant alternate history noir with a heart, these stories are in turn shocking, horrifying and comic, as could only come from the mind of World Fantasy Award winner Lavie Tidhar.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is also published by JABberwocky in North America. The novel will soon be re-issued in the UK by Head of Zeus — we’ll share more information about this upcoming edition soon.

Both of these covers are by the superbly talented Sarah Anne Langton.

THE LUNACY COMMISSION is already up for pre-order, from the following eBook retailers:

UK: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google
US: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble
Canada: Kobo

Aliette de Bodard’s SEVEN OF INFINITIES out now in eBook!

Posted on Friday, December 18th, 2020

Calling all fans of Aliette de Bodard‘s award-nominated, critically-acclaimed Xuya Universe: the author’s latest novella in the setting, SEVEN OF INFINITIES is now available as an eBook outside of North America! Available from most major e-retailers, it’s published by JABberwocky. Here’s the synopsis…

On a string of orbitals called the Scattered Pearls Belt lives Sunless Woods — sentient spaceship, master of disguise, and master thief who chafes against the obscurity that comes with her retirement. There, too, lives Vân, a poor scholar with little confidence but plenty of heart, and whose income comes from tutoring a wealthy student.

Their lives are turned upside down when Vân finds a corpse in her student’s quarters and Sunless Woods, intrigued by Vân’s sense of justice, offers her help. Scholar and spaceship must chase the mystery around the empire’s forgotten edge: from rundown teahouses to ascetic havens, and even in the wreck of a spaceship — and all the while, they begin to fall for each other in earnest. But the secrets they’ve kept from each other are large and devastating — will they and their love survive the revelations?

The novella was originally published by Subterranean Press, who released it as a limited edition hardcover and an eBook in the US. Subterranean Press has also published THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE (a Xuya novella) and OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT (a collection featuring some Xuya stories) in North America.

Both THE TEA MASTER AND THE DETECTIVE and OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT have also been published by JABberwocky outside of the US.

Here are just a few reviews that SEVEN OF INFINITIES has received so far…

‘With this lush, immersive sci-fi tale, de Bodard (The House of Sundering Flames) delves into a world as gritty as it is ethereal… [R]eaders will be swept away by the vivid prose, intrigue, and romance of this intricate tale. This fascinating, unusual story is sure to entrance.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘SEVEN OF INFINITIES is a novella concerned with forgiveness, deserved or not, about cages, self-made or otherwise. It concerns itself with growth, with grace, with ruthlessness and its costs and consequences. It’s a tightly written jewel of a story, intense and full of feeling, and I recommend it highly.’ — Locus (Liz Bourke)

‘A magnificent sf mystery, nuanced, intense, and romantic, with a complex, clever plot nested inside de Bodard’s rich, evocative, and vivid Xuya universe.’ — Kate Elliott, author of Unconquerable Sun and Cold Magic

Ben Aaronovitch’s TALES FROM THE FOLLY is on Sale this Month in North America!

Posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2020

Ben Aaronovitch‘s new collection of short stories set in the Rivers of London world is on sale in North America this month! It is discounted for all of November from Amazon US and Canada, to just $1.99.

The collection is published in North America by JABberwocky. 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

The collection is also available as an audiobook, published by Tantor in North America, and Orion in the UK.

The Rivers of London books are published in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas). The books are published in the UK by Gollancz, and are also available in a growing number of translated editions.

Series Spotlight: Freda Warrington’s AETHERIAL TALES Trilogy

Posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2020

Today, we wanted to draw your attention to the Freda Warrington‘s acclaimed Aetherial Tales trilogy: ELFLAND, MIDSUMMER NIGHT and THE GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS.

The trilogy was recently re-issued as eBooks, by JABberwocky (covers above); and is also available as audiobooks, published by Audible, and narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies.

