Tag: James P. Blaylock

Zeno Clients Getting Love in Best Of & Anticipated Posts

Posted on Saturday, December 21st, 2013

We’re delighted to report that many Zeno clients and their novels have been popping up in Best Of and Anticipated Books lists all over the internet! Naturally, we are in total agreement with these nods. We’ll share some of them on here, when possible.

Over on the Book Plank, James P. Blaylock‘s THE AYLESFORD SKULL (Titan Books) was selected as one of the best five steampunk novels of the year. In the same year-end post, Brandon Sanderson‘s THE RITHMATIST (Orion Children’s) and Ian McDonald‘s PLANESRUNNER (Jo Fletcher Books) were selected as two of the top five YA novels of the year.

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As well as recognition in 2013 lists, upcoming Zeno titles have been flagged as highly anticipated books of 2014. For example, A Fantastical Librarian selected Myke Cole‘s BREACH ZONE (Headline) and Tanya Huff‘s THE ENCHANTMENT EMPORIUM and THE WILD WAYS (Titan Books) as among their Most Anticipated 2014 fantasy novels.

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

Tim Powers & James Blaylock at Forbidden Planet Photos

Posted on Wednesday, November 20th, 2013

At the end of October and beginning of November, Zeno clients Tim Powers and James P. Blaylock were over in the UK for the first time in a number of years. While in London, Tim and Jim, as well as K.W. Jeter, were hosted by Forbidden Planet for a Masters of Steampunk event on October 26th. With the calm now settled post-WFC, and because we like to share evidence of our authors out in the world, we thought we’d post a couple of pictures from the event…

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The Three Masters of Steampunk – K.W. Jeter, Tim Powers, and James P. Blaylock

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The Mega-Signing

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While in the UK, Tim was also awarded a Children of the Night Award by the Dracula Society, for his novel HIDE ME AMONG THE GRAVES

[Photo Credits: Serena Powers]

 

Zeno at World Fantasy Con…

Posted on Monday, October 28th, 2013

WFC2013-BrightonWith World Fantasy Con in Brighton fast approaching, we thought it would be a good idea to share some details of our author’s participation. Over the course of the convention, a number of Zeno clients will be participating in panels and also holding readings. First up, here’s the schedule for the readings…

As for panels, we have the following…

Thursday, October 31st

3-4pm – Living in the Past: Writing Historical Fiction (Oxford)

4-5pm – The Landscape of the Fantastic (Cambridge)

  • Simon Kurt Unsworth, Ramsey Campbell, Jay Lake, Alison Littlewood, Adam Nevill (mod.), Samantha Shannon

Friday, November 1st

12-1pm – The Play’s the Thing: Style or Substance in Fiction? (Hall 4)

  • Ian R. MacLeod, Pat Cadigan (mod.), Jack Dann, Ellen Kushner, Geoff Ryman, Lisa Tuttle

2-3pm – Fangs for the Memory: Have Vampires Lost Their Bite? (Cambridge)

  • Freda Warrington, Simon Clark, Nancy Kilpatrick, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Kim Newman, Tina Rath (mod.)

Saturday, November 2nd

3-4pm – Steam Punk’d (Cambridge)

4-5pm – From ‘The Bowmen’ to The Angel of Mons – When Fantasy and Reality Merge (Cambridge)

  • Stephen Volk (mod.), Simon Clark, Tim Lebbon, Fiona McIntosh, Mark Valentine, Conrad Williams

8-9pm – The Thin White Baron: Peter Cushing @ 100 (Hall 4)

  • Anne Billson, Nancy Kilpatrick, Kim Newman, John Llewellyn Probert, Uwe Sommerlad, Stephen Volk (mod.)

Sunday, November 3rd

4:30-5:30pm – The Judges’ Decision is Final (Hall 4)

  • Matthew Hughes, Holly Black, Thomas Clegg, Lee Harris (mod.), Esther Sherman

And that’s all until next year!

James P. Blaylock WFC eBook Promotion!

Posted on Friday, October 25th, 2013

In celebration of James P. Blaylock‘s UK trip (his first in years!), we thought it would be a randomly nice idea to offer the eBooks of THE ELFIN SHIP and THIRTEEN PHANTASMS at a special low-price to readers in the US! Blaylock’s eBooks are published by the JABberwocky eBook program.

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THE ELFIN SHIP is Blaylock’s debut, originally published in 1982, and is the first novel in his Balumnia fantasy trilogy. It is followed by THE DISAPPEARING DWARF and also THE STONE GIANT (which is actually a prequel). Here is the synopsis for THE ELFIN SHIP…

Trading with the elves used to be so simple. Every year Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing would send his very best cheeses downriver to traders who would eventually return with Elfin wonders for the people of Twombly Town. But no more First the trading post at Willowood Station was mysteriously destroyed. Then a magical elfin airship began making forays overhead; Jonathan knew something was definitely amiss. So he set off downriver to deliver the cheeses himself, accompanied by the amazing Professor Wurzle, the irrepressible Dooly, and his faithful dog Ahab. It would have been a pleasant trip, if not for the weeping skeleton, mad goblins, magic coins, an evil dwarf, a cloak of invisibility – and a watch that stopped time. However, the return trip would not be so simple.

THIRTEEN PHANTASMS is a collection of short stories that shows Blaylock at his very best. We really can’t recommend this enough – for fans of Blaylock and the short story form.

The first short story collection from Philip K. Dick Award-winning author James Blaylock features sixteen thought-provoking forays into the fantastic-from a tale of alien influence on an ordinary neighbourhood to the story of one man’s self-destructive obsession with a dragon.

Both of these great titles will be $2.99 for a limited period only (the end of November) – a great way to try James’s beloved first fantasy series and his critically-acclaimed short fiction.

– THE ELFIN SHIP – Amazon iTunes Kobo B&N

– THIRTEEN PHANTASMS – Amazon iTunes (Kobo and B&N links on the way!)

Award Nomination for James P. Blaylock…

Posted on Tuesday, August 20th, 2013

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James P. Blaylock‘s excellent THE AYLESFORD SKULL, the latest novel in his Langdon St. Ives steampunk series, has been nominated for a 2013 Airship Award!

The nominees were solicited online from the steampunk world at large, and the pre-registered members of Steamcon V can now vote for the winners. Voting will end October 15th 2013. The awards will be presented to the winner the Airship Awards Banquet on Friday, October 25th, 2013 during the Steamcon V convention.

Many congratulations to James on this well-deserved nomination!

THE AYLESFORD SKULL was published by Titan Books earlier this year in the UK and US. Here’s the synopsis…

It is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer is at home in Aylesford with his family. However a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay, the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives.

When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race into London in pursuit…

Dirk Berger’s Covers for James P. Blaylock…

Posted on Tuesday, August 6th, 2013

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‘One of the first fantasy novels I read was Land of Dreams and it still is among my favourites – and most of the other James Blaylock books are, too.’ – Dirk Berger

It was perhaps inevitable, then, that Dirk Berger would do such a great job on the JABberwocky eBook covers for some of James P. Blaylock‘s novels. His website has samples of much of his work, and you also can find out more about his Blaylock covers, and the images he used to create them, right here. Below, a couple more examples…

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Reviews Round-Up #1… James P. Blaylock

Posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

These early months of 2013 see a number of big releases for Zeno clients. Plenty of coverage, including reviews and author interviews has been cropping up all over the internet, and so over the next few days and weeks we’ll be sharing the best of that coverage here on the Zeno site.

First up we have steampunk author extraordinaire (I’ve been proudly using the hashtag on twitter #steampunklegend, but it’s yet to catch on), James P. Blaylock.In January Titan Books released Blaylock’s first full length steampunk novel in twenty years, THE AYLESFORD SKULL – a brand new,  full-on, mad-cap adventure featuring Blaylock hero, Professor Langdon St. Ives.

Blaylock’s two other St. Ives novels – HOMUNCULUS (which won the prestigious Philip K. Dick award) and LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE – are to be reissued by Titan Books, making for a a very smart looking trio of classic steampunk titles. And these novels, especially the first, have been met with a slew of good reviews…

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SFX was particularly impressed with the finale of THE AYLESFORD SKULL, ‘which involves an airship, a thunderstorm, an unusually creative science experiment and… is real white-knuckled, edge of the seat stuff. This is steampunk at full power and it’s a heady, thrilling read as a result.‘ Their review continues, summing up the novel as…

‘Packed with high adventure, mad science and derring do, The Aylesford Skull is a perfect place to start the Langdon St Ives books and, with Titan re-releasing the other books in the series, there’s plenty to keep you and St Ives busy. Which is, I suspect, just how he likes it.’

SF Book Reviews also enjoyed THE AYLESFORD SKULL:

‘The more you read the more you come to appreciate this subtle Steampunk setting, including the well described juxtaposition of the class system that played a large part in Victorian era London. The gentile and elegant lives contrast sharply with the filthy streets and savage inhabitants of the grimy Spitalfields area creating a realistic edge that helps to ground the story… it’s a fast, rich and thoughtful thriller that is as different as it is clever and as bold as it is beautiful.’

To celebrate the release of these novels, Titan Books has sent Blaylock an extensive blog-tour. The tour has included a number of fascinating and fun interviews, including those at  SciFi-FX, ReaderDad, Borg.com, HorrorTalk, and this one here at Alastair Stuart’s Blog. And there are  further reviews of THE AYLESFORD SKULL on Nerd Cabinet, Geek Native, Curiosity of a Social Misfit, Revolution SF, Tattooed Book, and here.