Here’s the synopsis for ELFLAND…

Rosie Fox is a daughter of Aetherials, an ancient race from the Spiral — the innermost realm of the Otherworld — who live secretly among us. Yet she and her kind are bereft of their origins, because on Earth, in a beautiful village named Cloudcroft, the Great Gates between worlds stand sealed.

Her parents, Auberon and Jessica, are the warm heart of her loving family. But on the hill lives the mysterious, aloof Lawrence Wilder, Gatekeeper to the inner realms. Tortured by private demons, he is beset by trouble on all sides; his wife has vanished and his sons Jon and Sam are bitter and damaged. Lawrence is duty-bound to throw open the Gates for the Night of the Summer Stars, a ritual granting Aetherials connection to their mystical heritage. But when he bars the Gates — haunted by fears of a deadly menace within the Spiral — he defies tradition and enrages the Aetherial community. What will become of them, starved of their essential life force? Is Lawrence betraying them — or protecting them?

Growing up amid this turmoil, Rosie and her brothers, along with Sam and Jon Wilder, resign themselves to living as humans. Yet they know their elders have denied them their birth right, harbouring dark secrets in a conspiracy of silence.

When Sam is imprisoned for an all-too-human crime, age-old wounds sunder the two families… yet Rosie is drawn into his web, even as she fears the passions awoken in her by the dangerous Wilder clan. Torn between duty and desire, between worlds, Rosie unwittingly precipitates a tragedy that compels her to journey into the Otherworld, where unknown terrors await. Accompanied by the one man most perilous to her, she must learn hard lessons about life and love in order to understand her Aetherial nature… and her role in the terrifying conflict to come.

Here’s just a small selection taken from the great reviews the series has received since the novels were first published (between 2009-13)…

‘… a distinctive spin on human/nonhuman relations in this sensuous, relationship-driven story… Solid wordplay, great pacing and a thrilling conclusion will definitely earn Warrington some new American fans.’ — Publishers Weekly on ELFLAND

‘This dreamlike, nuanced and sensual novel is reminiscent of the best of early Charles de Lint and is compulsively readable. Rose is a memorable, unique and wholly sympathetic protagonist, and the supporting cast is equally well drawn. The story of Rose and Sam is compelling, enchanting and utterly enthralling. This is simply one of the best fantasy novels of the year.’ — RT Book Reviews on ELFLAND

‘ELFLAND… is an exhilarating, wondrous read. The scope of the imagination is breathtaking, as is Ms. Warrington’s evocative writing… a fabulous, remarkable, literary modern fairy tale. Absolutely recommended…’ — Book Smugglers

‘… unlike the urban fantasy books that have taken over most of the fantasy section, this is old school fantasy. Magic that’s full of awe and wonder. It reminds you why we love this kind of story in the first place… Each book [MIDSUMMER NIGHT and ELFLAND] is a stand-alone volume and an absolute delight… I have a lot of fun with the kinds of fantasy/supernatural books that dominate the field at the moment, but none of them can match a novel such as either of these two — for storytelling that takes you where you don’t expect to go, and for that exquisite sense of wonder that makes the heart of this old reader sing.’ — Charles de Lint

‘… moody and spine-shivering sequel… Warrington doesn’t miss a beat with this sinister, ghostly tale of some of the darker aspects of the Aetherial world and its denizens’ dealings with humanity.’ — Publishers Weekly on MIDSUMMER NIGHT

‘This is the second book in Warrington’s Aetherial Tales series, and while it is only loosely connected to the first volume, it is every bit as evocative and compelling. Gill is an intelligent and prickly protagonist and the mystery at Cairndonan is one of family secrets, great art and magic.’ — RT Book Reviews on MIDSUMMER NIGHT

‘Freda Warrington deftly weaves together contemporary art and ageless magic in this vivid, atmospheric fantasy.’ — Tricia Sullivan on THE GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS

‘… A classy, beautifully rendered tale that persuasively builds from low-key beginnings into a complex enterprise with real heft, a rich back story and characters that grow with the narrative. A must for existing fans, while being easily accessible to newcomers.’ — Kirkus on THE GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS

‘I really loved it: great characters, terrific story, very moving and involving.’ — Kari Sperring on THE GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS

‘If Freda Warrington didn’t write, it would be a crime against humanity. This woman was born to write and tell stories and she does it incredibly well… Warrington has perfected atmosphere and her characters fairly jump off the pages… There’s romance, friendship, betrayal, growth, revelations and much more. Basically, it’s anything anyone could possibly want in a book… [Warrington] know[s] how to write an incredible story full of emotional drama, depth and amazing world building. Freda Warrington doesn’t just write urban fantasy. She’s mastered it.’ — Bookworm Blues on THE GRAIL OF THE SUMMER STARS

James P. Blaylock’s THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES Available as an Audiobook!

Posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2020

James P. Blaylock‘s third Langdon St. Ives novella, THE ADVENTURE OF THE RING OF STONES is now available as an audiobook! Published by Audible, here’s the synopsis…

A strange message summons Langdon St. Ives and his companions to the Half Toad Inn in Smithfield, London, and along with the eccentric but fabulously wealthy Gilbert Frobisher, they set out for an uncharted island in the Caribbean, carrying a map that promises a treasure that beggars description. What they find – a terrible, pagan god from the depths of the ocean – leads them back to London, carrying within the hold of Frobisher’s steam yacht a fearsome, tentacled menace that threatens to devastate London.

The first two Langdon St. Ives novellas are also available as audiobooks, published by Audible: THE EBB TIDE and THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS.

Blaylock’s Langdon St. Ives novellas (and short story collection) are published in the UK and eBook by JABberwocky, and in North America as hardcovers by Subterranean Press.

The four Langdon St. Ives novels are published in the UK and in North America by Titan Books: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYELSFORD SKULL, and BENEATH LONDON. All four novels are also available as audiobooks, published by Audible.

Kobo eBook Sale: Lavie Tidhar & Aliette de Bodard!

Posted on Friday, September 18th, 2020

Just a quick note to let everyone know that two of our clients have novellas included in Kobo’s current sale! Here are the details…

Lavie Tidhar‘s acclaimed MARTIAN SANDS is only $3.99 (US and Canada)…

1941: an hour before the attack on Pearl Harbour, a man from the future materialises in President Roosevelt’s office. His offer of military aid may cut the War and its pending atrocities short, and alter the course of the future…

The future: welcome to Mars, where the lives of three ordinary people become entwined in one dingy smokesbar the moment an assassin opens fire.

The target: the mysterious Bill Glimmung. But is Glimmung even real? The truth might just be found in the remote FDR Mountains, an empty place, apparently of no significance, but where digital intelligences may be about to bring to fruition a long-held dream of the stars…

Mixing mystery and science fiction, the Holocaust and the Mars of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and Philip K. Dick, Martian Sands is a story of both the past and future, of hope, and love, and of finding meaning—no matter where—or when—you are.

Here’s just a sample of reviews this great novella has received…

‘Feels more like early Kurt Vonnegut… both writers seem to channel the same prankster glee that covers deep despair. MARTIAN SANDS crackles with energy and life while poking at some big questions about the nature of reality.’ — Locus

‘A totally mad and very enjoyable book. The closest comparison I can think of is Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 – Tidhar does the same thing of taking a overwhelmingly serious subject (in this case the Holocaust; in Slaughterhouse 5, the bombing of Dresden) and applying to it a surreal and farcical lens – using humour to highlight tragedy, which is of course what the best theatre does.’ — E.J. Swift, author of OSIRIS