And if all that fails to wet your appetite, visit the Daily Dead site where you’ll find an excerpt from the novel. What? Still here? Click the link, already!!!

Steampunk Master Returns!

Posted on Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

James P Blaylock, one of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of Steampunk, returns to the genre in his first full-length steampunk novel in over two decades… and what can we say except that it is well worth the wait!

THE AYLESFORD SKULL is published today by Titan Books. It features Blaylock’s evergreen hero, Langdon St. Ives pitted in a new adventure against his old nemesis the mad scientist, Dr. Ignacio Narbondo.

TAS coverIt is the summer of 1883 and Professor Langdon St. Ives brilliant but eccentric scientist and explorer is at home in Aylesford with his family. However a few miles to the north a steam launch has been taken by pirates above Egypt Bay, the crew murdered and pitched overboard. In Aylesford itself a grave is opened and possibly robbed of the skull. The suspected grave robber, the infamous Dr. Ignacio Narbondo, is an old nemesis of Langdon St. Ives. When Dr. Narbondo returns to kidnap his four-year-old son Eddie and then vanishes into the night, St. Ives and his factotum Hasbro race into London in pursuit…

io9 has an exclusive extract from the novel, and The Machine Stops has a fascinating in-depth interview with the author and be sure to check out brillaint Huffington Post article by Blaylock entitled ‘On Steampunk‘ in which he all but admits it’s all his fault!

Can you Hear Us? Yes You Can! Multiple Audible Deals…

Posted on Thursday, April 12th, 2012

We’re delighted to announce several recent sales to  Stacy Patton-Anderson at Audible.

First up, a slew of titles by Lavie Tidhar – including his PS Publishing novel OSAMA, a work that has been on everyone’s lips of late, not least because it was name-checked in Christopher Priest’s now infamous ranty  blog post as one of the titles (along with WAKE UP AND DREAM by fellow Zeno client, Ian R. MacLeod) that should have made this year’s Arthur C. Clarke award shortlist. We, of course, couldn’t possibly comment on this matter… except to say how absolutely correct Mr Priest is!

Along with OSAMA, Audible will also be releasing Lavie’s entire BOOKMAN trilogy in audio – THE BOOKMAN, CAMERA OBSCURA and the recently published THE GREAT GAME, and the final title in this superb batch is Lavie’s collaboration with fellow Israeli author Nir Yaniv, THE TEL-AVIV DOSSIER, a scarcer Tidhar title, originally published by Chizine Publications in Canada.

Joining Lavie at Audible is another client, Ian McDonald – himself often seen on awards and ‘best of’ shortlists. Audible will be publishing an audio edition of Ian’s THE DERVISH HOUSE, a novel that was nominated for last year’s Clarke and Hugo awards and which won the Campbell, the BSF and the SFSite poll. They will also be publishing BRASYL (also nominated for the Clarke) and RIVER OF GODS (nominated for the Clarke, Hugo and the Tiptree).

World Fantasy Award and Philip K. Dick award winner James P. Blaylock will see his new novel ZEUGLODON (to be published later this year by Subterranean) and also his classic work THE DIGGING LEVIATHAN published in audio.

And finally – very much in the sense of ‘at long last’ –  an author with too many award wins and nominations to list here, William Gibson. To accompany their release of Gibson’s new non-fiction collection DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOUR, Audible have acquired a number of backlist titles – namely NEUROMANCER, THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE, PATTERN RECOGNITION, SPOOK COUNTRY and ZERO HISTORY.

Happy listening!

Zeno Deals Round-Up…

Posted on Monday, September 5th, 2011

It’s been a busy time here at Zeno Towers, what with the recent Worldcon in Reno, the upcoming Fantasycon and World Fantasy Convention, plus one or two personal bits and bobs that JP and I have been catching up on… life, I think some people call it!

That notwithstanding, we’ve been beavering away and are delighted to announce a few deals that we’ve recently concluded…