‘… the work of a serious writer who writes entertainingly, who can be funny, political, speculative, provocative and charming, all at the same time. I’m not going to pretend I understood everything that was going on in MARTIAN SANDS, especially towards the end… but I would love to read a sequel that was even weirder. Tidhar writes equally well in several genres; CLOUD PERMUTATIONS and GOREL & THE POT-BELLIED GOD were, I thought, both excellent, but so dissimilar that one would be hard-pressed without title pages to identify them as the product of a single author. It seemed to me when reading MARTIAN SANDS that for Tidhar “classic science fiction” in the style of Silverberg, Brunner and Dick’s novels of the sixties is just another genre to which he can turn his hand as ably as he does all the others. In some ways that’s almost galling (“Here’s a Hugo winner I made earlier!”), but I hope he does it again.’ — Theaker’s Quarterly

Aliette de Bodard‘s IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is only $2.99 (US)/$3.99 (Canada)…

In a ruined, devastated world, where the earth is poisoned and beings of nightmares roam the land…

A woman, betrayed, terrified, sold into indenture to pay her village’s debts and struggling to survive in a spirit world.

A dragon, among the last of her kind, cold and aloof but desperately trying to make a difference.

When failed scholar Yên is sold to Vu Côn, one of the last dragons walking the earth, she expects to be tortured or killed for Vu Côn’s amusement.

But Vu Côn, it turns out, has a use for Yên: she needs a scholar to tutor her two unruly children. She takes Yên back to her home, a vast, vertiginous palace-prison where every door can lead to death. Vu Côn seems stern and unbending, but as the days pass Yên comes to see her kinder and caring side. She finds herself dangerously attracted to the dragon who is her master and jailer. In the end, Yên will have to decide where her own happiness lies—and whether it will survive the revelation of Vu Côn’s dark, unspeakable secrets…

Here’s what others have said about IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE…

‘This intriguing, Sapphic, Vietnamese take on Beauty and the Beast is recommended for fans of De Bodard’s previous works or readers who enjoy diverse, lushly described fantasy.’ — Library Journal

‘De Bodard has taken the outline of a classic fable and turned it into a hall of mirrors as ravishing as it is disturbing.’ — Locus (Gary K. Wolfe)

‘I loved the worldbuilding throughout this story… a very enjoyable and often even soothing book, despite some fearful moments and emotional distress for the characters… I’ll follow [de Bodard] to whatever subgenre she wants to explore next.’ — Skiffy & Fanty

‘I always love a good re-imagining of my favourite fairy tale, and this one is exceptional—dark, ethereal, and enchanting.’ — Samantha Shannon

‘As a reframing of a classic fairy tale, IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE is subversive and bold; as a romance, it is tentative, touching, and sweet.’ — Barnes & Noble

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

Aliette’s latest book is SEVEN OF INFINITIES, the latest Xuya novella, published by Subterranean Press at the end of October.

Out Now: THE STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES!

Posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

We’re very happy to share the news that a new Langdon St. Ives short story collection by James P. Blaylock is available as an eBook! THE STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES is published via the JABberwocky eBook Program, here’s the synopsis…

Within this volume lie the complete Steampunk short stories of Professor Langdon St. Ives, Victorian adventurer, written by avowed Steampunk Legend, James P. Blaylock.

St. Ives, traveler through time and space and an often misunderstood member of the Explorers Club and the Royal Society, has trodden the foggy London streets and Thames-side alleyways for decades, caught up in near-death adventures in pursuit of nefarious villains and obscure knowledge.

In the pages of this chronicle, the intrepid Professor and his stalwart friends face down strange enemies and avert catastrophes that the world scarcely knows exist, finding themselves stalked through the idol-infested jungles of Borneo, set adrift in the starlit reaches of outer space, plunged into the infamous “barrel madness” that descended upon London in the late 18th century, and wandering in a past-and-future age when they stumble upon a time portal in the midst of ancient standing stones in the idyllic Kent countryside.