  • James P. Blaylock‘s first novel length Steampunk story in twenty years has sold to Titan in a world English deal negotiated by John Berlyne. THE AYLESFORD SKULL, which features further  gaslight adventures of Langdon St. Ives and his nemesis Ignatio Narbondo will be published by Titan late next year or early 2013. A limited edition is also planned. In addition to THE AYLESFORD SKULL, Titan will also be re-issueing two Blaylock steampunk classics, the 1988 Philip K Dick Award winning HOMUNCULUS and also LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE. Audio rights for all three novels went to Stacy Patton Anderson at Audible.
  • Titan have also acquired world English rights (excluding India) to TURBULENCE and an UNTITLED sequel by Samit Basu. Publication is set for Feb 2012.
  • Audible will release an audiobook edition of Ian R. MacLeod‘s WAKE UP AND DREAM along with two earlier MacLeod novels THE SUMMER ISLES and THE GREAT WHEEL.
  • Audible also picked up audio rights to the third novel in Michael Cobley‘s HUMANITY’S FIRE series, THE ASCENDANT STARS. German rights for this title went to Heyne via Thomas Schluck.
  • Sheila Gilbert at DAW Books has acquired World English rights to  Kari Sperring‘s THE GRASS KING’S CONCUBINE and an UNTITLED sequel in a nice  deal negotiated by John Parker.
  • German rights to Freda Warrington’s ELFLAND sold to Carl Ueberreuter Verlag GMBH via Paul & Peter Fritz AG.
  • French rights to the first three novels in Ben Aaronovitch‘s best selling RIVERS OF LONDON series went to J’ai lu via Lora Fountain. Orion have sold rights to the series in Poland, Hungary and Italy.
  • Also via Lora Fountain, French rights to Ian McDonald‘s PLANESRUNNER sold to Gallimard Jeunesse.
  • The Library of America will publish the Algis Budrys‘ classic SF work WHO? as part of a reissue series to be edited by Gary K. Wolfe.
  • UK / British Commonwealth rights to a new graphic novel series by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden entitled CEMETERY GIRL went to Jo Fletcher at Jo Fletcher Books. Jo has also acquired three anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni P. Kelner.
  • US rights to Iain Sinclair‘s GHOST MILK and AMERICAN SMOKE went to Mitzi Angel at Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.
  • UK /British  Commonwealth rights to two brand new titles in Elizabeth Moon‘s PALADIN’S LEGACY series sold to Orbit.

And there are plenty more things in the pipeline! More in due course.

Subterranean Press Buys New Blaylock Novel…

Posted on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

Zeno Literary Agency is delighted to announce our first sale to Subterranean Press, who will publish James P. Blaylock‘s YA novel, ZEUGLODON in 2012, following a deal negotiated by John Berlyne.

‘A skeletal hand clutching an iron key lies hidden within a mermaid’s wooden sarcophagus; a hand-drawn map is stolen from beneath the floorboards of an old museum; an eccentric sleeping inventor dreams of a locked passage to the centre of the hollow earth, and by dreaming of the passage, brings it into being…

Pursued by kidnappers thinking of riches and murder, Katherine Perkins and her two cousins, junior members of The Guild of St. George, must descend into the depths of the earth in order to return the Sleeper to his ancestral home on the shores of Lake Windermere.  But to awaken him would mean the end of the dream, the closing of the passage, and the three intrepid explorers marooned in a savage land forgotten by time itself…’

Subterranean have a long and fruitful relationship with Blaylock having for some years published a good deal of his work in beautiful premium, collectable editions. Bill Schafer says “We at SubPress are more than pleased to add that most Blaylockian of novels, ZEUGLODON, to our schedule next year. It’s vintage James P. Blaylock, set on the same fictional map as his classic novel, THE DIGGING LEVIATHAN, with all the mystery, charm, and whimsy one could want.“

New Client – James P. Blaylock

Posted on Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Zeno Agency is delighted to announce that we now represent multi-award winning fantasy author James P Blaylock worldwide.

Jim Blaylock’s credentials and achievements are almost too many to list! He is the author of nearly twenty published novels and numerous shorter works. His 1978 story ‘The Ape-Box Affair’ is acknowledged as the first Steampunk story and the many further adventures of his much loved character Langdon St. Ives, in both shorter and longer forms (notably in the Philip K. Dick Award winning novel HOMUNCULUS and LORD KELVIN’S MACHINE) have made him the central figure in the original Steampunk triptych alongside Tim Powers (also represented by Zeno in the UK) and K.W. Jeter. He continues to collaborate with Powers, maintaining a partnership that has lasted since the two met in college back in the mid-70s and one only occasionally hampered by the interference of William Ashbless.

Blaylock has received multiple nominations for the World Fantasy Award, winning it on two occasions – for short stories ‘Paper Dragons‘ and his collection ‘Thirteen Phantasms‘. Over the years his work has consistently ranked the highest positions in the annual LOCUS Magazine poll and his story ‘Unidentified Objects‘ was included in Prize Stories 1990, the O. Henry Awards.

‘I have admired Jim’s work for over two decades now,’ says Zeno agent John Berlyne, ‘In fact – gushing fanboy that I am – I realise I’ve read every word of  his published fiction! Aside from being, by a country mile, the best short fiction writer I’ve ever come across, he is, and remains, a truly original voice – unique in fact – and a hugely respected and cherished genre figure.’

James P. Blaylock lives in Orange, CA with his wife, Viki. He teaches creative writing at Chapman University where he is Assistant Professor of English. Continue reading “New Client – James P. Blaylock” →