Here’s the table of contents:

Introduction
THE APE-BOX AFFAIR (the first modern Steampunk story!)
THE IDOL’S EYE
LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE
TWO VIEWS OF A CAVE PAINTING
THE HOLE IN SPACE
THE HERE-AND-THEREIANS
EARTHBOUND THINGS

JABberwocky has published five of Blaylock’s Langdon St. Ives novellas in eBook: THE EBB TIDE, THE AFFAIR OF THE CHALK CLIFFS, THE ADVENTURES OF THE RING OF STONES, RIVER’S EDGE, and THE GOBBLIN’ SOCIETY. (A whole host of Blaylock’s classic novels and short story collections are also published by JABberwocky in eBook.)

The Langdon St. Ives novellas (and a host of other titles) are published in North America by Subterranean Press. THE STEAMPUNK ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES includes stories that were first published in hardcover by Subterranean Press in THE ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES (2008) and THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LANGDON ST. IVES (2016).

The four Langdon St. Ives novels are published in the UK and in North America by Titan Books: HOMUNCULUS, LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE, THE AYELSFORD SKULL, and BENEATH LONDON.

New Edition of Aliette de Bodard’s OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT out later this month!

Posted on Thursday, September 3rd, 2020

Published last year in North America by Subterranean Press, Aliette de Bodard‘s acclaimed and Locus Award-nominated collection, OF WARS, AND MEMORIES, AND STARLIGHT is going to be available more widely later this month! The new edition, published by JABberwocky and with a cover by Dirk Berger, will be available on September 30th in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. Here’s the synopsis…

A stunning and vibrant collection from a rising star of the genre.

This collection of fourteen tales showcase the range and talent that garnered Aliette de Bodard multiple awards, from Nebulas to the Locus Award. From a dark Gothic Paris devastated by a magical war, where Fallen angels, dragons and magicians intrigue in the drawing rooms of ruined mansions; to the Vietnamese-tinged space opera universe of Xuya, where sentient spaceships become the heart and living memory of families and scholar-officials travel from planets to space stations.

In the Nebula award and Locus award winning “Immersion”, two women on a colonised space station grapple with loss of identity and culture. In the Hugo finalist “Children of Thorns, Children of Water”, a shapeshifting dragon on an infiltration mission to a ruined mansion must rescue his partner from creepy, child-like creatures. And in “A Salvaging of Ghosts,” a diver-scavenger cast off into deep spaces faces a dying midship and the ghost of her daughter. Unique to this collection is a new novella, “Of Birthdays, and Fungus, and Kindness”, set in Bodard’s alternative dark Paris.

Here are just a couple of great reviews the collection has received…

‘This stunning collection showcases de Bodard’s lush worldbuilding, meticulous research, and emotional prose.’ — Library Journal (starred review)

‘De Bodard… proves, again and again, that space opera can be intensely personal against its galactic backdrop…. The collection covers the consequences of war, survival in colonial culture, motherhood, mindships and space-travel, and aspects of grief.’ — Booklist

Here’s the Subterranean Press cover, because we like to take any excuse to share Aliette’s covers…

Ben Aaronovitch’s TALES FROM THE FOLLY out now as an Audiobook!

Posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2020

We’re very happy to report that TALES FROM THE FOLLY, Ben Aaronovitch‘s highly-anticipated short story collection set in the Rivers of London universe, is now available in the UK as an audiobook! Published by Orion, it is a must-listen for fans of Ben’s internationally best-selling and highly acclaimed series. The collection has a large cast of narrators — including Ben himself and long-time Rivers of London narrator Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, other narration is provided by Alex Kingston, Ben Elliot, Felix Grainger, Penelope Rawlins, Sam Peter Jackson, and Shvorne Marks.

Here’s the collection’s synopsis and table of contents…

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.

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

Available first as an eBook, published by JABberwocky in the UK and North America, there are plans for a print edition in the works, as well as audio editions for other territories/languages — we’ll share more information as we have it.

The Rivers of London/Peter Grant series — currently at eight novels and two novellas — is published in the UK by Gollancz; in North America by Del Rey (1-3), DAW Books (4-) and Subterranean Press (novellas); and widely in translation.